Starting a PTA

The PTA has a standard process to follow in chartering a new unit:

1. The group interested in starting a PTA should notify the 32d District (Contra Costa County) and Bayside Council (WCCUSD and JSUSD) PTA, so we can help. The 32d District PTA is responsible for chartering new units. The Council PTA assists the District PTA.
2. The principal (or site administrator) must give their approval before a new unit is formed. (This is only necessary to start a new unit, not to continue as a unit.)
3. The group interested in starting a PTA, with the assistance of the principal, should hold a PTA informational meeting after notifying the whole school community that there is interest in starting a PTA or a PTSA at the school. (A PTSA has student members.) A useful hand-out is available online as a downloadable or printable PDF in English and Spanish describing the the benefits of starting a PTA.
4. If at that meeting the attendees decide they would like to start a PTA, a steering committee, nominating committee, and a bylaws committee would have to be selected.
• The steering committee lays the groundwork for the organizational meeting that actually starts up the PTA. This committee is responsible for determining the date, time, and place of the organizational meeting; preparing a notice of the organizational meeting to parents, school staff, and students; selecting a temporary chairman who, prior to the organizational meeting, will serve as coordinator of the unit responsibilities; selecting a temporary secretary who, until a secretary is elected, will record the minutes of the steering committee meetings as well as the minutes of the organization meeting. The committee can select individuals to serve on a publicity and hospitality subcommittee. This committee would be primarily responsible for the preparation, duplication, and distribution of the organization meeting notice.

• The bylaws committee works on the basic rules for the proposed unit. The PTA district or council parliamentarian meets with this committee to assist in preparing the bylaws. The committee will fill in the proper blanks and write in necessary changes or additions to the official "Bylaws for Local PTA/PTSA Units" form (obtained from the District PTA). The committee will elect a chairman whose duties will include providing a list of the proposed offices for the unit to the chair of the nominating committee, so that nominees for those offices can be selected.
• The nominating committee finds people to be officers in the proposed unit. A district PTA representative will meet with the committee to provide information regarding the role of the committee. The committee will review the information in the "Nominations and Elections" hand-out (obtained from the District PTA), review the proposed offices and the duties of those offices, and work to select the most qualified individuals to fill those positions. The chair has the responsibility for contacting potential nominees and preparing the slate for presentation at the organization meeting. In order to become and remain a PTA, you must at the very minimum have a president, secretary, and treasurer.
5. At the PTA organizational meeting, a representative of 32d District PTA will call the meeting to order. Then these steps would need to occur at the meeting:
   1. The attendees vote to become a PTA.
   2. The attendees vote to accept the bylaws as presented by the committee.
   3. The meeting is recessed for a membership drive.
   4. After returning from the recess, at least 15 members need to be signed up.
   5. The members vote on the slate of officers presented by the nominating committee.
6. At this point, the meeting is no longer an organizational meeting, but a regular PTA meeting presided over by the newly elected president. During the meeting, there will be paperwork to be signed by the president and the principal. After any further business the president will adjourn the meeting.
7. Until the new PTA has an IRS EI (Employer Identification) number and a bank account, the 32d District PTA will receive all membership dues.
8. The 32d District PTA will obtain an EI number for the new PTA.
9. When the EI number is obtained, the new PTA will set up a bank account.
10. Once the bank account is set up, the school PTA will be responsible for depositing all of its own funds and paying the Bayside Council of PTAs for the "per capita," the National, State, District, and Council portions of membership dues (as of March 2006, $3.90/member).
11. The 32d District PTA will also issue a reimbursement check for the school PTA's portion of the dues previously held by 32d District PTA.