PTO Today

National PTA's Board is meeting this weekend in Orlando and on the agenda is a vote to move the entire Chicago office to DC. Great time to get rid of all of your staff institutional knowledge and consolidate in a town that doesn't need more hot air.

In related news, they laid off 10% of their staff in the past month and belt-tightening is getting severe. The CEO and new President are taking a 2-week trip to Europe and Japan soon, however, to visit try and restart the Pacific unit (Dept of Defense schools) and say hi to the existing units in Europe. Good thing they fired those people or Byron and Charles might have had to fly coach.

Did you hear that Texas PTA is threatening to give up its charter?

What clowns are running the national office?

Had heard about the staff lay-off, but not the proposed move or Texas rumors.

Is interesting to watch the organization change. Does seem to be a significant shift toward Washington work, which is in line with stated goals of recent leadership.

Remains to be seen if that's what the bulk of local units want. National had a fairly rough year financially, but -- I suppose -- so did we all.

Tim

Layoffs! Bryon just hired a bunch of new people. Sounds like a shell game with
people so they can't track the money. Bryon does not value volunteers and he sure doesn't like the board.

Rumor has it that a dues increase is coming. Texas just raised their dues by a $1.00. More dues increase and I predict a severe drop in membership in the Lone Star State.

It's official, the board voted to move to DC in 2010. The staff are beside themselves. Maybe 5 people are moving. This will decimate any institutional knowledge that was left. Goodbye service to the states, hello more hoaring for sponsors.

The national PTA move is indeed official. This from the PTA blog: PTA Blog | PTA

I've been saying for a while that I suspect a dues increase will be soon. Wonder if they'll combine this big change with the dues increase discussion in order to get through controversy all at once, rather than spreading it out.

Tim

I'm a member of both local school-based PTO's and a town-wide PTA. Theydo different things and I'm a big advocate of both.

Is it possible that by purchasing a building in DC they will be saving rent and travel expenses? There is PTA Board of Directors who have a fiduciary responsibiltiy to the membership with decisions like these.

I think it is best to discuss fact rather than rumors, one of which is that a decision on moving has not even been formally made yet by the PTA BOD.