Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parent Engagement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utah PTA celebrates 100 years; board hears history, programs and advocacy
Summary
Julie Clough, president of Utah PTA, told the State Board on Thursday morning that the organization is marking its centennial and highlighted longstanding programs and recent advocacy wins, including youth mental-health work and a 2018 national resolution on students with disabilities.
Julie Clough, Utah State PTA president, told the State Board on Thursday morning that Utah PTA is marking its 100th year and described the organization’s history, programs and advocacy work.
Clough said Utah PTA traces organized parent engagement in the state back to efforts by the Utah Mothers’ Congress and that the Utah Education Association officially welcomed the PTA into the National Association of Parents and Teachers in October 1925. “For a century, Utah PTA has been a steadfast advocate for children, families, and education,” she said.
Clough told board members the PTA has run long-standing programs such as Reflections and Battle of the Bands and that the state recorded more than 17,000 student entries in the Reflections program during the last school year, with 20 national winners. She described local activities — teacher appreciation, field days, Red Ribbon Week campaigns, community celebrations and food-pantry support — and noted some PTA units provide Spanish-language meetings and translation.
The presentation also listed advocacy accomplishments. Clough cited PTA support for school lunch programs, efforts to help establish a suicide-prevention center for youth, work on state trust lands to increase payouts for schools, and a 2018 national PTA resolution titled “High Expectations for Students with Disabilities.” She said Utah PTA received National PTA’s outstanding state PTA advocacy award in 2022.
Vice Chair Wood framed the board’s role as governance: “As the state board, our role is one of governance, policy, and standards,” she told members before introducing Clough. Wood recounted the PTA’s role in early literacy and noted the board’s recent participation in a leadership academy to better understand that governance role.
Clough closed by stressing the volunteer base that sustains PTA programs and urged ongoing support for parent engagement: “PTA is more than a group of parents. It’s a network engaged in the work that parents and teachers do together,” she said.
The board accepted the presentation without formal action and moved on to other agenda items.
