And while I'm on the subject, I'll say that while I am not leading this team, I know what I would do if it were me. I'd march the chairman right into the Advisor/Liason's office and the three of us would have a heart to heart chat. I believe this is something the current team leader has tried to do but she's getting little support from those who are charged with the responsibility of supporting her. Whether they believe she's right or wrong, it's still necessary to address the matter and help resolve it.

Personality conflicts arise all the time. That is never a reason for someone to just decide to not do their job. And I really can't take the "I'm just a volunteer" cop-out either. We're all volunteers.

In a small town friends, jobs, volunteer commitments, etc often overlap. It takes a high level of maturity and a solid commitment to the school for the individuals to rise above it and do what's right.

I know this team will eventually work it out. But hearing different ideas from all of you will certainly help get them there!

Thanks to everyone who's posted so far. Your comments are all very helpful. This is not about a team I am currently a part of but I do know the folks involved. Some are regular lurkers so I'm reluctant to share too much.

But, yes, it is a financial issue. The team does one and only one fundraiser for the school year. It's in the fall and all projects and events hinge on the funraiser goal being met. However, there is no official information being given to the board about donation amounts since the October meeting. The treasurer knows what she's been given to deposit but isn't sure if she's been given all of the cash/checks.

One very smart thing the president did last year was to motioned to allocate excess funds to this year's projects. So the show will go on but then that puts tremendous pressure on next years's fundraising committee.

Perhaps the committee needs to be reconstructed so more than one volunteer sees everything coming in and can compare it to deposits.

Whatever steps are taken to improve how the committee works, it's still unbelievable to me that this is happening right now. As is often the case, it was a small technical matter that one party took personally and is now ballooning into a potentially serious issue.

Could you give other specifics about this issue. Such as, is there money involved? Is it a fundraiser or family fun/free event or book fair where invoices must be posted and paid?

And so what if you are badgering and harrassing here? That is a matter of semantics and you are well within your by-laws to request this kind of information.

If money/revenue is involved, pull your biggest PTO punch as a board and unseat her. No questions about it, as long as your by-laws support it. Anyone who does not give up information about monies generated or spent has something to hide and most likely, it's not pretty. IMHO.

Without knowing all the details, I would weigh how much this person contributes vs. how much of a risk they are. Truthfully, I would take greater issue with your Staff Advisor/Liason for her non-compliance than with the chairperson. Her bond of friendship has made your lives even more difficult. We have had these kinds of issues when transitioning from year to year, a former chairperson refuses to give up her folder to the incumbent but never had a chair refuse to report on committee.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Kind of getting off topic here, but mommytlc, we used to have the same group of people handling everything too then one year we took a good look at all our board positions and the events we do and we figured out how to divide the efforts into smaller parts with the hopes that it would encourage more people to jump in and take on a smaller part. It really has helped. We got more people involved and people don't feel quite so overwhelmed because the "job assignment" is smaller.

That's why we don't bother with having a chairman or even committees. We never have enough parent involvement to even have committees. The same 3 parents do all of the work or it wouldn't get done.

Thanks for the response LUV. It's always great to hear from someone with a similar experience! I agree that it's unpleasant to have to take such extreme measures but it's a good example of why strong, clear bylaws are important!