PTO Today

Hope everyone had a great week. Thanks to those who replied to my Facebook request and sent along article links!Here’s the top-line of  the most interesting articles of the week:

• PTO organizes a classroom kit project
• Fun teacher appreciation idea
• Nice interview with a dedicated PTO president
• Awesome reading program
• Excellent efforts to get more dads involved (Here’s Tim’s take on dads involvement: http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/718-dads-are-different)
• Parent group making changes in the new school year

And finally a question: Is your group employing smart financial controls? These articles will give you the nudge you need to make it happen!

http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/08/25/local_news/1819334.txt

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20100825/NEWS01/8250436/1007/NEWS01/Arraignment-for-accused-ex-PTA-president-postponed-to-Oct.-19

I haven’t done this in a while, but sometimes quotes from state and national PTA leaders can get my Irish up. An article from Virginia has several quotes that fit that bill.

What I find especially disconcerting is that the PTA officials quoted are – at best – exaggerating and – at worst – outright misleading. Why the need for the misdirection?

The first quote is from the Virginia state PTA president and says:

“Plus, PTAs have more parent involvement than schools with PTOs because [you’re] able to learn from other schools.”

There is just not a single shred of evidence that says that PTA schools have more parent involvement than PTO schools. Not one. There are tons of PTA schools with really strong involvement and tons of PTO schools with the same. The opposite is also true. If anything, we do hear stories about parents purposefully staying away at PTA schools because of issues with PTA national politics. But those are infrequent. The fundamental truth is that there is no connection between your acronym and your involvement – that involvement comes from how your group and how your school and parents operate, and that’s completely independent from any acronym. (Additional small peeve – PTOs *do* share ideas with other schools. Our magazine, for example, goes to virtually every K-8 school in the country, PTOs and PTAs, 7 times per year. Plus our website, our email newsletters, our conferences, etc.)

The second quote comes from Chuck Saylors of national PTA regarding PTA dues:

“For every $1.75 sent out the door, you get $3.75 back in resources.”

That’s a new one. Not sure how he figures that math. He’s also conveniently leaving out state dues and (which often are higher than national dues) and even county dues. It absolutely costs more than $1.75 per member for a unit to be a PTA. Nearly all of the groups who leave PTA tell us they do so because they feel they aren’t getting enough value for the dues dollars spent. The average PTA sends about $1,000 “out the door” to state and national PTA.

Finally, Mr. Saylors is correct that becoming a 501c3 costs $750 right now with the IRS. But he also fails to mention that that’s a one-time cost, whereas that $1,000 to PTA (or whatever a local’s dues total is) is annual and is due each year. That’s not a huge deal, but it’s another small example of the the angling or misdirection.

The PTA option may be right for these Virginia groups or it may not be – that’s really up to them and what they’re looking to achieve and how they’re looking to operate. I know they can do amazing work in both formats. I just think national PTA and state leaders should sell their benefits on the actual merits, rather than trying to spin groups into affiliation.

We have an entire message board on PTO v PTA with tons of good, thoughtful opinions on both sides. Glad to continue the discussion over there.

For Texas at least, this is a bit of a man-bites-dog story, as this Del Valle district is enforcing a rule specifically banning formally-affiliated PTA groups from its campus.

It’s especially unusual since the Texas state PTA has been aggressive in promoting exactly the opposite policies, trying to get local school boards to make PTA the default choice in their schools. I give the Del Valle super credit for guts, as it’s often so much easier to give in to the organized PTA in a state like Texas than it is to stand up for a concepot that doesn’t have an organizational backing (PTOs are stand-alone). The Del Valle reasoning is same as most of the groups we see going PTO – why should parents have to pay dues to belong to the parent group at their own child’s school?  It’s a good question.

While some PTOs choose to charge dues; all PTAs must charge dues.  It’s a fundamental difference.  In the end, my conclusion is the same:  I’m for parent groups and involvement, no matter the acronym.  Did find this article intriguing, though.

Two quick notes:  1. Our PTO v PTA page sheds even more light on the issue; and 2. Our PTO Expo is actually coming to Texas (among other places) this spring.  I’ll be giving a keynote at the Texas event on best PTO and PTA habits.

Seems there’s a lot of PTO v PTA action these days.  I’ve certainly been getting more than the usual number of emails and calls. And the news media has picked up the story several times of late.  The latest is a comprehensive feature in Washington Post on two high schools going PTO in Virginia and the related membership trends in that area.  The number that jumps out at me is that both those groups had 1,000 members. Wow.  Huge groups, but 1,000 members also means $3,000 per group in dues paid to state and national PTA.  Average PTA unit pays roughly $1,000 in dues.   (Note: you’ll find another fairly long take on the Woodson High PTA going PTO in this local paper coverage.)

And a third Virginia PTA going PTO is covered in this smaller article.

This Michigan feature looks at the whole PTO v PTA issue with the main conclusion that both groups do great work for kids.  We agree!

Obviously, it’s a lively issue.  Whether you’re a PTA thinking about switching to PTO or a PTO thinking about going PTA or even a brand new group deciding on a format, our new PTO and PTA Differences at a Glance chart should be a big help.

Interesting analysis from this group in Massachusetts, as they make the switch from PTA to PTO. The biggest reason: they wanted to include everyone and get rid of the “who’s a member and who’s not a member” idea. Also felt that perceived PTA fundraising restrictions were getting in their way.

I’ve always been a fan of the no-dues model for PTOs (not allowed for PTAs and optional for PTOs) for that very reason, seems funny to me that parents have to pay dues to belong to the parent group at their own children’s school.  My column on saying no to dues for parent groups and PTOs and PTAs is here.

Tough op/ed in yesterday’s Boston Herald on still-controversial PTA-dedicated seat on state board of education. As far as I know, Massachusetts (my home state) is the only state in country with such an arrangement for PTA, which is curious considering that Massachusetts schools are very nearly the least PTA-centric schools in the country (far, far more PTOs  than PTAs in the Bay State).

The article get a few items wrong, in my opinion, especially where it equates PTOs with bake sales and implies that local PTAs don’t do that kind of work.  Fact on that count is that local unit PTAs and local PTOs are virtually the same on the types of activities they run.  Both great and generous and enthusiastic supporters of their schools and kids.  This political bent is typically reserved for the state and national levels of PTA.

Will continue to follow this story.  Is surprising that the PTA appointee is implying that parents’ own voices should be over-ridden by those who supposedly know better.  That’s the kind of approach schools have taken for far too long and that parent involvement experts (the PTA among them) have been trying to change.  Hopefully, it was a mis-characterization of Ms. Kaplan’s point of view.

Ran across this article about membership in Iowa’s PTA groups and  the interesting discussion that follows. Good look at trends in Iowa state PTA membership (down to 13,000 members from 24,000 15 years ago).

Author, though, makes the classic mistake of equating lower PTA membership with less parent involvement in Iowa, when lower PTA membership really just means lower PTA membership. Odds are that a huge chunk of that decline is groups leaving the PTA to form independent PTOs. When that happens, involvement isn’t less; it just has a different name.

Also worth taking a read of the comments section. Good insight there as to what you’re up against (and how groups are often perceived) in trying to engage more parents. Is your group viewed as a clique? The answer to that question I actually wrote a column on this clique topic a couple of years back.

The annual national PTA convention, which ends today in Florida, is always a good marker for tracking financial performance of the well-known national non-profit for past year.

From my reading of various public documents, a few key items:

Membership – 5.16 million in 23,094 units.  Membership year earlier = approx. 5.4 million.

Revenue of national PTA = $12.5 million.  Revenue year earlier = $13.2 million. 

Expenses of national PTA = 13.2 million. Expenses year earlier = $13.1 million.

Net realized and unrealized loss on PTA investments (fancy term for stock market losses) in past year = $3.6 million.   (I think everyone who has a 401k knows that pain this past year. Ouch.)  Still a good chunk of assets ($14 million) as safety net even after that loss.

National PTA Employee Count 2009 = 81.  2008 = 73. 

My reading:  Expenses and employee count going up is going to be a tough mix with membership still going down.  It’s been several years now since last national dues increase.  Next increase has to at least be under consideration.  Was surprised that there seemed to be little if any questions re: these financials at the national meeting.

This time the stealing from the PTA was done by a couple! Ugh. When the parents at Erdenheim Elementary School in Erdenheim, PA, decided to switch from a PTA to PTO an audit was done and numbers just weren’t adding up… to the tune of $17,000! Ouch. Unfortunately, this group learned the hard way about the importance of fiscal controls in PTOs and PTAs.

This heated debate about a PTOs role in a local education vote from a Connecticut website is interesting on several levels.

First, it’s a real look into the passions that are so much a part of local politics, especially around schools. I give credits to both sides here for their engagement.  Much better than the opposite (apathy).

But the debate captures very well what almost inevitably happens when the local PTO or PTA gets actively involved on one side or the other of a political issue. Politics by definition are divisive.  And groups that take political stands need to do so expecting acrimony.

The PTO critic in the linked debate captures the danger:

I did not know that my children were being used to raise money for an organization that can advocate for anything. I would be happy to have my kids raise money for the WEF, since they have it in their by-laws that they can not advocate for any political issue. Whether we like it or not, and I don’t, this has become a political issue.

I’ve been saying for a long time that the vast majority of parents/members of local PTOs and PTAs don’t think of the parent group as a political organization. They think of it as a parent involvement and community-building and support organization.  This debate captures that fairly well.

For the record, I don’t have a problem with this Connecticut PTO.  Sounds like they have a very active, successful group and they were above board in their work here.  We’ve worked with many groups (PTAs obviosulsy and also many PTOs) who do feel like politics is part of their function, especially on school issues.

But it’s my observation that political work and “grow community/build involvement at school” goials are often in direct conflict with one another.  Good for PTOs to be fully aware of that before heading down the political path.