In case you did not receive your copy of the Insurance and Loss Prevention Guides, here are soft copies of both the English and Spanish versions.
These guides give you all the information you need on insurance questions and activities that you can and can't do at your PTA events. Please, read through this if you haven't already.
If you have any questions or need an insurance certificate, the last page gives you contact information for Unionbanc Insurance Services, Inc. and a way to print a certificate from online.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
PTA 109th Annual Convention 2008, Long Beach - Update
Hello All Ye PTA Pirates (can you guess this years theme?:-)),
Well I can't believe it.....Another year has passed and convention is just around the corner. Please forward this message on to all respective PTA units in the event you see I have missed anyone.
Update: Convention Dates: May 1st - 4th 2008 Registration for Convention classes and exhibits will be done on line: Link is due to be released Feb 2, 2008 and open until April 15th. I will forward to all once received.
Registration books have been delayed at the printers but should be sent next week hard copy and email so you may view all information before registering at the link below. Details of Convention available through this link:http://www.capta.org/sections/convention-2008/
Students planning to attend will need release waiver and be accompanied by an adult(Form to be sent once received via email): Flight reservations and transportation to and from convention are the responsibility of each attendee to organize Hotel reservations: A form is required to be sent to reserve your room. I will email the required form to all above as soon as it comes available.
It is critical all persons planning to attend contact me via email to confirm number attending and names from all schools. Attendees should allocate at least $1000 per person to cover cost of hotel(approx $150 per night, plus tax), Airfare (approx $300, may be less if booked 21 days in advance), Food and Transportation ($40 a day, with exception of PTA event on the first night of convention($35 for event at Aquarium)).
Last but not least please note for those schools requesting assistance, the district is awarded a small amount of money each year to help those in need should they need assistance. This is not guaranteed and will be distributed based on convention committee approval. All schools requesting assistance, need to submit requests by 2/25, each will be contacted to advise if money is available. Look forward to seeing many of you at convention.
It will be a great event!!!!
Sincerely, Rene Keehn
PTA 20th District Convention Chair
Well I can't believe it.....Another year has passed and convention is just around the corner. Please forward this message on to all respective PTA units in the event you see I have missed anyone.
Update: Convention Dates: May 1st - 4th 2008 Registration for Convention classes and exhibits will be done on line: Link is due to be released Feb 2, 2008 and open until April 15th. I will forward to all once received.
Registration books have been delayed at the printers but should be sent next week hard copy and email so you may view all information before registering at the link below. Details of Convention available through this link:http://www.capta.org/sections/convention-2008/
Students planning to attend will need release waiver and be accompanied by an adult(Form to be sent once received via email): Flight reservations and transportation to and from convention are the responsibility of each attendee to organize Hotel reservations: A form is required to be sent to reserve your room. I will email the required form to all above as soon as it comes available.
It is critical all persons planning to attend contact me via email to confirm number attending and names from all schools. Attendees should allocate at least $1000 per person to cover cost of hotel(approx $150 per night, plus tax), Airfare (approx $300, may be less if booked 21 days in advance), Food and Transportation ($40 a day, with exception of PTA event on the first night of convention($35 for event at Aquarium)).
Last but not least please note for those schools requesting assistance, the district is awarded a small amount of money each year to help those in need should they need assistance. This is not guaranteed and will be distributed based on convention committee approval. All schools requesting assistance, need to submit requests by 2/25, each will be contacted to advise if money is available. Look forward to seeing many of you at convention.
It will be a great event!!!!
Sincerely, Rene Keehn
PTA 20th District Convention Chair
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Time for some advocacy action - State budget alert
CALIFORNIA STATE PTA LEGISLATION ACTION ALERT
_________________________________________
DATE: January 11, 2008
Governor Proposes Drastic Budget Cuts for Students –
The Children of California Need Your Help
IMMEDIATE Action Needed:
Voice PTA’s strong opposition to the Governor’s K-12 education budget proposal.
· Email or call your State Assembly member or Senator right away!
Message: PTA urges legislators not to cut Proposition 98, the minimum public education funding guarantee for our students. The impact of the unprecedented cuts proposed in the Governor’s budget would severely harm each and every school.
Find Your Legislators
Or paste this into your browser:
http://www.capwebworks.com/addresslookup/lookup.aspx
· Forward this alert to others to generate the largest response possible.
· Advise the PTA Legislation Team about your contacts and responses received at legislation@capta.org
· Be ready for additional information from California State PTA. This is the first action in what we expect to be a multi-pronged effort to protect funding for our students.
BACKGROUND
On Thursday, January 10, Governor Schwarzenegger released his state budget proposal. The proposal seeks to address the state’s estimated $14 billion deficit by making the largest reduction to education funding in California history. For 2008-09, the Governor proposes that the Legislature suspend Proposition 98 (the minimum funding guarantee for schools) and cut $4.4 billion (more than 9%) in education funds. The Governor also proposes $400 million in education funding reductions in the current 2007-08 budget year.
While we are still analyzing the details, the proposal calls for:
· $2.6 billion in cuts by eliminating the statutory 4.94% Cost-of-Living-Increase (COLA) for schools, and reducing the revenue limit allocation by an additional 2%. This would create a combined “deficit factor” (money that is statutorily owed to schools as part of Proposition 98) by a total of $2.6 billion, or nearly 7%.
· $1.1 billion in cuts by reducing categorical programs funding, including reductions to the Class Size Reduction program, Instructional Materials, Transportation, Supplemental School Counselors, and many others.
· $360 million in cuts by eliminating the COLA and “growth” funding for special education, as well as additional cuts to special education, which is already chronically underfunded.
· $200 million in cuts by eliminating COLA and growth funding for child development programs (nearly $200 million), which would eliminate nearly 8,000 existing child care slots.
· Reductions in funding for community colleges, as well as University of California and California State University .
* * *
On behalf of California State PTA, President Pam Brady issued the following statement this morning:
Statement on the Proposed 2008-2009 Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— Sacramento , California , January 11, 2008
Pam Brady, President of the California State PTA, issued the following statement in response to the Governor's budget proposal:
"The proposed California State budget flunks the basic test of good government: It hurts our children. A budget is a reflection of our community values. This budget does not value the education, health, or welfare of our children and the future of California .
"Members of the California State PTA are offended by the failure of the proposed budget to meet the needs of children. The Legislature and the Governor have a responsibility to support the children of California . Any mid-year cuts or suspension of Proposition 98, which provides minimum funding for our schools, is unacceptable.
"We don't move toward Twenty-First Century education by going backwards. It is ironic that the highly touted 'Year of Education' is starting out as the year they tried to take billions of dollars away from our children."
The California State PTA is a branch of the 110-year old National PTA, with over a million members statewide. The PTA is the nation's oldest, largest and highest-profile volunteer organization working on behalf of public schools, children and families, with the motto "Every child, one voice." PTA volunteers work in their schools and communities to improve the education, health and welfare of all California children and youth. The PTA also advocates at national, state and local levels for education and family issues. The PTA is non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-commercial. For more information, go to www.capta.org.
###
CALIFORNIA EDUCATION COALITION
STATE BUDGET TALKING POINTS
California State PTA will be working with the Education Coalition to inform legislators and the public about the severity of the proposed budget cuts. Below are some initial Talking Points that you may utilize in addition to the points emphasized in California State PTA’s statement.
While it is clear there are extraordinary challenges in balancing the state’s budget, the Education Coalition strongly opposes the Governor’s 2008-09 budget proposal and his plans to eviscerate Proposition 98. Our students and schools did not create this budget problem, and their progress shouldn’t be undermined because of it.
The governor’s budget reductions would be disastrous to public schools and they are fundamentally inconsistent with the state’s goal of improving student achievement. A $4.4 billion cut to Prop. 98 would mean laying off tens of thousands of teachers and would also result in increases in class size throughout the state, not to mention a further erosion of the support system for students provided by classified and paraprofessional staff.
Voters passed Prop. 98 almost 20 years ago to ensure our students and schools receive minimum funding. They strongly reaffirmed their support for the minimum funding law in 2005. Proposals to suspend Prop. 98 conflict with the will of the voters and jeopardize the minimum education funding levels Prop. 98 provides for students and schools.
According to a report released this week from Education Week, California spends $2,000 less per student than the national average. Other recent studies have shown that California seriously underfunds its public schools, with New York spending 75 percent more than California . The “Getting Down to Facts” studies show that billions more would be necessary to ensure the opportunity for all students to meet the state’s rigorous academic standards. In addition, California has some of the most overcrowded classrooms as well as the greatest shortage of librarians, counselors and other critical support staff in the nation.
Experts including the Fordham Foundation (one of the nation's leading proponents of rigorous academic standards), the Public Policy Institute of California, EdSource and researchers at Stanford University all confirm that California 's K-12 academic and performance standards are among the most challenging in the nation. With hard work, modest investments in teacher training and the adoption of standards-aligned textbooks, our students and schools have been making progress. Reading scores are up 25 percent and math scores have increased 17 percent in the last four years. This progress cannot continue with these proposed cuts to our public schools.
A state budget proposal that looks at cuts alone is not a real solution, because it doesn’t address California ’s underlying problem of inadequate and unstable revenue sources. We cannot talk about spending cuts without also talking about increasing revenues.
The most pressing challenge is to enact a balanced budget that continues the momentum of educational improvement that has been built since the late 1990s. This budget does not do that and anything less is unacceptable
_________________________________________
DATE: January 11, 2008
Governor Proposes Drastic Budget Cuts for Students –
The Children of California Need Your Help
IMMEDIATE Action Needed:
Voice PTA’s strong opposition to the Governor’s K-12 education budget proposal.
· Email or call your State Assembly member or Senator right away!
Message: PTA urges legislators not to cut Proposition 98, the minimum public education funding guarantee for our students. The impact of the unprecedented cuts proposed in the Governor’s budget would severely harm each and every school.
Find Your Legislators
Or paste this into your browser:
http://www.capwebworks.com/addresslookup/lookup.aspx
· Forward this alert to others to generate the largest response possible.
· Advise the PTA Legislation Team about your contacts and responses received at legislation@capta.org
· Be ready for additional information from California State PTA. This is the first action in what we expect to be a multi-pronged effort to protect funding for our students.
BACKGROUND
On Thursday, January 10, Governor Schwarzenegger released his state budget proposal. The proposal seeks to address the state’s estimated $14 billion deficit by making the largest reduction to education funding in California history. For 2008-09, the Governor proposes that the Legislature suspend Proposition 98 (the minimum funding guarantee for schools) and cut $4.4 billion (more than 9%) in education funds. The Governor also proposes $400 million in education funding reductions in the current 2007-08 budget year.
While we are still analyzing the details, the proposal calls for:
· $2.6 billion in cuts by eliminating the statutory 4.94% Cost-of-Living-Increase (COLA) for schools, and reducing the revenue limit allocation by an additional 2%. This would create a combined “deficit factor” (money that is statutorily owed to schools as part of Proposition 98) by a total of $2.6 billion, or nearly 7%.
· $1.1 billion in cuts by reducing categorical programs funding, including reductions to the Class Size Reduction program, Instructional Materials, Transportation, Supplemental School Counselors, and many others.
· $360 million in cuts by eliminating the COLA and “growth” funding for special education, as well as additional cuts to special education, which is already chronically underfunded.
· $200 million in cuts by eliminating COLA and growth funding for child development programs (nearly $200 million), which would eliminate nearly 8,000 existing child care slots.
· Reductions in funding for community colleges, as well as University of California and California State University .
* * *
On behalf of California State PTA, President Pam Brady issued the following statement this morning:
Statement on the Proposed 2008-2009 Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— Sacramento , California , January 11, 2008
Pam Brady, President of the California State PTA, issued the following statement in response to the Governor's budget proposal:
"The proposed California State budget flunks the basic test of good government: It hurts our children. A budget is a reflection of our community values. This budget does not value the education, health, or welfare of our children and the future of California .
"Members of the California State PTA are offended by the failure of the proposed budget to meet the needs of children. The Legislature and the Governor have a responsibility to support the children of California . Any mid-year cuts or suspension of Proposition 98, which provides minimum funding for our schools, is unacceptable.
"We don't move toward Twenty-First Century education by going backwards. It is ironic that the highly touted 'Year of Education' is starting out as the year they tried to take billions of dollars away from our children."
The California State PTA is a branch of the 110-year old National PTA, with over a million members statewide. The PTA is the nation's oldest, largest and highest-profile volunteer organization working on behalf of public schools, children and families, with the motto "Every child, one voice." PTA volunteers work in their schools and communities to improve the education, health and welfare of all California children and youth. The PTA also advocates at national, state and local levels for education and family issues. The PTA is non-profit, non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-commercial. For more information, go to www.capta.org.
###
CALIFORNIA EDUCATION COALITION
STATE BUDGET TALKING POINTS
California State PTA will be working with the Education Coalition to inform legislators and the public about the severity of the proposed budget cuts. Below are some initial Talking Points that you may utilize in addition to the points emphasized in California State PTA’s statement.
While it is clear there are extraordinary challenges in balancing the state’s budget, the Education Coalition strongly opposes the Governor’s 2008-09 budget proposal and his plans to eviscerate Proposition 98. Our students and schools did not create this budget problem, and their progress shouldn’t be undermined because of it.
The governor’s budget reductions would be disastrous to public schools and they are fundamentally inconsistent with the state’s goal of improving student achievement. A $4.4 billion cut to Prop. 98 would mean laying off tens of thousands of teachers and would also result in increases in class size throughout the state, not to mention a further erosion of the support system for students provided by classified and paraprofessional staff.
Voters passed Prop. 98 almost 20 years ago to ensure our students and schools receive minimum funding. They strongly reaffirmed their support for the minimum funding law in 2005. Proposals to suspend Prop. 98 conflict with the will of the voters and jeopardize the minimum education funding levels Prop. 98 provides for students and schools.
According to a report released this week from Education Week, California spends $2,000 less per student than the national average. Other recent studies have shown that California seriously underfunds its public schools, with New York spending 75 percent more than California . The “Getting Down to Facts” studies show that billions more would be necessary to ensure the opportunity for all students to meet the state’s rigorous academic standards. In addition, California has some of the most overcrowded classrooms as well as the greatest shortage of librarians, counselors and other critical support staff in the nation.
Experts including the Fordham Foundation (one of the nation's leading proponents of rigorous academic standards), the Public Policy Institute of California, EdSource and researchers at Stanford University all confirm that California 's K-12 academic and performance standards are among the most challenging in the nation. With hard work, modest investments in teacher training and the adoption of standards-aligned textbooks, our students and schools have been making progress. Reading scores are up 25 percent and math scores have increased 17 percent in the last four years. This progress cannot continue with these proposed cuts to our public schools.
A state budget proposal that looks at cuts alone is not a real solution, because it doesn’t address California ’s underlying problem of inadequate and unstable revenue sources. We cannot talk about spending cuts without also talking about increasing revenues.
The most pressing challenge is to enact a balanced budget that continues the momentum of educational improvement that has been built since the late 1990s. This budget does not do that and anything less is unacceptable
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
PTA January Membership Campaign!
Did you make any New Year's resolutions for 2008? In addition to helping yourself by "getting fit" or "getting organized," you have a chance to make a powerful difference for children: Resolve to help parents be more involved through PTA. The January Membership Campaign, "New Year… New Opportunities" can assist you.
Unlike dieting rigorously or trying to quit a bad habit, PTA membership is easy to sustain and results are immediate—PTA membership can assist many Americans' in keeping their top resolutions. In a November 2007 survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation:
Thirty-three percent of respondents chose making the world a better place as their top resolution for 2008.Thirty-two percent of those surveyed said spending more time with family would be their top resolution.
Membership in PTA achieves both of these goals.
PTA members spend quality time with family through family involvement activities at home and at school.
PTA members make the world a better place by improving education opportunities for all children.
The bottom line is that the resolutions of 65 percent of respondents can be easily fulfilled through PTA membership, an activity that is not difficult to sustain.
The "New Year… New Opportunities" campaign capitalizes on people's desire to be more productive and proactive in a new year. If you've made use of the online resources and campaign packet delivered in November and implemented a January recruitment plan, you should be experiencing the benefits of strengthening your PTA.
If you have not yet started, don't despair. As with many resolutions, it matters less when you begin and more how you follow through. Act now and you can still run a successful "New Year… New Opportunities" campaign.
Tools are available online, including:
Attention-getting handout cards designed to make parents think about the resolutions they've made for 2008.
Customizable fliers to alert families and community members about PTA's benefits—and that it's not too late to join!
Door hangs to invite your entire community to join PTA.
Fun stickers to start conversations about involvement and PTA.
Go to pta.org/newyear for these and other great resources.
Unlike dieting rigorously or trying to quit a bad habit, PTA membership is easy to sustain and results are immediate—PTA membership can assist many Americans' in keeping their top resolutions. In a November 2007 survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation:
Thirty-three percent of respondents chose making the world a better place as their top resolution for 2008.Thirty-two percent of those surveyed said spending more time with family would be their top resolution.
Membership in PTA achieves both of these goals.
PTA members spend quality time with family through family involvement activities at home and at school.
PTA members make the world a better place by improving education opportunities for all children.
The bottom line is that the resolutions of 65 percent of respondents can be easily fulfilled through PTA membership, an activity that is not difficult to sustain.
The "New Year… New Opportunities" campaign capitalizes on people's desire to be more productive and proactive in a new year. If you've made use of the online resources and campaign packet delivered in November and implemented a January recruitment plan, you should be experiencing the benefits of strengthening your PTA.
If you have not yet started, don't despair. As with many resolutions, it matters less when you begin and more how you follow through. Act now and you can still run a successful "New Year… New Opportunities" campaign.
Tools are available online, including:
Attention-getting handout cards designed to make parents think about the resolutions they've made for 2008.
Customizable fliers to alert families and community members about PTA's benefits—and that it's not too late to join!
Door hangs to invite your entire community to join PTA.
Fun stickers to start conversations about involvement and PTA.
Go to pta.org/newyear for these and other great resources.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy New Year - January Happenings in PTA
From the 20th District Executive Board, we would like to wish you all a great New Year! It's a fabulous time to renew your commitments and start fresh on all those PTA projects! Don't forget that this is also a great time for another membership drive - keep sending in those membership dues every month and help the California PTA reach 1 Million members!
We want to let you know about 2 very important events this month.
1. The 20th District General Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 17th at 7:00 pm - place TBD. We need at least one member of your board to attend. Look for details on the location.
2. The 20th District Annual Training will be held on Saturday, January 26th from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm at Marina High in Marina, CA. We will have classes on the subjects, below and encourage as many from your board to attend as possible. This training will be extremely valuable and worth your time. We'll even give you lunch so please, come! Communicate this date to your board ASAP and let me (Jenny Wood) know who from your board can attend. Here's a map to Marina High: http://www.mpusd.k12.ca.us/MarinaHS/Directions%20to%20campus.pdf. NOTE: The street address has changed to 298 Patton Parkway.
Classes will be:
President Basics
Parliamentarian and Bylaws basics
Financial/Treasurer Basics
Secretary Basics
Ways and Means
Membership Basics
Advocacy
OMDR
Communications
Also, don't forget upcoming deadlines:
Insurance premiums and Workers Comp forms are due by Jan 17. Bring them to the meeting with you to save on postage! See the earlier blog entry for details.
Reflections entries are due by January 9th. See earlier blog entry for details.
We want to let you know about 2 very important events this month.
1. The 20th District General Meeting will be held on Thursday, January 17th at 7:00 pm - place TBD. We need at least one member of your board to attend. Look for details on the location.
2. The 20th District Annual Training will be held on Saturday, January 26th from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm at Marina High in Marina, CA. We will have classes on the subjects, below and encourage as many from your board to attend as possible. This training will be extremely valuable and worth your time. We'll even give you lunch so please, come! Communicate this date to your board ASAP and let me (Jenny Wood) know who from your board can attend. Here's a map to Marina High: http://www.mpusd.k12.ca.us/MarinaHS/Directions%20to%20campus.pdf. NOTE: The street address has changed to 298 Patton Parkway.
Classes will be:
President Basics
Parliamentarian and Bylaws basics
Financial/Treasurer Basics
Secretary Basics
Ways and Means
Membership Basics
Advocacy
OMDR
Communications
Also, don't forget upcoming deadlines:
Insurance premiums and Workers Comp forms are due by Jan 17. Bring them to the meeting with you to save on postage! See the earlier blog entry for details.
Reflections entries are due by January 9th. See earlier blog entry for details.
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