At the September Hauser PTA meeting, a committee was formed to study the possibility of converting our Parent Teacher Association chapter to a parent teacher organization. In District 96, Central’s parent group recently voted to become a PTO. The other schools have PTAs. Over the next few weeks the committee will present information for your consideration prior to deciding whether to proceed with this form of organization.

What’s the difference? PTA stands for Parent Teacher Association. A PTO is a Parent Teacher Organization. The simple difference between a PTA and a PTO is affiliation versus independence. Hauser PTA is a member group of the state and national PTA. The PTA is a national non-profit organization whose main purpose is to advocate for children. Hauser’s PTA must abide by the rules set forth at the PTA’s national and state levels. In return, Hauser receives access to member benefits. To belong to the PTA in Illinois, we pay $3.25 per member. This year Hauser will pay $1,300 to the state and national organization. Part of your PTA dues is used to support state and national lobbying efforts. Membership in the PTA is individual, not family-based, meaning that if both parents want to participate in PTA activities or programs, both should pay dues. Currently less than 25% of school parent groups nationwide are affiliated with the PTA; in Illinois, that number is even smaller. The trend toward PTOs, and away from PTAs, has been steadily increasing in recent years.

Conversely, a Parent Teacher Organization is an independently run parent group. PTOs are most often single-school groups that operate under their own bylaws and are focused on their home school and surrounding community. PTOs have discretion to collect annual membership dues. Many PTOs eliminate annual dues, thereby effectively including every parent of the school as a member of the PTO group. However, in order to access membership benefits to PTO resources, including reduced insurance rates, an annual fee of $199 would be paid to a for-profit organization, PTO Today. The trend toward PTOs, and away from PTAs, has been steadily increasing in recent years. For more information, see http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/292-pto-vs-pta-whats-the-difference.

Questions about this article should be directed to webmaster@hauserpta.org.