A PTO

A Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a formal organization that consists of parents, teachers and school staff. The organization's goals may vary from organization to organization, but essentially the goals include volunteerism of parents, encouragement of teachers and students, community involvement, and welfare of students and families. It is not affiliated with Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) or Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA.) PTA is a national association of millions of members and thousands of local units that provides leadership training and staff support.

Source

Benefits of PTO

All funds stay at the school- With a PTO schools don't have to send money away to a larger organization. This amount can be $1,000 or more. Wouldn't that money be better used back in parent's pockets or for other school activities?

Membership is open to any parent- With a PTO parents don't have to pay to join. PTOs are more inclusive and don't exclude people just because they don't pay to join. With a PTO membership is limited to parents and teachers (staff). One odd thing about the PTA is that anyone can join. So in theory an outside interest group could join a school PTA and take over. Should that be an option at our schools?

The parents and teachers can write their own bylaws, rules and policies with a PTO. They can customize the rules to meet the needs of their school. With a PTA the bylaws, rules and policies are written by the larger organization who may not know what is needed at the local level. They are totally out of touch and what one school needs may be totally different from what another school needs.

Take the great parents at a school + PTO = a well run parent organization

PTO in Canyons

If you are interested in learning more about the policy and process of changing to a PTO within the Canyon's school district leave

PTO in the Utah News

I found this article to be an interesting read.  More than bake sales: Utah parents debate merits of PTA vs. PTO. The full text is at the end of this post.

The quote below is from the article. It is exactly why

Looking Back

As I talk to parents at other schools about their PTA programs, I am constantly reminded how little I knew about PTA a year ago. Across the board,

Stop Once Your Goal is Reached

This blog is obviously a blog about the benefits about PTOs. I like PTOs. I think they are great and would be great for my school. Occasionally I read articles on PTO Today. I came across one about fundraisers and one point in the article really hit me. It is so true and I wish the PTA at my school would understand this point...

Stop Once Your Goal Is Reached

Involvement Matters

Research shows that when parents are involved in their children's education, the children are more likely to:

What's the Difference

PTO vs PTA: What’s the Difference?

The differences are bigger than you think!

Success

Want to see a successful PTO in action? Check out Muir Elementary School in Davis county. Muir is a public school that runs a very successful PTO. Muir Elementary.

PTO Today

Want to learn more about PTOs? This is a great site... PTO Today

Questions

We are available to assist anybody at any school who has questions about PTO and the

Bank vs. Credit Union

Recently, a parent investigating the differences between the current parent organization and PTO suggested comparing them to a bank versus a Credit Union. This analogy

All about CHOICE

The votes have been counted and the results are:

Parents Choice

The ballots have been turned in and will be counted on January 22nd. This has been a great and unique opportunity.  For the first time in the history of our district, parents had the opportunity to choose which parent group will be at our school. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote.

Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder: we will be meeting this Wednesday, January 13th at 6:30 to answer questions and share information about PTOs. If you would like to attend let me know (carrie@tuttle.org). Thanks!

Missing Ballot

We've heard from several people that they didn't receive a ballot and should have. If this is the case then you can contact the school district to receive a ballot. Here is the information:

Susan Edwards, Canyons Public Engagement Coordinator
801-856-3712
susan.Edwards@canyonsdistrict.org

Side by Side

We received a request to share a side by side comparison chart. These charts are great. There is one item

Ballot Statement

Every parent, teacher and adult staff at Silver Mesa Elementary should be receiving a ballot this week. Make sure to follow every step exactly, otherwise the ballot will be thrown out. As part of the ballot you will receive ballot statements from each group. The following is more information regarding our ballot statement.

•A PTO Is owned by the parents at the school.
Similar to a Credit Union, a PTO is an organization owned by its members. Decisions made, monies gathered and

Information Meeting

Want to learn more about what a PTO is? Want the opportunity to ask questions and

Most Popular Post

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