I am going to my board to suggest switching from a PTA to a PTO but I need as much info as possible to present to them. I am not up on either organization much except that I know I would like our school money to stay in our school. Can anyone give me info to present to the board of reasons why we should switch or can anyone tell me where I can go to get this information?

[ 03-02-2006, 01:15 PM: Message edited by: Rockne ]

Hi PH --

Good place to start reading is here:

http://www.ptotoday.com/ptovpta.html

And the national PTA site is here: www.pta.org

How much is your group paying out in dues now (# of members x (state dues + county dues + national dues))?

Tim

We are paying $50 a year to the PTA council and then I believe approx $1.75 per PTA member. We have 300 members. I am positive about the $50 but not the $1.75. I am on the board as volunteer coordinator but am running for President for next year and we have to make a decision before the April meeting if we are switching.

Thanks!
Patti

Hi Patti --

The $1.75 per member is national dues alone. I suspect there's another buck or two or three per member for state dues, as well.

What state are you in?

Wow -- 300 members! Good for you guys.

Tim

We are in Michigan. I am definitely going to investigate the amount of money we turn over a little bit more. Do you know if the money we turn over gives us any type of insurance coverage or anything? I am basically wondering if the only thing that we get from being PTA members is training and stuff like that or if there are other benefits.

Thanks!
Patti

RE: Insurance. Depends on the state. Most states, the PTA dues don't buy you insurance, but they get you access to insurance at a lower rate, so there's some gain there.

RE: other benefits, you'll get a lot of different opinions on that. To me it's less about what PTA offers and more about what your group uses and what your group's goals are. There may be tons of benefits offered by the PTA, but if they don't fit your group....

I've used this analogy before: I used to be a AAA member. I drove a clunker car, so the towing thing was huge for me. I traveled by car a lot, so the free TripTik maps were really nice. And I used their discouts on a lot of motel stays. It was a great fit for me.

But now I drive a newer car, I don't drive as much (and I can get free driving maps in two seconds on mapquest.com), and I get corporate deal rates on hotels (because I travel a lot more often).... so i canceled my AAA.

Doesn't mean AAA is bad ... or that I somehow now dislike AAA.... just means I'd be crazy in my particular situation to keep paying AAA. That said, AAA still has lots of happy members who feel they're getting a good deal.

So long story short, I think it's all about what resources your group uses and what your goals are. 75% or so of groups across the country are now independent, so you're not alone in what you're thinking.

Tim