educationmama;144141 wrote: Actually, there is a misconception that PTA's "must" charge dues. They don't have to charge dues at all, however, the local units must pay dues to the state and national PTA's for their charters as well as to maintain their place under the umbrella of the National and State PTA's 501(3)(c), insurance, and articles of incorporation. $1.25/member to the National PTA is a small price to pay in order to save thousands on the costs of non-profit status, million-dollar liability insurance, and articles of incorporation which will keep your executive boards from being sued individually for any liabilities.

Did you know that tax credit money can be used to pay for PTA membership dues? Did you know that with all the fundraising you do throughout the year, PTA's can use a portion of that money for their payment of dues to the state and national PTA? Many PTO's keep a portion of their fundraising monies to use for operating expenses. It's really no different.

Yeah, it does sound strange to charge people for their right to vote, but think of it this way, only people with social security numbers are allowed to vote in the USA. We are, in a sense, paying for the right to vote by being taxpayers in this country! Taxes could be construed as "membership dues" for being an American.

That's kind of a stretch, I know but it does prove a point.

Really, the bottom line is that whether you are a PTO or a PTA you are being an advocate for children and that's what truly matters.

Ummmm... not really sure where to start with this one. Don't think I can go through point by point, but.... a couple of key clarifications:

1. Definitely not thousands to be a nonprofit. And that approximately $750 fee is one-time fee vs. PTA dues which are every year.

2. PTA dues more often than not do not cover the group's insurance costs. Insurance is typically an additional cost for PTAs.

3. I believe fairly strongly that PTA regs *do* require that a unit charge dues. Those parts of bylaws are often "double-starred", which means locals can't deviate. The system you're describing may be a work-around, but it's not an officially accepted work-around.

Still scratching my head on some of the rest of the stuff, but it was kind of off-topic for this thread either way. I can see the point of folks who think that dues are wise (though I don't agree). But I'll re-iterate what I feel is still a very fair point -- PTAs must charge dues. PTOs (as they are independent) can choose to charge or not charge dues.

Tim

Yeah--we only paid 750 once as well for 501c3 and 50 to incorporate (of course that's annually. If someone is paying thousands they really ought to double check the source.

d

educationmama;144141 wrote: $1.25/member to the National PTA is a small price to pay in order to save thousands on the costs of non-profit status, million-dollar liability insurance, and articles of incorporation which will keep your executive boards from being sued individually for any liabilities.

Thousands? Hmm. I do need to take a closer look at our insurance coverage, but it is only $400 per year. The 501c3 filing fee (for us, with somewhat above average income) was $750, and that's a one-time cost.

educationmama;144141 wrote: Really, the bottom line is that whether you are a PTO or a PTA you are being an advocate for children and that's what truly matters.

Amen to that.

Actually, there is a misconception that PTA's "must" charge dues. They don't have to charge dues at all, however, the local units must pay dues to the state and national PTA's for their charters as well as to maintain their place under the umbrella of the National and State PTA's 501(3)(c), insurance, and articles of incorporation. $1.25/member to the National PTA is a small price to pay in order to save thousands on the costs of non-profit status, million-dollar liability insurance, and articles of incorporation which will keep your executive boards from being sued individually for any liabilities.

Did you know that tax credit money can be used to pay for PTA membership dues? Did you know that with all the fundraising you do throughout the year, PTA's can use a portion of that money for their payment of dues to the state and national PTA? Many PTO's keep a portion of their fundraising monies to use for operating expenses. It's really no different.

Yeah, it does sound strange to charge people for their right to vote, but think of it this way, only people with social security numbers are allowed to vote in the USA. We are, in a sense, paying for the right to vote by being taxpayers in this country! Taxes could be construed as "membership dues" for being an American.

That's kind of a stretch, I know but it does prove a point.

Really, the bottom line is that whether you are a PTO or a PTA you are being an advocate for children and that's what truly matters.

Our elementary PTO has $25 "voluntary" dues. We also have a $10/child ($30/family max) field trip fee. We also have a policy that families can contact the principal for financial assistance.

Our by-laws say all parents/guardians and teachers are automatically members, which is nice and inclusive. However, you might want to look at what your by-laws say about voting and quorum -- you'd hate to have to get 51% of your school to be able to vote on anything.

In our group, any parent or guardian of a student at our school is a member (and can vote) in the parent association.

We don't charge dues.

Tim