Oh- also I needed to address the issue of going to the staff. I only did this after the first time that the VP said that the Staff had expressed that they didn't like how I was running things, and I politely asked her who said it. Well she kept changingthe subject and concentrating on throwing me off balance to evade my question-like saying she had to go because she was too busy. wasn't to busy to tell me that! Anyways, I decided to call her bluff, and she was caught in a bold face LIE! And that is why I did what I did in talking with the Teachers- to call her hand and cash her out. Honest truth...
Thank you all who have responded- your comments are warmly received and not far from what I have cocluded. But let me explain some aspects that may have be a little hazy or seemed to be a little one sided. I never had taken an idea and simply gone ahead with it without feedback from the group. I constantly tried to receive input from all my officers, and did not get any response from a single on of them. Especially the VP, who just griped the whole time and would only help at the last minute. As far as my goals- the people I had run with me(I had talked to all the candidates and expressed my views and that's why some agreed to join me in running for PTO) agreed with these philosophies and never expressed a concern earlier. I personally do not see PTO as a money making machine, but if one expresses that Profit is more important than helping the students in obtaining a better educational experience- then I see someones attitude aligned with only wanting to show members how much money they can raise. This is what I find unhealthy. If she would have stated that our expenses were high and we didn't meet them with enough leverage, I would be in line to agree. But, we were fortunate to start off our year with $3200 from the previous year and were pardoned from having to pay for playground equipment the District had bought for us. She doesn't even acknowledge that we were aheador that those funds exist. To me, it doesn't matter what was raised from one year to the next- it goes to the same place each year, to the students. Just my honest opinion.
As far as a breakdown of ethnicity- the school has a 46% hispanic ratio, followed by African American at 29%, and whites at 25%. Ther is no mention of Native Americans anywhere in the breakdown, but it is listed on district surveys they give us..hmmmmm.
Well, one more thing I forgot to mention is that the Parent Liaison( who is now the bridge between school and home- making our group obsolete) has taken over events that belonged to PTO. In effect this now makes my position somewhat a figurehead title, so I really have no say so in anything. Thank you all , good luck in what you aspire to do, don't compromise your principals, and always stick up for the right thing to do. Many blessings on you all- go the way of the Creator.
I have been thinking about this and would have to agree that in order to have your bylaws nulled that would take more than your principal's head shake. Especially if you are 501c, either way it needs to be done formally. Yes the principal can make your life tough....yada yada yada.
I am not sure of your school breakdown at all and a culturefest sounds wonderful, I would love to do one here to teach the kids about different cultures. It is one area that you need to be careful about, it is like Halloween not all people celebrate it so you need an alternative.
The part about your post that really stuck out to me was the fundraising part and no a pto does not have to be a money making machine, they can do all volunteer efforts. Also consider finding alternative ways to fundraisers that the parents don't see it as fundraising.
the other thing that bothered me in your post was that you went to the grade level teachers and asked them if you should go, I dont think that was the healthiest way to handle this, you are looking at you vp as bashing the pto but this could also send the message to your staff that the pto is in termoil and can't handle it, that you both are trying to get people to take sides. How about a mediation type meeting for your group? I know it is hard when you have that passion and want to explore it to the max but sometimes you need to find a middle ground...
"When you stop learning you stop growing."
First of all Steven, I really don't think your by-laws are null and void if the Principal waves a wand and says so. I'm not trying to make light of the situation....okay maybe a little....but it just kills me how one person thinks they can just *poof* your by-laws are gone!
In my eyes, you are the victims of a VP that wants to be President. You are changing things and doing things different...oh yeah get that guy outta there! (I'm rolling my eyes here)
Please hang in there and I do applaud you for introducing a different heratige to the children. I would love to host a Bulgarian fest. (I'm third generation my great grandfather came to the US)
You know your Creator will never give you more than you can handle and it may feel like you have been given more than you can handle but really this is a learning and growing time in your life. Took me a long time to see that but I have learned not to give these people so much power over me. it takes work for me and I am working through a couple issues but it sure is easier to breathe when I figure it out.
Steven,
You may not be able to be officially removed but unless you have the backing of the majority of the group, you're going to have a hard time leading them. When I'm the leader of a group I always try to build a consensus, especialy if there is something new and different planned.
Our elementary school changed t-shirt companies and designs and also went with ordering only what was needed instead of dealing with boxes of old inventory. So, I get why you did that, but did you do it with a group, brainstorm a design and investigate different vendors? Your post implies that you did it all yourself. The difference is that many people may have also wanted an input and if you did it without them, that will tick people off.
I'm a little confused about why the cultural fest wasn't well received, sounds like a well thought out concept.
The third thing you mentioned was about how the VP is concerned about finances. I see nothing wrong with this. In non-profit organizations I've been involved with there's a balance between revenue and expenses. Without the revenue, you can't pay the expenses and it's good to have at least one person on the board that's keeping an eye on that.
You might want to re-read your post because to me it looks like you came in with an agenda that was extremely personal; To me, the best thing a President can do is build unity within a group and organize it so parents and teachers work together. The Presidents job is the big picture,not the little stuff.
If I hear you right, it seems like only the VP has a problem with you, Well, the principal too maybe, but you said she doesn't have any power to do anything so that doesn't matter as far as removing you. Does the VP represent the views of the rest of the board and the members? That is what I would want to know if I were in your shoes. Or does she just disagree with how you are running things? In light of what you say here, I would say no, there is no reason to remove you. It looks like you haven't done anything bad, just different.And as you know,different can be very threatening to some people.
If your bylaws are null and void (and it sounds like there is an interesting story there) I don't see that you have any process in place to remove an officer. If it was me, I would want a general meeting, heavily advertised, to discuss my removal. Let the people have the say. It is not right for one person who doesn't agree with your decisions to remove you. And if the majority of members wanted me out, I would step down. But I would remain a member and I would attend every meeting and make sure there was accountability. If they thought I was a pain as president, they would find that I was even a bigger pain as a member, because the board is accountable to its members.
Ethnicity can be a touchy subject. I'm curious: what is the ethnic breakdown of your school? We have no Native Americans at our school and I know I would have trouble pushing through any kind of Native American agenda (I am part Native American myself). I am sure our administration would not see a need for it. And that's not to say that you should stop being an advocate for something you believe in strongly because you shouldn't. It sounds like either the admin. doesn't see a need for more cultural recognition or she is using the ethnic issue to thwart you. Either situation is tough for you.
