By Illana Burkhart, Committee Chair for Legislative
The 2024 Election has come and gone, but the influ ence PTA and PTA members can have on educa tional policy in Georgia is just beginning. PTA is at its core an advocacy organization that focuses not on can didates, but to bring about changes in laws, policies and programs for the benefit of children and education. PTA does not endorse candidates or political parties. Instead we focus on the ways we can help benefit every student enrolled in a Georgia school.
The decisions that most impact our students here in East Cobb will be made at the county and state levels. Our school board members, county level officials, state representatives and state senators are the ones who make decisions for our local schools. You can help shape those decisions by taking an active part in legislative advocacy. In the coming months there will be MANY ways for PTAs and parents in Cobb County to be directly involved in the decisions that shape our children’s education.
There are many ways that you can have an impact on the decisions being made, but the two things that make the biggest impact are getting involved and learn ing about the issues firsthand.
Get involved!
Join your school’s PTA. East Cobb schools all have PTAs that actively work inside the school in cooperation with administrators to enhance the educational experience of every student. They publish newsletters and send out reg ular communications letting parents know of the happen ings inside the school. Attending PTA meetings also lets you hear first hand from school leaders what new programs or policies may be coming to your school, as well as giving you an opportunity to talk with leaders in a productive manner about questions or concerns you may have.
Attend a school board meeting. Cobb County Board of Education meetings are streamed online and open to public participation. A full list of meeting times and dates is found on the CCSD website. Being there in person is always better than reading about it online. And by show ing up, you can show your support for the issues that are important to you.
Follow the issues. Social media is great for calling attention to what the issues are and what policies are being introduced, but it is not the most reliable source of factual information. We urge you to go to the source and research important educational issues for yourself.
This year we can expect many education bills to be introduced to the Georgia General Assembly. You can read about upcoming bills and laws being considered at each Chamber’s website.
Georgia Senate Committee on Education and Youth www.legis.ga.gov/committees/senate/120
Georgia House Committee on Education
www.legis.ga.gov/committees/house/102
Here are a few other sources we recommend for researching policies and upcoming legislation:
Georgia Association of Educators
gae.org/issues-and-action
Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education gpee.org/partnership-reports/top-ten-issues/
Speak up! The most important thing a parent can do is be involved in our children’s schools and education. You can help shape the future by taking an active role in the legislative policies that govern our schools. Let your elected officials know how you feel either by call ing or emailing their office. The 2025 Legislative Session will open in January and all of our Cobb County officials are eager to hear from their constituents about what we want the future of Education to look like in Georgia. Join PTA in being our kids’ loudest advocates!
Illana Burkhart grew up in Nashville, TN, but considers herself a Georgian at heart. After graduating from Furman University with degrees in Political Science and Communications, she attended graduate school at the University of Georgia, where she met her husband of 20+ years. Illana and her family moved to East Cobb in 2014, where she has worked as a freelance PR and event planning consultant. Illana has also continued her leadership in the non-profit sector. She has a passion for community engagement and has served in numerous elected positions within the local, council, and state level PTA. When she isn’t busy volunteering you can find her cheering on her sons at the Lassiter High School football or lacrosse fields.
