Your Parent Teacher Association in Action: Get to Know Your PTA

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A Parent Teacher Association can be a parent’s first exposure to priorities of your school, opportunities to volunteer and reasons for fundraising initiatives. It is important to realize that your local PTA is part of a larger, National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA), which has oversight and influence over the goals and direction of your neighborhood school. A local, school-based PTA is NOT independent and separate from the National Parent Teacher Association. If an issue arises with your local PTA, representatives from your district and state PTA offices may get involved. It is important to know that the policies, priorities and ideologies of the national ruling body can impact what happens in your school, with your students. A local PTA is required to follow guidelines and practices of the state and national PTA. If not, they could lose their association, and the money in the local PTA accounts will be absorbed by the National PTA. 

Have you reviewed the Defending Education report “The Hyper-Politicization and Ideological Takeover of the National Parent Teacher Association?” What does it say about your state?

At Defending Education, we believe informed parents are in the best position to advocate for their children. We recommend that parents get to know their PTA, who oversees your PTA from a district, regional, state and national level, and how PTA officers engage with school officials. It is also important to understand how disputes are resolved. 

To get you started in better understanding your PTA, parents should ask some important questions:

  1. Who are your local/school-based PTA representatives?
  2. Why does my school have a PTA and not a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)? What is the difference? Is one more independent? Are finances handled differently?
  3. How often does the local/school-based PTA meet with the Principal? Does the full Board attend? Are these meetings open to parents or only the PTA Executive Board?
  4. Who are district and state PTA representatives? Do they present at your local/school-based meetings? Do they have a website with their priorities?
  5. How are disputes handled by the district that may arise from parents disagreeing over PTA policy or priorities?
  6. What level of professionalism is expected of PTA Board members?
  7. When are your PTA elections?
  8. What if parents at your school disagree with state or National PTA initiatives or priorities? How will those priorities be enforced?