SAVE THE DATE: ANNUAL HOLIDAY LUNCHEON AT THE SHERATON FAIRPLEX POMONA ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 4

This event supports First District PTA senior scholarships. Each council and out-of-council unit will be asked to donate a silent auction basket to support the event. If gift cards are part of your silent auction basket, please make sure they were not purchased with PTA funds. 

Also, if possible, please donate small opportunity drawing items. Examples include candles, frames, hand/body lotions, gift cards, etc. 

All the money raised from the silent auction and opportunity raffle will go towards awarding senior scholarships.

Silent auction baskets and opportunity drawing items will be due to First District PTA at the November district board meeting on November 27, 2023. 

More details about the event and baskets to follow.

Thank you for supporting such an important cause. If you have questions about the event, please email [email protected].

Images of past baskets for ideas:

NOMINATING COMMITTEES

It may be hard to believe, but if your unit or council is holding an election this school year, it’s time to start thinking about your nominating committee.

The nominating committee is the PTA’s most responsible, sensitive, and deliberative committee. The committee is tasked with finding the most qualified nominees for each elected officer position for the unit/council.

The nominating committee is elected at an Association meeting at least two months prior to the election meeting. This means most units need to elect the nominating committee no later than January or February for the election of officers in March or April. At the meeting where the Association elects the nominating committee, the parliamentarian should read the portions of the bylaws that explain the role of the nominating committee in the election. The Association then elects the nominating committee.

Information about the how and when to elect a nominating committee is found in the bylaws. 

Unit bylaws: Article V – Officers and Their Election



• Section 2 – Lists the officers of the association.
• Section 4a – Provides the nominating committee is elected by association.
• Section 4b – Provides the nominating committee shall be elected at least two months prior to the annual election meeting.
• Section 4c – States the number of committee members and alternates of nominating committee.
• Section 4d – States the eligibility requirements of members of the nominating committee.
• Section 4e – Provides the report of the nominating committee shall be submitted to the membership at least 28 days prior to the annual election meeting.
• Section 7 – States when the election meeting is held.

Council bylaws: Article VI – Officers and Their Election

• Section 2 – Lists the officers of the council.
• Section 4a – Provides the nominating committee is elected by the Association.
• Section 4b – Provides the nominating committee must be elected at least two months prior to the annual election meeting and serves until the election meeting.
• Section 4c – States the number of committee members and alternates of nominating committee
• Section 4d – Provides the president shall not serve ex officio or be elected to the nominating committee.
• Section 4e – Provides no member shall serve on the nominating committee for two consecutive terms.
• Section 5 – Provides the report of the nominating committee shall be submitted to the membership at least 28 days prior to the annual or biennial election meeting.
• Section 7 – States when the election meeting is held.

The nominating committee is tasked with choosing the best candidates to serve as officers of the PTA for the next term.

The parliamentarian schedules the first meeting of the nominating committee where the committee elects its own chair. The parliamentarian will give information and advice on procedures and then leave the meeting if not an elected member of the committee. The principal of the school or a faculty representative, if not elected, shall serve as an advisor to the committee. No person may serve two consecutive years and the president may not serve on the committee.

The committee reviews the officer positions and duties and engages in an open discussion about potential nominees. The committee should consider the potential nominees based on their abilities as well as their capacity for leadership growth. The committee should select only eligible nominees who agree to serve on the PTA board. A nominating committee member is not excluded from consideration as a nominee for an elected board position but should be excused from the meeting during discussion of the position. The individual can then rejoin the meeting to vote on the nominee for that position, but that vote should take place by ballot. It is important that all deliberations of the committee remain confidential. 

Once the slate has been completed, a nominating committee report is signed by each member of the committee and provided to the association at least 28 days in advance of the election meeting. The committee serves until the election meeting.

There is more information about nominating committees and elections on the First District website bylaws and parliamentary procedure page, or on the CAPTA website (check out the toolkit, the nominations and elections page, and the leadership website pages on nominations and elections). 

Please contact me with any questions regarding electing the nominating committee.

Karin Graver, Parliamentarian

[email protected]

MEMBERSHIP IS SWEET!

COMMIT-MINT TO MEMBERSHIP GROWTH

As of Friday, October 28, 2023, First District PTA has 57,778 members, which is 79% of the way to our year-end goal of 73,000! Please encourage your membership teams to keep up their efforts with a mid-year campaign. We are making a difference every day by demonstrating the value of PTA.

Met your goal by now? Increase your goal and let me know!

DEADLINES: MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVES AND CHALLENGES

There have been changes to California State PTA’s membership incentive deadlines and to the wording of some incentives’ qualifications, including that of CAPTA 100% Teachers. Access the updated document HERE.

There are three Membership Challenges with deadlines in November.

Councils should have established deadlines for affiliated units that are earlier than First District’s deadlines, to give council leaders sufficient time to check totals and remit dues to First District accurately on behalf of their units. Contact Wendy Tateishi with questions on this.

1.    CAPTA Membership Incentive: 100% Teachers. Dues remittance and application required. Open to all Units.

• The application is due to CAPTA by 11/30/2023. CLICK HERE to access the application.

• First District PTA’s Due Date for Manual Remittances: 11/15/23 in the First District PTA office by NOON.

• TOTEM Remittances (dues paid using TOTEM) Due: 11:59 p.m. 11/29/23.

2.    First District PTA Membership Challenge: Gumdrop Pass #1. Dues remittance required. Open to Councils and Out-of-Council Units.

• First District PTA’s Due Date for Manual Remittances: 11/15/23 in the First District PTA office by NOON.

• TOTEM Remittances (dues paid using TOTEM) Due: 11/15/23 by NOON.

3.    First District PTA Membership Challenge: Avoid Lord Licorice! Email Wendy Tateishi with required details. Open to all Units.

• Email Wendy Tateishi directly at [email protected] by NOON, 11/15/23.

MEMBERS PER CAPITA REMITTANCES

• In order to remain in good standing, all units must have at least 15 memberships remitted and received by First District through channels, on TOTEM, or a combination of the two no later than NOON, 11/15/23.

• Please remember that unit good standing affects the unit’s ability to qualify students for the Reflections Art Program and PTA scholarships.

• Turn in a monthly Membership Per Capita remittance form by the monthly deadline on the First District PTA Financial Calendar (this will be revised soon to reflect the above changed CAPTA Membership Incentive due dates). If there are no member dues that month, remit the form with “0” marked in the member column.

Reach out to Wendy Tateishi if you have questions.

A question for Membership Leaders: What is the difference between these two types of remittances?

• Members Per Capita
• Membership Incentives/Challenges 

Email me your answer by November 15^th and you may be recognized in the next e-newsletter. Please include your name and unit.

Yours in Membership Growth,

Wendy Tateishi, VP of Membership

[email protected]

REFLECTIONS

Reminder: School site unit PTAs should check with their school district council PTA for Reflection due dates. All Reflections entry submission spreadsheets from council PTAs and all Out-of-Council PTAs are due virtually to First District PTA by Friday, December 1, 2023 by noon.  

If you need more information or want to view training resources, visit our First District Reflections Cheat Sheet.

Any questions can be sent to [email protected].

TAX REPORTS DUE

 Tax Filing Deadline

It is a requirement that all non-profits in California file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, the Franchise Tax Board and the Attorney General by the 15th day of the 5th month after their fiscal year ends. For example, if your PTA’s fiscal year ends on June 30, the applicable forms must be filed by November 15. Please check your bylaws for your fiscal year end to determine your filing deadline.

Please make sure your PTA has made arrangements to file the required forms or has a knowledgeable nonprofit tax filing professional who can file the forms for you. Full details are available on the California State PTA Leaders Website in the Tax Filing Support Center.

Tax Filing Nights

For most PTAs the tax filing deadline is November 15th. All 501(c)(3)s in California, including your PTA, must file three tax forms every year. The good news is that if your PTA normally makes less than $50,000 a year, California State PTA can help you file all of them!

They will be offering tax filing appointments on November 6th, 7th and 8th. Contact [email protected] to make an appointment or visit the California State PTA Tax Filing Support Center for training and quick access to the forms to do it yourself.

INSURANCE PREMIUMS DUE!

All PTA insurance premium payments must be made directly to our insurance broker AIM (Association Insurance Management, Inc). DO NOT SEND INSURANCE PREMIUMS THROUGH CHANNELS! Insurance payments must be made to AIM no later than December 20th or a late fee applies. Please allow time for it to arrive by the deadline if you are paying by check. It is “received by”, not “postmarked by” the 20th. You may pay the insurance premium via ACH transfer or PTA check.

All PTAs will fill out the insurance questionnaire and submit payment through the AIM Insurance Portal. Your president received an email directly from AIM with a link to the portal. You may also access the payment portal by clicking the link below.

PAY INSURANCE HERE

A short video tutorial on how to use the portal and make your payment is linked below.

HOW TO PAY INSURANCE VIDEO

Insurance Webinar

California State PTA’s annual insurance webinar was held earlier in September. The webinar covered the different types of insurance coverage PTAs have and how to file the information form and payments for premiums. If you missed the live event, or just want to watch the session again, you can find it here.

If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected].

The Health and Community Concerns Report comes out monthly with links to topics and issues including health, safety, diversity, inclusion, and more. Please share with your units and membership as part of PTA outreach efforts. 

CALIFORNIA STATE PTA CALLS

Join California State PTA every last Saturday of the month from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and gain insights on trending health and community topics and connect with leaders across the state. Register here to attend. 

• Nov 25, 2023
• Dec 30, 2023
• Jan 27, 2024
• Feb 24, 2024
• Mar 30, 2024
• Apr 27, 2024
• May 25, 2024
• Jun 29, 2024

NOVEMBER AWARENESS AND HERITAGE MONTHS

• Movember - raises awareness of men’s health issues such as testicular cancer, prostate cancer, and suicide prevention. Movember advocates early cancer detection and diagnosis.

• National Veterans and Military Families Month - celebrate our veterans and our military families and thank them for their service

• National Family Caregivers Month - honors family caregivers and opens discussions on caregiving topics, including the need for support.

• National Alzheimer's Awareness Month - raise awareness about early signs of Alzheimer’s like mild cognitive impairment

• Diabetes Awareness Month - focus is on taking action to prevent diabetes health problems.

• Native American Heritage Month - celebrates the traditions, culture, and languages of the native american community to ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive.

We would love to hear from you. Please share any successes or struggles with us. Reach out to us with any questions or comments. We are here to support you.

Lenka Kendall, VP of Community Concerns

[email protected]

Visit our website to see past issues of "You Heard it Here First!"