Websites are a blessing and a curse. Rarely is one kept current enough to reflect timely information. It's a battle I also face with our school websites - where theoretically it's someone's paid responsibility. But the blame generally doesn't fall with one person. As DLF said, people may not be giving the webmaster current info. Or whomever once agreed to maintain the website may be long gone or "too busy" now.
I find that e-mail notices tends to work better for timely communication among parent groups. (Not that you should abandon websites. They have their place also.)
If I were you, I'd attend every meeting possible and push for the creation of a PTO email group. You could even offer to manage it. Both Google Groups and Yahoo Groups provide free, easy-to-use services, although I have a slight preference for Google. As meetings are held and decisions are reached, the information can be distributed easily to anyone who is a member of the group by simply sending an email message. It requires no special skills.
Continue to offer to volunteer, to attend meetings, and to help out so you become part of the planning cycle and know as much as possible. The leadership structure is sure to change - eventually. Kids move up, parents get busy. Make yourself part of the evolution.
Actually, I would love to do that but they want full control. When you help them in any way they want to control everything and take credit for everything too. Also, their children retaliate against our children. Each member of the Executive Committee or best friends of the Executive Committee is head of other committees so they get their full control. None of them are doing it for the children they are doing it for their own benefit and this is well known throughout the entire school.
Sounds like you need the help of "Super communicator". The good news is you can become that for your PTO.
Most websites suffer from a lack of updating because no one gives the webmaster the information. Perhaps someone can volunteer to work the routine updates for the PTO. It will give you the opportunity to stay informed and will also help out the PTO since I suspect the reason it isn't updated is there isn't anyone to do it.
It will take some effort, but would for anyone, including things like getting the minute meetings, getting the Principals newsletter, maybe even setting up a dialogue with the president. You can do that from work etcetera.
Also, don't be intimidated by a perceived clique. Cliques are a lot like big bubbles; most times if you touch them they go away.
So reach out and touch and see if you can become part of the solution.
Our website is totally out of date! We have information from the Spring of last year. I have sent an e-mail to the PTO and also the principal, but no one is getting back to me for months. My concern first, as a parent, I want to know what is going on with the PTO and school. Unfortunately, I do not have time to attend to meetings and to be honest we have a huge clique in our town and only "those" women attend and I really don't want to be a part of THAT. I do, however, want to know what is going on in my children's school and everything seems to be kept a BIG secret. How do we go around this? Should we go to the Superintendent? A lot of parents are talking about this but nobody wants to speak up because they are afraid of retaliation, which has happended numerous times and parents get "labelled". The principal is no help as she follows the PTO around like a little puppy dog and gossips even worse than the PTO clique does. The PTO tells us we are members, however, anything that is going on with them is kept a big secret. What should I do?
