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,
parents are not aware that the majority of their dues money doesn’t stay at their school, or that PTA is not part of Utah’s education system. They don’t realize that there are alternatives to PTA, or that outside of Utah, the vast majority of schools are opting to move away from PTA as their parent organization. Parents are interested to know they have a choice!

Most of the time I hear about how well the “PTA” works at their school... what they really mean is that the parent VOLUNTEERS are wonderful, since these parents don’t know anything about the PTA organization itself. But then again, since the organization is not transparent, it’s difficult for the average parent to find out the real story about PTA. Over the past year, we have uncovered many misconceptions and half-truths propagated by the PTA, many of which have been addressed through this blog.

Thinking back, it’s painful to remember how ignorant I was about what the PTA organization stands for, as I had assumed that it’s “all about the kids.” I have come to realize that, while this is true for the VOLUNTEERS, the organization itself is really about its own agenda. Somewhere along the way, I think the PTA at my school has gotten confused about its purpose, putting the prosperity of the organization ahead of what’s best for the school and our children.

After all.... Shouldn’t the parent organization, as the “volunteer arm” of the school, be there to SUPPORT the interests of the school and the students (instead of the other way around)?

Written by: Lynne