How can you determine who is a Community Member of PTA, rather than a Faculty Member?
Texas PTA defines faculty as principals, assistant principals, teachers, counselors, and aides employed at the campus full time. To apply for the Golden Apple, you will need 100% of your school faculty as PTA members on your membership list, with dues paid and sent to Texas PTA by October 15. The award application will also need to be sent by October 15.
How would you classify a grandparent – a regular PTA member or a community member?
That is a great question! It depends! If the grandparent is the primary caregiver, they should be a regular member. They would probably be interested in the newsletter and directory, etc.. If the grandparent is not the primary caregiver, but is in support of the local school, a community membership would probably meet his or her needs. Each local PTA will have different standing rules that will dictate the differences in regular and community memberships. Generally, most PTAs don’t give a directory to community members but do give them to regular members. I don’t think our PTA got an invoice from Plano PTA for Council dues. Can I get another copy?
Where do I send the check for Council dues? What is the deadline? Invoices were sent in the first week of school to each local PTA. You can print out copies on the Plano PTA website at www.planopta.org, then click on Board and Chair information, then click on Membership. Scroll down to the topic of Membership and you will see the link to download a new form. According to local by-laws, your Council dues are payable no later than 10/1/08. Please send your check to:
Plano ISD Council of PTAs c/o Lisa Williams 2700 W. 15th Street Plano, TX 75024
I’m totally lost! I have never been the Membership Chairman and I was unable to come to any of the training. What should I do?
The first stop you should make on your membership journey is the Plano PTA website at www.planopta.org, then click on Board and Chair information, then click on Membership. Scroll down through the information and take a few minutes to go through the PowerPoint from our fall coffee and training. Also, a great resource is the Membership Chairman Guide from Texas PTA. You can download a FREE copy. You will see a link to it from the membership page on the Plano PTA website.
I have some parents and teachers that have filled out the PTA member forms and are requesting some of the free items from the PTA national office. How do I go about getting those?
Some PTAs use the membership form provided by National PTA. On the bottom of this form is a list of things that National PTA provides to members, like resources, training and email updates about important issues and news. To sign up for the email updates (there are several topical email newsletters), go to the National PTA website at www.pta.org. All the other items are also available on the National PTA website, including training.
What are benefit cards? I’ve been in PTA a long time and I’ve never heard of them! Is it the same as the membership card?
Texas PTA has worked hard to show its members that there are MANY benefits to being in PTA. The benefit card lists many of the vendors that offer a discount to PTA members, including Sea World. To access the benefits, you must go on the Texas PTA website (www.txpta.org) and sign in as a member. The user name and password are on the back of the PTA membership benefit card. There is no longer a Benefit card per-se, however the benefits are listed on the Texas PTA website.
Did I miss the Early Bird Award deadline or is it true that the date changed? It is true that the date moved to 9/30 last year in recognition of the late school start date. The Early Bird award is for local PTAs that have submitted a membership list and paid dues for at least 75% of the number of members they had on record on March 15, postmarked by September 30th. This is an automatic award, so there is no form to fill out.
Where do we get the Membership Cards?
The cards come from Texas PTA, if you are missing them, please contact me ASAP. Some unit’s cards are still in Austin because they needed a piece of information before they would release the cards. To get those, please call 1-800-TALK-PTA.
How can you check if someone is a Texas Life Member?
Each local PTA should have a list of the people they have award a Texas Life Membership to. By October 1, I will have an inexact, but fairly comprehensive Plano ISD Council of PTAs list of Texas Life Members. Originally, I was planning to post the list on the Plano PTA website. Because of privacy considerations, I will email you the list of recipients awarded from your school. If you are in a secondary school and would like to check if someone from one of the feeder schools has received the award, please email me or contact the Texas PTA office, which maintains the comprehensive list (1-800-TALK-PTA).
Once I have completed the membership list, what do I do?
Make a copy for your Secretary, Treasurer, President and your procedure book. Then send your original or a copy to Texas PTA along with your dues check. If the check is sizable, please send it return receipt requested.
Our PTA is refining our budget. Can you tell me what to expect with Life Member Banquet?
We have been able to hold our costs to the same price for the past several years. The dinner for the banquet is $25 per person. Many schools send the recipient and a guest. Other schools buy whole tables and invite their recipients, principals and PTA presidents. Check with your PTA president to understand what will work for your school. Also, you will want to budget for the certificates ($35) and pins/charms ($15) from Texas PTA. These can be ordered off the Texas PTA website, but you should make sure to do this at least one month in advance. Most PTAs give the awards and pins out at the banquet.
At our middle school registration, we had someone say they were already a Life Member, but that it was awarded at the elementary school. Can they get the Life Member discount at both schools?
You can take the Life Membership at whichever school the members choose, but it can only be taken at one school. Remember, they have been awarded a Life Membership from The Texas PTA but not likely from the National PTA or from your local unit. Life members still must pay those dues.
How much are PTA dues?
There are several kinds of dues. The local membership rate is comprised of the National dues ($1.75/per person), plus the Texas dues ($1.25/per person), plus the local portion (this is set by the by-laws of the local campus). Additionally, each local PTA pays annual dues of $75.00 to Plano ISD Council of PTAs.
I have not ordered membership envelopes for our PTA. Is that OK?
Yes, the envelopes are just one way to collect dues. Some PTAs like them because it is easy for members to fill out the envelope and stick a check inside. You can use whatever method works best on your campus. If you want to order the envelopes, you can do that on the Texas PTA website (www.txpta.org).
How do I know what our PTA number is?
Please contact your president for this information. If you still can’t get it or are unsure, please email me.
I am unsure of the number of PTA members we had last year. How can I find out?
You should have this information in the binder that was passed on to you, but if you don’t, please email me.
Have a unanswered question? Email membership@planopta.org Lisa Williams, Membership VP, Plano ISD Council of PTA’s