Our opinions are our own and do not represent Sand Springs Public School district. PAAT: An Introduction
August 2013
We Need Your Help! The Sand Springs Parent Action and Advocacy Team (PAAT) is a non-partisan group that was formed last year by a group of concerned parents and grandparents who have children in the Sand Springs Public Schools. We have been wo
rking closely with The Parent Legislative Action Committee (PLAC) which represents parents from the Tulsa Area including: Tulsa, Jenks, Owasso, and Bixby to name a few. Many similar groups have formed over the past few years as our schools have had so many unfunded mandates being written into law and then not funded. This has left the schools desperately underfunded. And worse, these mandates have impacted our children and teachers in detrimental ways. We all have similar goals. Our goals:
1. Help to understand the impact that State Legislation and State Board of Education have our local schools and our children;
2. Research legislation up for adoption in the current legislative session;
3. Translate bills into understandable English so that we can understand the ramifications to our schools, children, ourselves and the State so they can better let their congressman know how they would like him or her to vote;
4. Show our parents how to find, contact and talk to their State Representative and Senators when they want to support or oppose legislation;
5. Coordinating monthly programs with organizations and individuals who understand funding, testing, school budgets, and impacts on our children so Sand Springs parents will better understand the issues pertaining to Common Education; and
6. Fair Assessments of children, teachers and our schools. We need you to be ready to contact your legislators in Oklahoma City especially during the legislative sessions that run from February – May of each year. On Facebook www.facebook.com/SandSpringsPaat?fref=ts
or http://www.sandites.org/vnews/display.v/SEC/Parent%20Involvement/Engagement
