2013-2015

Ohio PTA Biennial Report

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When trying to decide upon the theme for my term, Our PTA Symphony: Bringing Harmony to Every Child’s Life, it was a no-brainer that it would be musical, not just because of my love for music, but because of what music encompasses and embraces. Music is a universal language that speaks to all.

The definitions of “symphony” are anything characterized by a harmonious combination of elements; sounding together; but my favorite definition is “agreement of sound – one voice.” Our PTA tagline is “Every Child. One Voice,” so I thought it to be the perfect word!

A symphony typically has four movements. A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition. It could stand alone as a section on its own merit. It’s a complete, but not independent musical idea. I related the goals for my term to the movements of our PTA Symphony.

The first movement (goal) was Family Engagement. Statistics show that when parents are actively involved in their children’s education that they are more likely to succeed. Family Engagement takes on many facets. No matter the circumstances, we want to provide the tools and resources needed.

Our second movement was Training. Leadership training is critical, such as officer training and conflict management, so that we have flourishing PTA units and councils, but we also want to teach parents how to be involved in their children’s lives and education. We want our families educated on current educational issues such as Ohio’s Learning Standards, and timely topics such as bullying, human trafficking, and school safety.

The third movement is Advocacy, which is the hallmark of this great organization and is what sets us apart from all other unaffiliated parent groups. One of my good PTA buddies always shares that we’re affected by legislation no matter where we turn. When you stop at a stop sign, it’s there because of legislation. We want to be at the forefront at the Statehouse here in Columbus and at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. talking to our legislators about issues that impact our children, but we also want to educate parents about legislation that impacts their children.

The fourth movement, but certainly not least, was Relevancy. I want PTA to be relevant for all children, all families, and all communities. I want everyone to know the value of PTA. I want Ohio PTA to be relevant and of value to every child and family, no matter what their situations are. No matter what challenges they may face, we are for “Every Child.”

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President’s Articles Variations on Our Theme

Each month, my articles for the newsletter were written around my term theme, “Our PTA Symphony: Bringing Harmony to Every Child’s Life.” The topics included:

Putting the Pieces Together

Don’t Judge Value By Time

Is Our PTA Symphony in the “Key of Life”?

Celebrating the Composers of Our PTA Symphony

What Part Will You Play in the Ohio PTA Pops 108th Annual Convention?

Honoring Excellence

Variations of Our Theme

Resonating with Our Families and Communities

The Power of the Sound of One Voice

How Can You Be Instrumental in PTA?

The Beauty of a Rest

This is What True Harmony Is!

Always Remember

Grand Finale

Many of the Ohio PTA Directors, councils, and units embraced the theme in their work during the term.

As was stated, there were four movements or goals to Our PTA Symphony. This report will be broken down into these four areas:

Family Engagement

Training

Advocacy

Relevancy

It was my extreme pleasure to have served as the Conductor of Our PTA Symphony and to have been the 52nd State President of Ohio PTA.

Lisa Mack 2013-2015 Ohio PTA State President

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Although the term started on July 1, 2013, an early jumpstart was made with the Board Orientation being held in May 2013. During that time, the incoming Board of Directors (Board) discussed who PTA is.

Data in this report was taken from National PTA's membership card activation survey. The total sample size for the Ohio data set was 4,696, which was determined to be an ample sampling.

It was important to understand who Ohio PTA members were, so that their needs could be met. Demographics of Ohio’s children were also discussed, so that the needs of the children and families in Ohio could be understood.

Family Engagement The first movement (goal) was Family Engagement. Statistics show that when parents are actively involved in their children’s education, they are more likely to succeed. Family Engagement takes on many facets.

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Throughout the term, the Ohio PTA Board focused on a subtheme, “State-level commitment requires state-level thinking and state-level commitment.” The principle was that the Board needed to look beyond their personal environments and experiences, and think about all children and families in Ohio regardless of socioeconomic status, race, religion, parent status, etc. A precept was added each Board meeting. Commitment was first defined as “a willingness to deposit everything,” and then the list below gives each additional value given. State-level commitment:

Requires moving out of our comfort zone

Is not one size fits all

Is not always comfortable

Requires looking beyond ourselves

Requires statewide visioning – looking at what’s best for the children and families in Ohio now and in the future

Requires empathy - the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.

Requires contemplation – looking at with continued attention; deep consideration; thinking fully or deeply about; having as a purpose or intention; expectation

Is comprehensive – covering completely; inclusive; thoroughly understanding with one’s mind; having an extensive mental grasp

In August 2013, President Lisa Mack and President-Elect Sheila Ragland attended the Operation: Military Kids Camp on Kelly Island. They were able to visit with children of active duty parents, who were able to spend a week with other children who were sharing the same experiences and challenges.

In October 2013, President Lisa Mack presented a workshop, “How to Help Your PTA Reflect the Community that You Serve,” at the National PTA Emerging Minority Leaders Conference in the Washington, D.C. area.

Ohio PTA created a new award called the Family-School Partnership Certificate of Achievement Award given for taking advantage of training, and engaging with family, school, and community. The inaugural class of recipients received their awards at the 2014 state convention, with the second class receiving theirs at the 2015 state convention.

2014 Family-School Partnership Award Recipients 2015 Family-School Partnership Award Recipients

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Service Projects:

Starting at the 2013 November Board meeting, the Board began an Ongoing Service Project initiated by Director of Family-School Partnership Pamela Bonnett, collecting canned goods, non-perishables, and paper products. These items were donated to:

1. Lincoln Heights Elementary - Cincinnati 2. Elyria Hospitality Center - Elyria 3. Good Neighbor Food Pantry - Green 4. Trevitt Elementary - Columbus

Statewide service projects were done at each of our state conventions. The Socks and Underwear Service Project was executed in 2014 for Shoes and Clothes for Kids (SC4K). Over 250 pairs of underwear and nearly 500 pairs of socks were delivered to SC4K, an organization that distributes new clothing and shoes to Cleveland area inner-city children. The Shoe Collection Service Project in 2015 was for ShoeBox Recycling. Sixteen (16) boxes were sent. The monies from both service projects went towards our scholarship program.

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In February 2013, President Lisa Mack participated on a panel at Kent State University entitled, “Why is College Important and How Do We Make It An Expectation?” at the See You @ College Conference.

As a result, President Mack was invited to be a co-presenter of a workshop at the Ohio TRIO Conference in April 2014, entitled “The Importance of Mentoring and Parent Involvement.” As an extension of this connection, President Lisa Mack and President-Elect Sheila Ragland presented, “The Importance and Benefits of Parental Involvement,” at Ohio TRIO’s April 2015 Conference.

In July 2014, President Mack met with Upward Bound in the Cleveland area to discuss being a component in parent engagement. Ohio PTA attended a parent meeting and continues to be in discussion about a parent conference and contributing to Upward Bound’s parent newsletter.

In September 2014, President Lisa Mack participated in the Breakfast Challenge for Children’s Hunger Alliance by making a video representing Ohio PTA. The Breakfast Challenge encourages schools to examine and expand student participation in their School Breakfast Program. The Challenge is sponsored by the American Dairy Association, Children’s Hunger Alliance, Ohio Action for Healthy Kids, Ohio School Nutrition Association, and is supported by over 20+ school education and health organizations.

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Diversity and Inclusion:

The new position of Director of Diversity and Inclusion took effect this term to assure that the work of the award-winning Mosaic Diversity and Inclusion Committee would be sustained.

The Mosaic Committee started the process of creating a Diversity and Inclusion Toolkit that will have helpful information on reaching out to military families, Grandfamilies, and in the areas of cultures, special needs, educationally/economically disadvantaged, gifted, male involvement, and more.

The Male Involvement Committee created the M.A.C.K. (Male Action Changing Kids) Award. This essay contest allows students to write about how a male positively changed/influenced their lives. In both 2013 and 2014, Ohio PTA was able to secure a grant for the award from Allstate Insurance. In its first effort for the 2013-2014 school year, there were over 140 entries. The award was featured in National PTA’s magazine, Our Children, in the October 2014 issue.

President Lisa Mack was a guest on Watch D.O.G.S. Radio talking about Ohio PTA’s male involvement efforts, especially having to do with the 2014 convention. The Male Involvement Committee held its 2nd Annual Chili Cook-Off at the 2014 April convention and crowned its second Chili King, Robert Ragland. The Chili Cook-Off was the brainchild of the Male Involvement Committee, designed to give the opportunity for delegates to engage with the committee by sampling the different chili recipes of committee members and helping select the winner.

The Male Involvement Committee also created a video to encourage male involvement.

2014 M.A.C.K. Award Winner

2015 M.A.C.K. Award Winners

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National PTA School of Excellence:

Ohio PTA congratulated seven (7) units for being recognized as 2014-2016 National PTA School of Excellence winners. Two (2) additional schools received the 2015-2017 National PTA School of Excellence designation.

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Reflections Program:

With the elimination of the position of Director of Programs, the responsibility for the Reflections Program was moved under the umbrella of the Director of Family-School Partnership. Ohio PTA is proud to have had National PTA Reflections Winners: 2013-2014 National PTA Winners – Theme: Believe, Dream, Inspire Award of Merit – Primary - Literature - Jessica Jackson - Kirtland

Award of Merit – Primary - Music Composition - Margaret Chen - Hudson

Award of Merit – High School - Photography - Elyse Legeay -Bay Village

Award of Merit – Primary - Photography - Mychal Evans - Buckeye Woods EL

Award of Merit – High School - Visual Arts - Tristin Gallo - Green

Award of Excellence – Special Artist - Meri Film Production - Alexis Kent - Avon Lake

2014-2015 National PTA Winners – Theme: The World Would Be a Better Place If… Award of Merit – Middle School – Dance - Molly Whitham - Orchard Middle School

Award of Merit – Intermediate - Literature - Lily Wood - Alcott El

Award of Merit – Middle School - Literature - Gea Torres - Solon MS

Award of Merit – Primary - Literature - Gabriel Velinov - Big Creek El

Award of Merit – High School - Music - Gregory Watson - Lakewood HS

Award of Merit – Middle School - Visual Arts - Natalie Upholz - Ridge MS

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Ohio PTA presented the Reflections Road Show, traveling to a total of nine libraries throughout Northeastern

and Central Ohio in 2014 and 2015. Winners’ entries were displayed.

Effects of Poverty:

Ohio PTA has been researching and discussing the effects that poverty has on our children and families in Ohio. An interesting fact to note is that the fastest growing segment of those affected by poverty is our suburban areas. With that comes the challenge to provide services.

We are researching how Ohio PTA can be a partner in providing the tools and resources to families impacted by poverty.

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It was previously mentioned that Board Orientation took place in May 2013. There was a time of training incorporated as part of each of Board meeting. In September 2014, National PTA Field Service Representative Ivelisse Castro provided our board training. In both November 2014 and 2015, 2-day training retreats were held for the Board, designed to increase the Board’s competence and capacity. Ivelisse Castro returned and was part of our November 2015 Board training. Training topics for this term included Nominating, Leadership, Standards of Affiliation, Engaging ELL/ESL Families, Boardsmanship, Generations, Sociological Imagination, Keeping Ohio PTA Healthy, as well as a session with the Ohio Department of Education.

We had fall District Conferences for Districts 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, and 18.

Training The second movement was Training. Leadership training is critical, so that there are flourishing PTA units and councils. But families also need to be educated on current educational issues such as Ohio’s Learning Standards, and timely topics such as bullying, human trafficking, and school safety.

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This term, Statewide Conference Calls were implemented that proved to be very effective. Calls were hosted in the following areas:

Health, Welfare, & Safety included teen driving, marijuana laws, teen suicide, healthy lifestyles, cyberbullying, and human trafficking.

Advocacy defined what advocacy is and discussed how to effectively engage our members and advocate to our legislators. Strategies and goals, how advocacy and membership tie together, grassroots advocacy, and relationships with schools were also topics.

Reflections held calls that allowed for last-minute Reflections questions and concerns.

Membership hosted all-chairs and general membership calls.

Family-School Partnership held a call on the School of Excellence.

Family-School Partnership, Health, Welfare, & Safety, Advocacy, and Education directors collaborated to present a conference call on bullying.

Family-School Partnership, Health, Welfare, & Safety, Advocacy directors worked together to bring a conference call on Human Trafficking.

Council Training was given in both 2014 and 2015 in two locations, the Cleveland area and the Columbus area. Council Training was reinitiated because councils are such an important link in the PTA network. Training was provided for council leadership, nominating, finances, PTA history, financial reviews, bylaws and standing rules, leadership styles, ethics, conflict management, goal setting, and getting involved at the next level.

Our Leadership Training Conferences took place over the summer of 2014 in July in the Columbus area and August in the Cleveland area. The conferences presented the opportunity for leaders and members to receive officer, committee, and PTA training and a chance to network with fellow PTA members.

In February 2015, Ohio PTA received a grant to educate our parents about the upcoming state assessments testing. The State Assessments Training was designed to inform parents about what to expect for the testing. Ohio PTA found great success in educating families. Twenty-four (24) PTAs that took advantage of this grant opportunity, which was rolled out in less than a month’s time.

Ohio PTA also traveled through the state as various workshops were requested.

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President Lisa Mack and President-Elect Sheila Ragland attended the Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Lobby Day with the American Heart Association and Action for Healthy Kids in November 2014 to advocate about shared use and health education standards (HB 256). Ohio PTA had passed a resolution in April 2013 in support of state health education standards. Mack and Ragland also joined the same group in November 2015 to advocate about shared use, tobacco tax, and CPR training in the classroom.

Ohio PTA was featured by National PTA for efforts with the Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2013 Campaign urging President Obama to fully support and fund early childhood education programs and early learning.

Advocacy The third movement was Advocacy, which is the hallmark of this great organization and is what sets PTA apart from all other unaffiliated parent groups. Ohio PTA is at the forefront advocating to our state and federal legislators about issues that impact our children. Parents also need to know about legislation that impacts their children.

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President Lisa Mack, President-Elect Sheila Ragland, and Director of Advocacy Jackie Arendt attended the 2014 National PTA Legislative Conference and then hit Capitol Hill to talk about co-sponsorship and support of the Family Engagement in Education Act.

The ask was the same for the 2015 National PTA Legislative Conference attended by President Mack, President-Elect Ragland, and Interim District 11 Advisor Debbie Tidwell.

From left to right: Ragland, Mack, Congressman Jim Renacci, Arendt

2014 Legislative Conference

Arendt, Ragland, and Mack with Senator Sherrod Brown and members of the European PTA Congress

From left to right: Tidwell, Senator Sherrod Brown, Mack, Ragland

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Advocacy Highlights:

In September 2013, Ohio PTA signed on a resolution opposing placement of Ohio youth in adult court and adult facilities. As a result of our support of this resolution, Ohio PTA prepared a statement and signed on a bindover amicus brief sent to the Supreme Court of Ohio advocating for the rights of children and youth involved in the justice system in March 2014.

In November 2013, Ohio PTA submitted opponent testimony and attended a hearing on House Bill 237 before the House Education Committee. This bill dealt with the repeal of the Common Core State Standards.

In January 2014, Ohio PTA signed on legislation on background checks for gun safety after having attending several meetings of the Gun Safety Summit convened by Minority Leader of the Ohio House of Representatives Tracy Maxwell Heard and State Representative Margaret Ruhl.

In May 2014, Ohio PTA signed on to House Bill 204, designed to improve upon Ohio’s graduated driver’s license (GDL) law by enhancing two key provisions for teen nighttime driving and number of passengers.

In August 2014, Ohio PTA sent a survey to all State Board of Education candidates to secure information to educate its membership about their platforms.

Also in August 2014, several members of Ohio PTA gave opponent testimony at a hearing on House Bill 597 before the House Rules and Regulations Committee at the Statehouse. This bill was to repeal the Common Core State Standards.

President Lisa Mack, along with several heads of educational groups, met with State Representative Colleen Grady in September 2014 to discuss charter school accountability.

Ohio PTA signed on with the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), to address asthma from a public health perspective. Ohio PTA committed to work with and support ODH in their work to implement the defined Health Systems Strategies within this application to improve the coverage, delivery and use of clinical and community-based services to decrease the burden of asthma in Ohio.

In October 2014, President Lisa Mack, Director of Advocacy Jackie Arendt, and Director of Health, Welfare, & Safety Venezuela Robinson met with Senator Rob Portman’s office to discuss human trafficking and poverty.

As Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention remain a part of the National PTA Legislative Priorities, in November 2014, President Mack, Executive Director Susan Owen, and Director of Advocacy Jackie Arendt met with the Juvenile Justice Coalition (JJC) to discuss partnerships with the JJC to work to improve Ohio’s juvenile justice system, for communities and for youth and families who are at-risk, including efforts to prevent or divert youth from getting involved in the court system.

In February 2015, President Lisa Mack participated in a press conference to discuss making charter schools accountable for providing high-quality education as well as welcoming and safe environments to assure that every child succeeds.

In February 2015, Ohio PTA submitted a Letter to the Editor about tobacco prevention programs and its support of the cigarette tax.

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Resolutions:

Ohio PTA’s membership adopted two (2) resolutions giving the ability to advocate and educate on the following issues:

Health Risks of E-cigarettes Resolved that Ohio PTA will partner with other statewide organizations who wish to heighten community awareness of the dangers of e-cigarette use by children and youth; that Ohio PTA through its units and council will encourage local school districts to voluntarily adopt appropriate e-cigarette policies and/or strengthen current smoking policies to include e-cigarettes; and that the Ohio PTA Board of Directors will notify its membership as appropriate of future opportunities to engage in local or state level advocacy regarding relevant legislation.

Regulation of Powdered Substances for Human Consumption

Resolved that Ohio PTA and its units and councils will urge the State of Ohio to research the risks versus benefits to public health of powdered substances for human consumption such as, but not limited to alcohol and caffeine, and then develop regulations limiting their sale and access to youth and children; that Ohio PTA through its units and councils will encourage school districts to include powdered substance information in their substance abuse and drug awareness education curriculums; and that Ohio PTA and its units and councils will work to increase parent awareness of the dangers of powdered substances.

The Ohio PTA Resolutions Committee was prepared to bring forward a third resolution, Protecting Ohio’s School Children by Preserving the “Thorough and Efficient” Clause of the Ohio Constitution," however, the Ohio Constitutional Modernization Commission committee on Education, Public Institutions and Local Government voted unanimously on March 12, 2015, to retain the thorough and efficient system of common schools clause in the Ohio Constitution. It will, however, remain an Ohio PTA Board of Directors Position.

Several of our local units participated in education forums, candidate forums, and voter registration efforts.

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The press release about President Lisa Mack being the first African-American president in the history of Ohio PTA gained a lot of mileage. As a result of the story being run in her local paper, President Mack was contacted by Senator Sherrod Brown’s office to discuss how to collaborate.

The Ohio PTA Board of Directors created an Elevator Speech so that when asked, “Why PTA?” they’d all be speaking the same thing with one voice. The Elevator Speech and related Talking Points are as follows:

“From our house to the White House, whether you possess a GED or PhD, several million members from diverse geographic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds are making a difference and reaffirming that in our over 100-year history, we still are the undisputable LEADERS and ADVOCATES in Health, Welfare, Safety and Education for OUR and ALL CHILDREN...yesterday, today and tomorrow. That's PTA!!! Check us out at www.ohiopta.org.”

Talking Points: · Why Join?

· Help the voice of our children to become stronger and louder

· Need for your help has never been greater

· Key to meeting the staff and administrators

· Meet the parents of the children that your child spends time with

· Allows you to make a difference in the lives of the children of the nation

· Professional parent organization.

· Largest child advocacy organization.

· Because of PTA we have kindergarten, hot lunches, child labor laws, the juvenile justice system, labels on music recordings, TV ratings, and more.

· Provide training such as financial accountability and best practices, leadership skills, and timely topics such as bullying and school safety.

To be relevant to members, several surveys were sent out, so that their voice could be heard. The areas surveyed were:

Membership

Strategic Planning

Advocacy

Relevancy The fourth movement, but certainly not least, was Relevancy. PTA needs to be relevant for all children, all families, and all communities. Everyone should know the value of PTA.

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President Lisa Mack and President-Elect Sheila Ragland presented workshops entitled, “The Right Way to Consolidate School Buildings” and “Involving Parents in School Safety” at the Ohio School Board Association Capital Conferences in November of 2013 and 2014 respectively, and manned Ohio PTA exhibit booths. At the 2015 conference, Ohio PTA launched its Superintendent Outreach effort, asking attendees, “Is Your Parent Group a PTA?”

The campaign was extended by sending information to all superintendents and treasurers in the state of Ohio asking if their parent groups were PTAs, and also sending information about the “Hidden in Plain Sight” Program and 2015 state convention. The outreach was continued with additional touches, such as sending the post below:

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In May 2014, Debbie Tidwell, State Lead for Common Core State Standards, arranged for several PTA school districts to be featured in National PTA Videos on Common Core State Standards, which can be found on the National PTA website, pta.org.

Ohio PTA hosted several “An Evening with Today’s PTA” events to share about PTA and its many programs. The first was in the Dayton area in fall of 2013. Sherry Wilson, Senior Manager of National PTA Family and Community Engagement, was the special guest, who shared the Family Reading Experience with the attendees. The second, in Columbus, was a pre-convention event in April 2014, which was an informal evening designed to network, answer questions, and share programs. The third took place in the Cleveland area in November 2014. Ivelisse Castro, National PTA Field Service Representative, was present for both the Columbus and Cleveland events.

In September 2013, the Ohio PTA Board voted to create the position of District Liaison to help its reach extend even further. The District Liaison position serves as liaison developing districts with no district advisor, and helps service units and councils under the direction of the Vice President of Field Service.

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Ohio PTA has worked on a Reading Literacy Partnership with the Ohio School Libraries, Ohio Public Libraries, and INFOhio to develop resources about the Third Grade Guarantee, similar to the National PTA Parent Guides for Common Core State Standards. We are continuing to work with them on creating videos centered on reading literacy, to be disseminated to doctors’ offices, various centers, etc.

In April 2014, President Lisa Mack attended the National Gathering on School Nutrition in Washington, D.C. She spoke on Capitol Hill at a Congressional Briefing and then met with several legislators about the School Food Modernization Act.

In May 2014, President Mack participated in a forum on the Dropout Dilemma with Civic Commons, a part of ideastream of the Idea Center, WVIZ, WCPN, and WCLV in Cleveland.

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President Lisa Mack was interviewed at the start of the 2014-2015 school year about it being the first time public schools were majority minority. Information from this interview appeared in over 30 media sources.

This term, President Mack appointed a Marketing Plan Committee tasked with assisting with promoting the work of the Ohio PTA. The impact of this committee was so effective that a bylaws amendments was adopted by the general membership to make it a standing committee.

In November 2014, Ohio PTA was asked to give input concerning expected Superintendent Interpersonal Attributes to be included in a manual written in collaboration with the superintendents’ association, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators. This manual is to be given to starting superintendents to master, in order to work effectively with students’ parents and families.

The Ohio PTA Board of Directors adopted two new Organizational Policies this term, which have been recommended as best practices of non-profit organizations. The first was a Gift Acceptance Policy that was incorporated into the Ohio PTA Standing Rules. The second was a Whistleblower Policy to which each Board member must consent.

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Ohio PTA launched the electronic version of its newsletter and renamed it The Ohio PTA Voice in February 2015, thanks to the efforts of many over a period of several years.

The Ohio PTA Standards of Affiliation were officially introduced. Just as state PTAs have Standards of Affiliation to remain in good standing with National PTA, similar measures were implemented for local units and councils. This will help Ohio PTA better serve units and councils by making sure they are compliant with IRS, Attorney General, and PTA requirements to remain in good standing. The Standards of Affiliation were vetted at 2015 Council Trainings and it was found that the units and councils overwhelming responded positively to this process as another means of support.

Ohio PTA launched a massive Social Media Campaign on Facebook, Twitter, and created a new Pinterest account to stay current with 21st Century communication and to share with its members and others about what Ohio PTA is doing.

During this term, Twitter followers more than doubled. As part of this campaign, Ohio PTA participated in several Twitter Town Halls, including ones sponsored by Learning First Alliance and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) about Common Core. Ohio PTA also participated in the #ArtsEd Twitter Chat with National PTA Ethan Clark, Manager, Arts in Education, and Jeff Poulin from Americans for the Arts. The Twitter Chat focused on why arts education is so important and how parents and teachers can work together to advocate for increased and improved art education programming.

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Ohio PTA Representation:

Ohio PTA continues to be asked to sit at the table as the parent voice for many organizations.

President Lisa Mack served as Vice President for the Coalition for Public Education, a statewide alliance of education, parent, and civic organizations interested in improving public education for Ohio’s children and increasing accountability to taxpayers.

Ohio PTA also has a seat on the governing board of the Ohio Standard Coalition. The Coalition used PTA’s Parent Guides for Common Core State Standards as the basis for their Parent Guide on Ohio’s Learning Standards.

Ohio PTA has seats on and represents its membership with the following groups:

Action for Healthy Kids

Ohio Department of Education Committee of Practitioners

Educator Standards Board

Equity Stakeholder Group

Ohio Department of Health-- Healthy School Environment

Shared Use Committee with American Heart Association and Safe Routes to School

Ohio Teen Safe Driving Coalition

Ohio Injury Prevention Partnership (OIPP)

Several Teacher of the Year Committees

Ohio After-School Network

State Immunization Advisory

Education Leaders Cadre

School Based Health Care Advisory Workgroup

Healthy Schools and Communities Resource Team

Ohio Clinical Alliance

Home and School Health (HASH) Committee of Ohio Chapter of American Academy of Pediatricians

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Ohio PTA was asked to help judge Indiana PTA Awards for membership, journalism, website, & Facebook.

Ohio PTA’s membership adopted eleven (11) bylaw amendments during the term. One being to remove the Assistant Director position. It was determined that this model was not effective. The Strategic Planning Committee has been charged with discussing other models to help build Board capacity.

The Membership Dues Review Process was instituted, which proved to be very effective in challenging units to ensure that their reported membership numbers match the submitted dues.

Membership Incentives included: o Ongoing Members Perk Program o Membership Card Activation Competition o Drawings for member percentage increases for councils and units o 14 in ’14, which supported National PTA’s 14 in ’14 Membership Challenge, motivating each unit to

increase its membership by 14 between February 1 – May 31, 2014. Bobbie B. Fairfax Elementary in Cincinnati was a national winner.

Health, Welfare, & Safety supported the following programs: o Fuel Up to Play 60 o Fire Up Your Feet o Connect for Respect (C4K) o Safe Routes to School o National PTA Healthy Lifestyles

A Capital Campaign was initiated this term. The goal is to raise funds to help sustain the integrity of the Ohio PTA facility. Ohio PTA Past Presidents have been invited to help with this effort.

Annual State Conventions: o 2014 – Theme: Ohio PTA Pops (a la Boston Pops) – Ohio PTA received a $15,000 sponsorship from

Discover Financial Services Bullying Town Hall Back to Sports Panel Workshops Keynotes:

Dr. Karl Klamer, Specialist in Pediatric Sports Injuries

Linda Price Huff, Columbus Symphony Teacher of the Year Comedy Show

o 2015 – Theme: 109th Broadway Production of Ohio PTA The Convention Hidden in Plain Sight Workshops Keynote

Tracy Hill, Executive Director of Family and Community Engagement, Cleveland Metropolitan School District

Installation of 2015-2017 Board of Directors

The 2013-2015 Ohio PTA Board of Directors logged over 22,000 volunteer hours and 51,000 miles.

Other Highlights

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As was said earlier, a symphony typically has four movements. A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition. While individual movements can sometimes be performed separately, a performance of the work requires that all the movements be performed together or be connected.

Each movement or goal could stand alone independently, but to make Our PTA Symphony complete, all of the movements or goals need to be connected or in harmony. Striving to reach these goals is what continues to bring harmony to every child’s life.

Harmony is the use of simultaneous notes or chords. A chord is two or more musical notes played or sung together – one voice. The harmonization comes through our agreement as we speak as one voice on behalf of all children.

Our PTA Symphony will bring harmony, or agreement, to every child’s life when we speak with one voice, on one accord, with the universal purpose of making every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.

May Our PTA Symphony resound forever!

Harmony