Our PTOs promote community and parental involvement, help with funds (mostly with the fun stuff, like playground, etc), provide incentives for attendance, academic, and testing, we are used as a tool to inform parents of what is happening around our school, ...we do lots of things. I could go on and on. But discipline and parent complaints is not one of them. That would be addressed to the SBDM or Board of Education, after the principal has been talked too. The principals that I've worked with have been happy to stay and talk with concerned parents after the meetings.
The goal of our parent group is to support the teachers, students and parents of the school. We do this largely by volunteering around the school, raising $ for programs or items that the regular school budget cannot cover and educating parents about what's going on around the school so they can support their children better.
The school is very young, and in the recent past the parents group was a gripe group, but we're trying to move beyond that. One development has been a discussion group composed of teachers, parents and school board members to discuss concerns teachers and parents have. The problems are then in the hands of the school board and hopefully are then addressed in an appropriate way. Another thing we do is during the monthly parents group meeting we have a short section where anyone can ask the principals anything.
I agree with you that the parents group would be a great place to problem solve, but what I've seen is that people often want to point fingers and find fault rather than work toward finding solutions. But if the 'problem' can be solved by the parents group (for example, our teachers don't have X and the school can't afford it right now. Let's find a way to pay for X with our undesignated portion of this year's PTO budget), then I think it is appropriate to bring it up there. If it's an administration issue, I would start with administration first and then move up the food chain if absolutely necessary.
I agree with many of the posts above. Our PTO not only raises funds (and alot of $$) but staffs volunteers for almost any school need. We put on school carnivals, new Parent Luncheons, Field Day, etc.
I really don't think our PTO meetings are the place for parents to come "vent" about school concerns (i.e. : we have too much homework, I don't like the reading curriculum, this teacher is way too strict, this child is bullying my child, etc>). I think parents need to go straight to the teacher or the principal for that. One year, we had a parent go "postal" on us at a meeting(hijacked the meeting with a furious monologue about a school complaint) and I lived in fear that that type parent would show up at one of my meetings this year (I am President). Thank God they never did! I just don't think that's what PTO meetings are for (at least at our school).
My .02.
Shelly
I knwo each group is different, but most of us are there to enhance the school in some form or another. Your original belief that PTO was a forum for discussing school concerns is very common. In our district, most school have a school planning and management team that you could take these concerns to. Our private schools have policy committees for this purpose. If you have concerns, I suggest you start with asking your child's teacher for clarification or talk to the principal, but some don't do well when people question their policy, so if there is someone at the school you feel comfortable with, ask them. By the way, we discuss PTO funds and events as well as how our group can best use its resouces to improve our school at our meetings. When parents want to talk school policy, I suggest they attend a SPMT meeting, or, if it is a specific concern about their child or child's teacher, that they talk to the Asst. Principal.
The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life. --Anne Morris
Our PTO's purpose is to provide volunteers and fund the purchase of items needed to improve the educational opportunities of our children and to promote family involvment in the school. We do discuss general issues affecting our school such as district wide budget cuts, building changes, and other things that affect the general population, but our meetings are not the place to discuss individual concerns or issues. I think you will probably find that true of most school's parent organizations.
Unfortunately, many parent groups do get the reputation of being strictly fundraising machines and with all the cuts in education funding that has become even more the case. Our group has been making the effort to get away from that stereotype, but it's difficult when you see all the things your school needs to function.
Try talking with the President of your group and see what the group's purpose and goals are. The President may be able to direct you to the correct person to handle your issues and may also be able to show you how your involvment can make a difference.
On the surface I am sure that our Parent Club looks like a fundraising machine, and it is, but we raise funds to help off set concerns that we, the parents have with the school, ie. campus beautification, not enough art instruction, the need for more assemblies, new books for the libraries, more sports programs, after school enrichment programs. All of these things were found to be a need at our school, and through the years, all of these things have been funded through the Parent Club.
If your concerns are directed at a staff member then a private meeting with the principal is the forum for you. But if your concerns are about things that can change with the school as a whole, then you were in the right place.
