I guess vaction is over.

Tim

Originally posted by NMmom:


Anyway, my point is when newspapers write stories, it's easier to pick on a PTA because it is everywhere than it is to pick on PTO, or PIE, or HSA, or ....

This is the 100% simple answer to the original point of this thread. You nailed it NM. Why does national PTA take more guff in the press than PTOs? Because national PTA is very high profile. There is no equivalent for PTOs. Everyone recognizes the acronym PTA (think Harper Valley...). NEA takes guff. Microsoft takes guff. John Kerry and George Bush take guff. PTA takes guff. It goes with the high-profile territory.

I feel like PTO Today is here more to help the little guys .

Love that. Thanks.

Tim

Originally posted by Michelle B:


I don't disagree with that, but as any business goes, when your customers start to ask for something, you pay attention and do what you can to provide it. This leads to the growth of your business and a better bottom line.

Lightbulb moment. I used to think your issue was our being a for-profit business. Now, I see your issue is actually our being a poorly run for profit business. Thanks for your concern with our bottom line. My wife shares your concern.


Another analogy (perhaps more explanatory)- If a business claims that they provide all carpeting at a low cost and when you enter the building, they only sell hardwood floors, and a couple of throw rugs in the back, it's misleading.

Ugh. (I was going to say "ouch", but ouch gets me in trouble.) Methinks you're misstating the case here by a long shot. Please feel free to go and measure the square footage (web pages and words) dedicated to helping all parent groups vs. the square footage spent on the PTO v PTA issue. It's something like 95% to 5%, hardly a couple of throw rugs in the back.

Now, you ask the question </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Someone educate me – is not the birth of most PTO groups basically disgruntled, former PTA groups? I am sincerely asking this.

The actual origins of PTO (and I am NOT saying this is the way it is now) was in response to desegregation. From the book "Taming the Storm, the Life and Times of Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr. and the South's Fight over Civil Rights",

??? This sounds like the reason one group or one group of groups went PTO. There's no evidence at all that segregation issues were the major precipitating factor in loss of PTA affiliation. What would explain the fact that 95% of Massachusetts (a huge abolitionist/pro civil rights state) groups are PTOs? To answer lurking's question -- there are just too many reasons for disaffiliation to list. Many groups left long ago. Some PTAs petered out and a couple of year later a PTO started up (unrelated to the original PTA, not disaffected by PTA); There are probably 10,000 or more PTO groups at relatively new or rejiggered schools, where there was never a PTA before the PTO. And, yes, there are schools where the change was made because of PTA misgivings. MichelleB said some of this same stuff, but there's no one answer, and it's certainly not largely because of segregation.
</font>[/QUOTE]

Originally posted by Michelle B:
This is the link to the National PTA website's first page. www.pta.org Do you readily see the anti PTO sentiment there? How many times do you click a link before you find a negative PTO statement? Where is the negative PTO story?

Oh man...

Having attended (at last count) more than 15 different state's PTA conventions and being an admitted -aholic in terms of state PTA web sites, I can tell you with 100% confidence that there is far, far more discussion of PTO v PTA at state and national PTA conventions than there is at our PTO conferences. And that most state PTA web sites contain easy to find PTO v PTA content with decidedly one-sided versions ofevents. The most common explanation of PTOs on those sites is that "PTOs are entirely on their own with no resources at all" Not a single one of those (unsurprisingly, granted) Web sites refers to PTO Today or links to our site, as we do several times (to the PTA site) in our PTO v PTA explanations.

This sounds a bit like a childish, "but they're worse than us" argument -- but the insinuation that the PTA somehow stays out of this fray is ludicrous.

Tim

[ 07-27-2004, 03:41 PM: Message edited by: Rockne ]

Michelle B, of course this is not a pro PTA website. The PTA has it's very own website for promoting itself. I agree that the PTA gets alot more harrasment but isn't that because it is one of the very few parent groups that is actually well organized?? You can't say PTO and associate the same group from California to New York, not true with PTA. My school will be changing from PTO this year because of the disorganization, and never quite knowing who to hold responsible. PTA will be one of the groups meeting with us this year to decide what is best for us. I don't know that we will choose to become PTA because of their political stance, but I do like the fact of having someone watch over the parent group from year to year as the board changes.

Anyway, my point is when newspapers write stories, it's easier to pick on a PTA because it is everywhere than it is to pick on PTO, or PIE, or HSA, or .... And because the PTA is a national organization they have the resources to defend and promote themselves.

I feel like PTO Today is here more to help the little guys .

Originally posted by Michelle B:
If you were generating a revenue in 2001 before the PTO shows, before NPN, are you telling me or us, that you're barely squeaking by in 2004?

Kids ate last month. Mortgage got paid. And I (almost) got a vacation. Our business of serving parent group leaders is going OK. Thanks for your concern.

Are you telling me that when a PTO pays to attend a show, that you don't turn a single profit from it? That NPN membership $179, pays only for the operating costs and materials?

Sadly, yes. That's what I'm telling you. Neither our conferences or our Network are profitable. Working on it, though. (Guess my frequent strategy sessions with Bill Gates and Warren Buffet aren't working out that well.)

You can't honestly say that you aren't making money off of PTOs because then you'd be contradicting your own words, not mine.

Actually, those would be a reporter's words, not mine.

That said, you seem to think there's some kind effort to conceal here. We have a dot-com url. Our About Us page and our Advertise with Us are available for all to see. 95%+ of our content is 100% great for every kind of parent group imaginable. Call off the Truth Squad -- we're a business trying to provide a great product and service. You got us.

Tim

[ 07-28-2004, 02:26 PM: Message edited by: Rockne ]