Are you happy with your PTA?

[Anonymous]

I am not talking about their ability to fundraise, but rather how responsive they are to parents' concerns, etc. Are they true to their mission? Or do they just act as told by the principal? What is your experience?

[Anonymous]

No. I think they exist to serve the principal and have no backbone. Their agenda is driven by one or two people who have specific priorities that don't correspond to the majority of the school.

[Anonymous]

Can you give specifics? I'm genuinely curious as I'm an active PTA member and would like to hear your perspective.

[Anonymous]

We have found our PTA is very responsive to the needs of the school community. When issues have been raised by parents they have been discussed at the meetings. Resulting ideas and/or solutions have been brought to the administration attention and they have worked to together to find a result that best fits the situation. They are also very good at raising money and providing activites and events for the kids that augment the public schools' funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you give specifics? I'm genuinely curious as I'm an active PTA member and would like to hear your perspective.

I don't want to get too specific, but let's just say that a couple of PTA members are jealous of the prestige of neighboring clusters and push parents in our school to fund expensive efforts that don't really address the needs of the community. Then, when parents do contribute and work together towards an improved school, those same PTA members turn their back on a large group of the parents and refuse to support what's best for them and their kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have found our PTA is very responsive to the needs of the school community. When issues have been raised by parents they have been discussed at the meetings. Resulting ideas and/or solutions have been brought to the administration attention and they have worked to together to find a result that best fits the situation. They are also very good at raising money and providing activites and events for the kids that augment the public schools' funding.

Ditto.

[Anonymous]

OP - If you are unhappy with your PTA, then you should step up and run the PTA, or at least, join the PTA Board b/c then you can help influence things. At our school, there are always open positions on the PTA.

The PTA is comprised of volunteers and I think they give their time and energy to make the school a better place for the students and teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - If you are unhappy with your PTA, then you should step up and run the PTA, or at least, join the PTA Board b/c then you can help influence things. At our school, there are always open positions on the PTA.

The PTA is comprised of volunteers and I think they give their time and energy to make the school a better place for the students and teachers.

I agree with this. Also, you may be overestimating what PTAs can do. They're not MCPS employees. If principals are not open to any suggestions, then it's impossible to make certain changes. That doesn't mean the PTA is in agreement with everything the principal is doing (or not doing).

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PPs, under normal circumstances. Sometimes, though, the group dynamics are so toxic that you have to just step back and say that you're going to contribute in other ways. That's what I've done.

[Anonymous]

If group dynamics are toxic, then it's definitely not a good place to put yourself. Give it some time and those people will move on. Everyone gets burnt out.

But on the flip side, I know a woman that was a PTA president and she told me that parents would call her and complain about their children's math class placement. They thought the PTA president could get their child moved up to the higher math class!

Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure the PTA does not determine math placement for students.

[Anonymous]

Interesting to read this--while our PTA is very active it definitely has very LITTLE relationship with our school admin and has nearly no influence on the in-school policies/programs/etc.

[Anonymous]

Past PTA president here - the best a PTA can do is present the parents view point to the principal. The PTA has no ability to alter policy, place your kids in a math class, change your class assignment, etc. Sometimes it may seem that the PTA is parroting the administration when often it is that having spent all that time working with them, I know when their hands are tied and they are trying to make the best of what was given them.

I found that often parents would understandably get confused over school run activities (class pictures) and parent run activities (spring fair). The ask me to find their kids photos, change testing dates and the like.

Finally, I have to agree with the suggestion to get involved. I can't tell you how many times I have stood in the front of the room as parents complained about a legitimate issue, but when asked to help work to resolve it, the room would go silent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Past PTA president here - the best a PTA can do is present the parents view point to the principal. The PTA has no ability to alter policy, place your kids in a math class, change your class assignment, etc. Sometimes it may seem that the PTA is parroting the administration when often it is that having spent all that time working with them, I know when their hands are tied and they are trying to make the best of what was given them.

I found that often parents would understandably get confused over school run activities (class pictures) and parent run activities (spring fair). The ask me to find their kids photos, change testing dates and the like.

Finally, I have to agree with the suggestion to get involved. I can't tell you how many times I have stood in the front of the room as parents complained about a legitimate issue, but when asked to help work to resolve it, the room would go silent.

Current PTA Board Member here. I totally agree with everything said above. Some parents have unrealistic expectations of what the PTA can do (and forget that the PTA consists of other parents volunteering -- not paid positions).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. I think they exist to serve the principal and have no backbone. Their agenda is driven by one or two people who have specific priorities that don't correspond to the majority of the school.

Ditto, Queen Bees who peaked in high school and never want it to end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - If you are unhappy with your PTA, then you should step up and run the PTA, or at least, join the PTA Board b/c then you can help influence things. At our school, there are always open positions on the PTA.

The PTA is comprised of volunteers and I think they give their time and energy to make the school a better place for the students and teachers.

Mine is run by a bucnh of SAHM bitches who are looking to fill up a LOT of free time with their gal pals and will do anything to avoid going back to work, ever.