Kim Dawson Kim Dawson says she has one opportunity to be a mom and she wants to ensure her only child has the best education possible.

That’s why the Camarillo resident volunteers to improve the local schools, putting in more than 20 hours each week leading the districtwide Parent Teacher Association, overseeing PTA groups at each of Pleasant Valley School District’s campuses.

“I don’t see any greater purpose (than volunteering at school) if you’re a parent because you will blink your eye and (childhood) will be gone,” Dawson said.

“I know I get one shot at this and you have to decide that it’s important to you at that moment.”

Dawson first got involved by volunteering at her son Garrett’s La Mariposa Elementary School classes in 2006. She then attended the school’s PTA meetings, eventually becoming president. Garrett is now 11.

After serving for one year as head of the school’s PTA, Dawson was elected president of the Camarillo Council of PTA. She has just finished her first year and is preparing for her second.

“ She’s extremely sincere about her mission to do everything she can to improve our schools and find ways to finance them,” said Luis Villegas, district superintendent.

“You have a person here who is willing to go into the neighborhoods and talk to families. She is really outstanding and it’s very important for us to have someone like her who is willing to give a lot of time,” he said.

Dawson manages all the PTAs on individual school sites and is the liaison between the various campuses and the district office as well as the organizer of a monthly meeting of PTA heads. She also represents all the Camarillo PTAs at county meetings and handles any conflicts involving the association.

“I bridge the relationship between parents and the district for a joint effort,” she said. “It’s always better when you work together to succeed at your goals.”

Dawson said she works hard to get parents involved. To do this, she maintains a constant flow of communication.

There is now a PTA Facebook page and the association sends weekly emails to inform parents of campus events and activities. She said many parents don’t realize the PTA pays for most music programs, field trips, science nights and other extracurricular activities.

“Most parents do not understand the value of the parent group on campus,” Dawson said. “The strength of your parent group will dictate the opportunities your child has at school. Not all schools are created equal. If I hadn’t been involved I never would have known that.”

Dawson encourages all parents to help their children’s school however they can, either financially or through volunteer work.

Camarillo parents logged more than 62,000 hours of volunteer time during the 2010-11 school year, she said.

The annual membership fee to join PTA is $5. If more parents joined the association and paid the fee, Dawson said, that extra money could help pay for basic necessities such as supplies for teachers.

“It’s just a nominal cost for such a huge gain.”

Dawson has taken over leadership of the local PTAs at an especially challenging time in light of recent budget cuts. State funding to PVSD for the upcoming school year is down nearly $10 million from where it was three years ago. Dawson suggested parents get involved with PTA to stay updated on accurate information about the schools’ budget cuts.

“There’s so much hearsay that until you really take the time to be informed, I really think you can have a very misled opinion,” she said.

Dawson juggles her PTA work with working full-time as an escrow administrator in Camarillo.

She rarely gets overwhelmed, she said, because she’s very organized and works on her PTA responsibilities a few hours each day. But she also knows when she needs to focus on family time.

Garrett will start sixth grade at Las Colinas Middle School this fall.

“I’m doing this to be connected with my child, and if (PTA) is taking over that, then I’ve got to say no,” Dawson said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I felt like I couldn’t make a difference.”