I am new to the PTO this year although I have been involved in other non-profits.
I'd like to know how much authority the principals and SITE team members have with your PTOs.
I'm trying to stay open-minded and realize the importance for the PTO to have good lines of communication with both the principal and SITE team.
I've been informed that all teacher requests for any funding goes through the principal instead of directly to all of the board members. The principal then okays or denies the requests that will be brought to the PTO board. She meets with the co-presidents about a week before our monthly meeting and discusses the new requests and any other pertinent items for the agenda. The principal approved requests are then brought to the board for a vote. None of the requests have been outrageous and are always unanamously approved at the meetings.
Now my question is - is this the norm to have all requests filtered through to the principal and is she actually doing us all a favor by being so involved and doing the preliminary work of prioritizing the requests, or is she overstepping her bounds by denying the rest of the board the opportunity to be making decisions on where we think the funding would be best spent.
The principal has a very nice way about her, but I believe she somewhat uses this "nice way" to intimadate any one from questioning her decisions. I think everyone would agree that it is better that she wants to be involved than to be an inactive member of the PTO.
Also, what role if any, does your SITE team play in your PTO? There are 5 SITE team members on the PTO board and all 5 of them are also on the Nominating Committee, principal, 2 co-prez.(1 is a school kitchen employee and parent), staff member and SITE member. I know that Roberts Rules of Order suggests that a prez or co-prez. not be on the nominating committee.
I'm not saying there is any impropriety going on, but no one seems to think that the make-up of the nominating committee is odd. I don't think anyone else would speak up anyway because most people wouldn't want to go against what the principal would want. Keep in mind that we have about 20 board members.
And the bylaws need to be approved by the SITE team. The PTO is incorporated and a separate entity from the school. Other than the 5 SITE members who are also PTO board members, the other 6-7 Site members never attend a PTO meeting.
I'm just trying to stay diplomatic and not rock the boat, and the jury is still out, but I'm beginning to think both the principal and the SITE team has more authority in this PTO than most.
Principal also has both book fairs and label collections run by the staff but the PTO members help out. The money goes directly to the school for media supplies.
Is she doing us a favor by not having the PTO running all these things even though we are still helping out?
I'd appreciate some feedback from some more seasoned people.
