PTA Positions & FAQs

Who can join the PTA?

 

All parents/guardians and teachers of Humanities Preparatory Academy children are automatically members of the PTA. The Principal participates in most Executive Board meetings and General Meetings and spends a lot of time collaborating with the PTA leadership team, but technically the Principal, Assistant Principal and Supervisors can’t be members of the PTA.

 

What is the PTA’s function?

The PTA is responsible for setting its own goals and objectives and for planning the activities to meet them.

Humanities Preparatory Academy’s continued success requires resources and support beyond those supplied by the Department of Education alone. The financial support and volunteer time that our community contributes to Humanities Preparatory Academy demonstrate that many parents share our school’s vision and want to supply the help needed to achieve it.

To that end, the PTA’s primary organizational focus is to help parents help the school. That’s a broad mission, but in reality, it boils down to two points of focus:

1. Help members of our community get connected to the news, views, and each other. Our community is better able to collaborate when families know one another, are well informed, and share a common sense of purpose.
2. Help raise and assemble the right resources. Resources come in many forms, and Humanities Preparatory Academy needs all of them. Parents can volunteer to help the community raise money and/or pool their many and varied skills, talents, and time to help make each goal for the school a reality.

Who runs the PTA?

The simple answer is that the PTA is an organization for our community, run by our community. PTA activities are coordinated largely by Humanities Preparatory Academy parents.

The PTA Executive Board helps run and manage the many details of the organization. The officer positions on the board are the only PTA roles that involve elections. Parents who would like to volunteer in this way simply nominate themselves or are entered as candidates by the Nominating Committee in the spring. Normally, elections are in May and take place during one of the regularly scheduled General Meetings. Parents elected in May serve from July 1st to June 31st.

While the PTA is ‘run by’ the Executive Board, every parent is welcome to attend and participate fully in virtually all Executive Board Meetings. All decisions involve consultation and information-sharing with parents/guardians and teachers at the PTA General Meetings.

There are ample ways for every parent to discuss issues with the board members and to collaborate on big decisions, and everyone is encouraged to participate.

 

How is the Executive Board structured?

 

While there are 6-8 people on the Executive Board, it is organized around three core jobs: President, Treasurer, Secretary, and members-at-large.

Parents can volunteer as an individual or partner with another parent to fill the role as a team of two, resulting in up to two Co-Presidents, two Co-Secretaries and two Co-Treasurers. In this way, two people split each job, reducing the workload for any one volunteer. 

 

What do the Co-Presidents do?

 

Officially, the Co-Presidents act as the executive officers of the organization, preside at all general meetings, and one of them countersigns all checks. They keep the executive board on track with its mission, partnering effectively and productively with the Principal and staying focused on Humanities Preparatory Academy activities and needs throughout the school year. This in turn involves:

• Managing the PTA Calendar
• Organizing and conducting the monthly Board Meetings and General Meetings and providing a President’s Report at each General Meeting
• Working with the other members of the Board to oversee their functions
• Providing PTA Board representation to the School Leadership Team, which meets twice monthly
• Providing PTA Board representation to the District 02 PTA Presidents’ Council, which meets monthly
• During the summer, the main activities include setting the school-year calendar of events and meeting dates.

What do the Co-Secretaries Do?

 

The Co-Secretaries keep accurate minutes of Executive Board and General Meetings, including records of the materials handed out, and keep an accurate list of the members.

These minutes are crucial to the Board in keeping track of their work throughout the school year and allow PTA members who cannot attend meetings to stay informed. In addition, keeping an accurate and complete set of our minutes helps our school when it is evaluated each year by the NYC Department of Education, as the DOE checks the status of our minutes book.

 

What do the Co-Treasurers do?

 

The Co-Treasurers have custody of all the PTA funds, work to keep an accurate record of receipts and expenditures and, together with a Co-President or other Co-Treasurer, handle the disbursement of funds. Responsibilities include maintenance and delivery of the PTA monthly financial report at the general PTA meeting.

The Co-Treasurer is also responsible for the status of the PTA’s income and expenses and monitoring them against the approved budget. 

Light spreadsheet skill is recommended.

 

Who can be on the Executive Board?

 

Any parent/guardian member of the PTA may run for a board position unless they are an employee of the school. There are no other special qualifications necessary for being a board member.

How do I nominate myself for one of these roles?

Prior to the  PTA Meeting in May, we encourage nominees to step forward to nominate themselves by sending an email to [email protected].

 

It is important to note that it is not required that our board positions be shared. Individuals can run for President, Treasurer, and Secretary. However, if you want to share a position, you must nominate yourself along with a running mate as a single ticket. If you are interested in running with a partner but do not have one in mind, Georgieann can help you find one.

 

The key priority is securing nominees for the Executive Board positions. Without parents stepping forward, there’s no election slate. Without elected officials, the PTA cannot function—an outcome that would negatively impact both the school and the students.

 

How does the election work?

 

Members who come to the General Meeting at which the elections take place (May) are asked to vote, position by position, for the people who have been nominated. All nominees must be present.

If the nominations are uncontested, then the positions are confirmed with a yea or nay vote.

 

How is the PTA budget set and managed?

 

The PTA Executive Board collaborates with the Principal to guide the allocation of resources and fundraising activities for the following year.  The board then presents the proposed budget to the PTA for approval.

 

How Do I Get Involved?

 

It’s easy. Nominate yourself for a board position, get involved with one of the committees or respond to requests for volunteers for particular projects.