PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATIONS:
On June 20-21, 2014, the national PTA (Parent Teacher Association) will hold its annual convention in Austin, Texas. The keynote speaker is Arne Duncan, U. S. Sect. of Education, who, in conjunction with the national PTA, are cheerleaders for the Common Core curriculum. Common Core has been outlawed in the State of Texas through legislation, and because Governor Perry rejected it when he had the opportunity. Now the Attorney General, Gregg Abbott has made it a crime to use Common Core resources. Ever since Perry rejected this curriculum, rogue Texas superintendents have been trying to go around his decision. The PTA appears to be trying to go around Governor Perry also! If you are a PTA officer and you go to this convention this summer, please don't go to party in Austin or for the nice hotel paid for by all the hard work that volunteers did all year, or so you can eat out on someone else's dime. Instead, go to as many of their meetings as you can and listen to what they are saying. If you have a brain in your head, you will be scared to death for your children and for the future of America.
One of my objections to Katy ISD PTA groups is that parents are never given the option of forming a simple parent organization NOT associated with the left leaning national PTA organization.
As soon a a new school is built, organization of all things begins immediately. Before the school even opens, the infrastructure is set in place to form a PTA. That's controlling and obviously not in the best interests of parents and their children.
That situation occurs because the elected school board allows it to happen. They do NOT have control of the superintendent, else they would not allow this occurrence.
Katy ISD does have some PTO's, but I can tell you that they have been pressured many times to change to a PTA. I tried to change FROM a PTA at Nottingham Country Elementary one time, and as I have described elsewhere, I was confronted with a crying PTA president, a crying principal, and officers from the Harris County PTA who were asked to come in and keep me from suggesting the change! It was pretty revealing to watch the machinations of my opposition!
Be sure you read Number 7 below!
1. A History of the Parent Organizations in Katy ISD
2 Losing the P in PTA by Rita Kramer
3. Article from Diana Pharr's Web Site on PTA and a Senate Bill to Help Autistic Students
4. My Argument to Change the NCE PTA to a PTO
5. We Need Leaders Now More Than Ever by Peter DeWitt
6. The National PTA Position on National Standards and Common Core
7. A History of Connections Between the PTA and the NEA
8. Bill Gates Donates to the PTA
9. PTA Supports Common Core Standards
10. How Public Schools Have Changed
11. National PTA President Supports Common Core
12. An Example of the PTA Endorsed Common Core Math
14. Hillary Clinton Supports the PTA's Companion: the NEA
15. PTA Opposes the Concealed Carrying of Firearms