Utah's Republic

Wow.

Guess where your PTA dues are going? I am sick every time I think of how many times my kids came home with a promise from their teacher for a pizza party or some treat if their parents signed up for the PTA, even if it was only a dollar. People need to realize just how little of that money goes to their kids’ classes. Most goes to fund the agenda you are seeing on this video.

PTO’s are much better. I believe 100% of the money goes to your school.

Can you post some documentation of where the PTA money goes? Thanks. Allison

PTA dues vary from unit to unit but if I remember right, $1.75 goes to the National PTA and $1.50 goes to the State PTA. The balance remains with the local unit for their use.

Locally, the PTA promotes parent involvement and support for the teachers who are educating our children. Schools benefit directly from the fundraising and manpower the local PTA provides. Nationally the PTA is a political lobby where in 2010 they advocated:
1. The establishment of state level “Family Engagement Coordinating Councils” that would “support” children from CRADLE TO CAREER. This makes me uneasy because they also want to:
2. Establish an office in the USDE (Federal Level) to “articulate the vision of family engagement”
3. Require a school-parent compact for student attendance and a “rational disciplinary policy” (see #2 above)
4. Implement a “universal student identifier AND establish a national data system to “track attendance and performance of students pre-kindergarten through grade 12. (See #1 & #3 above)
5. Address child obesity, hunger and other health issues (mental, emotional, family functionality?) (see #1 above and think child vs parents)
6. Establish Common Core State Standards. (See#4 above)(loss of local preference)
AND
7. Require the USDA to update nutritional standards for foods sold outside school meals programs and require dietary guidelines for processing USDA commodities. (See #5 above)

Nationally the PTA is lobbying both Congress and state legislators to allow government intrusion into the lives of our children from birth on and to reduce parental authority and responsibility. It appears to me the National PTA is promoting control from the National level and forced compliance. To some this is an agency issue which is older than recorded history.

There are at least three options.
1. Pay PTA dues so you can actively participate in the good things at the local level.
2. Not pay PTA dues thus not financially supporting the anti-family, anti-parent lobby at the national, state and local level but lose access/influence over local PTA projects.
3. Organize/join and pay dues (if required) to a local parent – teacher organization that focuses on local issues and children’s education.

Some will object to #2 above because it ties local and state PTA’s to the national agenda. It appears to me that the National PTA Policy ties the three together. Remember the local PTA is an affiliate of the National PTA via the state.

NATIONAL PTA POLICY
Section II Standards of Affiliation
Part 5. “PTA affiliates SHALL submit legislative priorities (must not be in conflict with National PTA positions)” …

The National PTA, like many other formally good organizations, has been pirated by folks who do not share my preference for responsibility, accountability. freedom and agency. I personally choose to support organizations that promote local control and freedom of choice. At the same time I tend to resist people telling me what I can and cannot eat, do, say or what form of education is best for a particular child.

Ed Barfuss

Allison, we’re working on the specifics. PTA dues are actually $5 and out of that, most of it goes to the National PTA and secondarily to the state PTA. Very little goes to the local school unless you pay more than the minimal amount. The current national PTA push is for diversity, including sexual orientation. This is the second item on the list of their 5 Strategic Initiatives ’07-10. The others are to retain and increase membership, develop and affirm their leadership, sustain long-term financial viability and improve their organizational effectiveness. Sounds like a union at the upper levels.

I believe parents would be better served by joining PTO’s and having 100% of their dues go to our own children and schools. PTA’s have gigantic political pull and use innocent people’s money to push a very liberal agenda on legislation. Without doing the research, most parents have no idea about the use of their money, only being told what is going on at their own school. With all the children we have in the state, Utah is a leader in the nation of how much money they give to the national PTA.