Hi Susan, I too am a Council President. Are you looking to argue against the answers you recieved or just some clarification on what has been addressed?

I do not disagree with most of her response to your concerns the only thing that I would find may not be entirely true is that there is a SMALL number of people who are paid within the organization. For example, within our state PTA, we have one paid employee who maintains the state office throughout the year. Our lobbyist is unpaid. On the national level there are a couple of paid lobbyists and staff. In relation to the size of our organization and the work that it requires to maintain work for 6 million members, it is an extremely small percentage in relation to our size.

The Hispanic Initiative is a program designed to encourage parent involvement WITHIN our organization. It does not seek to divide us but to bring us together, to work together. Here in Nevada, we have a large Hispanic population that does not have the experience of being a parent involved in their child's school. This concept is not practiced in Mexico, for example. This initiative helps us introduce this and impliment it in this demographic. It does not seek to create a seperate Hispanic group but to help Us better understand and to provide for cultural differences.

As for the political activity, there are people who believe (and very strongly) that PTA supports a candidate based on the issues at hand. Rumors about who we have endorsed circulate frequently. Our status of being a 501c3 prohibits this. With an organization of our size, if we were endorsing a candidate, do not for a minute, think that the IRS would not have addressed that. Our continued status as a 501c3 would confirm that we are not breaking that rule.
There are National positions (put up over the years to voted on by the membership and positions are made from an affirmative vote) and there are State positions. States can and do adopt independent positions in relation to specific issues. A good example would be our own Where We Stand at www.nevadapta.org/wherewe.html many states have their positions posted online and you can look them up by visiting their sites. It is also my understanding that National is in the process of posting their positions on their site as well.
There is mention in the e-mail of a past President who had gone somewhere, are you perhaps referring to Ginny Markell and her touring with Patti Labelle and Tipper Gore for the Department of Education's "America Goes Back to School Bus Tour"? They also did the tour in previous years, prior to 2000. You can read more about this event at
www.ed.gov/PressReleases/07-1999/agbts.html and www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/index.html
It is designed to encourage parental involvement in communities and schools. That is a PTA issue.
The issue of whether or not PTO Today is a business has been discussed before. While it is a good business that provides a good service, it is still a business. It is up to you to form an opinion about whether or not that is an issue to you. But if you were to decide to remain a PTO, it does not mean that you have to run through or be affiliated with it either.

I am very proud and honored to serve in the PTA and I strongly believe in the work that they have done and they will do. I also feel that the couple of bucks that I pay to be a member of the PTA is well worth it.
I am inclined to disagree with much of the PTA mud-slinging that happens. I also believe that most PTOs are working in the best interest of their children. All of the parents on these message boards care about their children regardless of the acronym.

our school is considering a switch from a PTO to a PTA. After reading some items in this website I expressed concerns to our President. This is the response I have recieved. I am asking for some insight regarding this. Help anyone?
RESPONSE TO EARLIER CONCERNS:
If I am reading the email traffic correctly, parents at KJH have expressed concerns about PTA in three areas:
1. PTA minority parent initiatives
2. PTA lobbying and political activity
3. PTA vs. PTO organization
I hope I can offer some information about these concerns that parents and volunteers may find helpful in thinking about making the switch from PTO to PTA.

The most important thing to keep in mind in all matters concerning PTA is the mission statement, which is the same at all levels of PTA, from local units at schools to the national office. The mission statement expresses the three purposes of all PTA organizations:
1. supporting and speaking on behalf of all children,
2. supporting and assisting parents, and
3. encouraging parent involvement in public schools.
I think applying this mission statement to the three concerns in the emails may clarify things for your families at KJH.


Concern # 1: Minority Parents' Initiatives
There seems to be some confusion in the emails about the nature of these initiatives. PTA exists to support all children, so PTAs that are segregated to serve only certain ethnic or social groups are not permissible under PTA bylaws. However, because minority parents and parents in lower socio-economic groups face significant barriers to being involved in their kids' schools, PTA at both the state and national levels is trying various methods to increase parent involvement in these historically underrepresented groups. One great success story is the Texas PTA Hispanic Outreach Program, which has encouraged Spanish-speaking parents in southern Texas to become much more involved in their children's education.


Concern # 2: PTA Political Action
There are two different issues concerning political activity in the email traffic: endorsements of candidates by PTA representatives and PTA lobbying of government bodies. Here there seems to be significant misunderstanding of what kinds of political activity PTAs may engage in.

PTAs and PTA representatives may NOT engage in party politics or endorse candidates for office.
PTAs at all levels are forbidden by their bylaws to engage in partisan political activity. No PTA or person authorized to speak on behalf of a PTA may endorse any candidate for office--not for school board, state legislature or President of the US. Nor may any PTA endorse a political party or its specific platform on issues. I have no idea where the PTA President in 2000 went or with whom, and she certainly was free as a private citizen to go wherever she wanted with whomever she chose, but she did not offer any endorsement to any candidate from PTA or use any PTA resources to support her travel. Had she done either of those things, she would have been removed from her office for unethical conduct as the national PTA bylaws direct.

PTAs may--and indeed SHOULD--speak to governmental bodies on behalf of children.
The PTA mission statement specifically states that PTA will "support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community and before governmental agencies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children." This is an important role, since children lack the legal ability and political savvy to speak for themselves.
At the local level, most PTAs fulfill this mission in the same way that PTOs do--by conferencing with principals, attending rezoning meetings, following school board meetings, etc.
The state and national PTA organizations offer parents a chance to be heard at higher levels of government. In all cases, a membership vote is required before volunteers do any lobbying before a legislative body. In Texas, PTA has--at the direction of its membership--lobbied for seat belt laws, gun and drug-free zones at campuses, and the graduated driver's license program. PTA is currently lobbying the Texas legislature to adequately fund public schools from state funds instead of forcing local school districts to increase property taxes. At the national level, PTA--authorized by vote of the membership--successfully lobbied the Bush administration to include parent involvement clauses in the No Child Left Behind Act.
I think most PTA parents are happy that PTA lobbies lawmakers to provide adequate resources for public education and children's welfare.

Concern #3: PTA vs. PTO organization
PTA is a true volunteer organization, nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian and noncommercial. At every level from the local unit at a school through the council, district, state and national bodies, PTA Board members, officers and presidents are unpaid volunteers who serve because of a passion to help kids. Dues paid to all levels of the organization support resources, training and support networks to help individual units do the most effective and efficient job possible helping kids, supporting parents and encouraging school volunteer programs.
It is a common misconception out there, but there is no such thing as a "PTO organization." In fact, each individual PTO is its own separate entity. The PTOToday group referred to in the emails is not a volunteer organization, but a loose consortium of publishers, merchants and fundraising vendors whose target market is parent groups. This group does indeed sponsor conventions and workshops, but it is a for-profit commercial entity. PTOToday directs its materials to all parent groups--every PTA and PTO president receives the PTOToday magazine--in an effort to maximize its market. Although this group offers valuable resources and some truly useful products, its prime focus is commercial activity, not volunteer service, and it provides no ongoing training and support for parent groups of any kind.


Sorry for the long email, but these are complex issues and, obviously, I believe strongly in the advantages PTA offers to children and families. I am also very proud of the outstanding record of our Katy PTA units in encouraging parent involvement and educational excellence in KISD schools. Currently, 23 of the 26 elementary schools and 7 of the 10 junior highs in KISD have chosen to be PTAs, and we have a PTSA at CRHS. Katy Council would be thrilled to welcome KJH as a member unit, with access to all the training, support and networking opportunities we provide through our council.

I will see you at the meeting tomorrow, and will be happy to answer any questions your parents have as they choose the best direction for their group.


Cindy Beyer
Katy ISD Council of PTAs