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Montgomery County Council of PTAs
January 2012
Upcoming Events
January 18 
BOE Operating Budget
Public Hearing
7:00pm
Carver Auditorium

January 24
Delegates Program
Growth - Where does it go
from here?

6:30-7:30pm
Carver Audtiorium
Join us for a fascinating hour of conversation around the topic of growth in our county and what it means for MCPS

January 24 

Delegates Assembly
7:30pm
Carver Auditorium

February 7 and 9
County Council CIP Budget Hearings
7:30pm
Council Office Building

February 14
BOE Adoption of Operating Budget

February 15

MCCPTA Operating Budget Forum
7:30pm
Richard Montgomery High Schol

February 28
Delegates Assembly
7:30pm
Carver Auditorium

March 20
County Exectuive Presents Operating Budget Recommendation to County Council

March 27
Delegates Assembly
7:30pm
Carver Auditorium

April 24
Delegates Assembly (Elections)
7:30pm
Carver Auditorium

May 17
MCCPTA Annual Presidents & Principals Dinner
6:30pm
Bethesda North Marriott 
Quick Links


For directions to Carver Educational Services Center located at 850 Hungerford Drive, click here.
 
MCCPTA DUES VOUCHER
Use this to submit your membership dues monthly to the Montgomery County Council of PTAs.  Remember, it's $1 per member to MCCPTA.  $3.75 per member should be sent separately to Maryland PTA at the same time.

 
Presidents &Treasurers:
To remain in good standing with our chartering organization, Maryland PTA, the following requirements must be met each year:

  • Remit combined national and state dues ($3.75 per member) to the Maryland PTA office
  • Have bylaws approved every 3 years
  • Have a minimum of 25 members
  • Remit insurance premium to BB&T   
  • Have an EIN (Employer Identification Number) from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on file with  Maryland PTA
  • Maintain incorporation status which entails filing a Maryland Personal Property Return every April 15
  • Have a president, secretary and treasurer (a requirement of Maryland Non-profit law) 
  • File the appropriate 990 IRS tax forms (due November 15 for those on a fiscal year) and submit a copy to the Maryland PTA office within 30 (thirty) days of filing
  • Submit a copy of an annual financial review to Maryland PTA within one hundred twenty (120) days following the end of the local's fiscal year.

For more info, check out the Treasurer's Guidebook 

 

Also, your MCCPTA Cluster Coordinator is always available for advice and can provide you with your compliance status.
 
Looking for new programming ideas for your PTA?  Check out the National PTA's
January Delegates Update 

Operating Budget Advocacy

The MCCPTA President and 12 of our Cluster Coordinators testified to the Board of Education on Wednesday, January 11, on the Superintendent's proposed FY 2013 Operating Budget.  Our remaining Cluster Coordinators will testify on Wednesday, January 18, 7:00pm, at Carver: Whitman, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Northwood, Kennedy, Einstein, Blair, Wootton, Rockville, Richard Montgomery, Poolesville, and Churchill.  Please join us in supporting them!

   

All testimony will be posted on our website under the Issues tab.

MCCPTA Annual Presidents & Principals Dinner

Again...mark your calendars... 

Thursday, May 17, 6:30pm  

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 

$50 per ticket

Our county tradition is for local PTAs to invite (and pay for) their principals to join them at our annual dinner.  We hope all will come out for a celebratory evening.  Stay tuned for more details!  

 

January Delegates Program: 
Growth - Where does it go from here?
Tuesday, January 24, 6:30pm, Carver
Montgomery County schools have grown by more than 6,000 students in the last three years with continued growth expected.  Student enrollment is increasing in newly developing areas and in some more established areas of the county.  Where is the growth coming from in the next decade?  What does this growth mean for MCPS and the county as a whole?  In this panel, representatives from MCPS's Division of Long Range Planning and from the Montgomery County Planning Board will discuss how they are addressing this growth and planning for adequate schools in the future.
  • Trends in MCPS Enrollment over the past few years
  • Role of the Planning Board
  • Impact of Growth
  • MCPS Additions and Capacity Projects
  • Accuracy of Enrollment Projections 
This fascinating hour of conversation will be facilitated by Steve Augustino, MCCPTA's Capital Improvement Program Chair, and will include time for Q&A from the audience.  Please invite your school communities to join us! We hope to see you there!!

January Delegates Assembly
Tuesday
, January 24, 7:30pm, Carver
The agenda will include a resolution from the High School Committee and approved by our Board of Directors for the Delegates' consideration: Resolution on Preferred Choice in Consortium High School.  The resolution will be introduced January 24 with a vote scheduled for our February 28 Delegates Assembly.

Reminder on Delegates Cards

If you picked up your delegate card previously, remember to bring it! If you did not pick up your delegate card, a few requirements:      

1. PTA President must submit delegates names to the MCCPTA office.
2. Pay some portion of dues ($1/member) to MCCPTA.
3. Each delegate must present a valid local PTA membership card.  

 

For more info, see our Standing Rules.     

 

Call for Candidates:

MCCPTA Officers, AVPS, & Cluster Coordinators

The MCCPTA Nominating Committee is currently seeking nominees for the 2012-2013 Officers, Area Vice Presidents, and Cluster Coordinators.  Consider what YOU can do for MCCPTA next year!  For more information and who to contact, view the MCCPTA Call for Candidates

News Your Local PTA Can Use

MCPS Curriculum 2.0
We continue to hear parents requesting more information on MCPS Curriculum 2.0.  Please spread the word about the MCPS Parent Academy Workshops specifically on Curriculum 2.0:

Tuesday, January 24, 7:00pm
Clearspring Elementary

9930 Moyer Road, Damascus

Thursday, February 23, 7:00pm
New Hampshire Estates Elementary
8720 Carroll Avenue, Silver Spring

More information can be found on the MCPS website at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/

A Caution During Election Season

PTAs are 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations who are prohibited from intervening in political campaigns. To understand fully what PTA leaders may and may not do, review IRS Guidelines. 

 

Champions for Children Volunteer Award
Deadline extended until January 15!  

Champions for Children is an annual awards celebration that highlights and rewards quality teaching, outstanding leadership, and exceptional supporting services in our schools. MCCPTA is looking to recognize and celebrate an outstanding local PTA/PTSA program or individual volunteer who is a role model for parent involvement. The $1,000 prize money and award plaque are provided by the Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education (MCBRE) and will be presented at the Champions for Children awards celebration on April 25, 2012.

Send nominations (postmarked on or before January 15th) to:
Champions for Children Award
c/o MCCPTA Office
2096 Gaither Road, Suite 204
Rockville, MD 20850

For more info and a nomination form, contact Sumbal Sheldon.

  

Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award  

Deadline is January 31!  

The Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award is an annual award for parents (and others with legal responsibility for a child) whose exemplary contributions to public education have led to improvements for Maryland's public school children, teachers, schools, programs, and/or policies.  The award was created by the Maryland State Department of Education to highlight the positive impact parents have on public schools and to encourage all parents to get involved in whatever way they can.  For more info, visit the Maryland State Department of Education website.   The nomination forms are due January 31!  

 

And from National PTA....
(Many of you already subscribe to National PTA's e-newsletter "PTA Parent" and visit the National PTA website regularly, so please forgive us when we duplicate efforts by including key items in our emails too!)

2012 National PTA Legislative Conference  
March 6-8, 2012, Arlington, Virginia
Registration opens January 18 

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be the keynote speaker.  

For more info, visit  PTA.org.


2012 PTA Advocacy Awards
Deadline extended to January 17! 

National PTA honors outstanding advocacy on behalf of every child at the 2012 National PTA Legislative Conference.  PTA Advocacy Awards will highlight advocacy work of an individual (Shirley Igo Award), local/district/regional unit (Local Outstanding Advocacy Award) and state unit (State Outstanding Advocacy Award).  All award nominations are due via the online submission process (using the below links) by 5:00 p.m. PST, Tuesday, January 17, 2012. (Note the extended deadline!)

National PTA Policy Agenda

Considering the region we live in, many of you will want to review the National PTA 2012 Public Policy Agenda. An executive summary is available at the link and a Spanish version will be posted in the coming days as well.  

 
Lots of info!  Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to email me with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Kristin Trible
Montgomery County Council of PTAs thanks you for all that you do!