Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
If your PTO is independent -- you have an EIN, your own checking account, bylaws -- the principal can't disband the PTO. And unless your bylaws say otherwise, he doesn't have to be a signer on the checking account. However, he can prevent you from having access to the classrooms, meeting in the school, sending home flyers, etc. So it's important to find a compromise so you can work together. On the other hand, principals are under pressure to build parent involvement in schools. Research shows that parent involvement helps students achieve more and helps schools perform better. In fact, building parent involvement is one of the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. Your PTO undoubtedly does a lot to build involvement, and without the PTO he'll need the staff to develop their own involvement programs. I'd recommend making a list of all of the things you've done for the school and the benefits they have had. Example: a family night helps parents get connected to the school in a non-threatening way. It creates a foundation for more meaningful involvement. When the principal says "the PTO creates work for teachers and takes them away from classroom time" (or whatever the argument might be), you can counter by saying "the PTO also does all of these good things, so let's find a way to maximize the good and minimize the bad." There's a new article we just posted called Principal Q&A: Advice for PTOs. It has some good insight from a principal on the best ways for PTOs to work with principals -- and especially to deal with difficult principals. I think you'll find it helpful.

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