I have been meaning to give an update on what happened with our school in Atlanta. As you all recall, we had originally planned to vote on Dec 1st to become a PTO at the end of the year (after serving out the rest of the year as a PTA) but the GA PTA President showed up at our meeting and threatened to seize our bank account of approx. $90,000 if we did so. So, we tabled the vote to wait until our new PTO had 501 (c) 3 status, later in the school year, because we didn't want to risk having the state PTA take the money our parents had donated to our school
Our baby PTO (with only a board of interim directors, bylaws, and no members yet) applied for 501(c)3 status in December after that meeting. At the time, our PTA was still up and running at our school as the sole parent volunteer group.
Our PTO received approval from the IRS our 501(c)3 status in just 30 days! So, we scheduled a vote on the issue of becoming a PTO for April - to be held at the same time as officer elections. We put together a written referendum explaining we would vote yay or nay on becoming a PTO, and explaining that if the vote was for a PTO, then we would elect PTO officers for next year instead of PTA, and basically let the current PTA go dormant. We never discussed actual "dissolution" of our local PTA unit because the Georgia PTA made that route so difficult and so ugly (and required unreasonable things from us that aren't contained in our bylaws.)
We took the vote in April as planned, and the proposal to become a PTO passed 158-6!** We were honestly surprised at how overwhelming the support was for severing ties with the PTA. (I think in large part, it was the Georgia PTA showing up at our December meeting uninvited, behaving unprofessionally, and leaving a bad taste in everyone's mouths that really helped our cause.)
**We included in our new PTO bylaws that all members of our local PTA unit would also be considered members of the PTO from April 1, 2011 to the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2011. This allowed all the 600 members of our PTA at our school the opportunity to vote for next year's PTO officers (instead of PTA officers) at the April vote and decide what to do with the money in both PTA and PTO accounts at the same time. Thus, all the decisions made during that April vote were binding on both our local PTA unit and our new PTO, and allowed everyone to be a part of the process if they wanted. It all went very smoothly. We never notified the Georgia PTA of our vote (b/c we were not voting to "dissolve" the PTA, nor do we have any official PTA bylaws in Georgia and they never showed up.
So, now we have a PTO that is up and running with 501(c)3 status, a budget, officers for next year, and a ton of support from our parents. Our local PTA unit technically still exists - at least until June 30th - but it is now much like an abandoned house. There are no new PTA officers for next year, no one will be becoming a PTA member next year, and the PTA bank account has only enough money in it to cover outstanding checks. And, once we reach June 30th, no one at our school is responsible for our PTA local unit anymore.
Our local unit PTA officers who will be officially done June 30th have agreed that they will certainly file the appropriate paperwork with the IRS regarding the now-dormant PTA unit finances and have things audited --as we would have done if we stayed a PTA. We will provide that information to the PTA when it is done. After that, there is nothing left for us to do with the PTA.
We don't feel the need to officially "notify" the PTA of anything. We have no doubt they are fully aware of what has occurred at our school since December (there were 3 parents who were very upset about our PTO plan who likely informed them). I also have no doubt that they monitor these PTO message boards. (being that this message board is how the National PTA president told us he became aware of the situation at our school, it stands to reason the GA PTA monitors them as well.)
We have been thrilled with the support our parents have given us on the move to become a PTO. We have also been surprised at the number of other schools (at all age levels) who have inquired with us about becoming a PTO as well, and have spoked to our officers about our experiences with the PTA.
As I come to the end of this process, I can see now why the trend is toward PTOs in the country. And, while it had not been a big trend in Atlanta (our school is one of the first in Fulton County to do it), it is obvious that the tide is starting to turn toward PTO here as well. PTO means independence, no dues paid to outer organizations that don't really provide any benefit to our school, and not being forced to support the GA PTA's political lobbying effort for some hot button issues that some of our parents may not agree with. (for example, GA PTA's position against the immigration reform bill in GA.). We didn't think politics belonged in our school regardless of what your political beliefs may be. It is unreasonable to us to require that a parent support particular lobbying causes (even if they don't agree with those causes) just so they can be a part of the parent volunteer group at their child's public school.
So, I hope this helps a little with the question as to whether to go dormant. I do think that is easiest. If your local PTA unit has no new officers, no new members, and no money - it's just an abandoned house. I think filing the appropriate paperwork (IRS, audit) for your local unit's past year is a good way to close up shop. But next year, you start out as a PTO!
I can't promise you won't get blowback from the Georgia PTA, but if your parents believe that is right for your school -- who cares what the Georgia PTA thinks?
