On their own

Lisa Billings/Chesterfield Observer Enon Elementary School PTO members (clockwise from left) Amanda Tucker, Debbie Levenson, Christy Omarzai, Carolyn Gladwell, April Booth and Kathy Knickerbocker (not shown) plan an upcoming fall festival. Last year, when Enon Elementary School changed its parent organization from a PTA to a PTO, it did more than switch out a single vowel. In establishing a PTO, the parent group became a completely independent entity, severing its ties with the national PTA organization and reestablishing its focus on Enon, and Enon alone.

"As long as we had a strong organization that was going to support our school, community, parents and students, it sounded like an idea worth exploring," says Enon's principal, Michael Crusco. "We weighed the pros and cons and felt that PTO was the way to go."

A PTA, or Parent Teacher Association, is a local parent group formally affiliated with its state's PTA organization and the national PTA. A PTO, or Parent Teacher Organization, is an independent parent group. Enon's PTO is the first of its kind in the county.

"We're not regulated as far as what we need to have and what we need to do," says Kimberly Richbourg, who served as the PTO's first president last year. "We can set it up to our own standards - things that work for us in our school - rather than a nationwide organization that says, 'This is the way things run.' Since Enon is such a small school with a hometown feel, we're able to build upon that."

Financial concerns were one motivation for the change. The PTA requires parents to pay $5 membership dues to be a part of the organization; those funds are then split between the school and the state and national PTA organizations. The PTO, on the other hand, does not charge dues, keeps all of the money it raises and automatically admits every parent.

"With the funding that the county gets, it wasn't enough to keep Enon up with the times," Richbourg says. "We thought of any way that we could keep money within our own school, and this was a route to do that. Any fundraising gets to stay within our own school."

The PTO's inclusiveness was also attractive to Crusco.

"It was right after redistricting, so we had a new interesting blend of parents and students," he explains. "It was nice that the whole school community is automatically part of the organization."

Like the previous PTA organization, the PTO remains focused on supporting successful students by funding educational initiatives, putting on community events, purchasing school supplies, volunteering and sponsoring scholarships for Enon alumni.

"I really don't feel like I've changed my role," says current PTO president Debbie Levenson, who, as current vice president for the Chesterfield County Council of PTA/PTSAs, sees both sides of the coin. "I still have the same responsibilities to support education and support successful students. The only difference is we have to work a little harder at administration."

Levenson is currently applying for nonprofit status for the Enon PTO - a status that most PTAs are automatically granted as part of their affiliation with the national organization. Nonprofit organizations can apply for public and private grants and receive tax exemptions, which can mean significant savings for the parent group and, ultimately, the school.

"We're stepping out of the box," says Levenson. "It's not about PTO versus PTA. This is something bigger. Someone had an idea to make a change, and we've taken the lead to make it even bigger and better. What we're doing at Enon Elementary School, any parent organization can do."