Grass Roots Organization Formed by Parents

A grass roots organization formed by parents seeks to improve parental engagement into their children’s education. Many parents in the town of Estancia are tired of the school district’s failure to communicate adequately with them. I am one of those parents. We do not share Superintendent Sims’ claim the district is meeting minimum parent engagement standards pursuant to the Federal act known as “Title I”. We are forming a grass roots collaboration between parents and teachers known as the “Estancia Parent Teacher Supporters”

You may ask yourself, “why not join the PTA?” The answer is there has not been a PTA, or “parent teach association”, at the Estancia Municipal School District (EMSD) in many years. As a parent of children attending schools in Estancia, I investigated the positive and negative aspects of forming a PTA. I came to the conclusion the challenges associated with forming a PTA outweigh any benefits we might hope to gain.

In recent years, PTA’s have become an extension of schools and government. PTA’s no longer operate independently. For this reason, a PTO seems a better fit for our community. A PTO can run more independently than a PTA. For example, Parent Teacher Organizations do not join the National PTA where annual dues must be paid and national “standards” followed. We do not share some of the standards followed in other communities.

When schools collaborate with parents to help their children learn and when parents participate in school activities and decision-making about their children’s education, children achieve at higher levels.

Parental Involvement: Title I, Part A Non-Regulatory Guidance

Why create or join a grass roots PTO as opposed to a PTA possessing an organized hierarchy, an elected President, and other elected or appointed officials? Let us first consider the meaning of “grass roots.”

The Free Dictionary defines grass roots as:

1. People at a local or low level rather than at the center or upper levels of an organization or movement
2. The lowest or most basic level of an organization or movement.

Note the key words “local” and “people”. The local people know what is best for their own communities. We want the decision-making to return to the local level. Decision-making should rest with parents. It should not rest in the hands of bureaucrats, technocrats, or anyone else who thinks they know what is best for our children or community.

Let it be known, we were not informed of what decisions were being made, and we were not afforded the opportunity to provide our input. As parents in this community, we can work together to support our shared interest in the welfare of our children. We support educators who recognize our role as the primary decision-makers in our children’s’ lives.

We extend the call to other parents, community leaders, and teachers to come and join our organization, “Estancia Parent Teacher Supporters.” Come to the next school board meeting on Monday, June 13th at 6pm, in the north cafeteria.

Don’t merely assume that your kids are learning what is best for them. Let’s work as a community to bridge the communication gap, make our children a priority again, and demand a say in their education. As Ronald Reagan once said, “Governments’ first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.”