Reader comments
Bill would give all parents voice in school decisions

I agree 100%! Parents should have the major voice in their children's education without having to join any organization with which they may philosophically disagree or have other differences.

Parents are primarily responsible for educating their children. They "hire" public schools to help - not to take over and make decisions in which parents have no say and with which they may disagree.

American education is strongest when it reflects parents' heart-felt desires for the maximum development of their own children. It becomes weaker when politicians and bureaucrats try to assume that role.

Nobody at any level of education or position knows children as well as their own parents.

PTA only requires membership for those who are serving on the PTA Boards or who want to vote on the PTA Budget or elect those on the PTA Board.

PTA does not require membership for students to participate in any of the activities that they sponsor, Reflections, Red Ribbon Week, Teacher Appreciation, many supplemental reading programs, book fairs, and many other activities. PTA does not turn away anyone who wants to volunteer to help. PTA helps fill in some of the gaps that will/are occurring because of budget cuts. PTA supports ALL children regardless of membership or not.

Since the PTA does not have any control over any of the educational decision in a school this is not a bill to allow equal access but a bill designed to punish the PTA for opposing the voucher bill.

PTA membership dues mostly stay within the school's PTA, only $2.50 goes to State and National PTA. If you want a say in how an organization spends its' own money, you must join that organization.

Anonymous says that most of PTA membership dues stay within the school, but that's not the case. The average dues are $5, and as Anon points out, half of that ($2.50) goes to the state and national PTA.

To: Tenderheart

The only way for you to have the "major" voice in the education of your child is to home school them or start a Charter with YOU as the chair of the Board of Directors.

Think of a regular public school with a population of 1,000 students. Think of those students in classes of 37-40. Think of the hundreds of different parents who all have differing ideas of what is "major" for their child. Do you really think that the school will be able to educate your child in the exact way that YOU think is best? Impossible!

on the PTA. Anon 12:34 is exactly right about dues. No one has to pay them to have a voice at the school. Community councils are free. Volunteer for one today.

Just another effort by self-interested legislators to dismantle public education. I'm not so sure that all parents know their children better than anyone else. Even so, not many parents have the skill, patience or discipline to home school their children. But, some senators are keen on the notion that public education is useless.

Yeah, do not want the parents to have a voice in anything, do we?

The less direct the better!

The more organizations, more unions, more government that we can put between the schools and the people, the parents, the better it is.

This naked attempt to make PTA an outlawed organization is pure retaliation for PTA�s role in defeating School Vouchers in 2007.

Bramble is angry that many PTA members supported his opponent during the recent election.

Read the bill, it prohibits schools from working with any organization that charges dues. Can you imagine? Utah�s 140,000 PTA members could no longer volunteer at their schools.

Regardless of the PR name they gave it, this bill is not about Equal Recognition of Parent Groups. If it were, it would not prohibit schools from working with PTAs.

The bill makes it very clear that schools must treat every parent group completely equally -- so a broad-based, 200-member group gets no more attention than three parents who form a group to get teacher X fired -- except that schools are explicitly prohibited from working with parent groups that require members to pay dues. Like... hmm... the PTA.

The Senate Education Committee dealt with this concern by approving an amendment allowing schools to work with any dues-requiring parent group that doesn't require dues.

I kid you not.

Thing is, the PTA has explained that while they provide scholarships for those who can't afford dues (so nobody is denied membership for financial reasons), national rules prevent them from actually waiving dues -- they must be paid, even if the chapter itself pays them for some members. Thus they aren't able to qualify for the non-dues-requiring dues-requiring parent group exception.

So all parent groups are equal. Except those that are prohibited.

I don't know where you live but our PTA dues here average $7, so most the money does stay in the school's PTA budget.

Attempting to limit parental involvement in schools is a bad idea. Do research on how some states have banned PTA and you can't volunteer in your child's classroom or even visit without a hassle. PTA create partnerships between schools and parents. PTA can also be used to keep school districts from running over parents.
Our local goals may sometimes differ from National PTA but Utah has often helped steer National PTA to more common values. Let's not give up and run but stand up for our values on the national scene. National PTA has done some very valuable work and we have benefited from it.
PTOs are sometimes suitable but they have limitations. Schools and districts have more power in PTOs and PTO can be excluded from some grants and programs.
Equal access for groups great--Why try to kick out PTA in a equal access bill? Smells fishy. It might make rotary and other groups unable to provide programs and services they generously sponsor in our schools. Let the legislature know we want parental involvement in the schools of all kinds--not just what they like.

Perfectly SILLY! "Do research on how some states have banned PTA and you can't volunteer" - RIDICULOUS! Back up your claim. This is not true.

You have been duped by the Utah PTA claim that "we are saving the world" by bringing "Utah values" to the national scene. Ridiculous!! I have heard this silliness for several years - after I moved here and asked "why on earth would Utahns support PTA - it is a liberal organization that supports many things Utahns don't believe in?" (most conservatives in other states where we have lived - Texas, Colorado, Arizona- gave up on PTA as soon as they learned about what they really stand for.

The answer the state PTA reps gave me was this silly "we are saving the world by influencing the national level." Oh my, what flattery can do to innocents. You aren't reforming the national folks, I promise. You are selling your souls. Your dollars are being used for purposes you don't support.

PTA needs to be dismantled. PTO's serve students and families best.

Long ago when my children were in school and I joined the PTA I found it to be a politically motivated group working in conjunction with the UEA to take control of what parents can or cannot do with the education system and the schools. Calling themselves a volunatry group is a misnommer and of very little help to the schools. The PTA is more interested in the legilative side of education and their pursuit of funds to support their group. I found their cause objectionable very quickly and more as a front for lobbyist than caring about parent involvement in education. Infact, the PTA discourages parents getting invloved with schools without their approval and only for certain PTA political objectives. Very seldom was there ever any discussion or interaction with parents and teachers and their childrens education. The annotation Parent Teacher is bogus, there is no parent teacher interaction or involvement. They are merely grass roots level political parties operating within the school system. They should be abolished and banned, and let parents have some meaningful parent teacher relationships without political interference.

to: UtahParent | 11:22 p.m. Feb. 17, 2009

Public education is a liberal philosophy as well. I'd wager you'd be one of those voucher cronies aiming to damage public education in any way possible. What better way to get vouchers resurrected than ban the PTA.

New neighbor from Arizona was thrilled to have PTA and volunteer opportunities in her Utah school. Family and friends in New York have personal experience not being allowed in public schools as volunteers.

I am an educator and have worked in the public school system. I spent several hundred hours and plenty of money fighting the last voucher bill, not on principle--there are plenty of reasons why some families need alternative education options--but because the bill was seriously flawed.

PTA gets listend to because Utah schools desperately need a well organized and effective partner to get things done in schools that we don't have the funding to do and they help make up the difference. Eye screening, science fairs, spelling bees, geo bees, Reflections, reading intervention programs, and dozens of other programs happend because of PTA. My sister in Idaho is missing many of these programs with her PTO. She can't qualify to get grants or funding and her school holds the purse strings.

Schools where PTA legislative VP attend board school meetings get included in decisions and parents are heard.

This is voucher backlash plain and simple. Include others yes. Muzzle PTA no.

IMO, this bill is not needed. There are currently no rules or laws that prohibit any school or district from working with other parent organizations or even individual parents.

This bill will have some unintended consequences. At my local high school we have many different parent organizations one for every competitive sports team, fine arts groups, cheerleaders, drill team, and probably more. Most of these groups charge a fee to the parents to join so they can have voting rights as to who is in charge and how to spend the money raised, just like PTA. Since these parent organizations work with the school now they will have to change their rules or stop working with school.

There are so many more important bills to be focusing on, look at the budget woes. Why is our Legislature wasting time on this bill that is not needed?

My sister is in a PTO in New Mexico, there are 7 parents who are involved, period. Those 7 parents are the only ones the school feels comfortable with to volunteer in the classroom. That means that there is one parent volunteer for every grade level. The school administration feels that parents do not have a vested interest in the school since they do not have to pay to join the PTO. Since they do not have a vested interest they do not need to be in the school volunteering. The PTO does not have control of the money they raise, that is the job of the school. A PTO is a very different animal from PTA.

In Utah, PTA has tried to make the parent members the decision makers. No PTA money is to be controlled by the school, the PTA is to have a separate account. PTA has made School Community Councils and Trust Lands monies a reality. So before you condemn PTA, look to the local schools and find out what your PTA really does for your school.

I am happy to be part of an organization that pays dues to a national organization working for the benefit of all of our nation�s children. My $1.75 dues is a bargain as I see it!

1897Founding of the National Congress of Mothers to act on behalf of children in the home, at school, and in the world.
1898-99The Congress promotes cooperation between parents and teachers; advocates for sex education (maturation programs); and lobbies for a national health bureau.
1900sFathers urged to join; PTA already voicing public concern for juvenile justice issues and the need for child labor laws, as well as federal aid to schools.
1910sPTA urges that kindergarten be part of education system; asks parents to supervise their children's attendance at moving pictures; local PTAs serve hot lunches to children.
1920sThe Georgia Colored Congress of Parents and Teachers is formed to serve children in segregated states; PTA begins a nationwide children's health project; and is involved in the first university courses in school-home relations.

1930sA special nutrition project and emergency services prevent children from suffering during the Great Depression; PTA studies automobile and school bus safety as they relate to children.
1940sPTA launches nationwide school lunch program; becomes one of the first non-governmental organizations to support the establishment of the United Nations; creates new university project to teach teachers home-school relations; wartime activities include the weekly radio series, "The Family in War", featuring the Baxter family and a panel of experts discussing the episode.
1950sPTA calls a national conference to address narcotics and drug addiction in youth; helps field-test and win support for the Salk Polio Vaccine; and promotes health supervision of children from early childhood through high school.

1960sPTA creates public message about the dangerous effects of smoking; helps enact child protection and toy safety legislation; promotes art education via a nationwide cultural arts program; and creates a new focus on home-school relations in low-income areas.
1970sGeorgia Colored Congress of Parents and Teachers and National Congress of Parents and Teachers unite to become one organization; PTA expands outreach to combat alcohol abuse; calls for parents to share in decision making in schools; begins project to oppose violence on television; opens Office of Governmental Relations in Washington, DC; and invites students to sit on the National PTA Board of Directors.
1980sPTA fights for automobile safety belt and child restraint legislation; creates a drug/alcohol abuse prevention project; focuses more attention on children and families in the inner cities; and creates national HIV/AIDS education program for parents.