PTA News

Over 1,000 people have signed the petition to #STOPCutsToClassrooms. Are you on that list? Sign today and share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. 

 

We need to tell Congress that our children deserve more than 2% of the federal budget for their education. Mark your calendars for the following #STOPCutsToClassrooms events over the next few months! 

 

#STOPCutsToClassrooms Twitter Chat

• Friday, July 28, 3:00 p.m. EDT
  Join the conversation by following National PTA on Twitter and using the hashtag #STOPCutsToClassrooms in your tweets.

PTA Live! Events

• Federal Funding for Low-Income Students
  Friday, August 11, 3:00 p.m. EDT
  This PTA Live will discuss how federal funding for low-income students (also known as Title I funding) is used in schools and the need for greater investments in education.

• Federal Funding for Students with Disabilities
  Friday, August 18, 3:00 p.m. EDT
  This PTA Live will discuss how federal funding for students with disabilities through the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is used in schools.

Want to learn more about #STOPCutsToClassrooms? Watch this PTA Live! on Facebook that introduces the campaign.

P.S. Be on the lookout for a #STOPCutsToClassrooms Challenge in August!

Top 5 Things You Need to Know

Top 5 Things You Need to Know Register now for the 2017-2018 PTA Back-to-School Kit. You have the power to #STOPCutsToClassrooms. Join the campaign. National PTA has a new president! Read about Jim Accomando in our press release.  Get $1,000 to host a STEM + Families Math Night!  Become a National PTA School of Excellence! Details below.

The 2017-2018 PTA Back-to-School Kit is Here! As a hardworking volunteer for your PTA, we know the 2017-2018 Back-to-School Kit will help make your upcoming school year a complete success. When you register for this year's kit, you'll get a Recruitment Tool and a poster-sized Calendar of PTA events. We will mail them at the end of this month, so hurry up and register to be eligible! To register, visit PTA.org/BTSKRegister.

Join National PTA to #STOPCutsToClassrooms Did you know that Federal funding for public education programs has remained at 2% of the federal budget for decades, despite the increase in public school enrollment and the rising cost of educational resources and services? This disparity between funding levels and actual costs means that the federal government has essentially enacted cuts to classrooms. National PTA is running a nationwide campaign—from July 7 to September 29—to raise public awareness that current levels of federal education funding are an inadequate investment in our children. To learn more about the nationwide campaign and get involved in PTA's advocacy efforts visit PTA.org/STOPCuts.

Enroll Now to Become a School of Excellence! Looking to step up your PTA's involvement in school improvements?   Join the National PTA School of Excellence program! This year-long program offers customized tools to help you to make a substantial, positive impact on school and student success, and to earn acknowledgement for your PTA and school. ENROLL NOW at PTA.org/Excellence and learn more by watching our PTA Live! about the program on Facebook.  Apply for a STEM + Families Grant!   The 2017 National PTA STEM + Families Math Grants, sponsored by Mathnasium, will award local PTAs $1,000 to host a STEM + Families Math Event at their elementary school this fall.  To be considered, submit a completed application online (We also have the application in Spanish) by Aug. 31 at 8:00 p.m. To apply, visit PTA.org/STEM. Questions? Email Programs@PTA.org.

ADVOCACY ALERT – Help us Say Thank You on July 11

ADVOCACY ALERT – Help us Say Thank You on July 11 With your help, we can send a "LOUD" voice of Thanks! Background:    Last week a group of 20 moderate Republicans, called the Tuesday Group, sent a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) requesting a bicameral, bipartisan agreement to stop sequestration and raise the federal spending caps for fiscal year (FY) 2018. National PTA has long advocated to replace sequestration with a balance approach to deficit reduction that does not further cut funding for education program.  Up until this letter there had been a lot of discussion about cutting federal spending on domestic programs—which include education programs—by billions of dollars.  The TuesdayGroup letter to the Speaker was significant because it accounted for enough opposition to encourage Congress to possibly consider a bipartisan budget agreement. Action Requested:   Ohio PTA is asking for your assistance in thanking Representative Dave Joyce for signing on to the letter to Speaker Ryan on July 11 (State Thank You Day).  The thank you can be tweeted, posted on Facebook, or other social media you use! Sample Tweet:   Thank you @RepDaveJoyce for calling for a bipartisan budget deal to #RaiseTheCaps & support educ funding to #STOPCutsToClassrooms After you participate, please share and ask your friends to help send a message of thanks too! Thank you for your help!

Latest info on Ohio's ESSA plan

Latest info on Ohio's ESSA plan. 

http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Every-Student-Succeeds-Act-ESSA

The Ohio Department of Education will be submitting its ESSA state plan by September 18 to the U.S. Department of Education (ED).  Before Ohio submits its plan, we encourage you to take two actions to help ensure parent voices are heard on your state’s new education plan:

1. Send a letter to your Governor and state education chief or superintendent urging them to include a description of how different stakeholders have been meaningfully engaged in the development of the new state education plan.  National PTA has put together this stakeholder toolkit (attached and on www.pta.org/essa), which contains template letters, sample graphics and messaging you can use and share with your membership.  As you may recall, ED no longer requires states to include a description of their stakeholder consultation in the development of their new ESSA plan. 

2. Share this webinar throughout your social media networks and other PTA channels, if your comment period is still open so that parents and families can comment on the new education plan in your state. Here is some social media for your to promote the webinar as well –

• Make your voice heard- Check out @NationalPTA webinar on writing a public comment.https://youtu.be/OJPkiHPQB7Q
• Learn about public comments via @NationalPTA webinar. Upcoming #ESSA public comment periods for many states https://youtu.be/OJPkiHPQB7Q
• Check it out: learn tips for writing public comments w/ @NationalPTA webinar.https://youtu.be/OJPkiHPQB7Q