Background & Need

• Part of being a growing group is the responsibility of adding the right structure and organizing finances for the group.

• The Parent Staff Association (PSA) at OSD is in just such a place of growth.

• Recognizing this, we researched the idea of organizing ourselves independently and we researched partnering with a larger umbrella organization.

PTA Solution

• What we found was that the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has a long history of supporting school groups with a mature system for growing, with membership benefits that include training resources and participation in national programs, and with a 501c3 nonprofit status that allows maximum flexibility in fundraising and projects.

Transition

• So, in the Fall of 2014, the Parent-Staff Association (PSA) signed on with the PTA-OH and officially became the “OSD Spartan – PTA”.

• Different parts of the transition will be ongoing throughout the year. 

• We have an application in with the IRS, a membership charter, and organizational by-laws to customize and adopt.

Implications

• What this means is that we will be learning and implementing a lot of new things for our group.  At times, this may look a little like stumbling forward, but please be excited with us!  

• Paid members will begin voting on big decisions.  With our 501c3 status we can apply for grants and programs that can help us fund bigger projects.   

• If you have any questions or thoughts to share, please feel free to attend our OSD Spartan – PTA meetings in the Multipurpose Room at OSD.  We meet every 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday from 4:15PM to 5:15PM.   

• Or you can email our President, Lois Kuhns. at osd.pta.president@gmail.com