Bells Mill PTA Fundraiser Makes Up for Budget Cuts

It's back-to-school and back to raising money for the Bells Mill Elementary School PTA, which sponsored its first Ledo's Night event of the school year on Tuesday.

Each month, the PTA from Bells Mill Elementary School hosts an event at Ledo Pizza, near Westfield Montgomery Shopping Mall, in which the restaurant donates 20 percent of the revenue back to the PTA. Both dine-in and take-out orders made between 5 p.m. and about 9 p.m. raise money for the school.

"It's really great for us because we try to get as many people as possible to show up and eat dinner, and it's a lot of fun," said Ali Weitzman, president of the Bells Mill Elementary School PTA. "The amount we make depends on how many people show up, but it is always nice to give people the opportunity to help out the school."

Extra funding from PTA groups has become increasingly helpful as the budgets have been cut at many Montgomery County public schools.

From fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2011, the Montgomery County Public Schools operating budget decreased from $2.2 billion to $2.1 billion. The decrease came after several years of increases in the operating budget. For example, the operating budget increased more than $100 million between fiscal years 2009 and 2010.

The money raised at Ledo's Night goes to help fund things at Bells Mill Elementary School that the county can no longer afford because of budget cutbacks, Weitzman said. The money goes to help pay for the end-of-school carnival, a bus used for after-school activities and reimbursing teachers up to $150 for classroom materials that they pay for out of their own pocket, she added.

Between dine-in and carry-out, more than 100 families participate every time a school hosts an event like this, said Patrick Murphy, the manager of Ledo Pizza. The restaurant has hosted fundraising events for schools in Montgomery County for about 17 years, Murphy added. It also hosts fundraisers for Potomac Elementary School, Wayside Elementary, Seven Locks Elementary School and Cabin John Middle School.

Although the PTA has not yet calculated how much money they raised at Tuesday's event, they typically raise about $200 to $300 at each event, Weitzman said.

Rebecca Stolz, a third-grade student at Bells Mill, and her grandmother Phyllis Stolz come to the fundraiser every month as a way to hang out with Rebecca's classmates, enjoy the pizza and help raise money for the school.

"We come for dinner here for the social aspect, but we are happy to support the school and give back," Phyllis said.