"Schools used to fund-raise for luxuries, like a trip to the water slides. Now, we fund-raise for things we have to have"
About this Quote
As an athlete, Gibson’s credibility isn’t about data; it’s about plainspoken performance. He’s used to talking in “must-haves” and “luxuries” because sports live on the difference between essentials (equipment, conditioning, medical care) and extras (new uniforms, upgraded facilities). That vocabulary makes his critique feel practical rather than ideological: any functioning system knows what it needs to keep playing.
The subtext is a quiet indictment of who’s been deputized to keep public education running. Fundraising sounds communal, even wholesome, until it becomes a substitute for stable funding. Then it starts to resemble a privatized coping mechanism, rewarding schools with affluent networks and punishing those without them. Gibson’s “we” matters: it implicates parents, booster clubs, and communities, but it also hints at resignation. When a society normalizes passing the hat for basics, it’s not just underfunding schools; it’s redefining what “public” means.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Gibson, Kirk. (2026, January 16). Schools used to fund-raise for luxuries, like a trip to the water slides. Now, we fund-raise for things we have to have. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/schools-used-to-fund-raise-for-luxuries-like-a-126910/
Chicago Style
Gibson, Kirk. "Schools used to fund-raise for luxuries, like a trip to the water slides. Now, we fund-raise for things we have to have." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/schools-used-to-fund-raise-for-luxuries-like-a-126910/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Schools used to fund-raise for luxuries, like a trip to the water slides. Now, we fund-raise for things we have to have." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/schools-used-to-fund-raise-for-luxuries-like-a-126910/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
