I know in our organization, as a board member I help represent the parents. I can not vote. I can only make suggestions and the general membership votes. There's accountability and checks and balances. I would say take it to the principal (when available) or even someone higher up because now there's money involved and that can really be a problem. Especially when there;s no accountability.
My kids have started at a new school this year. I inquired about PTO from the beginning. A few weeks into school, I got a call from a woman saying that there was a PTO meeting. I went along with about 6 other people. To make a long story short, this woman has dubbed herself "chairperson" and appointed the rest of us as PTO officers. She has no interest in bylaws, elections, accounting, or anything else official. She says it is just "casual."
Well this didn't seem right to me, so I went to the school superintendant. She had NO idea who this woman was or why she was doing this. I told her I would like to forma commitee to form bylaws, then hold elections (and all the other stuff that goes with starting a ligitamate PTO. I got the superintendant's blessing.
I told the other woman that we needed to form bylaws and hold elections and she said no. She likes it the way it is. I told her she can't collect money in the name of an organization that does not exist and on and on. She still refused, so the super. was supposed to tell her that she needed to stop.
Well today when I took my kids to school, I saw a sign that says the PTO is selling stuff after school (Cokes and candy - which I don't agree with anyway). I don't where the woman got the money to buy the stuff or what she is planning to do with it after she collects it.
What do I do? How do I get her to stop using the name of the PTO (which doesn't actually exsist yet anyway)? Is she breaking any laws? She claims to have the blessing of the proncipal who can't be contacted due to emergency surgury. I just don't know what the rules are here, but I know this just isn't right.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Tessa
Make-believe president of the Make-believe PTO
