I do not recommend this way of handliing a PTO. It makes it difficult for the transitioning PTO President...

No nerve struck, just curious.

Thanks!

Terri,

Once again, in my opinion, it all comes down to the purpose of your group. You wrote that your group's purpose is to "serve the teachers and staff and make life easier for the principal and vice principal", while my group's purpose is to "promote open communication and understanding between parents and staff of our School. Our dedication is to enhance and maximize the education of every child while aiding them in achieving their highest potential." This may sound like the same thing but it is somewhat different.

Here's some examples, though this does not mean to suggest that your group experiences any of these issues...

Lets say a group, such as mine, raised over the course of the entire year $30,000 (which is the case this year). Going with this we are getting ready to allocate $3500 for Field Trips next year. That equates to about $7 per student. With the independant group it is their decision to decide how much $ is allocated for something like this, while in the dependant system the Principal may feel that he wants the Field Trips 100% covered by the funds that were raised by the PTO.

Starting last year we wanted to kick the year off right and requested to hold a Back to School Ice Cream party. For entertainment we wanted to really wow the kids and worked it out to get a discounted rate with the local Radio Disney. Mind you that this was still over $1000, but included games and prizes, etc. A local DJ may have cost less than half that. With our independant group once we had the go ahead we could do what we voted upon and decided, while in a dependant group the Principal may just say "No, you can't spend that much".

We presently allocated certain amounts for certain things within the school. For example, we provide one-half of one of our book fair profits specifically for the Resource Center (Library). Our Librarian uses this to purchase Accelerated Reading quizes, patches, new books, etc. If she needs more for anything special she needs to come to us to request it. In a dependant group the Principal may make the decision to provide more funds to the Resource Center than your group intened.

Again, I understand that your group is not having these difficulties and I am not suggesting otherwise. But, if you were to look at our budget you would see dozens of allocations for different projects. There's the Resource Center, all of the specials (art, music and Gym) have their own, the Playground, Technology, spirit items, etc. These are all there because the group has decided upon certain amounts of funds, or certain % of fundraisers to be used for certain things. The point is that the group has the control and the final decision. I would never wish to relinquish this. Mind you when our Principal has come to us to request something, we try to do what we can. When the Librarian has come to us, same thing. But again it is the group's decision.

Now Terri, I can see that this discussion has really struck a nerve with you. I'm not sure why, but there seems to be more to it. It is quite possible that your group, as a dependant organization that hands their raised funds over to the Principal, works very well. In many ways I could see a group of this nature being much easier as all of the difficult decisions are removed. At the same time, with the right Principal (you have really had four administrative changes in 11 years?), I'm sure this system would be great.

Also, looking back over the posts I think that you took my first post as a response to yours as it came right after you posted. This was not the case as I was responding to DonnaS who started this thread.

Also as CrewChief suggests, I do encourage any group to find a system that works for them and to make it the best it can be. Though personally I find our group raising the funds, controlling the funds and having the final decision on how the funds are spent, to be better, again that's just me. You seem most satisfied handing all funds over to your Principal so that she can decide how she wishes to use them. If this works for you then I say great.

At the same time the purpose of this thread is not to debate which is better, independant or dependant, but to give your point of view on whether a group needs to have a President. Your dependant group actually does have one, it's the Principal, and it sounds as though she is doing a fantastic job!

Good luck,
PresidentJim

Terri - Congratulations on having such a successful team! I think, and I hope, that the majority of posters overall encourage PTOs to find a system that works best for them within their community and then make it the best possible version of that system. It sounds like you've done that!

In the past I lead a 'dependent' group. It had always functioned under the BOE and continued to do so during my five year tenure. We had officers, bylaws and a solid voting process. Our relationship with the admin and BOE was positive and they trusted us to run our own business. But I have to admit that I took a great deal of comfort from knowing that the Principal and Superintendent watched over us and provided a safety net.

You're right that this type of system can work very well.

I am a little confused PresidentJim. Will you give me an example of when a PTO's priorities are different than the school's priorities? I am having trouble understanding that way of thinking.

It never ceases to amaze me how many groups on this website have adverse relationships with principals. Our school is 11 years old and has been through 4 administrative changes. We are located in the 6th fastest growing county in the country and our population has fluctuated between 600 to 1200 children. Change is constant, but never once has our PTO been at odds with any of the principals. Our purpose is to serve the teachers and staff and make life easier for the principal and vice principal. Whatever they ask, we try our best to get it done.

The majority of posts out there are encouraging the 501C3 option. I on the other hand want to encourage groups that you do not have to be independent to be successful.

I guess it really comes down to the purpose of your group. Most independant PTO groups control their own funds and as such decide, based upon recommendations from staff, parents and the Principal, how they are to be spent. Sure the staff and the Principal have good ideas on how to spend the valuable funds that your group has earned, but sometimes their priorities may not be directly in correlation with your groups. Again, my comment about being a "cash cow" was preceeded by the fact that PRESENTLY this is not an issue for your group, and that is great. Things can change and being independant can protect you.

Once again though, it comes down to how your group is defined and it's purpose. Most PTO's are independant and control their own funds, some other groups are controlled by the school (this is seen more often with private schools) and the "PTO" is utilized for fundraising purposes.

If you are happy with the present state of affairs, then so be it. Personally though, having seen both sides and ways of doing things, I find the independant structure much more appeasing and PERSONALLY feel that the committee, which is made up mostly of parents, deciding on how to spend our hard earned funds based upon recommendation of the staff and the "lead administrator" is overall "better for the children". But again, that's just my opinion.

Regards and good luck,
PresidentJim