Dear Friends & Neighbors:

It’s hard to believe that it is already that time of year when we begin planning for next year. All the units are currently planning events and meeting dates for the 2008-2009 calendar. It is a very exciting time as we look to the future.

To secure the best future for our children and the community, PTAs across the state take part in Advocacy month and Virtual Lobby Day in March. This year, two issues are of great concern to NYS PTA. Every member and friend of PTA is urged to participate in the legislative campaign to address the issues of Property Tax Caps and Healthy School Foods.

The campaign is two-fold: Letter writing to the Governor and our representatives in Albany, and on Virtual Lobby Day, March 19^th, we are asked to email, phone or fax our legislators. The more members that participate, the stronger our message becomes.

The letter writing campaign and Virtual Lobby day are outlined on the NYS PTA website, with instructions, letters & postcards for download, talking points to write your own letter if you prefer and legislator contacts with addresses including email to send your message.

The message is simple:

Ø       PTA supports Healthy School Foods

Ø       PTA opposes Property Tax Caps

Please take the time to take part in this very important campaign and be let your voice be heard for the future of our children.

If you would like to be kept informed of the issues, become a member of the Advocacy ListServ by signing up for the for the Education newsletter from NYS PTA.

Locally, the Commack PTA Council budget committee has been working tirelessly to spread the word of Governor Spitzer’s proposed cuts to state aid for education. In our last edition of the Council Voice, we announced the letter writing campaign to the Governor addressing our concerns with his Budget planning. Cuts in state aid will greatly affect the quality of education in Commack and all of Long Island. This campaign is still on. Members of the committee have been at many school evening events spreading the word. The committee is encouraged by the positive action taken by everyone they have approached. If you have not sent in a letter to date, please print one out and mail it in as soon as possible.

Thank you for supporting our children.

Laura Werner
PTA Council President

As always, if you have any questions about PTA you may contact me by telephone or send me an email at CommackPTACouncil@yahoo.com .
 

PTA VISION

Making every child’s potential a reality. 

PTA MISSION

PTA is

✲ A powerful voice for all children,

✲ A relevant resource for families and communities, and

✲ A strong advocate for the education and well-being of every child.