I am part of a small school in ky. we are trying to figure out if we should change froma pta to a pto. from all the reading i have done the process scares me. could and would anyone please give a us a step by step process on what we need to know and do in the state of ky. all help would be a major help. also do we have heard that we would have to give the pta ang monet that we have not spent. is this true? i am new to all the legal business of this. i just want to better the school. thanks
Wow! Where to begin! This site is full of helpful PTOers who know a lot about starting up and will probably tell you that a good set of bylaws is the first place to begin. As Butterfly McQueen said in Gone With The Wind, I don't know nuthin' bout birthin' no bylaws'. Personally, I would get a small group of people that I trusted together and brainstorm the various committees and types of committees that you want to form. I know that our PTO couldn't begin to run as effectively as it does without 1)Fundraising Committee 2)Special Events Committee 3)Room Parent Coordinator 4)Telephone Coordinator and then there are the various officers that are needed prior to conducting any fundraising or deciding on anything (Treasurer for the $$$ and a Secretary for recording Minutes and other business stuff). Again, I stress getting together a small group that you know and trust to be your builders and once you have a foundation, do what we did in the 60's, Take It To The People.
As for fundraisers: I was very lucky to find the company who helps us raise funds. He cuts us in for a straight 50% no matter how little we sell and he pays for all the shipping, the prizes, the parties and was kind enough to send my family the most beautiful Christmas basket. You have to do some searching to find a decent fundraiser group. I wouldn't settle for the first one. Make them compete for your business because it may seem like they are doing you a favor, but in reality, you are making their living for them, supplying a huge workforce---namely your children. WELL...Good Luck...Hope I was of some help! If you have any questions in the fundraising areas (besides the WHO TO GET part), you can email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Our school is a K-12 Christian School. We are interested in starting a K-12 Parent Teacher Group. We contacted the PTA in our area and it was not exactly what we were hoping for. A friend recommended we check out PTO. I am not sure what to do first to get started. I have served as a PTA President before in a public school and have some idea of how things work, but I was elected into an already running Parent Teacher Group. I have no experience on starting a new one where there has never been one before. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
