Sherry Waldman ~ Vice President
vplegislation@12thdistrictpta.org

Hello, my name is Sherry Waldman and I am Vice President of Legislation for 12th District PTA. 12th District PTA decided last year to change Legislation from a chairmanship to a VP position because the laws enacted at the state and federal level, the budgets passed by our legislators and the mandates to our schools have a profound effect on the education and lives of our children. PTA has been an advocacy organization since its inception and it was decided that we needed to make advocacy a priority.

PTA is a non-partisan organization for over 100 years of volunteers advocating for the health, education and welfare of children and youth. Since our founding by Alice McLellan Birney, Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Selena Sloan Butler in 1897, our volunteers have worked tirelessly to change child labor laws, form a separate juvenile justice system, and enact other laws affecting children and youth.

Purposes of the PTA:

• To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, community, and place of worship.
• To raise the standards of home life.
• To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children and youth.
• To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that parents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
• To develop between educators and the general public such united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social and spiritual education.

The role of Legislation VP is to:

• Pass along Legislation Alerts that have been voted on by the State PTA Board of Managers.
• Encourage our councils and units to form relationships and call our state and federal legislators.
• Communicate with our local, state and federal legislators on a regular basis and visit them at least once a year.
• Sponsor candidate forums for school board and/or other legislative positions in our community.
• Provide a report on current legislative issues at our regular meetings and solicit member feedback on issues.
• Coordinate local advocacy efforts.
• Become active on school district and or county committees in order to relay PTA positions.