Your Legislative Budget

Your position as Leg VP is not an expensive one, but there are times you'll need to spend some money. Here are some things to think about as you plan to submit your budget request to your board:

• Conferences--this could include Utah PTA Legislative Advocacy Conference (October), Critical Issues Conference (October), PTA Day at the Capitol (February), and Utah PTA Leadership Convention (May) $125 for conferences should about set you up for all of them. If your board is not supporting the expense for others to attend some of these conferences, especially Critical Issues and the Advocacy Conference (which will benefit everyone on your board), consider adding in the cost of a few extra registrations so you can take people along.
  
• Meet the Candidates--if you plan to do one on your own, find out if you will have to pay for a venue. You'll need paper and pencils to pass around for people to write questions on, and water bottles for the candidates and moderator. If you want to purchase a small gift for the moderator, add that in. Think about what you want to do for advertising. A low-budget MtC night in a free venue might cost around $15.
• Travel expenses--If you're planning on taking very many trips up to the capitol, or to other conferences outside Utah Valley, consider having your board help out with expenses. One 75 mile round trip to the capitol could be reimbursed at .35/mile or whatever your board feels is fair. If you're only going to make one trip up this year, don't worry about expenses, unless it is a hardship for you. It's totally legitimate, as long as you budget it in the beginning.
• Copies--hopefully you can do most of your work online, which will cut way back on expenses. If you anticipate needing to make copies for any reason, add that in to your budget.
• Food--If you plan to be at the capitol for a day other than a scheduled conference, you can purchase lunch for about $9. If you want your board to pay for it, add this in to your budget.
  

Remember, we need to be wise stewards of PTA funds, but ask for the amount of money you'll need to do your job effectively. Keeping parents informed and advocating for children is one of our main purposes!