Note: In "all4thekids" response just above, I think I did wind up inadvertently editing the post. If I recall, there was a conclusion like: "If PTA doesn't speak for all parents, then who does?"

Apologies.

Tim

Originally posted by <All 4 the kids>:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Thank you for the information. I'd forgotten about the PTA lobbying efforts.

Oh right, that evil lobbying like getting Parent involvement written into the NCLB!
And federal funding for IDEA
or how about the school lunch program?
</font>[/QUOTE]You're missing the point here. No one (at least here) is saying that the lobbying is evil or even bad-spirited. Just that -- for some groups -- lobbying itself (no matter what's being lobbied for) isn't a fit for their local parent group work.

An innocuous example: PTA has a position and lobbies against (I believe) Daylight Savings Time. The stated reason is because it negatively affects kids' sleeping. Noble reason.

But I imagine that there are people at a lot of schools who support Daylight Savings Time. A lot of local leaders would rather not have that kind of dispute (which has nothing to do with the goals of their local parent group), affect their recruiting and involvement and community-building efforts.

It's not saying that the PTA's positions are wrong; it's saying that the existence of positions in general is not what their groups is all about.

To me they're two equally laudable ways to run a parent group.

One's not bashing PTA if one prefers to run a parent group without that stuff. One's just doing it differently than PTA. Big difference.

Tim

Thank you for the information. I'd forgotten about the PTA lobbying efforts.

Oh right, that evil lobbying like getting Parent involvement written into the NCLB!
And federal funding for IDEA
or how about the school lunch program?

[Sorry -- not edited. I screwed up when responding. -- Tim]

[ 04-05-2006, 07:58 AM: Message edited by: Rockne ]

Thank you for the information. I'd forgotten about the PTA lobbying efforts.

So let's say then that you're paying $225 out in dues. If that includes your insurance coverage (even for PTAs, insurance is usually an added cost), then I'd say you're getting a pretty good deal.

I've always said that it's about cost-benefit, and it sounds like that math is working in your favor. That's great for you.

Trouble is that there are other groups (larger groups) that are getting the exact same services and benefits as you but who are paying more like $2,000 in dues. Then the math is much more difficult to make work.

A couple of other reasons I hear about:

1) Groups that don't want to mix politics with parent involvement. If you're a PTA, there's no choice -- politics is part of the deal. That's OK (even preferred) by some groups, but for others it's not what their local group is all about.

2) Having to charge dues. There are a lot of groups I work with who think it's odd -- when their biggest goal and biggest challenge is engaging and welcoming parents -- to charge dues to belong to one's child's parent grooup. they like the involvement message it sends to say: "All parents are members." As a PTA, groups don't have that option.

3) The finances again. It's not enough that PTA offer a lot of benefits. They have to be benefits that an individual group is taking advantage of and they have to be at the right price (right price for each group is different). It's like asking a person: "You mean you don't get every possible cable channel? Why not?" If they were all free -- of course you'd get them. But they're not. Instead, we decide 1) which channels our family would watch; and 2) what deal works for our family/how much we can afford.

Lots of good reasons to be a PTA. Lots of good reasons to be a PTO. It's all about the fit.

Tim

[ 04-04-2006, 05:46 PM: Message edited by: Rockne ]

I'm only using one name, Tim. Don't know about the others.

Given the size of our membership (only 50-60 dues paying members), we must be getting a bargain from the PTA. I can't imagine we could get insurance for the amount we pay.

Back to my original question, why switch?