Membership FAQ
What is PTA? Why should I join PTA? I'm a teacher. Why shoud I join PTA? Who joins PTA? How much does it cost to join PTA? How do I join PTA? Am I a New Member or a Renewal? How do I know if I'm in the Member Database already? Where does the money go? I'm busy, I don't have time for PTA, and my kids are just fine. So why should I join PTA? If I join the PTA, do I have to go to the PTA meetings? When are the meetings anyway? What’s the deadline for joining PTA? Isn't PTA just a bunch of busybody moms with nothing better to do? PTA sounds like a clique to me. Why would I want to be part of that?
General FAQ
Who's in charge of our PTA? Who do I call about…? How do I volunteer for something? Can two people co-chair a committee? What is and where is the “PTA Box”?
Technical FAQ How secure are my online payments? I'm worried because I don't see the gold lock icon at the bottom of the payment screen. Is it safe? What about my data? How secure is that?
Membership FAQ
What is PTA? PTA stands for Parent Teacher Association. The term “PTA” is commonly used to describe any parent group, and many parents, teachers, and administrators are unaware of the distinct differences between PTA and other parent organizations.
All parent groups are not the same.
❖ PTA is a not-for-profit organization and the nation’s original and premier parent involvement group in schools.
❖ PTA has more than 23,000 local units and nearly 6 million members.
❖ PTA units are supported by a national and state structure that provides valuable information, resources, and training.
❖ PTA believes parents are more than fundraisers.
❖ PTA works with parents to advocate for proper funding, leadership, and instruction for all schools and school districts.
❖ Chartered PTA units are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
❖ Local PTAs are eligible for discounted insurance for events that are not covered by their schools.
❖ Local units select the priorities, programs, and activities that address the needs of their schools.
❖ There are no mandated programs from the national or state organization, though relevant programs, helpful resources, and a network of support are provided.
Why should I join PTA?
People join PTA for many reasons. But there are a few that are most common. See our Top 10 Benefits page to find out what they are. For more in-depth details about all the wonderful ways your membership dues are used by the RCES PTA, please go to our About page.
I'm a teacher. Why should I join PTA?
There are many reasons for teachers to join PTA including supporting your school, helping to improve your school environment, helping to create a richer learning experience for the children and having access to a corps of parent volunteers. See our About RCES PTA and What We Do pages to learn more about the benefits that PTA membership provides you.
Who joins PTA? PTA membership is open to everyone.
❖ As the name implies, parents and teachers join PTA. But, really, any individual, community organization or business who has an interest in our school can join.
❖ PTA is inclusive of all people who care about children and schools.
❖ PTA builds bridges between homes, schools, and communities to help children succeed academically and personally.
How much does it cost to join PTA?
We have 4 different types of memberships depending on your particular situation. They are:
Membership Type
Annual Cost
Who It's For
Regular Member
$20
Parents of RCES students
Single Parent
$15
Single parents of RCES students
Staff
$15
Teachers, administrators and staff of RCES
Patron
$75
Any of the above
All membership dues are tax deductible.
How do I join PTA?
It's easy! There are several ways:
Join or renew online. Download the Membership Registration Form and send it into school in your child's backpack. Download the Membership Registration Form and place it in the PTA Box in the office.
Am I a New Member or a Renewal?
To determine which one you are, you need to know if you are already in the online Member Database or not. Because this is the first year we are using an online Membership Database, not all of last years PTA members are in the online database. We only inputted the members for whom we had email addresses, which amounted to about 100 of the 350 members last year. Most of these are teachers and PTA committee chairpersons whose email addresses were in the RCES Directory last year. See the next FAQ answer...
How Do I Know If I'm In The Member Database Already?
Because this is the first year we are using an online Membership Database, not all of last year's PTA members are in the online database. We only inputted the members for whom we had email addresses, which amounted to about 100 of the 350 members last year. Most of these are teachers and PTA committee chairpersons whose email addresses were in the RCES Directory last year.
When you join online, you either join as a new member or renew an existing membership. To find out if you're a New Member or a Renewal, all you need to do is try to login to the website. Your username is your email address and the default password is guest (unless you changed it yourself at some point in time) . If you get logged in, then you can renew your membership by going to your Profile page and clicking the Renew button. If you don't get logged in, then join as a New Member .
Where does the money go?
For each member, we pay $2.50 to the Maryland State PTA and $1.30 to the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA). The remainder goes into our operating budget.
I'm busy, I don't have time for PTA, and my kids are just fine. So why should I join PTA?
Even if you have little time for and/or interest in volunteering for PTA activities, your membership dues are still an essential component to the success of our PTA which, in turn, contributes to the success of your child. Your dues are applied directly toward the many fun, interesting and valuable programs, activities and academic support functions that the RCES PTA supports. We need your support.
If I join the PTA, do I have to go to the PTA meetings?
NO!!!! While the PTA meetings are a great way to make your voice heard and stay in the loop with what's going on in the PTA, meeting attendance is not a mandatory condition of membership. In fact, most PTA meetings consist of the Executive Board members, active committee heads, certain staff and a sprinkling of other parents. Of course, we'd like to see more members at the meetings to get more feedback and suggestions for the direction of our PTA, but we understand that people are busy.
When are the meetings anyway?
Meetings are typically held on the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 in the RCES all-purpose room (AP Room) aka the cafeteria. Check the weekly Heron Herald newsletter for changes.
What’s the deadline for joining PTA?
August thru the end of October is the big Membership Drive when we try to get most of our members signed up or renewed since we rely on membership dues to fund our activities. However, we continue to accept memberships all year long.
Isn't PTA just a bunch of busybody moms with nothing better to do?
Definitely not! We need busybody dads too! (LOL) Actually, dads are a welcome and necessary PTA participant, especially in many of our large events. As for the moms, most of the moms are busy but not "busybodies." According to allwords.com, a "busybody" is "someone who interferes with others; one who is nosy, intrusive or meddlesome." Our volunteers are a tireless crew who unselfishly give countless hours of their time in order to coordinate, plan and execute the various PTA activities and programs. All for the betterment of our school and school community.
PTA sounds like a clique to me. Why would I want to be part of that?
Any organization, whether a PTA, a softball league, or a church choir may seem a little intimidating at first. But you can be sure that at the RCES PTA all are welcome
General FAQ
Who's in charge of our PTA?
The RCES PTA is goverened by an Executive Board which consists of the President, Vice President (Ways & Means), Vice President (Social), Treasurer and Secretary. See the Officers & Committees
Who do I call about…?
Check out our Officers & Committees
How do I volunteer for something?
The best way to volunteer for something is to contact the person in charge of the committee you wish to work on and let her know your availability and what you'd like to do. See Officers & Committees Ailene Renzi , and she will get you started.
Can two people co-chair a committee?
Yes. If you're thinking of taking on a committee but are wary of flying solo, it is definitely acceptable to have a friend or two co-chair the committee with you.
What is and where is the “PTA Box”?
At some point, someone is going to tell you to "just put it in the PTA box." Just so you're not completely in the dark, the PTA box is actually two things: an inbox-style basket and a hanging file folder box. They are located on a table in the office along the left-hand wall. The PTA box is where all PTA-related paperwork and mail that comes into the school eventually ends up. If you have something to put in the PTA box that is not urgent, it is fine to leave it in the in-basket. Someone sorts through the in-basket and files the items in the appropriate PTA folder every day or two (or three). Alternatively, if you know who should receive your item you can place it directly into the appropriate officer's or committee person's folder inside the hanging file box. Hanging file folders are labeled and in alphabetical order. The choice is yours. But now at least you know what the PTA Box is and where to find it.
Technical FAQ
How secure are my online payments?
All online payments are handled through the Paypal payment processing system. Paypal is one of the largest online payment gateways in the world, processing millions of online credit card transactions per day. It is highly secure. Please see their website for detailed information about their security . It is important to note that rces-pta.org does not capture any credit card information .
I'm worried because I don't see the gold lock icon at the bottom of the payment screen. Is it safe?
Most people who make online payments are accustomed to looking for the little gold lock icon at the bottom of the browser window to make sure that a connection is secure before entering any sensitive financial data. The gold lock icon is a visual clue that you are on a webpage that is secured by a special, encrypted connection. These special, encrypted pages are used to transmit the information between machines in a way that, if a hacker were to intercept the 1’s and 0’s (or otherwise obtain a copy), he would not be able to read your credit card number, name, shipping address, etc.
Some people have expressed concern about making online payments to the RCES PTA website because they don't see the gold lock on the payment screen which looks something like this:
Screenshot #1
However, after choosing "Online" for the Payment Method and clicking Next , the familiar lock symbols are visible as shown here in Internet Explorer (Firefox has similar visual cues):
Screenshot #2
So what gives?
Screenshot #1 (without the lock) is part of the rces-pta.org website. This screen does not collect any sensitive financial information. It only asks you for your payment preference: Online or Manual. Once you click the Next button, you are transported to our backend payment processor's website (Paypal) which is shown in Screenshot #2. This site is fully secure as evidenced by the lock symbol in the address bar and the green background color of the address bar in Internet Explorer. Firefox has similar visual cues. It is the secure Paypal website that will collect your credit card information, not the rces-pta.org website. Our rces-pta.org website does not collect, store or have access to any of your financial information.
If this does not answer your security concerns, please feel free to contact us at webmaster@rces-pta.org and we will try to be more specific.
What about my data? How secure is that?
All the personal information we collect for the membership directory, event registrations, and donations are stored on secure servers maintained by our web host service provider. Read more about their access and security features security best practices compliances