[EdTalks] PTA and SIC: A Gateway to Parent & Community Engagement

Want to make a real difference in your local schools but don't know where to start? Effective parent and community engagement in schools is crucial for student success, but the alphabet soup of organizations—PTA, SIC, PTSA—can be confusing. This episode demystifies the two most common pathways for involvement: the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) and the School Improvement Council (SIC). We address misconceptions many parents and community members have about how to get involved and reveal how you can best leverage your unique skills and time to support students and teachers.

In this discussion, we explore the fundamental difference between PTA and SIC, helping you understand which role is the best fit for you. Joined by Greenville District PTA President Christi Wagner and experienced SIC leader Alecia Brewster, we uncover the true purpose of these essential groups. You'll learn about the powerful PTA advocacy role, which goes far beyond bake sales to include securing major grants, funding teacher mini-grants for classroom resources, and ensuring all students can attend field trips regardless of cost. We also define the School Improvement Council purpose, explaining how this state-mandated advisory body works directly with the principal on school improvement strategies, giving members an inside look at potential policy changes before they become public. Discover actionable advice on how to volunteer in schools, even if you have limited time or don't have a child enrolled. From serving as a mentor to helping launch a PTA at a Title I school like Tanglewood or Berea Middle School, there are endless opportunities for everyone—including grandparents and local community members—to contribute to the success of public education in Greenville County.

Episode Resources:

• Connect with the Greenville District PTA

Introduction

Catherine Schumacher: Parent and community engagement are essential to the success of our public schools, and there are many pathways for folks to get involved, even if they don't have children in the schools. Two of those are parent-teacher associations and school improvement councils. I'm Catherine Schumacher with Public Education Partners, and on today's episode of Simple Civics Ed Talks, we are going to explore the similarities and differences between PTAs and SICs and how you can get connected to support teachers, students, and schools.

Today's deep dive features Derek Lewis, Executive Director of Greenville First Steps, and guests Alecia Brewster, an experienced SIC leader at multiple schools in Greenville County, and Christi Wagner, Greenville District PTA President. We are thrilled to have Christi and Alecia with us today to talk about ways families get involved in schools. And specifically we're going to talk a little bit about the PTAs and the School Improvement Councils, or the SICs. We're thrilled that you guys are bringing that experience to us.

What is the Purpose of a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)?

Christi Wagner: The PTA supports the students, the teachers, the whole community. And a lot of times there are those misconceptions that all they do are fundraisers, but it's primarily an advocacy organization. We're really trying to make sure that we look at the whole child and make sure to serve well in those capacities.

Derek Lewis: And parents can join the PTA and be a part of the organization, and the PTA has regular meetings during the year. What would a typical PTA meeting involve?

Christi Wagner: Hopefully they join the PTA. Some people don't realize that you need to join the PTA every single year. And some people think that if they join the PTA, that means they're obligated to volunteer. And that's not necessarily the case. We welcome them to volunteer, but they don't have to volunteer.

And members can be parents, teachers. We want all our teachers to join. Some schools have students have PTSAs. Also, community members, grandparents—all of those people can join the PTA and show their support of the school.

Exploring the Role of the School Improvement Council (SIC)

Derek Lewis: And school improvement councils are a little bit different. So, Alecia, tell us a little bit about the SIC in the school.

Alecia Brewster: Thank you again. And of course, I was a part of the PTA with Christi. I was one of those parents who was a member of the PTA, but probably was minimally involved in the day-to-day volunteer opportunities. The SIC was an opportunity for me as a parent to be able to stay engaged and connected to what was happening in my children's schools. But as an overview, it's a broad-based body that's intended to advise the principal in the school, and we're really focused on helping the school achieve school improvement.

Derek Lewis: And the SICs were actually created by the General Assembly. There's supposed to be an SIC at every school in South Carolina, but they actually have a specific number of places for different roles. Can you talk a little bit about how one becomes a member of the SIC?

Alecia Brewster: Absolutely. I actually became a formal member of SIC as a result of my involvement from the community at Tanglewood Middle School. I was a part of the Rotary Club, one of the local Rotary clubs, and we were actively engaged in providing opportunities for students there, providing donations for teachers. And I was asked, "Are you interested in representing the community as a member of the SIC?"

So SIC has to have at least two parents. They have to have educators—teachers within the school, at least two teachers. The principal is a part of SIC as an ex officio member, and then there are community members who are invited to participate. I was invited in that role.

Derek Lewis: So you've got parents, you've got faculty, and then you've got spaces for people who are just members of the community that want to help that school and may not necessarily have students attending the school.

Alecia Brewster: Yes, there is something for everyone at our schools.

Derek Lewis: And the SICs have meetings on a monthly basis that are usually structured around an agenda. What are some of the things in the multiple SICs that you've been a part of that you guys have covered in an SIC meeting?

Alecia Brewster: Well, the great thing about SIC meetings is that the calendar is created ahead of time so people can put the dates on their calendars. It depends on the school. Tanglewood, for example, was really flexible for parents and community members to be able to participate. They would have one month where the meeting was in the afternoons or in the evenings after school. One month it was in the mornings to try to get as much participation as possible.

The agenda would typically include the principal giving a high level, "This is what's happening in the school. These are some of the things that we are really excited about. These are some of the things that we're working on." And that gives the SIC an opportunity then to ask questions. And that was great for someone like me who may not be able to come and do hands-on as much, but I love to ask questions and really be able to understand, not from a point of accusing or wanting to create problems, but more so I want to know because I want to know if I have connections and resources that might be able to help with improving an issue area.

Beyond Bake Sales: How PTAs Fund and Support School Initiatives

Derek Lewis: I'm really glad that both of you talked about that—that both the PTA and the SIC really exist as a place where people can learn more about what's going on at the school. I know when I was on the school board, both the PTAs and SICs in our schools were really valuable resources for me to go to and talk about, "Hey, we're thinking about changing the start time for elementary school. How will that affect your families?" And it was a place where families could respond to changes. I think that's such a great opportunity.

Now, Christi, you talked a little bit about the PTAs being a resource for the schools. One of the things that we've experienced, I know when I was on the board, was there were times when the schools needed resources and supports that maybe the district couldn't provide for them. The PTAs aren't just selling chicken biscuits to have parties; PTAs are actually investing those dollars into things that the teachers are asking for. So can we talk a little bit about that financial relationship between the PTAs and our schools?

Christi Wagner: A lot of times the PTAs will help with a lot of various needs. It can be right now we have a PTA that is partnering with the Athletic Association to have a food drive. There are a lot of schools that have mini grants for their teachers, and these are things where they can provide things like author visits, special hands-on things for the kids to do in their classrooms, or even sometimes potentially a field trip.

I've been part of those processes, and we have the principal involved with it as well, and sometimes the principal will have some funds that they can use to help meet the needs. It's a really good collaborative environment to be able to help meet those needs.

And there are a lot of really cool things. Being part of a PTA during COVID, the Greenville District PTA applied for a grant and each school got $10,000 for their PTA to be able to use because we were part of a PTA organization. I thought that was so cool because we couldn't fundraise then. We couldn't even be inside the schools during that time to volunteer, but we were still able to make a difference.

Derek Lewis: The field trips, I think, are a great example. We've got half the kids in our district on free and reduced meals. And the cost burden for a family to have their kids go to Hendersonville to pick apples may mean children can't participate. It's been really exciting to see the PTA set aside money for an elementary school to say, "This is so that everyone can go." The families can pay to participate, and if they can't, then we can make sure that those kids can participate without there being a barrier.

Christi Wagner: We actually have Live Well Greenville that serves on our district PTA board, and it's always good to hear what they're doing. They update us on food pantries. They update us on playground signage. They will also update us on things like Berea. They're doing walkthroughs, trying to see how to safely help kids walk to school. PTA is a lot bigger than people realize.

Through our district PTA, we have made connections with several Title I schools. And Alecia was actually part of that conversation about a year and a half ago, "Hey, how can we get PTAs involved in several schools?" We have Berea Middle School, Tanglewood Middle School, and Lakeview Middle School. Berea Middle School has launched. They have their own PTA board. It was a process. This hasn't been done where the district PTA tries to step in and do this. It's trying to find volunteers, find parents that are interested.

A lot of times there can be misconceptions about PTAs, and we're just trying to find ways to bridge that gap. But then also there can be language barriers in some of our schools. We've been working closely recently, more so with Lakeview, where we had people from the district PTA board that were there to meet the teacher that had a table there to welcome families. We're trying really hard to engage all across the board, but it's not always that easy.

How to Volunteer: Opportunities for Parents and Community Members

Derek Lewis: And I'm glad that you mentioned that, Alecia. I know you've been involved in schools where maybe there's an assumption that every school has an active PTA and an active school improvement council, but there are definitely schools where getting parents to even have the time to be involved is a challenge, much less getting families excited about serving in these council roles. Can you talk a little bit about what opportunities might exist for somebody that's hearing about this and doesn't have a child in school? Are there schools that you can think of where individuals could get involved with their school improvement councils?

Alecia Brewster: I identify completely with the parent who may not have ample time, as I mentioned earlier, to be really actively engaged on a day-to-day basis within their child's school. But still, you can be active in your own way. One of the things that I really loved about the School Improvement Council, specifically at Tanglewood, was Tanglewood did not have an active PTA several years ago when I started getting involved over at Tanglewood Middle School. But they really, really wanted to have actively engaged parents, again, in their own way.

Our School Improvement Council members were able to—and me in particular—I was able to go to Columbia, to the University of South Carolina, to go through the Carolina Family Engagement Center to be trained as a South Carolina parent leader partners facilitator and take that back to Tanglewood. That was one way that we were able to give an opportunity for parents to come in, to build relationships with one another, to identify the ways that they felt they could use their talents and their gifts and their interest to impact the school community.

Alecia Brewster: And I think that's something that is really wonderful about living in a place like Greenville County, where we have so many different schools and all of our schools have unique things and ways that you can get involved. One of the best ways that I think you can get involved is by identifying a person you have some kind of relationship with who is connected to a school and ask. Then that person can get you connected to the person who is responsible for whatever that area of need is in that school.

Just know that there is something in every school that you can do. And it could be being a mentor—not just being, that's a huge role. A lot of schools say, "We would love if we could just have X number of mentors to be able to support the students in our schools." Or they may need help with some type of festival that happens once a year. They would love to have someone to come in and face paint even. So there are so many different opportunities, and I think it's really endless, the ways that people can get involved.

Derek Lewis: So if you're not really sure how you can get plugged in, just contacting a school and saying, "How can I help you?" They will definitely have a list of ways that you can help.

Alecia Brewster: And I would suggest don't give up. If the first person you talk to at the school says, "Oh, no, we don't need anything," believe me, that's not true. Absolutely. There is something the school needs. Don't give up there. If you know that you have a certain skill set or a certain resource, please just keep on asking until you find the person who is able to get you to the opportunity.

Christi Wagner: And I would like to echo that for PTA. We have a need all around for volunteers. At my school, we've had a grandmother that served on our board. She had so much free time. And when I had to go do something with my daughter's class, she was like, "I'm happy to help out with that," because she had that extra time.

So it's grandparents. We have community members that can serve on PTA boards. The only requirement is that you're a member of that PTA. We welcome anyone. And SIC is the same way. There's a lot of community partners. I'm on several SIC boards as well, and I see the benefit. The first time I sat in on an SIC meeting as a PTA representative, I was like, "I love this." And I keep going back. People don't realize with SIC that every single person in the school is invited. And I think that invitation is just amazing.

Your Call to Action: Why You Should Get Involved with Your School's PTA or SIC

Derek Lewis: They are both such great ways for individuals to get involved in schools and to start that work. I know I was involved in Greenville High's SIC before we had a child, and a lot of my work with the school board came because of things I learned on the SIC that were opportunities that we could change. I think even as you look at our current school board, most of them were PTA or SIC members before they became school board members.

All right, this is your last chance for the 25,000 listeners that have heard about PTAs and SICs and are ready to get involved. What is your last pitch to them? We'll start with Alecia. Tell us why someone should get involved with an SIC at a school.

Alecia Brewster: You should get involved with SIC because you will really enjoy the experience of going into an SIC meeting and being able to connect not only with the principal, but also with educators within the building and other parents and other community members. It is such a wonderful experience to be in community, to go in and hear about the successes and to be able to celebrate with the school, but also to see that there is a part that you can play.

I would just say you don't want to miss the experience. Even if you don't think that you can commit to being a part of an SIC on a long-term basis, just attend one. Attend one at the closest school to your community.

Derek Lewis: I'm really glad that you've mentioned a couple of times this idea that principals use those SIC meetings as a way to introduce some stuff that might be coming down the pipe. I know when I was on the Hughes SIC, changes to the dress code were first discussed at the SIC before they were talked about with the parents. It gave parents a chance to respond to some of the proposed changes before they became policy.

Alecia Brewster: If you want to get the scoop before the scoop becomes public, yes.

Derek Lewis: All right, Christi. Why should we get involved in our school PTAs?

Christi Wagner: You get involved with your school PTA because you want to help build a stronger community within your school. You want to show your child that they make a difference and that you can help them make a difference. My kids have been volunteering with PTAs since they were way little, and that helps build service in their hearts as well. And service is just natural to them.

Also, we want everyone to join the PTA. Joining does not mean that you have to volunteer. However, we need volunteers. When you're a PTA volunteer, that does not mean that you have to be a stay-at-home mom and be at the school 24 hours a day. That is not what that means. That means that you can help fill in at the school carnivals. You can help with little things.

We have positions for every single person. We have things that you can do from home. We have things you can do on the ground. You can come and watch your child at lunch while you're helping a teacher have a free lunch duty. Do you know how valuable that is to a teacher? We just want to help support our teachers, support our staff, and support our students because that's what makes the difference.

Derek Lewis: I appreciate both of you and the incredible work y'all are doing in our schools. And I do think that our school improvement councils and our PTAs are a great way for individuals to get involved. Thank you each for your work in the community.

Christi Wagner: Thank you.

Alecia Brewster: Thank you.