“Here’s the uncomfortable question Chamblee Middle School, and perhaps many schools, should be willing to ask: If a school’s foundation can effectively handle the fundraising, volunteers, programs, and financial management a PTSA is supposed to provide, what exactly is the PTSA adding in 2026?
PTAs were created in a different era, when parents often needed a formal structure, standardized bylaws, training, and guidance to organize volunteers, raise money, and manage school activities. That structure made sense, and for many schools, it remains valuable.
But times have changed.
Today, parents routinely manage businesses, nonprofits, budgets, fundraising campaigns, events, volunteer organizations, and complex community initiatives. They don’t necessarily need a national organization to teach them how to run a fundraiser, recruit volunteers, or manage a budget.
That raises an important question: Are we continuing the PTA/PTSA model because it remains the best way to serve students and families, or because it is simply the way we’ve always done things?
At Chamblee Middle School in Dekalb County, that question feels particularly relevant.
The current PTSA situation has raised concerns about a non-functioning board, procedural disputes, and questions regarding financial transparency. Regardless of where one stands on those disputes, they should prompt a larger conversation about what the organization is actually accomplishing for the school community.
And there is another issue that deserves public discussion: access.
If participation in PTSA decision-making requires paying a $15 per person membership fee, what happens to families who cannot, or choose not, to pay? My understanding is that individuals who are not current members may be excluded from certain calls and cannot vote on PTSA business. If that is accurate, we should ask whether we are creating a system where the ability to participate in decisions about a public school effectively becomes “pay to play.”
Perhaps this also helps explain why the CMS PTSA reportedly has fewer than 50 current members. A middle school serving hundreds of families should prompt us to ask why participation is so limited.
This isn’t an argument against parents volunteering. Quite the opposite.
Parents should absolutely support their school. Teachers and staff deserve resources. Students deserve enrichment opportunities. Families should have meaningful ways to contribute their time, talent, and financial support.
But there should be transparency about the different organizations competing for that support, and what each one actually provides.
If a foundation can raise money, manage volunteers, support teachers, fund programs, and operate transparently, why do we need a separate PTSA to accomplish the same objectives?
Is the answer that the PTSA provides something uniquely valuable to students and families? Is it access to PTA programs? Recognition such as a spotlight? Advocacy? Training? A broader network?
If so, those benefits should be clearly explained to the community.
And if the primary justification is simply, “This is the way we’ve always done it,” that isn’t good enough.
The goal shouldn’t be to preserve an organization for the sake of preserving the organization. The goal should be to maximize the resources, opportunities, and support available to students, teachers, and staff.
I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But I do believe parents deserve enough information to make informed decisions about where they invest their time, money, and energy.
Perhaps the real question isn’t How do we fix the PTSA? Perhaps it is: What structure best serves Chamblee Middle School in 2026, and are we willing to consider something different if it serves our students and staff better?”
