I can't tell you how much all of this means to me. I greatly appreciate all of your reply's. I will diligently face this head on, and it's great to see all the support here.
I agree with JHB that cooperation with the district is basically required, else it's very hard to operate.
That said, you're not without ammunition on your side of the debate. While the district has the ability to more or less shut you down (they could, for example, rules that you can't meet at school and can't use backpack express), you have the ability to stop providing all that you provide for the school.
No one on either side wants that result, so cooperation is essential. If the district is pushing things too far one way, then you need to (in a spirit of cooperation) push back with explanations/negotiations as to why you think parental control of the parent group is best for the school as a whole.
While the parent group is technically an independent organization, the fact is that it is permanently intertwined with the school operations and rules. It's hard to imagine a scenario where the group could be successful without the sanction and support of the school/district.
So you can be subject to any policies or rules the school/district requires. But what is really a true "policy"? There are so many rules that are made up as they go along, so many that take on a life of their own when there's no valid reason for their existance, it's difficult to know what's "real". And even if it is an established rule or policy, that's not to say it can't be challenged.
It takes dedication and diplomacy to track these things down sometimes. You have to keep asking WHY and ask to be shown who has the authority. Is this a district policy? Where is it written? Is it a rule by the principal? Written down or not, WHY is the rule in place? Are they afraid there won't be sufficient continuity and school involvement? Can you expand your board to include school positions? And sometimes you just flat hit a wall because "that's how it's always been".
Keep in mind - no matter how wonderful your current crop of parents - parent volunteers come and go. There can be great years and really flaky years. Maybe this system truly works for them, or maybe it's time for a change.
When I first got involved in my PTO, I found they only had general meetings twice a year (and board meetings every month). I thought that ridiculous, that of course they needed to have general meetings every month. I was worried about possible abuse when the "power" rested in the hands of so few. But it turns out I'm the one who was wrong. This system actually was the right one for the school and made perfect sense after I got more involved. On the other hand, I helped institute formalized structures and more documentation which safeguarded the organization and helped prevent future abuse.
Generally communication and looking for the right compromise is the key. And sometimes it only occurs over time.
Is there any way that the District can require us to not exclude faculty and or staff from these positions? And if so then where is it written. We are now in the late stages of the game and time is running out. They have really stirred up a political hornets nest with this one.The saddest part is that by being forced to strictly abide by the bylaws, then alll crud is gonna break loose, and it will make the current board look as if we are the ones attempting to use them as a political tool. BAH! This is frustrating!!!
If you add a clause, just make sure it's clear to WHOM it applies. As I explained, this restriction about not being faculty/staff only applies to the 5 elected positions. We have the 4 school positions, plus staff could chair any committee and thus be a Board member that way.
Luckily we haven't had the problem you face, but we added the language as a preventative measure. We have had parents who are also teachers become very active, and sometimes had to monitor their involvement as it was taking too much time away from the job. So, from that perspective, our principal was actually in favor of having this clause in place.
On the other hand, our middle school PTO is MUCH more informal and has far less activities. In that PTO, there's no restriction and a couple years ago the school nurse served as president. (She's a wonderfully involved faculty member.)
Thank you for the advice. The district is trying to make it sound like you cannot put something in the bylaws such as waht you wrote. I appreciate it greatly......
