SCC

Just wanted to remind everyone that the voting is now open for our school's SCC. From Aug. 27^th through Sept. 2^nd, all parents are welcome to vote for the candidates to fill the open positions on the council.  You will need to go into the front office to vote during that week.

Bookmark

Did your kids come home with a really cute bookmark? I wanted to give a big "Shout Out" to Pro Digital Photos (www.prodigitalphotos.com) for donating the printing of the bookmarks. I love that they have the high five rules on them. Thanks to Lynne Burns for designing them. PS. If you haven't been to Pro Digitals website you should check it out. They have really cute designs for cards and their printing is wonderful!

Run Together

Update

Last night the school board decided to table the policy for two weeks (until they meet next). They would like more input regarding the policy and would like to make sure more people are aware of the proposed policy. You can read the current policy HERE. They might change or update the policy before the next board meeting so make sure to check their website HERE for the most up to date info. The policy is giving parents a choice and a voice.

My own take on the steps of the policy are:

School Board Meeting

This Tuesday, August 18th at 7:30 p.m. there is a school board meeting for the Canyons School District. Among other items, they will be discussing a policy that give parents the ability to choose what is best for their kids and school (this will be the 3rd and possibly final reading of the policy). We would love to see you there to support parent choice. It is at the district building (9361 South 300 East). I will be staying for the whole meeting, but you can come and stay for the policy discussion and then leave. If you have any questions leave a comment or note in the space provided on the left. Hope to see you there. This policy is a big deal! See below for the most recent version of the policy.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Let us know if you have any questions, comments, complaints, suggestions, etc. We want to hear it ALL! Leave a comment on any post, leave a comment in the "Contact Me" section to the left or e-mail me (carrie@tuttle.org).

Decide for Yourself

What would be best for YOUR school and kids?
Source:UtahEducationFact.org

 

PTO and PTA Comparison Chart

PTO		PTA
Determined by local PTO if there are dues at all.	Annual Dues	$1,075 average per Utah PTA ($5.00 per member)
100% of dues remains at the local school and is spent as determined by the members of the local PTO.	Dues Allocation	- 45% of dues remains at the local school.  - 35% goes to the National PTA.  - 20% goes to the Utah PTA.
Each PTO is independently controlled by the local PTO members.	Control	Local PTA's make decisions under the framework set up by the National and Utah PTA.  Non-compliant PTA's can lose their membership in the PTA.

Our Two Cents

This letter was sent in response to the policy the district is writing. We look forward to what the future will bring. To read the policy click HERE

 

To: the Policy Committee, Superintendent Briscoe, Daniel Harper, Jeff Christensen, and Board Members

 

We have been following this process closely.  From the beginning, our goals have been the following:

 

• To have a choice about which parent organization is best for our school.  

• To educate the school community (with full support of the school) about the differences/similarities between parent organizations.  In order to do this, we must be granted the same avenues of communication as the current parent organization.  All parents in the school community should be given equal opportunity to know what is going on.

• To empower parents to get involved in their school by choosing which parent organization would best fit their school and benefit their children, and then to support their choice through volunteerism.

What do YOU think?

The Canyons School District just had their second reading of a new policy. This policy outlines the steps an organization needs to go through to be able to petition for a vote. This vote would allow an organization other than PTA the opportunity to be the parent organization at a school. This policy will cover not only elementary schools, but middle and high schools as well. I encourage everyone  to read the policy and email the district with your comments. Some points I feel are important are:

  - Ask for a fair chance to vote – the sooner the better – and to keep the process simple.
   - Tell the district that parents are excited by the idea of having an all-inclusive parent group, with an opt-out opportunity, like PTOs in other states have done
   - When it comes to voting, ask that only parents be allowed to weigh in on this decision, since it is their volunteer organization.

E-mail any comments to: nancy.tingey@canyonsdistrict.org and jim.briscoe@canyonsdistrict.org
  
Click on this link to find the policy on the school district website. Find the file that is titled "Revised Clean Version Draft Policy Parent School Support": http://www.boarddocs.com/ut/canyons/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=9YUK5F502F38
 
Below is the entire policy: