My Choice

Why I prefer PTO over PTA at my school

By Lynne Burns

Last year I volunteered a lot at the school.  I even attended some PTA meetings, but didn’t know much about PTA. In April, Holly asked me if I had ever heard of PTO, which I hadn’t. We researched it with some other parents and were astounded by what we uncovered. We asked for (and were initially denied) a referendum, where parents in the school community could vote on which parent volunteer group represented them at our school.
 

In May, Dr. Briscoe, the Canyons School District Superintendent, asked the School Board to create a policy, allowing any school in our district the right to petition a vote. Parents throughout our district will soon have the opportunity to choose the parent group for their school for the first time!

Here are some reason why I am excited to have a choice:

With a PTO, parents are able to make their own rules to govern the organization. These rules will be relevant to our specific situation and can be adapted to fit the needs of our school. All parents at the school can be part of this process, since we are all automatically members of a PTO.
 

All parents can volunteer, without paying a fee! Last week, I was told by someone in the current PTA that I would no longer be able to do the Silver Mesa newsletter this coming year unless I paid my membership dues and joined the PTA. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to contribute to the school at the same level as I have in the past, just because I’m not willing to pay to “join” the PTA. It feels like an exclusive club, drawing a line in the sand for “us” and “them”.
 

Last year, I purchased a PTA membership for myself and my husband, thinking that I was going to be giving that $10 to the school anyway so I might as well get a PTA membership out of it (not really sure what that was or why I wanted it). Recently, I learned that only a small portion of that money stayed at our school. Wow, I was surprised!! I realize $5 is not a lot of money for most people, but the principle of the matter is that you shouldn’t have to pay to volunteer at your own child’s school – and collectively, the money adds up!

I feel strongly that everyone should be able to make their own decision about how they vote. The more I learn, the more I believe PTO would be a welcome change for our school. My pursuit of a vote isn’t a personal attack on anyone, and I hope we can all shake hands at the end and get back to work, making our school great for the long term.