January 2011 Council Bytes from LTCC of PTAs

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and used the break not only to spend time with your families, but for a little well-deserved rest and relaxation for yourselves! January promises to be a busy month. We have a new Governor in office who, by all indications, seems far less willing to hide the budget deficit with smoke and mirrors.The result may well be either increased state revenues (if the voters approve it) or deeper budget cuts for schools. Look for the Governor's proposed budget for 2011-2012 to be released on January 10.

January is also the time to begin planning for nominating your 2011-2012 Board. Your unit bylaws and PTA Toolkit contain detailed information for forming your Nominating Committees and holding your elections. Please don't hesitate to contact Katie Peña, LTCC Parliamentarian if you have questions about the process.

We have another training opportunity available to us. On January 22 five Bay Area PTA Districts, including the 32^nd District, will present "Building PTA Leadership in Councils and Districts." RSVPs are due January 14 to richard_velasquez@sbcglobal.net.

Please note that our January Association meeting is January 10, the second, rather than first, Monday of the month. Our Roundtable topic will be Advocacy. With some of our districts considering going out for parcel taxes in 2011 and a statewide tax initiative looking likely, it's important that we understand what is and is not permitted in providing information via PTA channels. We hope to see you all there.

Please note the upcoming dates:

Jan 3	Second Mandatory Membership remittance due to Council
Jan 10	Association meeting, 9:30 a.m., Lafayette School District Boardroom (3477 School St)
Jan 15	32^nd District Reflections Showcase, 2:00 p.m., Alhambra High School (150 E St, Martinez). *Please note the date change!*
Jan 20	Leg Team meeting, 7:00 p.m., AUHSD Boardroom
Jan 22	"Building PTA Leadership in Districts and Councils", 9:00 a.m., Arroyo High School, San Lorenzo, Email: richard_velasquez@sbcglobal.net

I wish you all a fantastic 2011!

Kathy Ranstrom

LTCC President

Did You Sign Your Whistleblower/Conflict Form Yet?

Federal law requires that non-profit corporations adopt whistleblower and conflict of interest policies and that board members sign forms acknowledging compliance with the policies. California PTA has published its policies in the Toolkit at sections 2.3.2 and 2.3.10. Each year, all members of your Executive Board must sign the PTA's Whistleblower/Conflict form. The forms are kept by the Treasurer and can be found on the California State PTA website. Don't forget to have your Executive Board review your Unit's tax return; the form requires you to acknowledge your duty to do so.

What You Need to Know About Signing Contracts

PTA has specific requirements when it comes to signing contracts, and Executive Board members need to make sure they are followed.

All contracts must be approved by the Association prior to signing.
All contracts must be signed by two Executive Board members, one of whom must be the President.
The contract should clearly indicate that the officers are signing on behalf of the PTA.
Do not sign a contract that makes the PTA responsible for injury or damages (often referred to as a "hold harmless clause") without the prior approval of the insurance broker.
Independent contractors must provide proof of general liability and workers compensation insurance, which the PTA must keep on file.
The length of the contract must not be longer than one membership year and may not encumber future boards.

Membership Notes

Thank you all for your membership efforts promoting PTA at your units this school year. While overall membership numbers in the Las Trampas Creek Council have not increased (so far), we have three units who have done a stellar job and increased their unit memberships, they are Los Perales, Murwood and Walnut Heights Elementary Schools. The council applauds you! Great job!

Take this opportunity to communicate to parents at your school and thank them for joining PTA. This will also allow you the opportunity to encourage those who haven't yet joined to do so, it's not too late and let them know how.

Have you contacted your school staff and gotten them to join yet? Teachers and staff are an essential element in PTA. Teachers also directly benefit from your hard work so take time in January to reach out to have them join.

Promoting PTA at your school in the new year: After 3 years of school budget cuts from the State of California, forecasters predict that next year we'll see the deepest cuts yet. California State PTA is one of the few strong, organized advocacy voices speaking on behalf of our children and their education in the Capital. As a member we support State PTA's advocacy on behalf of our children. Join now and support this advocacy.

Finally, hopefully you forwarded all memberships collected to date to Mary Beth Moura, PTA Treasurer before the holiday break. Deadline was December 17. The second mandatory membership remittance is due to Council on January 3.

Eva Santelli

VP of Membership & Leadership

Reflections "Together We Can..." 32nd District Awards

Our LTCC Reflections Showcase was held last month and 19 of these entries were chosen to move to the District level. You are cordially invited to attend: