I was told today by my son's principal that I couldn't speak at a PTO meeting. I am concerned that our third and fourth grade students don't have but one recess a day and that just before time to go home. As a matter of fact the third graders don't go to recess until 3:05 and get out of school at 3:30. The princial stated that this isn't a PTO problem and couldn't be addressed at a PTO meeting. Can he do this?
Does your PTO have a mission statement and a constitution? Our constitution spells out all officer duties, and it is clear that the President presides over the meeting. We do have at every meeting a Principals report and a Superintendents report giving them ample to time to share their plans and ideas and update us all on what is going on in their world. Maybe having this all spelled out in black and white would help define everyones place.... Just my humble opinion.
While I agree with the others that your Principal SHOULD NOT preside over your meetings and/or organization, removing his/her control is going to be a long process. The reason we volunteer is to make our schools a better place for our kids to be. Making enemies with the Principal is never a good idea.
The suggestion regarding changing the Bylaws in favor of self-governing (taking the control back) is an excellent idea. My last suggestion is for you to move up next year and remove the "uninvolved" President so that you can at least START the process of taking control.
We have a very STRONG principal in our school but we have made it clear that we are not part of the staff and that we have rules and guidelines that we need to follow as an organization and that no one person can change any of them. Any time we butt heads on an issue we always say "we will bring it up to the membership and let you know what is decided". At least we have control over the issue. I hope this helps some and I wish you luck..... this wont be easy!
Fran is right - build your team and get them behind you. Write a letter on any 'hard' topic on a letter- head, approved by your PTO board, and have several members sign it. Send it off to th e proper place and give a followup date for a call.
Your principal "presides"? Is yours a public school? If you are a catholic school, then there's probably not much you can do about a strong principal, but if you are a public school (I've been in both), then there's lots you can do.
I'd suggest slowly finding the people who agree with you that something needs to be done. Once you have a team, your voice will be louder.
The next step I think is to try and change things through proper channels -- go to your meetings and suggest changes to your bylaws so that meetings are run by president and board. If you can't make changes through the channels, then go over people's heads.(superintendent, school committe)
An active parent group that is empowered to help the school is so important. Don't let one person get in the way.
Our PTO has done very little in the past, and I personally plan to change alot next year. I am our vice president this year, and have embarked on a series of fundraisers and community involvement projects. One project I would like to see is a playground, due to the fact that our existing one is broken and depressing. However, our Principal,who actually PRESIDES over our PTO meetings, has stated that playgrounds are obsolete and that we have no need for one. How can I take back my PTO? Our parents are angry, but will not speak out, and our President is uninvolved. This is my first year on any PTO board, and I dont know where to turn. Any help would be greatly appreciated
