The Value of Councils
There are 29 councils in Washington, and 71% of all PTAs in Washington are served by councils. WHY is being in a council important? If a school exists in an area served by a council, it is more likely to have a PTA: 66% of schools served by councils have PTAs, while only 16% of…
Category:
Governance
,
Leadership
Transparency and Engagement with Meeting Summaries
Governance. Powered by PTA. PTAs strive to involve their members and communities in the work of PTA and often post meeting minutes online to be transparent and increase engagement. Unfortunately, posting meeting minutes is risky. Instead, encourage PTAs to post meeting summaries online! What is the difference between meeting minutes and a meeting summary? Minutes are a…
Category:
Leadership
Five Key Resources for Council Leaders
Have you visited WSPTA’s online leader resources? The WSPTA website, under the “PTA Leaders” tab, has a variety of resources to help councils educate and support local PTAs. The “Leadership Guides” page has been recently reorganized to help you find what you need faster than ever. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Contact us to suggest…
Category:
Leadership
Seven Actions for Council Advocacy
Councils play a critical role in encouraging and mobilizing advocates for children and youth. Here are seven steps for councils to support and grow community advocacy. Learn about WSPTA’s Top 5 Legislative Priorities (and also supported issues) for 2020 – 2021 and encourage local leaders to sign up for Action Alerts. These legislative priorities have…
Category:
Advocacy
,
Leadership
Are Local PTAs in Good Standing?
To be eligible to participate in PTA programs, grants, and awards at the state and national level, PTAs must fulfill the requirements set out in the WSPTA Standards of Affiliation (SOA.) Councils can support local PTAs with these requirements and ensure that everyone is able to take advantage of all the opportunities available from WSPTA…
Category:
Leadership
Getting to Know Memberplanet – Tools for Councils
As memberplanet evolves, it is fast becoming a vital tool in the council leader toolbox! *new!* Find your local leaders’ contact information via Committees — Shared Committees. Pull up-to-date membership reports, see membership trends, and get all the details on each of your local units via Reports — Group Profiles Report. Record check payments received…
Category:
Membership
Plan for the Future: Engaging Future Leaders
Councils exist to serve local PTAs, to educate local PTA leaders, to create a stronger awareness and relationship between local PTAs and the school district, and to facilitate programs that are more effective on a larger scale. One of the biggest determining factors in the health of a local PTA is whether that local PTA…
Category:
Leadership
Virtual Support for Local PTAs: Make it Personal
Engagement. Connecting PTAs. Personal relationships between council and local PTA leaders are the foundation of successful and sustainable councils. Approaching these relationships with intention, purpose, and consistency will benefit both local PTAs and the council now and well into the future. Here are a few tips: Do not wait for people to come to you! Contact…
Category:
Leadership
Reflections Kickoff – Virtually
Reflections may look a little different this year, as we navigate in a virtual environment, but this program is more important than ever. For more than 50 years, this National PTA arts recognition program has helped students explore their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas, develop artistic literacy, increase confidence, and find a love for learning.…
Category:
Reflections
New Council SOA and Supporting Local PTAs
The Washington State PTA Standards of Affiliation Agreement 2020-2021 is now available! There have been a few updates this year to make the SOA even better, including an introduction page that has clear instructions, calls out what’s new to the checklists in 2020-21, and offers a number of resources to answer questions and give more…
Category:
Governance