From the beginning, when my children were barely out of pull-ups, I was a school-choice mom. Living in a rural area, surrounded by cows and NASCAR flags, I insisted on driving 45 minutes one way, every day, so my kids could attend a Jewish preschool. Despite massive headaches caused by northern drivers on vacation, I knew the learning environment provided by the JCC was best for my kids, building a strong foundation to support lifelong learning.
As preschool graduation neared, my husband and I chose an excellent, traditional public school for them to attend for their elementary years. This school was not located in our neighborhood and we couldn’t afford to move. But, because I was a teacher in that same district, I applied for the choice program and my children were accepted. It meant I had to transfer closer to home and still drive a half-hour out of my way, but I felt fortunate to place my children in a school that would meet their needs.
After leaving the teaching profession, I once again exercised my right to choose. We moved the kids into a private Jewish school for the rest of their elementary education. My husband and I had to live in a simpler neighborhood and forgo little luxuries, like fashionable shoes and date nights, to make it work, but our boys excelled in their new learning environment.
For middle school, our family moved yet again, prompting jokes that compared us to nomadic ancestors, and we applied for a magnet program. Once more, we were lucky. Our sons won the lottery and were accepted into a dynamic, academically rigorous program.
Who knows where we’ll end up for high school?
During these public school years, I’ve been a consistent PTSA member. Joining this organization seemed the best way to be involved in my children’s school. PTSA volunteers are dedicated parents, teachers, and students committed to helping schools raise needed funds that enhance learning opportunities. I joined to show my support for those who were educating my children, and to act as an important presence among teachers and administrators.
Over the years, though, I sadly watched the PTSA take positions that alienated moms like me, moms who choose. Sure, the organization is a presence at my sons’ middle school – they sell magnets for cars and snacks at sporting events. The PTSA agrees that magnets are a valid choice, but parents who choose other options are not represented by the PTSA and, worse yet, are regularly dismissed in alerts and agendas. I would often read PTSA literature and wonder out loud:
“Why is a parenting organization working against so many parents?”
But I’m not one to give up easily.
Last year, I ran for and was elected VP of Ways and Means of the PTSA at my sons’ school. At the time, I worked as an organizer for StudentsFirst. I knew the PTSA agenda aligned with teachers’ unions and school districts, but I also knew members of the PTSA who considered themselves choice parents, who valued an environment where all parents could be actively involved and choose the best options for their kids. The PTSA has a diverse and varied membership, with all kinds of views and opinions. So I decided to get elected and learn why their leadership resisted such diversity.
In the course of a year, I’ve read countless PTSA talking points, emails and legislative alerts. I’ve talked to parents who feel like they are invited to raise money, but not participate in issues and decisions that might truly impact their children’s learning. At the PTSA Florida Conference, I found myself surrounded by people wearing anti-parent trigger buttons who judged education reform policies based on the political parties of the adults, rather than the best interests of the kids.
In fact, the PTSA continues to distance itself from the growing number of parents and teachers who are making choices for their children outside the traditional system.
I left my position at StudentsFirst to work for Step Up For Students, and I continue to be committed to school choice. I also continue to be involved in my children’s school, organizing and planning a fundraising gala to raise money for grounds-keeping needs and technology in the classroom.
But I want to do more than simply raise money. I want to help parents who are seeking virtual, home, charter, and private school options, parents who want flexibility when certain options aren’t working for them, without being vilified in the process, and parents who want to organize and help turn around failing schools. Therefore, although I’ll stay on as a member, I will not be running for a second term as an officer with the PTSA.
Many dedicated PTSA volunteers continue to do what they can to help schools. The leadership unfortunately is too slow to recognize change is needed, and being demanded, by parents, teachers, and students. We will not go back to the days when parents had fewer options or were trapped by their zip code. Perhaps the PTSA needs a reminder that history moves forward, with or without them, as parents embrace the liberty that comes with quality choices.
