Six-year-old Drayden has a question for his classmates: “Is your mom on the PTA?”
His mom, Ife Barker, is president of the Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy Parent Teacher Association. It’s not an easy lift as she already works two jobs, but her son’s pride seeing her at school is worth the effort.
“We’re a small family, but something like the PTA and the activities that we do, it brings us closer,” Barker said.
Reigniting parent volunteerism across Oklahoma schools has been a struggle since the pandemic, says Oklahoma PTA President Wendy Hardwick. Even five years later, PTA involvement at all levels lags behind pre-COVID numbers.
“We are still trying to recover from that,” Hardwick said. “But we’re 50th in the nation in education, and the way that’s going to change is for a parent to be involved and engaged at their schools.”
Getting involved is “not quite an easy answer,” acknowledges Tulsa Public Schools board member Susan Lamkin. Every PTA is different, and their obligations as nonprofits can make management complicated.
Some chapters within TPS “lost their way” during the pandemic, Lamkin says, failing to manage tax filings, paper work or officer duties. The district has since increased training and engagement with grant funding from the National PTA, and the number of TPS chapters has increased from 30 to 49 in the last two years.
“I don’t want people to think that there’s no point because you wouldn’t be able to raise a lot of money or have a big fancy event,” said Lamkin. “Even if you get a group of parents interested enough to come in and complain about something and work with the school on it, that’s progress.”
Here’s what you need to know about PTAs at local school districts.
Advocacy at the national and local level
National PTA is the oldest and largest child advocacy association in America, founded in 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers. It was an all-white organization until 1970, when it merged with the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. It operates as a system of local school chapters, regional councils and state associations.
“Our main focus is advocacy,” said Irene Drew, president of the Booker T. Washington High School PTA. “We advocate for children, we advocate for teachers to have the right equipment, the right books, whatever they need for the children.”
Drew is not a parent but a community member who’s served as the treasurer for the state PTA as well as president and vice president of budget and finance at the Tulsa Council of PTAs. There’s a lot more to PTA than just fundraisers and events, she says.
Councils work with school boards and advocate for students at their meetings, members support teachers in the classroom and parents in conferences, and the state PTA organizes for legislative change.
“There’s a lot of things the district used to cover,” Drew said. “Monies raised go toward those programs — being the art programs or special field trips or projects. That’s where PTA steps in.”
How to get involved
At TPS, members suggest contacting your school site’s parent involvement facilitator or principal to get connected to the PTA or to start a chapter.
Dues differ across TPS chapters. The combined state and national dues are $6.50, but some sites may charge more depending on their annual budget needs. All TPS chapters must pay $35 to the council each year and purchase liability insurance for events on top of any general expenses for activities.
TPS requires a general background check for all volunteers visiting a school site, but parents can still participate in PTA activities if they have encountered the justice system. Drew and Barker suggest running communications, coordinating donations or just showing up at meetings as alternatives.
“At your specific school, that’s where your voice really matters,” said Jamie Rogers, president of the Union PTA Council.
At Union, contact the district’s PTA Council or principal to get involved at your school site. Most Union PTA units require around $10 in annual dues. The district does not require background checks to volunteer.
And you don’t have to be a parent to get involved.
“Some schools don’t have a lot of parents that can help,” Barker said. “It makes the neighborhood or the community feel closer when you’re all kind of working toward the same thing.”
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