The PTA's membership makes up about 10% of the parent population of the US (depending on who's Fuzzy Math you believe)

The PTA is lockstep with the NEA, other teachers' unions and lobbyists- is against homeschooling, tax vocuhers, parent choice to choose their own school and that doesnt even cover the more contreversial issues (sex ed, gay rights, etc)

The PTA is a voice for whom again?

Local PTA's (that dont associate with PTA and only do what the locals want to do), PTO's, Rotary, Kiwanis, BSA, Girl Scouts, USO, and THOUSANDS of other nonprofits and boosters do as much if not more for children with lots less and dont have paid staff, lobbyists and croonies working for them.

That (these and mine) are the voices that are being heard not a minority 10%....... Millions of parents have a stake in the health education and welfare of their children, inside & outside the walls of their local school building.

How sad the PTA's and some of of its members think they have the market on children advocacy (sp?) The PTA's polices continue to tell parents they have no stake, no place, no responsibility in the process (ie school choice, homeschooling).

How sad that the PTA's and some of its members think that As long as we are content to only bake the cookies, serve the teacher lunches, work the bookfairs, moniter the playground we will never truly achieve that goal of "bring their parents together, build involvement, and help create the best environment they can in which their kids can learn and their teachers can teach." that its not doing exactly what they say its not

I for one will tout any PTA or PTO (I'm involved in both) or nonprofit that does a good job but will also not morn ones passing for ignoring the majority, having a bloated budget, knowtowing to union and political HAC's and claiming to be a voice to people its never asked their religious and secular ideas from and charges for ideas, training and tips that I can can get elsewhere that is just a good (sometimes better and sometime not) and for FREE.

One of the top reasons more parents are NOT involved in our PTO (as they've stated in surveys) is they don't want to or don't have time to get involved with the "politics" that go along with being members of a formal group. I cannot imagine being a PTA and having to add another layer of political minutia.

It is incredibly insulting to assert that parents who give hundreds of hours of legwork are somehow less valuable than those who give hundreds of hours of lip service.

Every single minute volunteers spend working in our schools and for our students is important and should never be discarded as trivial. And when all is said and done, what will our children remember? What will have made the most impact? It will be the volunteers who jumped right in and made things happen. It will not be those who sat around talking about planning on contemplating the discussion of what could be done if they could organize the policy and procedures of the plan to get their hands dirty.

commetmomof4;134924 wrote: Tim;

How sad it is that parents feel that they don't have a stake in the health education and welfare of their children, outside the walls of their local school building. And sadder still that you seem to promote that idea. I guess its a good thing the civil rights movement, or any other great indevor this country has ever embarked on didn't have that same attitude.

If we don't speak on behalf of our children, all of our children, who will? It is our right and our responsibility as citizens to speak for the voiceless.

Advocacy, at the local, state, and national level should be a piece of what all parent groups are about. I don't understand why that should be such a foreign concept. When our church, our union, our sportman's group asks us to write a letter to our congressman, we have no problem with that.

If we continue to tell parents they have no stake, no place, no responsibility in the porcess, it becomes a self fullfilling prophecy.

If we challanged parents to be courageous and speak out about issues that affected our children and encouraged them not to be content with the status quo, the changes that affect the lives of our children would be staggering.

It is heart breaking to read that this is the first generation of children who's life expentancy will be shorter then that of their parents due mostly to circumstances that we have the power to change.

As long as we are content to only bake the cookies, serve the teacher lunches, work the bookfairs, moniter the playground we will never truly achieve that goal of "bring their parents together, build involvement, and help create the best environment they can in which their kids can learn and their teachers can teach." Because at the heart of it all I have to believe that parents are looking for something more meaningful.

I say find you voice and make it count for kids!

Annie:)

I don't know where to start with this. Seriously.

I completely respect your passion. And I'm very happy for you that you've found a good place (PTA) that fits your passion well. I'm 100% sure that you do good work with the very best of intentions.

But for this discussion, go back to a question from above: can you see that it's possible to do really good work and not be a PTA? PTA just isn't a fit for a lot of groups (their choice), and many PTA higher-ups takes that as some sort of abandonment of children. There are a lot of other possibilities other than "abandonment of children".

A few possibilities (I'm not saying these are my opinions, but they are all opinions I've heard and all at least defensible reasons to not be a PTA.):

1. Politics aren't part of our group's mission.

2. The $1,000 price tag doesn't match the benefits we receive.

3. (Related to 2) We'd gladly be part of the PTA if we thought the $1,000 it costs to be a PTA was doing $1,000 of good for "every child." But it seems like most of those dollars go to a bloated bureaucracy in Chicago somewhere (have you seen the head count growing? 6 people in accounting alone???? PTA : PTA Staff )

4. Think globally. Act locally.

PTA seems to think that every non-PTA group is selfish or doesn't care about children or is misinformed. Maybe -- just maybe -- one or two of those tens of thousands of groups who are now PTOs simply don't find PTA to be a fit.

Let's say that I grant you that PTA is a good organization that does good work for kids and schools. I'll definitely grant you that that's at least the intention. No doubt. But the question is: should our parent group become affiliated with every organization that does good work? Should we affiliate with the Children's Defense Fund? UNICEF? Big Brothers/Big Sisters? Public Education Network? Parents as Partners? Couldn't all those groups make the exact same argument that PTA is making?

PTA is one nonprofit with good intentions. There are thousands of those. Most of them get their members one member at a time (just as local PTAs do, by the way). Why doesn't national PTA?

I'll promote, extol, rave about, congratulate, celebrate and shout about the good work done by local PTOs and local PTAs until I'm blue in the face. The one thing that makes me most proud (and most passionate, as this thread suggests -- forgive me) about my work is the chance I've had to defend parent group volunteer leaders from the absolute baloney accusation that they are somehow selfish. Having met tens of thousands of them (in person or in the cyber world), I can tell you with 100% confidence that they are the heroes of our world, not in any way the selfish folks.

Our new Parent Group of the Year honoreees will be announced in August. There will be (as I believe there have been every year) both PTOs and PTAs among the winners. Please find the selfishness in any of the stories and point them out to me.

I'll stop.

I hope you'll take a moment to think about the amazing work done by PTOs (just like that done by PTAs) before casting stones.

Good luck in all of your work.

Tim

Informed parent;134765 wrote: If you want to spend the $750 - over $1000 to make your PTO a 501C3 Non Profit it may not be accoutable to the district but if you do not...just like any other booster club - you actually are. Your funds should even be included in the schools financial audit. That doesn't mean all school districts do this or force the issue but it is true.

I know this from personal experience....the state auditor of the school district asked for copies of all financials of all the booster clubs, etc that were affiliated with the school. When they asked for ours and we did some checking we found that PTA (because it is part of a state and national organization) does not fall under that rule. If we were just a local parent group - PTO or whatever else...our financial statements would have to be included in the schools state audit and calculated in their funding and yes...that would have made us accountable to the district.

Again...all school districts would not force this issue but this is **NOT** BS like several of you have mentioned...this is fact.

Complete and utter BS -these PRIVATE nonprofits need to get a lawyer. I have been around 501c3 and have several family members that are legal counsel for 501c3

The PRIVATE nonprofit ARE not... let me repeat for you ARE NOt a part of the schools finances -- IT is the PRIVATE nonprofits and is DONATED to the school

SO how is a PRIVATE nonprofits finances included in a SEPARATE organziations finacial audit...

You need to stop spreading BS and these PTO's and schools need better legal council

A PTA, a PTO and a School ARE SEPARATE ENtities

A PTA does not have to do anyhting but pay dues to National they ARE Separate from Natioanal also -- yes they can have their PTA affiliation away (big deal)

INformed YOU are uninformed and spreading disinformation

Annie-your attitude is at best condesending and at worst insulting. Not belonging to the PTA does not lump us into the category of the sad, disinterested American that only bakes cookies and fixes luncheons for children. Many of us do support those causes we believe in through voting for candidates that represent our views, starting and volunteering in local programs that promote our community health and serving our counties, states and country in myriad ways. We do that through hard work and time dedicated at our local efforts and by supporting those particular issues we believe in with our own letters to our representatives, our organization of efforts to support local families in need and our food drives to support children that are hungry.

It is a lot more difficult and involved than paying 2.50 cents to an organization and climbing up on a soap box whenever we want to proclaim our nobility. My hands are a lot dirtier than that --- and when our school delievers hundreds of pounds of donated foods, or donates thousands of dollars directly to the children of Katrina, or solicits thousands of dollars to ensure the children in our school receive medical care when it is needed, clothes in the winter and food so they don't go hungry--well it's harder than just talking, but it certainly makes a difference.

Tim;

How sad it is that parents feel that they don't have a stake in the health education and welfare of their children, outside the walls of their local school building. And sadder still that you seem to promote that idea. I guess its a good thing the civil rights movement, or any other great indevor this country has ever embarked on didn't have that same attitude.

If we don't speak on behalf of our children, all of our children, who will? It is our right and our responsibility as citizens to speak for the voiceless.

Advocacy, at the local, state, and national level should be a piece of what all parent groups are about. I don't understand why that should be such a foreign concept. When our church, our union, our sportman's group asks us to write a letter to our congressman, we have no problem with that.

If we continue to tell parents they have no stake, no place, no responsibility in the porcess, it becomes a self fullfilling prophecy.

If we challanged parents to be courageous and speak out about issues that affected our children and encouraged them not to be content with the status quo, the changes that affect the lives of our children would be staggering.

It is heart breaking to read that this is the first generation of children who's life expentancy will be shorter then that of their parents due mostly to circumstances that we have the power to change.

As long as we are content to only bake the cookies, serve the teacher lunches, work the bookfairs, moniter the playground we will never truly achieve that goal of "bring their parents together, build involvement, and help create the best environment they can in which their kids can learn and their teachers can teach." Because at the heart of it all I have to believe that parents are looking for something more meaningful.

I say find you voice and make it count for kids!

Annie:)