The Becker Parent Teacher and Student Association (PTSA) gathered last week to discuss the hot item on their agenda, how to continue the program without being dissolved. The issue came about from a shortage of volunteers to keep the PTSA running.
Once the current president decided to step down and the vice president left the district, all the seats seemed to be opened up for nomination, but no one wanted to assume the responsibilities right away.
Ann Olson, former PTSA president, stated that the dissolution notice had to go out, because it didn’t look like the seats would be filled in time for the organization to stay alive for the 2018 school year. However, many volunteers stepped up to assume those office positions just in time.
“The PTSA was unofficially in existence dating back to the 60’s and 70’s, before it became an official non-profit organization in the 90’s. In those days, families met in the basement of the intermediate school. Egg salad sandwiches were served and a majority of parenst were there to discuss important topics,” said Ann.
“Today, the PTSA looks different but is still just as dedicated to improving the schools and giving the students a better experience.”
The Becker PTSA serves about 3,000 students (from ECFE level to the 12th grade) and is an asset to the school system in multiple ways. Teachers are paying out of pocket more and more for things and parents are completely unaware, but the help of the devoted PTSA parents is going a long way.
Without these volunteers, the school would not be supplemented in the same financial or educational capacity that it currently is, which is why the PTSA invites all parents to join, even if they can only spare an hour a week. It helps to have engaged parents that can participate in these activities, officers say.
“There’s something for everyone. Parents can bring their kids to play while they attend the meeting. We are very open to ideas and talk about all sorts of things. You don’t even have to be present to help out. There are parents who do things from home, but our roster only has 30 people on it right now, so we desperately need more involvement,” explained Jennifer Potter, current PTSA president (until nominations are finalized in March). She has four children in the Becker School System.
Despite having only a few volunteers, the organization hosts and funds events such as the Go Read a Book (G.R.A.B.) program, the Read-a-thon, Author Visits, Family Fun Night, conference buffets (cooking meals for parents and teachers to enjoy at parent/teacher conferences), the book fair, and ordering graphing calculators. Each year the PTSA collects between $25,000 and $30,000 through their fall fundraiser, and it all goes back to the students and teachers; however, this past year, the group was told they could not hold their fundraiser.
When asked why she did it for so many years, if it’s a time-consuming volunteer position which demands a lot of energy and planning, Jennifer said, “People like me do it, because it’s a task that’s paid in the form of smiles and thank you cards from students. It means a lot to know you have made an impression on these kids despite how challenging the role can be.”
Formal elections will be held on March 8 (see list below), and it looks like the impressive turnout of parents at the last meeting is setting the stage for a strong start for the PTSA this year.
Nominations:
President: Rochelle Ament
Vice President: Malinda Pudlick
Secretary: Julie Carr
Treasurer: Michelle MacMillan
