Columnist Susan Snyder: LV absence marked at PTA

Friday, Sept. 24, 2004 | 8:36 a.m.

The elementary school my brother and I attended had a library because our PTA moms obtained a grant to buy the books, then commandeered an empty classroom.

Today pupils of Clark County's 180-and-counting elementary schools are lucky if they sit in an actual classroom. And "empty" typically refers to program funds and, unfortunately, parent-teacher association rosters.

According to a report written by Emily Richmond in Wednesday's Las Vegas Sun, the Clark County School District's most recent public forum attracted only 10 parents. Forum experts said far too few parents are participating in their children's educations.

"Only about a third of the Clark County elementary schools have PTAs," D.J. Stutz, Nevada PTA president, said when reached by telephone Thursday evening. "We're on the lower edge of normal" nationally.

Some reasons for the lack of parental participation are obvious. Families' lives are over-committed and under-funded. Just getting everyone fed and out the door wearing clean clothes is a challenge.

About one-third of all Southern Nevadans earn a living wage or less, according to the 2003 Southern Nevada Community Assessment report. A third of all households are headed by a single parent, and a fifth of those families headed by women are poor.

Some 60 percent of residents work in the 24-hour service industry, which means parents work different shifts and juggle child responsiblities even in households where both are present.

"It's not your mom's PTA anymore," Stutz said. "This is a transient community. (People) are going to stay two to five years, make some money and take it somewhere else. They have a hard time with the buy-in, because they're only going to be here a couple of years."

As a result, Nevada PTA is exploring some new ideas for reaching parents. Their newest program focuses on gaining participation from Hispanic families. And it already is working, Stutz said. Organizers hoped for five schools willing to participate in the pilot program, but ended up with 13.

Having English-to-Spanish translators present during meetings has made a huge difference in the number of parents attending, she said. And recognizing cultural differences is key.

For example, many Hispanic parents walk, rather than drive, their children to school, Stutz said. And they respect male figures. So having a father handing PTA invitations to parents as they walk to school in the morning can make a huge difference. One such effort netted 60 new participants.

Nevada PTA members also are exploring ways for parents to contribute their time through projects they can do at home and also are considering a California program that urges parents volunteer "just three hours a year," Stutz said.

"They had a 75 percent increase in parental involvement," she said, adding that retirees whose grandchildren live elsewhere are another untapped resource. She recalled a recent PTA organizational meeting at a new elementary school near Rhodes Ranch, where a retired resident showed up out of curiosity.

"By the time she'd left that evening," Stutz said, "she was a member of the PTA board."