Question: Paid Staff on PTO?

Hi - we have a PTF (PTO) for our private school and have had some issues with consistency and finding people to fill the role of President since it is, in essence, an unpaid full-time job. We are considering making the President a paid staff of the school (at least part-time if not full-time). Is that permissible and what title would/should that position hold?

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
Some schools do have a paid position with the title of parent involvement coordinator (or similar). The function isn't to run the PTO but to encourage parent involvement in education in many different ways. This coordinator would provide support for the PTO, but a parent would be the president. It's one way to take some pressure off the president and to build in some continuity.

Short of that, you might take a look at how the PTF is organized. If being president is the equivalent of a full-time job, you might look at creating more support -- an active board of several different parents who can take specific responsibilities, for example. Also, it might be time to dial back the expectations a bit. Doing fewer things but doing them very well can help in a number of ways -- it reduces the risk of burnout for your officers and can energize a base of support. In the long-run, you build an organization in which many people have a stake rather than a top-down group where the president is responsible for everything.