For instance, the Ohio PTA is against teacher strikes. The PTA's major concern is the child, and there are times that the PTA's concern takes precedence over what other employee groups might see as priority, said Louis Benjamin, president of the Valley Area PTA Council. The 75 cents the National PTA collects from each member does not begin to cover the broad array of services, programs, awards and publications the PTA produces. Instead, we look to cooperative agreements with other child-advocacy organizations, corporate contributors and private foundations to provide the balance of our budgetary requirements. Without their generous financial support and in-kind contributions of supplies, services and expertise, we would not be so successful in meeting our members' needs.
Teachers care about children, and many teachers are parents themselves.
They join the PTA to make a positive difference. Haar alleges that PTA activists are former teachers with union backgrounds, yet she admits the absence of demographic data to back her claim. True, the National PTA partners with organizations on a variety of issues to address a specific need from a broad perspective. Such cooperation in no way constitutes a blanket endorsement of the partner organization's positions. The National PTA consistently has been a leader for innovative approaches to schooling that will open up quality public education to all children.