FAQ’s:  What is the FSA money used for?  How much is the first payment, and when is it due?

 

Fair Share Accounts (FSAs) help pay for music and drill composition, contest entry fees,

and all travel expenses (hotel in St. Louis, school buses and sometimes bus drivers to games and contests,

mileage, charter buses to St. Louis, etc.).  When the band travels, it takes 5 school buses to transport them,

plus the Hino truck and 30-ft trailer loaded with instruments, equipment, and props for the show.

There is no way that the school district can fully fund a competitive marching band of almost 200 students.  

The FSA system was implemented in 2003 in order to meet costs, give students every possible advantage

as they compete, and provide every possible opportunity to grow musically, in order to obtain scholarships

when it is time to attend college. I hope that gives you a “helicopter view” of where this money goes and

why it is necessary.

 

 The first installment of $200 is due Friday, August 7. 

The Boosters provide 3 main fundraisers in the fall to help with overall costs, and there are continuing fundraisers

through Kroger cards. (Schnucks’ program is changing, and we hope to provide more information at

the Booster meeting about those changes, but in the past, Schnucks has also been an on-going, year-round fundraiser.) 

 It is our hope that you can use Sally Foster, Boston butts, and Florida fruit to offset the cost of the FSA –

participate in all 3, or pick one and focus on selling as much as you can. (I have 2 students in the program,

and we use Boston butts and fruit to fund their accounts.  I skip Sally Foster, for no other reason than it allows

me to ask people about the food products, which seem to sell better in my circle of friends and acquaintances.)