Ok, yes, I’m being intentionally provocative with that title for this article but, I DO have a reasonable question to ask. What do we the parents of Bellevue School District students, as the members and grassroots of the PTSA do when the Administration of the PTSA forgets their function? What do we do when the Administration forgets that they are in place to serve US, the rank and file, rather than we serve them.
Recently, through a perfect storm of decisions and policies, the State (or National, I’m unclear on which) PTSA organization has made it much harder for our local PTSAs to perform one of our major functions, providing enrichment opportunities to our kids!
Here’s the situation, PTSA managment discovered/realized that local PTSA’s were sponsoring before and after-school classes and clubs (like the ones in Robotics, Math and Science that I at the Bellevue Tutoring Club do). They discovered that some of the teachers/organizations were using this “sponsorship” to get insurance coverage instead of having their own. They then over-reacted, dictating from on high that unless the local PTSA is going to have a member at all events AND collect and dispurse all monies, the event could NOT be sponsored by PTSA.
This is where my problem starts! The state PTSA would say that their policy doesn’t mean that the event can’t happen, it simply means that the PTSA isn’t going to sponsor it. However, that is a gross oversimplification. Because the PTSA isn’t sponsoring the event, the district has to follow their policies with regard to use of school facilities by outside organizations and charge a rental. Because the vendor has to pay a rental, either the class will be canceled if attendance is low (Last year at Cherry Crest, I did a Math Olympiad class with 5 students. This year I would have to cancel that class.) and/or cancel scholarships that the vendor would have provided. (It’s always been my policy to simply accept students even if they couldn’t pay.) Something the individual school PTAs have appreciated.
Why would the PTA leadership make this decision??? Frankly, at least on this issue, I think they’ve lost track of their purpose. They, the state and national leadership, exist to serve us, the rank and file, and our needs, not the other way around! The mission of the PTA is to (and I take this directly from their website…) “PTAs do this by addressing the needs of their individual schools. By becoming a PTA member, you can help identify those needs and develop solutions that may include making the school safer, becoming more technologically advanced, being more tolerant to others’ differences, and bringing enriched educational opportunities to the school.” Isn’t that EXACTLY what we’re talking about here?
The State will talk long and hard about liability but, in the end, they are failing to live up to their mission. There ARE other answers: requiring each vendor to have their own insurance, developing a release clause that must be inserted in registration and promotional documents or even providing special coverage to PTSAs that want to sponsor classes. I completely understand the need for the PTSA to demand that any sponsored organizations carry insurance. I also understand the need for the PTSA to protect it’s legal backside. BUT, THEY, the state administration needs to focus on finding ways to make our desires HAPPEN, not prohibiting a key aspect of PTSA operations!!
