RRO can be very intimidating. I found two books at our local Borders that have helped me understand where RRO fits into our PTO world. There are several to choose from, but I picked Robert's Rules in Plain English by Doris P. Zimmerman and The Modern Edition/Robert's Rules of Order by Darwin Patnode. Each is only 140 pages long and very readable and they complement each other.

Even though the bulk of RRO applies to more complex organizations, I would still keep that line in our bylaws about how we are goverened by Robert's Rules of Order. Over the years, we have bumped into situations that needed some objective, but authoritative, advice, particularly in the area of nominating and electing officers. Usually these issues haven't been covered in our bylaws -they were unexpected or just undocumented. Being able to refer to RRO for the "rules" really takes the monkey off the back of the officers.

Pick up one or two of the summary books and read through it before you decide to abandon RRO or write your own rules. I think you'll save time (and pages in your bylaws) if you defer to RRO.

Hi. We are making the switch from PTA to PTO and are in the process of writing bylaws. I was wondering whether as a PTO we are obligated to follow parliamentary procedure. If so, does anyone know of a set of rules (other than Robt's Rules or similar) which are more practical for the humble purposes of a small group of people just trying to make a difference in their school? Is it okay to create our own rules? My problem is that as a PTA we sort of half followed parliamentary procedure but while somewhat faithful to the letter of the law, the spirit sometimes got ignored. It's my understanding that parliamentary procedure exists to ensure equal and fair treatment of all members. Not what was happening with our little group. Would appreciate any advice from others with similar experiences or greater knowledge about the topic.