Question: pto president rights can they refuse to put item on ballot

iam the pto president and recently its seems that everyone wants to vote on some new way to spend money i agree they all are great ideas but we cant do them all do i hold the right to say the items will not be done or not even but on ballot to be voted on there is nothing in our bylaws that says what my rights are ourwould this be a policy please help

Asked by tankfish

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
Your issue isn't uncommon, but you can't stop your members from voting on these items. Members have the right to put items on the agenda and vote on them. And a vote at a general meeting outweighs a board decision or the authority of the president in this case (as in most cases). The procedure we recommend for all parent groups is to adopt and vote on a budget at the beginning of the year. Budget by categories ($200 for teacher appreciation; $2100 for field trips, etc.). That way when these individual items come up, they will need to fit within your pre-approved budget. You can vote to change the numbers in each category, of course, but having an approved budget makes it easier for you to demonstrate how supporting one program means taking away from another. Check out our finance and budget topic page for articles on how to create and manage a PTO or PTA budget, even if you have never had one before.