July 08, 2005

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Publication Date: Friday, July 08, 2005

Applause for the PTA

Whether it's Hearst Elementary's packed dinner and auction that raised $60,000 or Walnut Grove's overflow crowd for a night of dancing and entertainment that brought in $83,000, the Parent Teacher Associations in Pleasanton are raising 10s of thousands of dollars each year to pay for teaching specialists, programs, equipment and staff support that the school district can't afford. Add to that the 66,759 volunteer hours PTA members contributed to their schools in the academic year just ended, and it's clear that this organization deserves a round of applause for its efforts to keep Pleasanton schools and students in the top league in California education. In a year-end report to the Pleasanton school board, Debbie Look said that the volunteer work of PTA members, if they were paid the estimated going rate of $12 per hour, represents a contribution of over $800,000. Besides their active support of activities and programs in their local schools, Look cited many more hours the PTA and its members spend as advocates at regional, state and national levels for increased funding and educational programs.

Look is president of the Pleasanton PTA Council, which was formed just two years ago to join together the eight local PTA units at Alisal, Fairlands, Hearst, Mohr, Vintage Hills and Walnut Grove elementary schools, as well as at Harvest Park Middle School and Amador Valley High School. The other six city schools are served by parent groups that have chosen not to join the PTA organization. Even so, they often join with the PTA Council in meetings with School Superintendent John Casey and others, and both groups work together on local and state budget and political issues. As Look's report shows, these parent groups have become a valuable resource for schools in both funding and in other important needs, such as leadership training and on advocacy issues. In this past academic year, the PTA Council: ¥ Raised $13,000 through grants from the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the City of Pleasanton's Human Services Commission, plus another $2,000 from Pleasanton's Rotary Club North, to fund child abuse prevention classes in all nine elementary schools, a program the PTA plans to fully fund again in the coming year. ¥ Hosted a Reflections Arts Recognition Program to showcase the writing, photography, visual art and musical compositions, with 283 student entries. Megan Tien, a first grade student at Mohr Elementary, was chosen the winner at the state PTA convention in May. ¥ Piloted a program to make pedometers available to students as part of the PTA's effort to encourage more nutrition awareness and physical activity. Working with representatives of local health care agencies, school district officials, teachers and parents, the PTA has formed a "Healthy Lifestyles Council" to promote the district's new Wellness policy. ¥ Planned and hosted the first citywide multicultural festival in May. More than 700 attended the event, called "Passport to Pleasanton," which featured presentations, food booths, crafts and games from 12 different countries. The program was so popular that the PTA plans to expand it next spring, adding more students to represent a wider range of countries and cultures.

As Look pointed out, PTA work is no easy job. No one in the organization from the national president to all those volunteering in the Pleasanton PTA Council and individual school organization receives any compensation. Whether it's the more than 66,000 volunteer hours or the more than $200,000 raised in PTA-sponsored crab feasts, auctions and other fundraisers, our community schools can thank this advocacy organization for its ongoing determination to keep Pleasanton in the forefront with quality education.

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