GETTING STARTED – What do I do first?
Take a deep breath! Get a cup of coffee (or your favorite
beverage) and read this guide. Gather
the materials listed here and meet this spring and summer to plan for the
coming year. Take it one step at a
time. The first step is most often the
hardest.Â
- Talk with
the outgoing president and officers about the PTA’s status and seek their
recommendations. Verify the
existence of required documentation. - Verify
that the outgoing secretary has submitted a list of incoming officers to
Nevada PTA office upon election, but no later than August 1. - Meet with
the school principal to find areas of common interest and concern. Learn about the school’s goals and share
your objectives for PTA. Establish
a good working relationship right from the start by opening a channel of
communication. - Approve
the appointment of a parliamentarian, determine how planning will be
conducted, identify priorities and set goals. Decide what committees you want to have
in place for the coming year, e.g., Membership, Legislative, Parent
Involvement, Health, Reflections. - Identify
and appoint committee chairpersons. - Make
opportunities available to officers and committee chairs to attend
training and leadership development events offered by your council and
state PTA. Stress the importance of
attending Leadership Training events throughout the year. - Thank the
outgoing officers and explain how their continued service would be of help
as you plan for the coming year. - Make sure
that an audit of your PTA’s books will be properly conducted at the end of
the outgoing officers’ term and that IRS reports are filed when due. (Don’t panic if you don’t understand
what this means yet.) - Change
the signers on the PTA’s bank accounts. - Call your
council, region, or state PTA if you need support or assistance
