Out of the 15 units in our PTA Council I admit that there are only a handful that have problematic meetings. The majority are laid back and sensible. But there is nothing worse than being blindsided at a meeting. Especially when what is going on infringes on the basic rights of other members. That is why we are offering a workshop by a parliamentarian, more to empower our members. But I would never have a heart attack if things were not followed by the book. It's just one more tool for the chair person.
I became PTO co-president last year. The first thing I did was give everyone on the board a copy of the Roberts Rules of Order. It has proved to be greatly beneficial, because when you get a group of parents together, a meeting can be reduce to a bitch session quickly. Using the Roberts Rules of Order, I have been able to maintain control, and keep the meetings on a positive note.
We just had the Washington State PTA Convention a couple weeks ago. As an incoming co-pres, I went and one of the classes I attended was called Effective Meetings. It was lead by one of the gals whose been on the board of several different PTAs including our state board.
The class was really great! She had some great suggestions/ideas and we all got the chance to brainstorm, too. One of the things she spoke about that I found very liberating was the idea of not being so hung up on parlimentary procedure!! I am not a fan of RR so I was not looking forward to using it. She said she's seen many people over the years who've wanted to speak but were afraid of not knowing when or how they could within the framework of the rules. Your 'standing rules' allow you the flexibility to adapt things from year to year and for your individual PTA (I imagine PTO's are the same). You just have to vote in that you are using or are not adhering to... and have it passed as part of the standing rules.
They are YOUR meetings. You can run them with quite a bit of flexibility depending on the needs/wants of your group.
I have been involved with PTA for many years now. I have been to both meetings of both extremes. Even though your meetings have gone well, you are fortunate. Roberts Rules is invaluable to chairing a meeting. Agendas can be followed, decisions made and meeting adjourned. It is useful that as many members know the rules as possible and tolerance and direction should be given to those not familiar with them. You never know when a meeting may go bad. Being knowledgable of RR is the only way out! When your executive board knows how to "put the previous question" (which ends debate and calls for a vote) or move to "table an issue" (remove from discussion to bring up later) they can be most helpful.Our Council recommends that every unit have a parliamentarian at each meeting. This way everything is covered and no one will dispute the authenticity of a meeting or the decision made.Most "Associations of Parliamentarians" offer free workshops on Parliamentary Procedure.
I think it is great that you have a 4 or more year PTO and the meetings are still interesting. I have just been elected president of the first PTO at our school. Our previous parent group was so informal that nothing was done, money is a nightmare, and the principal is used to doing everything her way. Not that she is against someone else having someone to delegate things to, she is in favor of the PTO and is very receptive to criticism and new ideas.
