State's Top Education Leaders Urge Everyone to JOIN THE PTA!

CONTACT: Carol Kocivar Vice President- Communications (916) 440-1985

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                                        Friday, September 19, 2008

State's Top Education Leaders Urge Everyone to Join the PTA

SACRAMENTO, CA- California’s top education leaders, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell and Secretary of Education David Long, today called on parents, teachers, and administrators to join the PTA.

Proclaiming September and October “PTA Membership Months,” Secretary Long said, “PTA support for children is critical for the future of California.  I urge anyone in California who cares about children and our public schools to join the PTA. Superintendent O’Connell and I are both proud PTA members. Students truly benefit from the active involvement of caring adults and we want every school in California to have a strong PTA.  Join us—join PTA!”

“Parent involvement through the PTA is critical for the success of our children,” Superintendent O’Connell said. “PTA volunteers work in schools and communities to improve the education, health and welfare of all children and youth.”

The California State PTA, with nearly one million volunteer members, has been instrumental in efforts to support small class size, bring arts and physical education back into our schools, and ban junk food at school.

PTA provides members with free resources and training to build leadership and parenting skills. It also provides programs on a wide range of topics, including student achievement, childhood nutrition, and prevention of violence and bullying, to increase parent awareness of issues affecting their children.

For more than a century, the PTA has been supporting and advocating for public schools, children and families under the motto “Every child, one voice.”  The PTA is non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-commercial. For more information about how you can join PTA, go to www.capta.org and click on “Join PTA.”

The mission of the California State PTA is to positively impact the lives of all children and families by representing our members and empowering and supporting them with skills in advocacy, leadership and communications.

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There are 4 ways to get involved with PTA in California:

1. Join a local PTA Unit.

If you know the PTA district you are in, send an email to the district president at districtpresident- @capta.org (Insert your district number in the blank).

	If your school is in the San Fernando Valley, Sunland or Tujunga – LAUSD Local Districts 1 & 2 - you live in 31st District PTA email districtpresident-31@capta.org Your District President is Dell Goodman
	If your school is South of Mulholland Drive,  – LAUSD Local Districts 3 - 8 - you live in 10th District PTA email districtpresident-10@capta.org Your District President is Silvia Flores

If you don’t know your PTA unit, send an email to membershipchair@capta.org providing your contact information and location so that we can assist you, or call the California State PTA office at 916-440-1985 ext. 328.

If your neighborhood school has a PTA, you can join that PTA and automatically become a voting member of the California State PTA and the National PTA. Each PTA sets its own dues, typically between $4.00 and $10.00 per member. The amount of the dues is found in the PTA's bylaws. Dues are not tax-deductible.

2. Join the Golden State PTA

Interested individuals and businesses that do not have an affiliation with a particular PTA unit or area also have the opportunity to support PTA by joining the Golden State PTA. Click here to join the Golden State PTA.

Download the GSPTA membership application [pdf]

The Golden State PTA is a statewide organization that allows individuals with an interest in PTA in California to show support and to maintain contact with the California State PTA.

By joining the Golden State PTA, each member

• pays $10.00 dues per year
• supports the Scholarship and Grant program
• can receive a subscription to PTA in California newsletter for an additional $5.00
• receives member privileges to the state convention (upon payment of registration fee)

3. Organize a New PTA unit

Please send an email to leadership@capta.org and provide your contact information and location so that we can assist you or call the California State PTA office at 916-440-1985 ext. 301.

4. Contribute to the Founder's Circle and support California State PTA without joining.