We also have the same bylaws of staying non partisan on political issues. Although last year we did have a bond that was going through for our schools. We did annouce at our meetings about the vote when, where, informational meeting about the bond. BUT we never said vote yes/no just gave the info to the parents.
Cindy<br />
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<br>"People have the right to be stupid, but some abuse the privelege."
Just as a postscript to this...consider adding something to your by-laws stating something like PTO...non-partisan...shall take no sides politically...not advocate or endorse any on local government candidate...will not dictate or support how BOE monies are raised or spent...etc. This way it's very clear to your predecessors what their course of action should be.
We run into this same type of issue every couple of years...
I want to thank all who have replied to my question. It helps so much to hear from everyone and have your responses. Something kept me stalling to commit to any one project, and after your responses I think that little voice was right. At this point, I think I will make a motion that our PTO does not get involved with the referendum. Once the meeting is adjorned if anyone wants to stay and help with the "yes committee's" request for help, they can do so as parents of our school district and not as board memebers of the PTO.
If anyone still wants to respond to this I would appreciate it. Every response helps in making a decission. There may be others out there facing the same thing as me.
As a PTO, I would not recommend taking sides on a referendum issue especially when the school is asking you to financially support the "Vote Yes" side. Using funds raised by the school community when some might be against the issue will just cause problems. As a parent however, you can most certainly work toward getting the referendum passed.
Are you sure that 100% (or a least a firm majority) of your members favor the referendum? If it's needing support, that probably means there are those for and those against it. You need to represent ALL your members. That usually means staying neutral.
However, since you are talking about an issue and not a candidate, it's a policy issue for your group to decide. You'll want to look at your bylaws and see what they say. Then you'll want to consider the specific situation - how it fits into your mission and if it's appropriate to take sides.
If you decide to do this, it would definitely be something to be voted on at a general meeting so you could show it had majority support.
