Dear Parents, Teachers, Staff, Administration and Community Members,
Last night’s PTA/SAF meeting was a testament to the power of passion. When we give ourselves to the role of parent, teacher, community member or administrator, we sometimes find ourselves in precarious situations with multiple roles. At times, these roles may present themselves by way of sensitive issues and ignite a passion that not everyone will understand or agree with. Yet, that passion should not be diminished or disregarded due to disagreement, lack of understanding or the level of importance of an issue. Respect for all opinions, ideas and general discussion is important in the deciding of matters affecting our children.
As both organizations are parent based, PTA and SAF work hard to effectively facilitate communication between the school and parents, as well as educate the parent community at Tamarac Elementary on what is happening in their child’s school. Discussions regarding issues concerning our children are not always easy to have, but they are necessary for us as parents to make informed decisions and to be aware of what is going on in our school. It is the correct arena for us to gather together and let our voices be heard. Additionally, PTA and SAF will sometimes look for professional guidance, within the community and with the school district as part of the information gathering process. In doing this, parents who attend these meetings will be informed and better able to take action on a specific issue, thus resulting in a positive impact for our children.
By joining efforts, we work together to come up with actionable solutions that will be beneficial to all our children, while still respecting the opinions of all parties involved. Last night’s meeting was a culmination of discussion that ultimately led to a consensus using a democratic process. Again, this does not diminish one voice over another, it simply allows the group as a whole to make decisions and move forward to the next actionable step. Regardless of which hat we wear and what our specific passion may be, each person, whether they are a parent, community member, teacher, staff member or administrator has a voice and all should be respected, both during the meeting and outside of the meeting. In essence, we must all, even in the heat of passion, maintain a civil tone and keep discouraging comments at bay to enact the most good for our children.
Also, last night some parents expressed the need to focus on more important issues than the playground. It is no secret that budget cuts to education have earmarked more important needs than a playground and clarification is needed as to WHY this conversation took place. In December, our District 4 school board representative, Donna Korn, called PTA and stated she had a potential benefactor for the playground, in response to an initiative that was launched by a parent at Tamarac Elementary. The potential benefactor, Coventry Health Care of Florida, requires a grant application be submitted in order to be considered as a potential recipient. Once contacted with this request, PTA became tasked with the responsibility of submitting an application for this grant. To clarify, PTA is not being awarded these funds. We must apply like all other applicants and wait for an announcement of recipients from the benefactor. Regardless, specific information is required for the submission of the grant and so to move forward, last night’s meeting allowed us to discuss the issue and vote as a collective group so we may take the next step to complete the application by the February 29th deadline. In addition, when tasked with a specific request on behalf of parents and the school board, PTA is required to provide the General Membership as much information as possible to make an informed decision, especially, as is this circumstance, where there is no cost to the parents or school. To not do so would be a great disservice to our children.
Finally, we appreciate all of those who give of their time to find solutions and advocate for our children for they are our future.
Sincerely,
Christine Coleman, PTA President
Every child. One voice.
