Question: helping teachers be accountable

We are struggling with finding a way to get teachers more involved in PTO meetings and events. In the past we have given every classroom $175 to spend as they see fit however; this seems like a huge sum of money when we can't even expect an hour of their time in return. Any suggestions on how to use our funding as an incentive to get involved or is this a bad idea all together?

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
This is a pretty common concern. After all, it's a parent-TEACHER organization, right? But you're much better off if you adjust your expectations. First of all, there are a lot of better ways the teachers can support you than by attending meetings. For instance, they can pass out your flyers and newsletters and make sure they get into the kids backpacks. They can give up classroom time to allow you to pitch the fundraiser. And most of all, they can do a great job teaching your kids. Isn't that the number one thing you want them to concentrate on? There are a lot of reasons teachers don't attend PTO meetings, one of them being that they may have their own kids at different schools -- and they want to spend time being involved there. Here's an article by PTO Today founder Tim Sullivan on just this topic. It gives some good advice one what you should and should not expect from teachers. It's called Let Teachers Teach.