Nevada Parent Teacher Association
6134 W. Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89146-1127 Phone 800-782-7201
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Nevada Parent Teacher Association 6134 W. Charleston Blvd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89146-1127 Phone 800-782-7201 |
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Before you.... give-up, freak out, break down, or resign please note: One phone call to the state office could make all the difference in the world and that is what we are here for! Please call us. Chances are really good we have heard the very issue your trying to deal with before, and we know what to, or who to call, and how to help. One phone, a quick conversation, can put you back on track give us a chance to help. Nevada PTA Helpline... 702-258-7885 or 800-782-7201 2008 PTA Unit Elections Officer Roster New year new board, even if the names stay the same we need a new officer roster every year and don't forget to update us with any changes. Units in need of help can always contact the state office with a quick question on insurance, membership, OMDR, and Convention just to name a few. With certain issues you might be referred to your Council or Region Director for your area. This page is for Information to help Units at the local level get a few of the tools they need to perform tasks on the unit level. PTA President's Quick Reference Guide (2132k) PTA Membership Quick Reference Guide (953k) PTA Money Matters Quick Reference Guide (2289k) PTA Programs Quick Reference Guide (1164k) Log-In to take the E-Learning Courses Note: Your username and password are on the back of your membership card. At a time when PTA budgets are tight and schedules are even tighter, e-learning is a solution for members looking to expand their skills cost-effectively and without the need to travel. This e-learning initiative is a step toward achieving PTA’s goal of making all members informed advocates by 2020. Choose from the following courses, and look for new courses to be added throughout the year. Each course takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete and can be revisited repeatedly for more practice. PTA Basics—Discover the history and structure of PTA, as well as the programs and issues that the national network of PTA members undertakes across the country to strengthen parent involvement in every school. (Course designed for emerging local leaders.) Grant Writing—Does your PTA need more non-dues revenue to use in the school or community? Get familiar with the grant-writing process by taking a free introductory course on the basics of grant application. Conflict Management—Learn the basic principles and techniques of conflict management by immersing yourself in a simulated real-life situation, guided by immediate feedback and expert advice. Planning and Goal Setting—Developed around a five-step process from Franklin Covey, this course contains printable tools and exercises for use in setting and reaching your goals. Parliamentary Procedure—We have all attended a meeting where there were no objectives, people interrupted each other, conversation was dominated by arguing, and decisions weren’t made fairly or in a timely manner (or at all!). Learn how rules of conduct positively effect the decisions a PTA makes while ensuring fair and orderly unit operations. Running a Successful PTA Program—Outlines the steps for taking a program idea from concept to reality to meet the needs in your school. (Course designed for both emerging and current local PTA leaders.) Effective Advocacy for Your Child—Organize around local issues and address them to benefit the needs of children and your community. (Course designed for emerging local leaders.) Writing and Proposing PTA Resolutions—This course combines "stories from the field" with advice from members on researching and drafting resolutions and a checklist for writing and proposing resolutions. Planning Your PTA Year—Disorganized volunteer projects lower enthusiasm and make people wonder why they tried to get involved in the first place. This course sets you up for a successful year, assisting your planning and goal setting. PTA's fundraise for PTA programs PTA's are not responsible for buying copiers, paying for teacher aids, or new carpet in class rooms. These are just a few items that are the responsibility of the school district funded by state legislators. As a 501 (c) (3) we raise and spend funds to support our mission, so before you spend any money ask your board does this go for the Health, Safety, Education, Welfare or promote parent, teacher involvement for the children we are here to serve. Programs such as Three For Me is a great program promoting parent involvement, Reflections is an Arts Education Program, a bike Rodeo would be a safety event, that also promotes a healthy lifestyle. Events like a math or reading night is a wonderful way to help teach kids while making it fun. One of the biggest issues PTA's face is funding teachers and class rooms. In most cases reimbursing teachers for some minor class room expenses is allowed if you get the actual receipt for what has been purchased. Gift cards, or funding class room accounts does not explain to the IRS what the money was spent on. Teacher appreciation lunches benefit all the teachers equally and can be a great way to let the teachers know you care. Equal funding is an issue when using parent generated funds. Programs should apply to all the children and not the class or grade level that participated the most. Keep your focus on why your there. It's all about advocating for children so keep it about the kids. Raising funds for the school is a great way to avoid IRS issues. Consider having a fundraiser for the school to fund class room accounts and fieldtrips. Always explain to parents and teachers why you are having the fundraiser and what the money will be used for. PTA's collect and manage the fundraising and give it to the school to deposit into the school account. By dedicating a fundraiser for the school you lower the income for the PTA and could avoid having to file a 990 tax form. In most cases schools have a committee that determines how to spend parent generated funds, and a non school employee parent should be on that committee and report to the PTA how that money is spent. Once funds have been deposited into the PTA account it is the PTA boards responsibility to submit a budget to it's members for approval on how the money is spent. As schools and PTA's struggle to fund their individual programs try to work together to find that common goal, (which should always be the children at the school). A new principal or new PTA president just might bring a fresh idea to school events. Be open to change and compromise. Just because the PTA has been doing the same event for ten years does not mean it can not be improved. Involve everyone you can think of including businesses, church groups, senior centers around your school to bring something new to the table. If your school has problems getting volunteers look for easy ways to benefit the kids that does not require a lot of parents participating as volunteers. Work with teachers to identify a parent from each classroom to be that PTA mom or dad. Open up your meetings to let any parent attend that wants to. Remember at some point you will need to replace your board with new members and the best way to do that is keep bring new parents into the decision process. The power of one volunteer can be measured in the lives of the children they touch without spending any money. It takes a village to have a great PTA. A small group of parents advocating for their children to a school board could have a greater effect then all the fundraising you could do in a year. PTA's from around your state coming together in front of your state legislators could improve education for years to come. As a PTA give thought to the best use of funds for the kids. How much does it really cost to put on that event? How many parents and kids actually participate and benefit in the event? How does this event fulfill our mission? Do not fundraise your parents to death. One or two fundraisers should be enough to pay for your programs. PTA can be a lot of work at different times, but should always be a fun way to participate in the lives of your children and your community. Two points to remember 1. If your not having fun your doing something wrong. 2. Even more important it's not your money. A great resource for parents, principals, and PTA's is a book titled: Beyond the BAKE SALE, The Essential Guide to Family School Partnerships. Event Form to monitor event costs, or if your getting the "bang for your buck" you want. FAMOUS QUOTES Verda Hines Region IV Director's first answer to any question is......... "What does your Bylaws say?" A great resource for what and how to do it ...... check your Bylaws Note: Your username and password are on the back of your membership card. A Great Idea
New Rules as 2008-09 school year all 501(c) (3) organizations will need to file a tax form. The forms will be different than the 2007 form, and units earning under $25,000.00 will required to file for the first time an online earning statement. Information on EIN Numbers: All PTA units are to be issued an Employer Identification Number through Nevada PTA as a 501 (c)(3) from the IRS when they are chartered. That number is used to identify each unit as a PTA for tax and banking purposes. That number is the property of Nevada PTA and can only be used by PTAs. Be sure you are using your own EIN and not your schools. If for any reason you cease as a PTA that EIN number and any PTA raised funds must be returned to Nevada PTA. It is also the number you give out to your donors to allow them to deduct any donations to your PTA. 2007 Tax Forms 2007 Form 990-EZ (PDF) Short Form Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax 2007 Inst 990 and 990-EZ (PDF) Instructions for Form 990 and Form 990-EZ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f990sa.pdf 2007 Inst 990 (Schedule A) (PDF) Instructions Tax Questions? Call Lenny De Forge at 702-258-7885 PTA office or 702-622-5577 Use these forms or adapt your own version. Event Form to monitor event costs, or if your getting the "bang for your buck" you want. PTA events should always fulfill our mission of Health, Safety, Welfare, Education and Parent, Teacher involvement. Reimbursement Form to Keep track of where the money gets spent and why you are writing checks to Individuals and Companies. Motion Form the wording can be very important at a later date so get it in writing, and record the outcome.
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