Question: Parent complaints to principal

As the principal, what is my role in addressing parent concerns about the PTO leadership? I have had parents complain to me about the president and treasurer of the PTO. They seem to be the only board members and at times seems to BE the PTO. I am afraid we don't have a lot of participation due to these two people. What is or should be my role in addressing it? And HOW do I address it. They are not approachable and I don't want them to leave entirely.

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Rose H writes:
Hi there!
If you have parents complaining, you need to address it. It is certainly reasonable for you to contact the PTO board and suggest a meeting to catch up and share information. Think of yourself as the problem solver--you are helping the board understand what the complaints are and discover ways to address concerns. If you have a situation where the board would be so unable to hear this feedback that they'd "leave," then that's a big problem, but not one that hasn't happened before. If that did happen, you can immediately reach out to other parents. If this current board was hard to deal with, you may find new volunteers emerge if the go. Of course, the better solution is to help the board and parents get on the same page, starting with sharing the feedback with the board.

Rose