Anna,
I am a PTO president. It is not a selfish job. I find it hard to believe you work for the good of all and then use the word selfish. The bottom line is any volunteer, no matter what title or organization, that spends one minute of time working in his school is there for a purpose. I personally would like to believe that purpose is to better the education of our children. Sorry but I like the idea that every parent/guardian in our school is a member of our organization. The "dues" do not keep anyone from joining because there are none. I donate money to the political causes I believe in as a citizen NOT as a parent volunteer.

First, congratulations on a fair, informative article. I have been a PTA President, Secretary and Treasurer. I moved to New Jersey and I am in a town where my school is the only one with a PTA. At our old school in Georgia, I was very uncomfortable as President with our level of fundraising and the degree we supplemented the lack in the school's budget. I think my discomfort came from the PTA is suppose to be about based on its stated purposes and goals. As a parent I wanted my child to have the best education and if it was necessary to supplement the school's budget I had no problem helping. However as a PTA leader I felt the PTA should have spent more time in advocacy, addressing such issues as school nurses, fair testing, school safety. I think that there is a need for both types of organizations. At the local school level there is a need for a PTO type organization. In Georgia, where I lived, many PTAs do little or no advocacy work. Their energies are focussed on fundraising for programs and equipment at their schools. They are in essence PTOs. The PTA should be organized on a district, county, state, national level. Each school could have a PTA representative who distributes PTA membership applications, attends the district meeting and provides information to parents on PTA's advocacy activities. Membership in PTA would not impact the dollars at the local level. PTA membership dues would go directly to the PTA.
The PTA would provide membership benefits directly to the member. It would also open its resources to parent groups. A PTO should be able to pay a flat dues for group membership in the PTA that would allow it to access the PTA resources. I think the PTA could generate new revenues from offering training and resources to parent groups that want to organize. I believe the PTA has missed out on this aspect of its advocacy by resricting these resources to only chartered local PTAs.

Wow! I'm not sure where to begin. In the half hour I have spent reading this I have had a wide range of emotions-pride, sadness, anger, you name it I have felt it. I think everyone has had some valid points. I think when it comes down to it both groups do the same thing with the exception of the PTA's lobbying abilities. I have read comments here referring to "sides"-the PTA side and the PTO side. I only see one side-the side of the children. With all the valid points from both groups it made me wonder why I joined PTA. It's the group my parents were in when I was young (tradition), sure! It was the parent group already in place at my children's school,sure! But why do I remain?! I guess after everything I have read here I realize it's because I have the best of all worlds. I get to do the fun things right here in my own school-fun fairs, book fairs, Easter Egg Hunts, Fall Festivals, etc. I get to truly support education, both physically and monetarily, by workinig with children one on one, being able to join in with teachers at literacy trainings, raising funds to help with such things as computer labs,math manipulitives, etc. I help make decisions that directly affect my children and all the children in our district by sitting as a parent rep on interview committees for teachers, principals, operations directors, sitting on task forces developing standards for air quality and environmental safety in our buildings as well as good teaching practices. Through PTA I get the satisfaction of knowing that I am making a difference in my own school, district, and community AND I get the satisfaction of knowing that without physically being there I am making a difference for other children in other schools, districts, communitties, cities and states who don't have even ONE parent much less a WHOLE parent group working to better their life. So do I think the $4 I pay for my membership- $1 that stays in my school, $2 that goes to the State PTA, and $1 that goes to the National PTA is worth it? YOU BET! Being a part of that voice that has and still does advocate for laws for better schools, smaller classrooms, immunizations, hot lunches, safer playgrounds and so much more on behalf of every child, not just my own or my neighbors is SO WORTH IT because I know that for some children we're all they've got! It amazes me to here the remarks about the 3,4,5 or even more dollars that people are complaining about when we all know that at some point in our daily and weekly lives we waste far more than that on frivolous things. I can't figure out where these people are coming up with these numbers ($1,000) that are being sent to their State/National PTA unless the dues in their local units and state's are way more than in mine or else they must have really high enrollments in their schools because we sure don't send anything remotely close to those figures from mine. But even if we did, I would still think it was worth it. I guess the best phrase to sum up this whole debate is one I'll use direct from the classrooms in my school-"Different is Different, Not Better, Not Worse!" It's not about better or worse, just choices, and for me PTA's the Way!

From me to you- only good thoughts and wishes go to EVERYONE who is working on BEHALF of CHILDREN, you are all saints!

I am shocked by the PTA members postings regarding this article. I am in my second year as a PTA President and am embarrassed by my fellow members responses. It's no wonder PTA has such a negative image these days. Fighting over whether PTA or PTO is best is like fighting over whether or not to stay at home with your children or to work full time. It's a choice you make for your particular situation. Please quit bashing other peoples decisions! I am currently researching whether or not to become a PTO, because I don't beleive there is much value for my community in being a part of the PTA any more. The more I read about the pro's and con's, the more I am convinced that becoming a PTO is the way to go!

Happy days to all and Merry Christmas to all
you fine folks that share your family time with your community to make a better life for
all kids. I am so impressed by all of you. Your children must also be very proud of you.
I know my daughter who is 15 years old is proud even if she doesn't tell me. She feel's
better about herself because I care. Maybe it
is selfish of me to belong to a parents organization to see my daughter happy. Yet I
feel good about myself as well. Every time a
policy is improved or a student stands up for
his freedom of speech I get all warm inside.
Here is a story for you that made me cry.
Our Senior High Student's lost a student classmate last spring to a drinking and driving accident and the administration made
a call that would cause them alot of headache's they told the principle of the school because the young student was driving
drunk we will not announce or give a moment of silence to this young man. This way other
student's will not drive drunk. This was unbelieveable to the students and the parents
and the community. The kids stood strong and
said nothing the first day and the second day
brought sign's saying give Tim a moment of silence the District didn't care they removed
the sign's and didn't listen. The kids were
standing outside the office with sign's. Give
our classmate a moment of Silence. Nothing happened. The parents called in nothing happened. The third day went by and the kids
worn t-shirts saying Give our friend a Moment
of Silence. And the kids were ready to walk out of School. They felt that good kids and
sport kids get a moment of silence and pictures on the wall when they die. Yet because this student wasn't one of them he wasn't treated the same. And at 3rd hour on
the third day the principle came on the intercom and said due to the call's and complaint we are getting about this Moment of
Silence we will have a Moment of Silence for
Tim now. The kids were free. Yet they kept going and went to the school board meeting with the support of teacher's and Parents of
students that had died. Also the PTA was there to support the grieving students and family. The people were asking for this to
never happen again. This was 8 months ago and
do you know the School Board hasn't yet finished the Policy to give every student a
moment of silence no matter what. And to this
day the PTA send's a liason to listen and support the Moment of Silence. And the day the Board says Every Child will get a moment
of Silence we will not rest. Student's that
graduated last year are even coming still today as we speak to support this issue. We
are proud to have student's that can stand up
for what they believe and the support in number's is the key. They don't listen to just a few it need's to be many folks. So I
pray that all of you who are either PTA or PTO will be there when the road get's tough.
That is what is important all children are
valueable and special. We parents are making a different by example.
Thank you
A proud Mother and President of PTA of Medford, Wis.

Wow, I just spent 35 minutes reading this whole thing. It's amazing how heated people get on this. My sister's school is a PTA in New Jersey. I'm the president of a PTO in Maryland. We always talk about the stuff we do, and it's almost exactly the same. Our group here does great work for the kids and we are careful with our books and we're not controlled by the principal (although we do work very closely with her) or any of the other things I've read on here. In our case every time we look at becoming a PTA we figure it's not worth the more than 1000 dollars it will cost because we have so many members. We have no problem with the PTA/ We just choose not to belong at this time.