Question: Does the PTA have membership benefits?

We are trying to decide if it best to remain PTA or switch to PTO. The PTA claims they have several types of benefits for its members... such as glasses, scholarship and other things I'm not quite sure about. My question is… is anyone aware of these services? Do they exist and if they do has anyone ever used them? Or is this a ploy to stop our school from switching to PTO?

Asked by toni7tabbie8

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rockne writes:
Hi Toni - Yes, there are benefits connected to being a PTA. As an example, there isa Reflections arts contest that is only open tot PTA schools. There are others, as well. For most groups, though, the question isn't which benefits exist but rather which benefits you use or which benefits are a fit for your group (and therefore have value for you). If there's a school/group that's really into the Reflections program, then that benefit has real value. If your school/group doesn't participate in the Reflections program, then that benefit has no value for you. We have a lot more on PTO v PTA here: http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/292-pto-vs-pta-whats-the-difference Tim

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
Check out PTO vs. PTA: Differences at a Glance for a quick reference. You'll find more detailed information on our PTO vs. PTA page. Some state and district PTAs offer classes and support, but that varies widely from state to state and area to area. As far as scholarships, I'm not aware of a large-scale scholarship program from the National PTA. Many local PTAs offer scholarships within their own schools and districts, of course, as do many PTOs.