Advice from PTO Today

Gadzooks! Twenty-seven board members? Elly imagines that one or two “light bulb” jokes have been uttered at your meetings!

Seriously, that’s a lot of board members, and it will take some strong organization on your part to make it work. On the other hand, some groups prefer a larger board on the age-old theory that “many hands make light work.”

A typical setup is to go with a less formal board structure but use the large board to make most of the group’s decisions. General meetings in that case are limited to one or two a year. Elly knows of one group that lets anyone who wants to join the board.

The larger boards that Elly is familiar with typically number in the mid- to high teens. But if your current number of officers is working out OK for you, there’s obviously no need to restructure. That’s the beauty of being a PTO—if the structure works for you, you can go for it.

As for your question, you probably should revise your bylaws. You’ve pinpointed a situation in which they don’t fit your needs. It makes sense to change them so they’ll be flexible enough to accommodate your group in the future.

If you do decide to change your bylaws, the bylaws themselves should outline how to make an amendment. Typically, you need to give a certain amount of notice for the vote, you must have a quorum (as defined by your bylaws) in attendance, and the amendment must pass by either a plurality or two-thirds vote.

Good luck with your amendment, and best wishes to you and your board of 27.

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