Question: Unappreciative or just plain rude?

In the past our PTO used Scholastic Dollars to put $100 worth of books into each classroom. Last year we had an abundance saved so we added the Specials teachers as well. This year not only are sales down, but we don't have as many saved. We also realized we need to stock up on 'Right to Read Week' books. The PTO membership voted to only give classrooms book allowances this year. 'IT' hit the fan! What would you do?

Asked by PTO~VP

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
When you say it hit the fan, who was upset? The teachers or your members?

Community Advice

firefighter464 writes:
To your topic sentence(and I'm guessing you meant the teachers), I'd say both. And I can see you are upset with the reaction and I'm guessing also disappointed in this year's sales. Remember, you can't make someone else feel or do something you want, you can only affect your own reaction to them. I can see that as a PTO you made some slight financial planning errors. You can adjust that to hopefully learn from this experience, which is all we can hope for here. First off, there is that old church-story about a rich man who gives to a hobo everyday on his way to work. Well, economic times hit and the rich man is no longer as rich and one day he tells the hobo he can't give him what he's always given him. The hobo turns to him and says why should I suffer because you aren't as rich? Meaning the 'rich' an should make other cuts to his own needs in order to still provide the same to the hobo. In this case, can you do that? If not, in the future, another lesson is found in my family budget. We have a siruation where work is contract to contract. Often times laid off for months in between. We certainly know how to save for a rainy day because it comes regularly. That move you made to expand your book-giving right when the economy was souring maybe wasn't the best idea. The extra should have gone to leaner sales years. I know it's hard not to give/spend when you have the $$ but financial planning is the real key. Best wishes. Rely on good communication to smooth things over, too.