DAPHNE, Ala. — “I like the bus,” said 4-year-old Nicholas Cox. “It has monkey bars.”

He didn’t lie. The “Tumble Bus” looked like a school bus from the outside, but inside were monkey bars, a miniature trampoline, a miniature slide, a balance beam and other activities for children to enjoy.

However, Daphne Elementary School’s Fall Festival on Saturday had a few more activities than just a bus, and the overall reason for having the event went beyond the children having fun.

The Daphne Elementary School’s Parent Teachers Association held the annual fundraiser to offset “out of pocket” expenses for teachers to maintain their classroom with supplies and teaching tools.

Teacher’s financial woes

According to the school’s PTA, the minimum amount of expenses to maintain a class in 2010 was $1,200. The PTA provides on average $300 to each teacher, but a state funding mechanism, the Classroom Instructioning Support, offered nothing this year, said Kristi Weir, PTA member and chair of this year’s festival said. This means teachers are spending on average at least $900 from their pockets. In 2008, minimum expenses ran around $1,000; The CIS put up $500 while the PTA offered $100 to bring the total amount for teachers to spend out of pocket down to around $400. The CIS funds teachers from revenue generated by sales and property tax for the state, but the suffering economy dropped the state’s revenue in these areas, Weir said, and teachers received no money from the state for purchasing of classroom materials.

“I had one teacher tell me she spent $1,200 because parents couldn’t buy it, so she bought it,” Weir said, mentioning that the weekend goal was to raise $10,000 at the event. “Everything raised will go to the teachers to supplement the lack of support from the state CIS.”

According to Melissa Valdez, public information specialist for the state’s Department of Education, the state legislative decided not to fund the line item for the past couple of years.

Baldwin County issued a referendum March 23, 2009 for a 1 percent sales tax increase to help the education board’s reported $75 million deficit, but PTA members contend the oil spill caused a 75 percent drop in county revenue, taking money away from the county’s education system. The tax increase was expected to rise around $25 million per year.

Armbands to gain access to a lot of Saturday’s festival activities cost $8 to $12, depending on when they were bought. Tickets for food, Silly String and other games cost 25 cents each. There was also a silent auction and sponsorships from many local businesses.

Saturday enjoyment

Weir said 300 kids bought tickets days before the event, and she estimated around 500 people showed up on Saturday. The festival happens on the first Saturday in November, and it has happened at Daphne Elementary School for more than 20 years, Weir said.

There were 13 inflatable activities, a pie-throwing station, a duck pond game, a “go fish” game, hair coloring, face painting, bag toss and a “cake walk” game at this year’s festival.

“I like the cake walk,” said Madison Payne, 10, right after finishing the pie-throwing game.

The cakewalk had a fabric in a bag that matched the fabric on the ground. Similar to musical chairs — only in the music aspect — when the music stopped, whoever was standing on the fabric type that was pulled from the bag would receive a ticket to get a free cake.

Kevin Henderson, 8, found enjoyment in the many inflatable stations positioned around the yard behind the school.

“It’s like an obstacle course,” the second-grade Daphne Elementary School student said. “You also get to jump around.”

The inflatable activities included a boxing ring, a jousting station, four slides, three mazes, a Velcro stick station and three space walks.

Some kids — like 9-year-old Elesha Latham — took to the boxing ring and jousting inflatable for their enjoyment. Latham competed against a boy in the jousting, and she held her own with a smile on her face. Little did she know she was helping the teachers and the PTA’s financial woes.

“She beat a guy in the boxing ring, too,” said her father, Rod Latham.

(Staff video by Devin R. Golden; edited by Thomas Boni)

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