From the Star-News of Wilmington, Nov. 16

Pssst! Hey, kid, wanna get a better grade on your next test without taxing your brain? Get your parents to donate $20 to the school and we’ll spot you a few points.

That was the message, however unintentional, that was sent via a Goldsboro area school’s ill-conceived fundraising idea.

Last year’s candy sale was a bust, so the school’s parent advisory group decided it was time to think way outside the box. Instead of goodies, the school would sell students the chance to improve their grades by fattening the school treasury. Fortunately, Wayne County school administrators stopped the campaign before it got too much momentum. A parent complained that not only does it send an awful message to students — that grades can be bought rather than earned — but it also discriminated against families that could not afford to give money.

The embarrassment made national news, and TV host Jay Leno managed to get a joke out of it. Credit the parent group for being interested enough to raise money for things the school needs, even if the effort was terribly misguided.

The state budget crisis has made things even worse than usual, but for too long schools have looked to parent-teacher groups to provide what should be considered budgetary necessities: teacher supplies, equipment for classrooms and field trip expenses for students who otherwise would be left at school while their peers enjoyed an educationally enriching experience.

In New Hanover County, a few PTAs even are paying for late buses for children who stay after school for tutoring or other activities, according to Stephanie Kraybill, who heads the local Council of PTAs. The school system stopped paying for after-school buses and made other transportation changes to absorb state budget cuts. The ability to provide such “necessary extras,” of course, is based on a school’s demographics.

Truth be told, time often is more important to a child’s education than supplies or “SMART” boards or even the occasional new experience a field trip can bring.

Kraybill, the PTA council president, believes that parent and teacher groups, as well as the business community, could make a big difference in students’ education by making a push for more volunteers in all schools, including those with low parent involvement. Many local businesses already encourage their employees to tutor or otherwise be involved in our public schools, and many people who don’t even have school-age children are volunteering their time and their experience to help make a small difference — one student at a time.

Yes, the schools need more money to buy what got cut from the budget, and teachers should have the supplies they need. But time is an even more valuable commodity. And you don’t even have to dig into your pocket for change.