PTO…Everyone’s Friend

By Tami Walker

The PTO is here to help your children!  That may be a nice thought, but there is more to it than that.  We are a bridge that connects parents and teachers, children and communities.  We volunteer to do this?  Yes!  Without a basic foundation, people wouldn’t have an impartial and fair platform to stand on.  We hear every voice, especially the small ones.

You may be wondering…what is PTO?  What do they do?  Why isn’t it called PTA?  And how do I get involved?  Recognizing these questions can help us understand; answering these questions can help us educate and raise an interest in our organization.  Every Riverview parent is automatically a PTO Member!  All you have to do to become actively involved is to come to our meetings and volunteer.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is a group of concerned parents and teachers who want to work together for a better learning environment and equal education for every student.  Our PTO consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Teacher Representative, and Event/Fundraising Coordinators.  We meet together once a month and have plans to aid us in our positions.

The PTO starts where basic educational funding stops.  Books, playground equipment, teaching tools; these are all supplemented by the PTO.  Dances, carnivals, and movie night are also funded by PTO.  The PTO opens communication between parents and teachers.  The teachers rely on the PTO for supplies, which help make their job run smoothly, resulting in more lesson time for your children.  The PTO relies on the parents for contributing to school fundraisers to help fund supplies that replace outdated equipment, resulting in an environment in which your children can excel. 

So many times I am asked why isn’t it called a PTA?  Well, PTO is an independent organization made up of elected and volunteering parents and teachers from only one school.  The PTA is a National Organization in which groups join and financially contribute, in the form of dues, in exchange for a formal membership with benefits.  PTA has lobbied the government for greater needs of public education and has made positive progress for schools.  A PTO is geared more toward the needs of an individual school, district and town. 

With the decline of volunteers, the once great national school parent group has lost enrollment.  The most common explanation for the decrease in participation is the requirement to pay dues in order to volunteer your time--it doesn’t make sense.  Now, over 75% of school groups are PTOs, PCCs, PTGs or a multitude of other monikers.  These groups can focus solely on the greatest needs are for their individual schools and keep their funds in their community.

We recognize that the need for volunteers throughout our community is high and we are constantly finding ourselves “spread too thin”.  Our philosophy is “More participation equals smaller portions of time needed by each volunteer.”  Parents have gladly filled the positions for several years at a time, and then are replaced with up and coming parents.  So, YES, we need you!  We need your fresh ideas, your enthusiasm and your eagerness to play a role in the future of your child’s school.  Any time you devote is a tremendous help to our education system.

The PTO is your partner in your child’s education.  We raise money for every department and teacher in the school, which provides an extended learning and social environment for our children.  We are a small town school providing a big time education.