Questions we get a lot.

Individual $10, Faculty & Staff $10, and Student $5, covering July 1 through June 30. Amounts are set each year by the Executive Board and approved by the membership at the May annual meeting. Dues are the PTSO's operating budget and fund school programs, staff, and students. No student is turned away for inability to pay, and hardship waivers are available from any officer. Just ask.

Membership is open to parents and legal guardians of Murphy students, teachers and staff, and enrolled Murphy students, without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, or disability.

If you do not have a student at Murphy but want to support the school, you still can. Grandparents, alumni, and neighbors are welcome to donate, sponsor a program, or volunteer at an event. Here is how to help →

Murphy High School PTSO is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Our EIN is 42-4466994.

Donations and sponsorships are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Membership dues work differently, because members receive benefits in return, so we do not quote a deductible amount. Check with your tax preparer. If you need a written acknowledgment, email info@mhsptso.org.

Givebacks is the platform we use for memberships and donations, so most payments land in one place. We also accept cash and checks. Make checks payable to MHS PTSO.

Hand cash or a check to whoever is working the PTSO table at an event. If you are sending money in with your student instead, seal it in an envelope marked MHS PTSO with a note saying what the payment is for, and let a board member know it is coming.

No. Membership and volunteering are separate, and plenty of families do one without the other.

None. One shift a year is a real contribution, and you do not have to be a member to volunteer.

The one exception is chairing a committee, which is a commitment through the school year. If that interests you, email president@mhsptso.org.

No background check is required to volunteer with the PTSO. If a school activity has its own requirement, the school will tell you.

Yes. Students can earn service hours volunteering with the PTSO, and any board member or committee chair can sign off on them. Just ask before you start so we know to track your time.

The second Tuesday of every month at 6:00 PM in the MHS Auditorium. All general meetings are open to every Murphy family, member or not, and no childcare is provided. Full schedule →

Yes, to as many as you like. Only members in good standing vote, but anyone can attend and speak.

Board meetings are working sessions for Executive Board members. Everything the board decides comes to the membership at the monthly general meeting, and minutes are posted on the Members page, so nothing gets decided out of sight. If there is something you want the board to take up, email info@mhsptso.org or talk to any officer and it can go on the agenda.

The membership year runs July 1 through June 30, matching our fiscal year. Dues are payable beginning July 1 each year, and memberships do not roll over. Everyone rejoins each summer.

Submit a funding request to the Executive Board, which reviews it against the approved annual budget. Spending already provided for in the budget can be authorized by the board; anything not in the budget and over $250 has to go to the membership for approval, so bring larger requests early. Email info@mhsptso.org and we will send you the request form.

Use the check request form and send it to the Treasurer with your receipt. Every disbursement needs two authorized signatures. The President, Vice President, and Treasurer are the signers, so allow a few days. Email info@mhsptso.org and we will send you the check request form.

Murphy's parent group used to be a PTSA, a local chapter of the national PTA. In 2026 a new board came in and chose to reorganize as an independent organization: Murphy High School PTSO, with its own 501(c)(3) status and its own bylaws approved by the membership.

Two things drove the decision. Independence means every dollar raised at Murphy stays at Murphy, instead of a share of every membership going to state and national dues. It also means the rules we run by are written, voted on, and amended by the people in the room. Several parents who had served on other school boards told us they would step up if we converted, and they did.

Nothing changed about who is welcome. Every Murphy family, every staff member, and every student can join, and anyone who was a PTSA member is very much wanted here. If you have questions about the change, email info@mhsptso.org or ask any officer at a meeting.

A PTSA is a chapter of the national PTA and sends part of its dues upward. A PTSO is independent. Every dollar stays at Murphy, the bylaws are ours, and the members here decide how the money is spent.

Yes. Dues cover one school year and never roll over, and that was true under the PTSA as well. The membership year runs July 1 through June 30, so everyone joins again each summer.