Question: Proposing an Agenda Item

I recently proposed next year's change of dismissal time as an agenda item. The president added it to the agenda (3 weeks before the meeting) but then advised at the end of the meeting that she placed it on the agenda in error. The principal stated (at the meeting) that she did not wish to discuss this matter and information would be shared with students after final exams. I was very disappointed with the total shut-down of communications and wondered if the proper PTO procedures were practiced.

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
This sounds like the president put it on the agenda and then the school principal said she didn't want to discuss the issue at that particular meeting, so the president got stuck and just took it off the agenda. If the principal had stated she was not quite ready to discuss the matter at that particular time,(at that meeting) but would keep parents informed as soon as she could, then, you probably would have felt OK about it. Perhaps the way she said "she did not wish to discuss this matter'' was off-putting.

Community Advice

rm9116 writes:
I'm not sure this is an appropriate PTO agenda item. Here it would be solely at the discretion of the school board and any discussion would be in the public part of that meeting. You might want to talk to the principal and see if that's the reason that the agenda item was removed.

Community Advice

Knenoff00 writes:
Our PTO has no control over that it is up to the school board and if you wanted it changed you would have to go to them. The PTO can only handle fundraising and support to our students, their families and staff. We don't have a say in the day to day running of the school.