P.T.S.A.

Tracy and I have done the Parent-Teacher Association meetings at three different schools...and, they're all pretty much the same. What I mean is this: You go to the meeting, primarily because it is meet-your-kid's-teachers night and they advertised a 7:00PM start time. What that means is this: The PTA recruitment drive begins at 7PM. The meet-your-kid's-teachers part starts about a half an hour later.

The recruitment drive begins. It's basically an explanation of how and where to write a check to become a member.

They elect the officers for the new year. This is basically a time where those people who head up the volunteer organization re-up for another year of service. Everybody runs unopposed...and in one case last year, they actually asked a lady out of the audience if she'd pleeeeeeeeeeeease be the treasurer again.

They vote to approve the budget. This involves telling us that there is still $2,100 left over from last year and that this year we're going to try to raise $5,300 for new playground equipment and a sign by the other entrance. We're going to do this by selling light bulbs and frozen meals, and maybe magazine subscriptions. Everybody says, "Aye." There's never any opposed or any abstentions for the record. Everybody just wants to go meet-your-kid's-teachers.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm all for the nice people that volunteer their time and help out the school with the new playground equipment and the new sign by the entrance and new software for the high school computer lab. It's really a nice addition for any school to have parents help out with those things as well as come up with nice "thank you's" at the end of the year for the administration and the whole bit. It's just the meetings for those organizations tend to be more mundane and predictable than informative or helpful.

Until Monday night...

...when Tracy and I went to the P.T.S.A. meeting for Kid1's arts-magnet school she attends. In typical fashion, I went because there was "mini-school" where we could go through the schedule and quickly shake hands with the teachers (there's a lengthier "meet-your-kid's-teachers" night in October when they've had a chance to get to know your teen a little longer) and catch a glimpse of the school itself. At this school, students can be members of this organization, too. That's true at other places as well. Hence the "S" added to the "P," the "T," and the "A."

First of all, they introduced the board members. And by board members, I mean BOARD members. This wasn't a collection of moms and dads getting off work and giving a few free hours. It was more like a business board of directors. There was a rotation/succession plan for the leaders for next year. But it wasn't all businessy, either. They introduced the "Senior Mom" who is the kind of lady you'd want to be the volunteer mom around for a group of seniors. She helped hand out copies of the budget and there weren't enough, her booming voice said, "You all's gonna have to make yourselves some friends and sit close because I've only got about three per row!" And then she laughed in a way that made everybody laugh.

They informed us of a reality that, at this school, which has roughly 650 students, there were more than 660 members of the P.T.S.A. I thought that was pretty impressive.

There was a push for volunteers. You'd have to go to the website and get a background check first...but I got the idea that most of the volunteering was done through various "guilds" they would tell us about later.

Then they threw out some budget line items. Now, I have no idea why the universal protocol is to hand out budgets and then read the line items to everybody...they should just say, "There's the budget. I'll give you three minutes to look over it and then open the floor for any questions." But they don't. So, he read the budget line items. But it was cool to see a bottom line budget that's about 10x what most P.T.S.A.'s would throw together, followed by a mention of the area businesses who contribute to that bottom line. Suffice to say if they're based in Dallas, they give a little something to the arts school.

Then they talked about fundraisers. This was cool, too...because they seem to have little trouble getting former students to help out. So, for example, they said they had the first fundraiser planned in a well-known section of Dallas at a new "Wine Bar" that seats about 90 people. A moderately well-known local singer would perform two shows at this wine bar in an intimate setting and tickets were going for $75 or something like that. We'd get an e-mail with more details. Another was a 3-course dinner at a tony restaurant in town with an "introductory cocktail" included for $65 or something like that. We'd get an e-mail with more details. There will be about 5 similar e-mails throughout the year, I'm guessing.

The majority came from a silent auction. Half of the budget. All that money goes directly to scholarships. Now, I don't know what they're auctioning off, but they raise a tremendous amount of money. My guess is that local businesses go for SERIOUS donations of some pretty pricey things because I remember thinking it was cool that they could raise that much money and it speaks well of an organization's priorities that 50% of a budget goes directly to students. Another 30% goes to student support (computers, instruments, sound/AV, etc.).

They then promoted "season passes" to all the performances, music, drama & dance as another way to get involved. Come see some great talent in development. And then there was mention of how we could also get involved in the various "guilds" off the main meeting. You know, like if you've got a kid in drama, there'll be an e-mail telling you when your guild meets to support that discipline. Same for dance. Same for music. Same for visual arts.

And then we were off to "mini-school." Most of my teen's teachers left notes on the door to let us know they'd meet us in October. Kid1 tried to warn us but we were already on our way.

But I'm glad I attended, because it reinforced a basic concept that I believe to be true: Parental involvement, both in the life of their kid and the corporate well-being of the educational institution, is the key to a good education. I don't care how well the meetings are run or the amound in the budget or what that money was spent on...

...because it's parents doing their jobs that makes a school a good school.

Not the district it's in.
Not the amount of money you throw at it.
Not the quality teachers.

Those can all be nice additions to the educational process.

But it's ultimately parents being good parents that make for good schools, IMHO.