Comments about ‘Sparks fly over bill cutting PTA dues’

Title I parents are not "less than". They understand what is important for their students. We offered scholarships for PTA membership this year for 20 parents in a Title I school. Not one parent wanted one, they wanted to pay membership. They love being members of the PTA, because they love what PTA does for them and their children.

Should an organization that has 50 members in one school in a school district be given the same voice at the table as an organization that has 10,000 members? How about a parent organization of 4 or 5?

Let's say a few parents - 4 or 5 - get angry with their school's PTO and form a new parent group with just the 4 of them. Should the 4 of them get the same say as the PTO that represents 400 parents?

I am a little fuzzy about the practical application of this bill.

This is exactly why I don't join the PTA. Why does $1.75 go to national? Are you kidding me? I volunteer my time and talents to the school with out expecting anything in return and I am grateful to get a high 5 from the kids who benefit. We had a brawl at our school once and lost our charter because of it! GOOD GRIEF Ladies... grow up. You sound like you are from wisteria lane.

Can't bylaws be amended? State PTA says it has to pay dues to the national organization but I can't believe that could not be altered if this law passed. And if people love PTA so much they'll keep paying their dues and there won't be any problem, right? If they stop paying dues and it creates difficulty for PTA, then that sends a message that it's time for a change. I think PTA is overreacting. This bill seems fair and overdue. It's time people that don't want to join PTA (and there are a lot of them) have equal opportunities in their schools. Don't let PTA bully you legislators! I know they are a powerful lobby - and that's not always a good thing.

This brouhaha illustrates the belief I have had for over twenty years that the PTA is essentially an extension of the UEA in Utah. A little competition for direction in the education of our children should be welcome.

and has since it corrupted our school back in the 80's. We had a great PTO and all of the funds stayed in our own school. Leadership changed and the new yahoos thought PTA would be better. We tried to warn them that PTA only cares about $$$.

Don't be swayed by this organization. The entire school system would be 100% better without these leeches.

The names of these groups are really confusing as they are merely a political action committee (PAC) in disguise. They should be declared a political group that is in no way affiliated with teachers or parents in school matters. They are politically motivated by higher eschelons to be watch dogs and grass roots spokespersons for other political groups legislating laws. Teachers shun these meeting and don't attend them unless they need support for teachers pay raise or other financial matters. PTA's should be barred from the schools and seeking fraudlent funds from parents as they scam the system with false inuendos and intentions. The same can be said for the UEA, they too are nothing but a selfserving politically motivated organzation. Education can do without these groups as they do not serve parents wanting to get involved in education in any direct or indirect means.

Regardless of what Bramble says, this is the "We hate PTA legislation" this year -- it's all about getting even with the PTA for opposing vouchers the past few years. The PTA is the strongest advocate for public education in the state. This is BAD legislation (like many others being discussed on the hill these days).

Huh? I spend 40-50 hours a week as a volunteer leader working with parents who have problems in their schools, need help navigating the system, and need to have questions answered. I am a parent myself, with 20 people on my PTA board who are all working for free to help parents and children, no matter who they are - PTA members or not. Who is going to do that if there is no PTA organization?

No one is excluding those who don't pay dues. No principal would fail to listen to a parent - as a matter of fact - no principal is going to have a list of which parents are PTA members and which are not.

This is a vengeful bill against those who love children and have spent their lives trying to help them. How sad is that?

What parent would want to serve in their local school if Bramble and the legislature get involved with it? The State Senate is a group of vengeful, weird men who support themselves in crazy ideas. And to think this is the year of Lincoln?

I wish our legislators would get out of public education. They already control the funding, the curriculum, class sizes, and now they want to control parent organizations. I honestly believe that many of them won't stop until they completely destroy public education.

"Leeches they are" is right! PTA is a PAC in disguise! Those PTA people go to the Capitol disguised as caring moms and grandmas and push through legislation that favors children! They must be stopped. How can we let them lobby for our children any longer? We should not allow this Parent Teacher Association to affiliate with parents or teachers anymore! The PTA motto of "every child; one voice" should be changed to "children should be seen, not heard".

Of course the PTA lobbies and has an "agenda". Any well-functioning organization has an agenda or a mission statement. PTA has a noble agenda - not a hidden agenda - to advocate for children and for education. The PTA has been accused of only caring about $. What do they do with the money from fundraisers? Give it back to the schools. Pretty pathetic that our schools don't have enough funds, so someone has to hold a bake sale (or volunteer their precious time) to make up the difference.

Kids succeed in school when their parents get involved - PTA provides this opportunity. So can a PTO. Either is great. Keep the PTA in Utah!

I have the solution - Get rid of the useless, time consuming, money wasting PTA's. Parents Please! The most important action you could take would be to stop attending or participating in these ridiculous meetings. - Go home and spend this time instead with your children. And while spending this time with your children - try actually talking and listening to them. - You might be suprised how much more meaningful or productive this could be.

I used to be a very strong supporter of the PTA. The PTA had an honorable and great reputation. However, over the past 10 years I have seen the PTA become more and more liberal and supporting a political agenda rather than truly supporting the children and parents they should be serving.

Generally I believe that in the local schools the PTA does a great job. It's when it hits a State and National level that it gets away from the guidance of the parents and turns to an agenda advanced by large national views.

Keep the PTA locally based and operated by parents in individual schools. If another PTO wants to get started in a school--they certainly should be allowed to do so.

PTA--thanks for your past service but it may be time to make some big changes. I won't support your political agenda any longer.

Wow, you folks give PTA far too much credit or power. As a former PTSA member/president I did not get involved in 'running' the school - we held a couple of fundraisers each year to raise money to buy things for the school and for teacher apprepciate week; and we held a book fair during Parent Teacher Conferences.

This PTA PTO issue sounds like a couple of moms didn't get what they wanted and went whining to Bramble who just loves to kick at public education.

How much are these dues? Your brats education is free. HEAD TAX, HEAD TAX. Get these school welfarers
off the role. Maybe if parents acted like parents at home.Have you heard of discipline & resect, the schools could teach reading, writing & arithmatic if your mouthy kids would learn & do their home work.
PTA & PTO's need to take a back seat to the teachers and let them do their jobs. Quit your griping, teachers have it hard enough with your unruly brats then have their parents think their spawn can do no wrong.

Bramble wants the PTA to go away for one simple reason: Vouchers. This parent group is a threat to the machinations of voucher proponents such as Bramble. This actually reminds me of the political posturing we see in Venezuela and Iran. I'm willing to bet that we will see the legislature propose vouchers once again in the next couple years. I've talked with various legislators who refuse to look at other ways to support school funding because they are dead set on vouchers. There hasn't been one bill proposed since the voucher debacle that tries to secure stable revenue streams for education. In fact, the opposite has been occurring. I won't name any names, but one Senate Republican and one House Republican both told me that "there is no other way but vouchers. End of discussion."

I wonder why we elect people who are supposed to represent us and work for us, but are incapable of doing just that. The legislature is good at getting money for roads and special interest projects, but can't ever seem to find any money for K-12 education which is only now 33% of the state budget.

You all realize the women on the PTA are your relief society members? They are you neighbors? Talk about demonizing. Sheesh.

This bill makes complete sense to me, if I want to join my local school PTA I can, without being required to give any of my hard earnd money to the national PTA that advocates for political issues I don't agree with.

If the PTA does a good job people will continue to pay.

No-one should have to justify the reason they don't want to pay to play to the ladies at their PUBLIC school. Their tax dollars already pay for their ability to participate in anything that goes on at their PUBLIC school.

If PTA, a PRIVATE organization wants to require dues then they ought to go build their own building, get their own copy machines and then they can support any political agenda they choose.

I don't mind having the PTA, but I don't think it's fair to charge parents a fee to join. A parent should feel welcomed to join, cause believe it or not even $5.00 that the PTA ask for at the beginning of the school year is alot of $$ for some families, especially those with kids in jr. high and high school when they just finish paying school fees and the last thing we want to do is pay another fee. that's why I don't join the PTA cause I shouldn't be obligated to pay to want to help my kids' schools. I don't want to pay to help a national organization.

Everyone is getting out on control on this issue which is exactly what the Bramble is promoting. Lets not talk about the budget cuts. There is $450 million dollars being cut from the education budget this year. Thats more than $750 a child and $22,000 per classroom. What do they have parents dealing with? Whether $5.00 should go to the PTA to; support volunteers, programs, and activities for our underfunded schools. We are missing the boat people. Forget this issue and start talking about funding our schools this year!