UTAH PTA - PRESIDENT HANDBOOK 2024

WHY BE A PTA SCHOOL?

Utah PTA is the largest volunteer child advocacy organization in Utah with over 675 local units and councils. Utah PTA is a partnership between parents, educators, students, and individuals who want to make a difference in the life of a child. Members of Utah PTA are also affiliated with millions of members of National PTA, an association that is actively involved in promoting activities and legislation that support the nation’s public school children.

A PTA School:

• Is a member of the largest child advocacy group in Utah and the United States.

• Has only one agenda - ALL children.

• Functions under the umbrella of Utah PTA’s 501(c)(3) with their own EIN for banking purposes and IRS filings.

• Functions under the umbrella of Utah PTA’s Charitable Solicitation Permit, allowing them to fundraise and deposit fundraising money in their own checking account.

• Has leadership training available through the year for fully trained leaders.

• Networks with other PTA leaders throughout the district and state.

• Has current bylaws to govern them.

• Has the support and training of Utah PTA and National PTA.

• Has access to resources and updated handbooks from Utah PTA. 

• May participate in the PTA Reflections program.

• May participate in PTA awards and any PTA program.

Utah PTA:

• Supports many of the National PTA programs and legislative efforts as they relate to the welfare of Utah’s public school children.

• Participates in numerous committees, coalitions, conferences, summits, and programs for children and youth.

• Holds an annual Leadership Convention to train PTA leaders across the state as well as an annual PTA Day at the Capitol and Advocacy Conference to bring important grassroots issues to the membership.

• Provides valuable parent information through leadership trainings, various handbooks, and emails. Utah PTA has programs for children and youth, including Reflections, Battle of the Bands, PTA Take Your Family to School Week, Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, and more.

• Has the backbone of the organization of diverse volunteer members who donate millions of hours to benefit the children in local public schools.

• Advocates for all children in schools and districts, and by following bills that are supported by Utah PTA resolutions that originate from the grassroots—their members.

• Is the watchdog for Trust Lands money, making sure the monies keep flowing to the local schools and that all uses of the land benefit the children of Utah.

• Supports all public schools, including public charter schools.

BE A PTA PROFESSIONAL

According to the PTA bylaws, all meetings shall be governed by "Robert’s Rules of Order-Newly Revised."
In addition, all board members shall:

• Abide by all PTA rules and meet all PTA deadlines.

• Ensure the confidentiality of the PTA member contact information for the use of PTA only.

• Attend all board meetings and applicable executive committee meetings.

• Notify the president as soon as possible if an emergency occurs and they are unable to attend a scheduled PTA meeting.

• Arrive on time and remain to the conclusion of the meeting except in cases of individual emergencies.

• Begin all meetings on time.

• Be allowed a 10-minute break every two hours, returning promptly.

• Turn all cell phones to "off" or "vibrate." Leave the room if you must answer a call.

• Complete preparation before or after meetings, not during meetings.

• Refrain from holding side conversations.

• Direct all comments and questions through the chair.

• Maintain professional courtesy at all times, including being supportive rather than judgmental, respecting differences of opinion, and listening to others’ ideas without prejudice.

• Give feedback directly and openly in a timely fashion.

• Acknowledge problems and deal with them as they arise. 

• Be prepared to present agenda items in a concise manner and focus on tasks and the process and not on personalities or hidden agendas.

• Obtain missed information during breaks out of consideration of others.

• Adjourn at the scheduled time, as per the printed agenda.

• Dress to match the dress of those also attending a meeting when representing PTA.

• Wear PTA logo items such as name tags, badges, or attire when representing PTA.

• Notify president of address, phone number, and email changes as soon as possible.

• Stay at home out of consideration for the health of others if ill and possibly contagious.

• Set meeting guidelines and expectations.

• Give proper notice of meetings and deadlines.

UTAH PTA FACTS

Utah PTA is the largest advocacy association in Utah. Many individuals volunteer and participate at the local and council PTAs within the state.

Utah PTA divides the state into 20 geographic PTA regions, each served by a region director. In large districts, the region director works with area councils. The council president then works with the local school PTA president. In rural areas, two or more school districts are under one region director. Local PTA Administrative Vice Presidents meet on a regular basis throughout the school year with council presidents/region directors. Presidents-elect and Administrative VPs may also be included in these meetings. Local PTAs also meet on a regular basis throughout the year in Executive Committee and board meetings and work with administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students.

Utah PTA is an affiliate of the National PTA. National PTA is composed of 54 state congresses and more than 20,000 local units in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Department of Defense Schools in Europe. State PTAs are the liaison between the local PTA and National PTA, helping each to function effectively and to support and sustain the other. PTAs at the local level are valuable assets to their school communities by providing educational and parent involvement information, resources, events, and activities.

Utah PTA volunteers reported 735,543 hours of service to Utah’s children in their local public schools in 2022. If this volunteer service were translated into monetary value, it would be worth $22,029,512.85!

Utah PTA also has an exemption from sales tax from the Utah State Tax Commission. Every local unit in good standing qualifies for this exemption under the umbrella of Utah PTA. See the Utah PTA Treasurer Handbook for more information.

National and Utah PTA Programs

• Reflections 

• Healthy Lifestyles

• School of Excellence

• Take Your Family to School Week

• Teacher Appreciation 

• Battle of the Bands (PTSA) (Utah Only)

Conferences and Trainings

• Advocacy Conference (Oct/Nov)

• PTA Day at the Capitol (Feb)

• Leadership Convention (May)

• PTSA Student Leadership Conference (Sept)

Utah PTA Awards and Grants

• Utah PTA Awards 

• LEAP Award

• Utah PTA Gold Star Awards

• Membership Awards

• Arts Education Grant

• Art Supplies Grant

Utah PTA Commissioners

• Community Engagement

• Education

• Family Life

• Health

• Individual Development

• Safety

• Student Leadership

Utah PTA Specialists

• Arts Grants

• Awards

• Bylaws

• Digital Wellness

• Diversity and Inclusivity

• Family Engagement

• Male Engagement

• Military Families

• Reflections

• Resolutions

• Special Needs

• Technology

• Trust Lands

WHAT ARE THE NATIONAL STANDARDS?

The National Standards for Family-School Partnerships are voluntary guidelines to strengthen parent and family involvement on behalf of children in schools and other programs. The six standards and their quality indicators provide PTAs, schools, and communities with the components that are needed for highly effective family-school involvement programs. Add more information can be found at NPTA at https://www.pta.org/home/run-your-pta/family-school-partnerships

PTA leaders and all those interested in more effective family/school/community connections will find the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships to be a valuable resource and catalyst for action.

1. 1. Welcoming All Families Into The School Community
      Families are active participants in the life of the school and feel welcomed, valued and connected to each other, to school staff and to what students are learning and doing in class.

   2. Communicating Effectively
      Families and school staff engage in regular, two-way and meaningful communication about student learning.

   3. Supporting Student Success
      Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development, both at home and at school and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.

   4. Speaking Up For Every Child
      Families are empowered to be advocates for their own and other children, to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

   5. Sharing Power
      Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families, and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs. 

   6. Collaborating With Community
      Families and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to expand learning opportunities, community services, and
      civic participation.

Background

Our nation acknowledged the important role of parent involvement through its enactment of the 8th National Education Goal:

• Every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children.

Utah PTA supports this goal. The standards were designed to raise the level of expectation about how family-school involvement programs can improve student achievement and life success by engaging families in true partnership with educators and community leaders.

How Were the Standards Developed?

The standards were developed by the National PTA in collaboration with parent involvement researchers and other national leaders. They are endorsed by more than 30 professional education and family-school involvement organizations. The standards clearly delineate those practices that have been shown to lead to success and high-quality parent involvement programs. The standards were developed to be a practical tool for meeting the threefold purpose of the National Standards, which is:

1. To promote meaningful parent and family participation

2. To raise awareness regarding the components of effective programs

3. To provide guidelines for schools that wish to improve their programs

How Can My PTA Use These Standards?

Before you begin to develop new­—or improve on existing—family-school involvement programs, form a committee or action team including all of the stakeholders—parents, teachers, administrators, support staff, and community leaders. Be sure everyone involved understands the group’s purpose: to recognize the importance of parent and family involvement, review the standards, look broadly at current programs or practices at your school, and make recommendations about what steps are needed to initiate positive change.

Developing genuine collaboration is critical. The views of all stakeholders should be considered and valued and no one group should control the outcomes. Establishing trust and a true partnership will take time, but the extra effort is well worth the lasting benefits that can be gained. Meaningful change requires thoughtful, incremental steps. Laying a solid foundation can make all the difference in the final outcomes and success of your programs.

Creating an Action Plan

When parents, educators, and community leaders make parent involvement a mutual goal, they can begin to work together as a team to create an action plan for reaching and maintaining the standards. Give each step adequate attention to ensure the overall effectiveness of your plan. Set realistic and achievable goals. Remember: "Success Breeds Success." Accomplishing obtainable goals and then setting additional ones works better than reaching too high and trying to achieve too much in the beginning.

When implementing your action plan, consider local needs, priorities, and the demographics of your school and community. Involve those who will be instrumental in carrying out the plan to help develop the steps or procedures to implement it. This uses a bottom-up rather than top-down team approach which allows for greater support and cooperation from everyone involved.

Family involvement should not be seen as an “add-on” program feature, but rather as an essential component in the ongoing goal of improved student success. In order to be most effective, the family-school involvement plan should be fully integrated into the overall school or program improvement process.

Making Progress

Once the groundwork is laid and all stakeholders understand the value of the partnership, then redefining, reshaping, and “scaling up” planned activities and goals maintains the momentum of program change. As noted, family involvement is a process, not merely a series of “one shot” activities or plans carried out and then retired. It is crucial that the standards be implemented in an ongoing pattern of planning, action, and evaluation on a consistent basis. Each measurable success fosters a pattern of continual, meaningful partnership.

Facebook Groups that you can join:

Utah PTA Advocacy

Utah PTA Super Secondary

Utah PTA Excellent Elementary

Utah PTA Treasurers

Utah PTA Reflections

Utah School Community Councils

Utah PTA Teachers