Organizing a Local Unit:
Form A Planning Committee

Identify individuals interested in forming a PTA. Set a time and place for a planning meeting. Ask a state PTA representative to address your planning meeting attendees and to provide information and materials about PTA. The state representative will be helpful in making sure that your group meets the eligibility requirements and in explaining the necessary procedures for organizing.

Form a planning committee from among the attendees at the meeting. Select a chair and a secretary of the planning committee to undertake responsibilities temporarily, until officers can be elected.
Organize temporary committees such as bylaws, nominations, publicity, and hospitality. Set a date for an organizational meeting to actually form and charter the new PTA unit.

Publicize the Organizational Meeting

• Distribute notices of the organizational meeting to all parents, teachers and other school staff, community members, and business people. Also put a notice in the local newspaper and contact other media sources.
• Make personal calls to parents, teachers, and other prospective members and place notes in school staff members' mailboxes to remind them of the meeting date.
• Survey your community to find individuals willing to be nominated for office.
• Prepare a set of proposed bylaws to distribute at the meeting. Work with a state PTA representative who can help you follow state PTA guidelines for writing bylaws for your local unit.