That's a sad indictment of an institution that pioneered such hallmarks of school life as libraries, hot-lunch programs, and kindergarten. It's an activity the national organization discourages, however, since it detracts from such efforts as improving arts education, working with health authorities on antidrug campaigns, or lobbying Congress. Our role is to make the public aware of the ills in schools and in society. But decades of effectiveness gave way to 15 years of budget cuts and urban decay. Classrooms crumbled, enrollments began rising, and parents jumped in to fill the breach.
Schools are grateful for the help.
Another reason the PTA is playing hooky on education reform, suggests critic Charlene Haar, may be its cozy relationship with the teachers unions. Until the late 1960s, most teachers had individual contracts with local school boards, giving local chapters a great say in education policy making. Today, the vast majority are union members whose wages, hours, and conditions are negotiated collectively. The national PTA has made it its policy since the 1960s not to meddle in these negotiations. In Michigan, for instance, the state PTA opposes a ballot initiative on tuition tax credits, which teachers unions say would funnel public-school funds into private schools.