In addition, we are excited to have Susan Stauter as our keynote speaker!  Arts education and advocate Susan Stauter is currently Artistic Director for the San Francisco Unified School District and was instrumental in the creation of SFUSD’s internationally recognized Arts Education Master Plan.  An award-winning credentialed teacher of Theatre and English, she was the founding Chair of the Department of Theatre for the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and went on to serve as the Conservatory director for the Tony Award-winning American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.), where she oversaw all educational programs.  Ms. Stauter also works throughout the U.S. and internationally as a keynote speaker, workshop leader, teacher, writer and trainer in the area of arts education.  She has consulted for the North Carolina  School for the Arts, Great River Shakespeare Festival in Minnesota, the Grammy Foundation, and the Leonard Bernstein Center for Education at Gettysburg College.

Please help us also to spread the word by forwarding the invitation to your mailing lists and posting to your websites.  We hope to see as many of you as possible on February 1st!

Today in Sacramento, The Our Children, Our Future: Local Schools and Early Education Investment Act was submitted to the Attorney General for title and summary for the November 6, 2012 ballot.

California State PTA supports this bold initiative, which will provide approximately $1,300 per student in new funds each year that must be spent directly at school sites with local parent and educator input.

In particular, the funding must be used by schools to provide a well-rounded education that supports college and career readiness for every student, including a high-quality curriculum that includes the arts; music; physical education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); and vocational and technical education courses.  It can also be used for smaller class sizes, school libraries and librarians, school nurses and counselors.

California State PTA had a role in crafting the final ballot measure language, and we plan to actively engage in the broad, grass-roots effort to qualify and pass this measure.

In the coming weeks we will continue providing information about this important initiative and how you can get involved to help.

More information, including the full text of the initiative, can be found at:www.OurChildrenOurFuture2012.com. 

The 17^th District PTA (comprised of all the PTAs and PTSAs in San Mateo County) is asking for your support of the students in the Court and Community Schools. Please read about the S.M. County Court and Community Schools programs on our Advocacy  page, and read about their creative activities here.

Starting on December 7, 2011, and ending on January 31, 2012, we are have having an online Follett Titlewish book fundraiser where 100% of the money raised  will go directly towards purchasing new sets of books for the students to read in their English classes.

We’re asking you to participate and help us raise $1,000.00 which will be used to purchase class sets, totaling 140 books, of Left for Dead:  A Young Man’s Search for Justice to the USS Indianapolis by Pete Nelson.

To help us meet our goal, please make a donation by going to: http://www.titlewish.com/101169; and clicking on “Help Your Kids, Donate Today”

Thank you for helping us provide San Mateo County Court and Community Schools students with the best education possible!

If you have questions about the Court and Community Schools programs, contact: Lori McBride at:   communityschools@17thdistrictpta.org

If you have questions about Follett’s Titlewish program, contact:  Liz Luaulu at:  historian@17thDistrictpta.org

Details of the Dues Increase
At the National PTA Convention, held this past June in Orlando, delegates approved a fifty-cent ($0.50) per-member increase to National PTA’s portion of dues, from $1.75 to $2.25 per member. This increase became effective on July 1, 2011. California State PTA’s dues portion remains at $1.25 per member, and 17th District PTA’s dues portion remains at $0.50 per member.

All PTA units will now need to submit to 17th District $4.00 per member in per capita dues (or fifty cents more than in prior years), plus any council dues that may specifically apply to in-council units. 17th District’s remittance forms have not yet been updated to reflect this change, but they will be within the month.

How the Change Will Apply to Units
PTA units can choose to submit the additional $0.50 per member without increasing your member dues at all (thus reducing your unit’s retained portion by fifty cents), or by passing the increase onto your members by increasing your members’ dues by $0.50.

If you decide to pass the $0.50 increase onto your members, the executive board will need to vote to do so. It is also recommended that you consult with your membership before making this decision.

How Your Bylaws are Affected
ALL UNITS will need to manually write this dues increase into your bylaws: Article IV, Section 4(a) needs to be updated by striking “one dollar and seventy-five cents ($1.75)” and replacing it with “two dollars and twenty-five cents ($2.25).” This change is automatically effective and cannot be rescinded by any vote of your board or membership.

If your executive board votes to pass the $0.50 increase onto your members, the rest of Article IV, Section 4 should be updated to reflect your unit’s new membership dues. California State PTA has stated that they will not require units to submit their bylaws up through channels for approval prior to enacting a fifty-cent increase in membership dues to offset the increased dues.

Please note that the submission exemption only applies to an increase in your unit’s dues for this specific situation. Any other proposed increase in your unit’s dues will still need to go through the standard bylaws submittal process.

Questions?
If you have any further questions about this dues increase, please contact Susan Bell, 17th District President.

17th District’s new Board of Managers also formally took office last Friday. There are still a number of open positions on our board, as well as opportunities to serve on various committees. If you are interested in participating in 17th District and helping to make a difference in our county, please contact Susan Bell, 17th District President.

Help us get the PTA message out that budget Cut$ Hurt Kids! — contact your legislators, plan a rally, and write a letter to the editor before May 13.

California PTA has endorsed the CTA (California Teachers Association) State of Emergency campaign, taking place May 9 – 13. CTA will send 300 teachers to Sacramento (leaving Monday morning, 5/9) to occupy the state capitol building for the duration of the week, hoping to be joined by thousands of other interested people.
You can spread the word and participate to the extent that the activities are within our guidelines.
On May 10, wear red – “Red for Ed(ucation)” and inform your community about the impact that cuts will have on your schools.
There is a rally scheduled on May 13 at SF’s Civic Center at 5:00 PM (and a Send-off Rally at 3:45 PM at the Millbrae BART station). View the Facebook Event »
Please encourage your units to support the plans of your local CTA through leafleting, rallying, phoning and letter-writing; those with relatives and friends in outlying counties or areas whose representatives are on the fence should be making calls to encourage their participation as well.

More ideas for taking action from our California State PTA Cut$ Hurt Kids! website:
1. Sign up to be on the PTA Legislative Alert list to stay up-to-date with the advocacy campaign. Urge 5 friends to sign up too.
2. “Like” us on the Cut$ Hurt Kids Facebook page and post about how cuts are hurting kids in your school and community.
3. Film a video, using your phone or camera, about the impacts of the cuts on the children in your school and community and upload it to the Facebook page.
4. Wednesday, May 11: Celebrate California Day of the Teacher by letting your child’s teachers know you appreciate them and take a moment to send an e-mail or call your elected representatives to tell them you value education. Sample message: “An all-cuts budget would be devastating to the education and well-being of the more than 9 million children of California. Please support a balance budget plan that includes tax extensions and new revenues as well as needed reforms.”
5. Friday, May 13: Participate in one of the rallies. Organize a rally in your own community.

Come to 17th District’s annual Spring Training Event, the perfect place to get your questions answered! Training workshops will be offered in each of the following areas:

• President & Vice President
• Treasurer & Financial Secretary
• Auditor
• Secretary
• Historian
• Advocacy & Legislation
• Communications
• Membership
• Parent Involvement
• Parliamentarian & Bylaws
• Reflections Art Program

We are also really excited to welcome five members of the California State PTA Board of Managers who will be helping us present many of our workshops:

• Carol Kocivar, State PTA President-Elect
• Carol-Ann Koch-Weser, State PTA Vice President for Membership
• Debbie Look, State PTA Director of Legislation
• Maggie Steele, State PTA Leadership Commission Member
• Colleen You, State PTA Vice President for Health

In addition to the training workshops, we will hold our May General Meeting in order to conduct the business of the organization. Our incoming 17th District officers will also be installed, and State PTA President-Elect Carol Kocivar will be our keynote speaker.

The Spring Training event is free to attend and dinner will be provided. It will be held on Monday, May 16 at 5:30-9:00 PM, located at Bayside STEM Academy at 2025 Kehoe Ave. in San Mateo (view map). You can register online, or contact Sara Otus-Green, Spring Training Chair for more information.

Download the Spring Training Event Flyer [PDF]

You can quickly submit your roster data online here.

Congratulations to former 17th District President Colleen You on her election as 2011-13 President-elect! Colleen will automatically accede to the position of State PTA President for the 2013-15 term. Congratulations also to former DP Kathryn Cross on her election to be State PTA’s Vice President of Communications.

• President: Carol Kocivar (automatically assumes office)
• President-Elect: Colleen You
• Vice President for Leadership Services: Sue King
• Vice President for Programs & Member Services: Maggie Steele
• Vice President for Communications: Kathryn Cross
• Vice President for Convention: Justine Fischer
• Vice President for Community Concerns: Kathy Rabun
• Vice President for Education: Debbie Look
• Vice President for Parent Involvement: Brian Bonner
• Vice President for Health: Linda Mayo
• Vice President for Membership: Patty Christiansen
• Secretary: Laurie Koch
• Treasurer: Kathy Stevenson
• Parliamentarian: Shirley Gold (appointed)
• Director of Legislation: Patty Scripter (appointed)

The 2011-13 Board of Directors will be installed at the Convention’s Fifth General Meeting on Sunday, May 1.