interested citizen wrote: "What a worthwhile way to sign on to support for children in our schools than to say to a group of volunteers i support your efforts and wish I could do more."
I don't think anyone on this board disagrees with this. Besides my dues ($6/family), I probably spent $200 or more last year out of my own pocket on my PTO. None of us on our board could be accused of not being generous. We just couldn't believe how much we had been spending for the PTA and we didn't think we were getting anything in return for our school. Now that's going up again. I think we made the right decision.
I don't agree with you friend. Those other groups you talk about get their members directly. For example, I belong to the Sierra Club. I believe in the Sierra Club's work and I get mailings from them and other stuff. I know their positions and that's why I joined. I didn't join to go in and change their positions. I also belong to the PTA but all I had originally intended to do was get active in my son's school. I didn't complain because it was only a couple of bucks going elsewhere, but now that it keeps going up, it's getting to be an issue. I don't get a single thing from the PTA,and the more I look at their issues the more I'm not comfortable with being a member. Problem is the only way to not belong to the PTA is to not belong to the group at my son's school. I don't know what I'll do.
So basically what you are all saying is that PTA is in a no win situation? If money is spent on an image campaign to let everyone know what and who PTA is they are wasted $3 million of members' valuable dues. But if they don't, local PTA members will continue to wonder the organization really does and how to be a stronger part of it. Certainly you have heard of stories of groups of parents working under the impression that they are PTAs and aren't not realizing the correct letters to use.
MrBill, thank you for your insight. I often agree that National has lost touch with members, but we're a lot of members to keep up with. National's position on issues must remain national in scope. Just as your state PTA should remain statewide in scope and local units work to strengthen your community. Too many years National PTA has resisted change in their funding. Can you imagine any local group only using the funds that they receive as dues? You gave me the figure of 76% of their budget. I would say 90% of my state PTA budget comes from dues. That just isn't the way to stay in business anymore.
But on the other hand we are talking about a volunteer organization. Ginny Markel's PTA pay is the same as every other PTA officer in the country. NADA Our PTA state budget is being cut again. Unfortunately that means it will have to cut back services to members, which gives members more reason to wonder what their dues go for. National PTA is in the same predicament. Thanks for the thoughtful replies to my post. I look forward to reading more.
This is from the PTA site: "Our research told us that many of our own members are unaware they're part of a 6.5 million member group with a national voice for children."
I was surprised to read that. Not surprised about the fact, but surprised the PTA printed the fact. That's why we left the PTA two years ago. Just about none of our members knew anything about the PTA and we were still sending them something like $700. I don't even know what that would be today.
When we were leaving the PTA, we heard so many times that "but we're the voice of 6.5 million parents." Are they really the voice of 6.5 million parents if many of those 6.5 million parents apparently don't know the first thing about the group?
Dear "friend". Just offering my perception of what I see is wrong with the PTA. The PTA can no longer rely on it's members' dues to fund 76% of it's income [FY2000]and spend 40% [$3.5 million] on operations. Why does PTA need offices in Chicago and Washington. Why not just have offices in Washington. The PTA asks us not to hold fund raisers, but our kids would not have the benefit of a better education without the items we purchase with those fund raisers. PTA is asking for an increase in dues, again, while some schools may have to hold fund raisers to pay their dues. It was suggested that PTA will spend $3 million a year for the next 3 years for image enhancement. It may be a better idea to spend that amount on conducting a professional survey of it's members, to see what the issues are. A company such as Gallop knows how to ask the right questions that would enable PTA to have a better understanding of what its membership is thinking. The PTA actively supports issues that I don't always agree with. How do they pick and choose issues. I don't think they ask their members. I just think the PTA can do a better job of keeping their finger on the pulse of the local PTA's. However, it may be too late.
Interested Citizen - sometimes people can't afford $3 or $4 for dues increases, esp. if they don't see an immediate return on their investment. We can't get people to join for $1, so we suspended dues altogether. I want people to join together to help the school, not fund a national organization.
