For New & Returning members:

 

Why Become a PTA Member?

At the Kennedy, PTA’s central mission is to help create community, connect families and students to one another across grades and classes, and fundraise to provide ALL students with enriching experiences and learning opportunities not budgeted for within the limited confines of the public school budget.

 

By becoming a registered member of the John F. Kennedy PTA, you will be afforded all of the rights and privileges of membership in the Kennedy PTA as well as our parent organizations, the Massachusetts Parent-Teacher Association and the National Parent-Teacher Association. You also will have the right to representation on our Somerville Council of PTAs. 

Kennedy PTA membership also affords you the rights to: 

• Participate and vote in PTA general membership meetings and elections (anyone can attend meetings, but to make a motion or vote, you do need to be a member)

• Serve on or chair Committees, including 8th Grade Committee, which organizes activities and events throughout the school year. Committee work can mean some extra meetings, but it’s a wonderful way to share your talents and skill-sets and be hands-on in a way to make the events you want to see become a reality, and a lot of planning work can be done remotely.

• Help guide the Kennedy PTA’s decision-making processes - we cannot do this alone!!!! Our bylaws require there to be democratic processes for decision making in our PTA.

• Help organize events and programs that reflect your voice and your priorities for our children

• Help us fulfill our organization's commitment to inclusion of as many families and staff voices’ as possible

• Help build the membership numbers of the Somerville Council of PTAs, MassPTA, and National PTA, all of which are effective lobbying organizations who work to protect the interests of public schools and the students and families they serve and the professional educators who make effective public education possible

 

**YOU DON’T NEED TO BE A PTA MEMBER TO VOLUNTEER FOR PTA OR SCHOOL EVENTS, AND YOU DON’T NEED TO VOLUNTEER YOUR TIME TO BE A MEMBER OF THE PTA.**

 

Note For Returning Members:

Returning 2024-2025 PTA members will retain their voting privileges until Sept. 30, 2024, but must submit a new membership form to retain membership status for 2024-25 and to vote in any meetings or serve on committees after that date.

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What are the membership dues and why do they exist?

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Dues are budgeted and will be covered by general fundraising like all other budgeted expenses for the year. Our #1 goal is to be inclusive to all members, regardless of their ability to pay or to give of their time, which is why we make dues optional on a per-person basis.

 

Our organization must pay a total of $4.50 per member. $2.25 goes to the Massachusetts PTA and $2.25 goes to the National PTA, to cover their operating costs, training and materials for local leaders, and state-level and nationwide advocacy work. We do not add any additional membership fees on top of these dues since we fund-raise to cover fees for all members.