I'd prefer to remain neutral. Usually, it'd be voted on at the PTO meeting but if you want more input, you can send home a survey asking for parents feelings on the issue of donating PTO$$$ for the cause. Personally,I feel a PTO shouldn't be asked. Like you, the $$$ should be used on the students/teachers.
That is my question. Is it fair for whoever shows up at the PTO meeting at which this issue would be voted on, be enough represnetation of the PTO?
Our school is a k-5 school with 811 students approximately 760 families. Our PTO meetings generally consist of 35-40 people. So is that a fair enough representation for an issue like this?
It is really impossible to say that the PTO supports or does not support a referendum. The PTO consists of ALL parents and staff of that school.
Thank you for your input thus far.
Audrey
I agree with with mom2elmos. You cannot support a politcal candidate but you can support a referendum if that is what your group wants to do.Good Luck!!
Just my opinion. Never been faced with this issue, but I would have a SERIOUS problem with taking PTO money and using it for political purposes. Especially, if that money was raised to go to the kids. Now, if it was an obvious PTO supports this referendum, I could see PTO coming out and saying we support this referendum and consider doing a fundraiser specifically for that group. But I would be really mad if I thought I was raising money for the kids and teachers, and it would up being used as a political action campaign.
Hope you are able to reach an easy concensus no matter what your groups decision is.
Our school district has had a referendum up on a ballot for at least 5 times over the past 4 years. Each time it has failed. There are many mixed emotions about the running of our school districts finances thus making this topic of passing a referendum a hot one in our area. There is usually a "pro referendum" committee of parents/teachers/community members that is formed with the "support" of the district administrators and board members. This group "gets the message" out to all the importance of passing the up coming referendum. For this to be done the pro referendum group seeks out donations from anyone who will give and uses that money for brochures, flyers, ads in the paper etc. The last time this campaign was run I believe they utilized about $40,000. I am PTO President this year and I can see it coming down the pipeline that this group will be approaching all PTOs in our district asking for financial support.
The last time this was done I was a Kind. mom, now I am a 3rd grade mom and PTO Pres., and though I supported the referendum I voted NO to giving PTO money to a cause such as this. I felt that it was wrong to use PTO money for a political cause, fact being that there would be many people who helped raise some of this money that might disagree with the referendum.
My question is this, has anyone else been faced with this type of situation? If so how have you handled it? or Is this simply a taboo topic that should be incorporated into our PTO by laws?
