SAFin Ri, your profile shows you as PTO member, but you seem to defend the PTA, just curious.
I am a PTO member, -I am also a PTA member at my daughter's middle school. I am trying to look at both sides objectively
A successful Parent group isn't limited to the "A" or the "O".
Our PTA isn't run by the state. They do good things in our state but we control it at our school. They don't tell us what to do but I know that they help us when we ask for it. I did some more of my own research after my last post and a lot of PTAs are doing just fine and I LOVE all the changes they seem to be making in their own towns and states. I'm a bit prouder of my membership there now.
I agree that they both seem to be in it for the children except I don't think it's all that much money in our pocket because we have a PTO at the middle school. If we were paying dues to PTA, it wouldn't be all that much of a difference when we consider what we take in with our fundraisers and at our other school with a PTA I know that good things are being done with that money. I KNOW it because I'm seeing it and after reading all of this and what I looked up on PTA I like that I gave my couple of bucks to help with that. In fact, I'm thinking of talking to our middle school PTO about switching to a PTA now because I think we could be doing more.
Well chalyflour whatever you decide to do with your school I hope you really check it out before you do it and I hope that whatever research you are doing isn't too one sided alls I'm saying...
Aren't PTO's & PTA's in it for the children? We all have a common interest in our children's school & education. PTO's are independant & PTA's are state 'run'. PTO's don't charge a membership fee but PTA's do along with the state. Therefore it's more $$$ in the PTO's pocket. Again we are all in it for the KIDS.
I'm kinda new to this but was wondering what kind of research have you been doing. No offense to the PTO people here but I'm not sure that this would be where I'd get all my information (seems like this site is pretty anti-pta) or at the very least look at the PTA's websites and forums to compare the two opinions.
I belong to both a PTA and a PTO. I know that there are a lot of presumed things about PTAs positions on things as opposed to what is real? Dues might be a concern but I don't really see what kind of difference $3 is going to make if the school gets it or it goes out somewhere. My PTA does a lot to work for all of the schools in our district, so I don't mind paying that $3 knowing that it's doing some good. Our PTO does good things too but just for our middle school. It seems from what I've seen that the PTA helps our middle school too.
Alls I'm saying is if your researching all of this, get multiple opinions before you guys make a choice.
SAFin Ri, your profile shows you as PTO member, but you seem to defend the PTA, just curious. I have many reasons for wanting the change. Two of them are the dues and liberal issues. After reading some of the posts, I am doubting. I'll have to see what the other members want to do. I think I will start my own Parent/Teacher group, [img]smile.gif[/img] .
