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 established guidelines will be under the direction of parents, teachers and administrators at our school. Other than the School District, no outside organization will have the ability to insert themselves into the business at our school. Canyon’s School District will continue to have oversight over any parent organization.
•A PTO considers teachers to be a vital partner in the PTO structure. The Silver Mesa PTO will include input from our Teachers. The purpose of any Parent-Teacher organization is to enhance the education process. Coordinating with Teachers is an important step in ensuring that activities do not take away from valuable classroom learning time for our students. The Silver Mesa PTO will support teaches, staff and school administration and value their opinions.
•A PTO retains all monies at the school where parents, teachers and school administrators together decide how it should be used to best benefit the education of our children. All money raised by and donated to the PTO will stay at our school to benefit our students and teachers. All decisions made about the money and budgets will be made by parents and teachers, through established bylaws and policies. No dues would be sent away to support an outside organization.
•A PTO allows all decisions to be made locally by parents, teachers and school administration. Any decisions affecting the Silver Mesa PTO will be made by parents, teachers and administrators at our school.  The bylaws and policies will be tailor made for Silver Mesa. Local control allows for a customized organization which can best serve any unique needs or specific situations that arise at our school. Since this is the parent/teacher group at our school, it’s important to allow parents and teachers to have complete ownership of decisions that are made which affect our volunteer organization.
•A PTO has the option to keep all programs and events the same (except Reflections, which could become a “talent night” for both visual and performing arts). The Silver Mesa PTO will work with the principal, parents and teachers to determine which programs best enhance the education of the students at Silver Mesa, while still maximizing classroom instruction time. Many schools have developed successful alternatives to “Reflections.” For instance, a talent night would be a great way to bring families together and allow students to showcase their talents.
•A PTO invites all parents to volunteer in any capacity, regardless of monetary contribution. Even if a PTO opts to raise money through dues, any parent can be considered a member – whether or not they choose to contribute by paying dues. All parents can have the opportunity to volunteer on the PTO board, as a classroom volunteer, as a room parent, as a chairman for a committee, as a member of a committee, as a general school volunteer, etc. The only requirement is that volunteers register through the School District.
•A PTO provides the entire school community the opportunity to receive communication and have full voting rights on budget and actions affecting the parent group and our students. Any interested parents and teachers can give input on PTO matters, and vote on PTO business, including the budget and activities at the school. The district requires that parents “opt in” as a member of the PTO, by simply signing up to be a member. No dues will be required for membership. All parents will have the option to receive communication about events and volunteer opportunities at the school by simply signing up.