Question: Only board members allowed to vote

Is it normally that only the six board members are allowed to vote on what the PTO does? In this case the board members are the Pres, VP, Secretary, 2 staff reps, and the principal.

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Liz L writes:
Hi - it depends on your bylaws and the issue. For example, officers usually make the financial decisions -- it's just not practical to have a general meeting vote on every expenditure. On the other hand, if members vote to make or not make an expenditure, the board is obligated to comply with that vote. Say the board has decided to buy new computers for the school. If a motion is made and passed at a general meeting not to spend that money and instead reallocate it to the playground fund, the officers have do as they've been directed by that vote.
-Liz from PTO Today

Community Advice

Cairo2 writes:
It would make more sense if they had general meetings, or allowed general votes. But they don't have general meetings. They only have meetings where they are allowed to vote. Nobody but the six board members are allowed to vote. That doesn't seem right to me. They do not read budgets or finances. They do not share anything but rough financial information. I did find out they have way more money then they should. They have money still sitting that they raised more than two years ago. Which is one of the reasons I am a little heated about this. We live in a rural area with low incomes. The PTO continues to do lots of fundraisers taking more money from parents and the community. But what's the point of doing fundraisers if that money is not going back to the kids and school.