I was asked to take on the 3 largest events at our school. The Gala, the Rummage sale and Field Day. I was promised other events the following year if I took them and I was promised a parent that was convicted in court of assault & battery and disorderly conduct would not be able to attend. I did the gala and a week before I was told they were going to allow the women to come to the gala that treatened my life and the life of my child. I raised $61,000 (April 3) after many tears, and much drama and having the lady follow me around all night.

Now working on the Rummage sale May 2, It was strange that I did not get my request for my son to stay in the school for next year and repeatedly we asked. We moved and with the assurance of the Superintendant, he told us 99.9% don't make this an issue it is not we purchased a house .7 miles from where we lived in the same dist. but a different school.

The Rummage sale made the school over $14,000, $5000 more than ever before but in my estimation that was short due to the numbers I had in my head. I was supposed to do money drops and lock it but one PTO Board memeber felt it was safer in her purse at her feet. When she walked around the 5 rooms she would yell for someone to keep an eye on her purse and leave the money on the floor. When I asked her if i could count it she said NO.

The women that was convicted of other crimes also was caught stealing. She said she would bring back the stolen merchandise so the Principal, said that was fine. She attended the Rummage sale and PTO Pres let her count up what she felt her things were worth and write a check. She didn't let anyone else that attended add up their own items.
We were busier than ever in the 3 years I did the event
Raised more money too.

A week later and before field days I got the notice I would not be allowed to have my son return to the school. I only took the events and worked all year based on the promise. I was crushed and feel very used. Now

I handed in my $8,500 in reciepts and they refuse to pay me for the things I bought for the gala and field days and refuse to pay the entertainment I had to pay them too.

The PTO hired a PTO Board members attorney husband and pay him with PTO funds and said they are not paying me. It is over as far as they are concerned.


Then the PTO Pres called the PTO Pres of the school I am going to and talked about me to the point a friend called me and told me.


Any suggestions would be very helpful or how to get my money.

PTOmare-
That is a shame. Don't let the ex-board members drag down your resolve-- you are making a great contribution to your school! The Eleanor Roosevelt quote comes to mind: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Thought this article might come in handy in your situation:
www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/arti...6-quit-being-so-nice

As Tim's tip said, face the drama head on . Keep up the good fight.

~ Lisa

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twitter.com/ptotoday

We are all burned out by prior officers thinking that we are not doing enough and can not live up to their "standards" It makes me wish I had never offered to be PTO President, what a shame -

We've had lots of drama lately. One former officer is doing everything that they can to cause problems, even going to other local schools' PTA meetings and giving them our schedule for the year (activities & fundraising). Thankfully this person resigned, but they won't find themselves on any commitees under my term!
Has anyone ever dealt with similar difficult/scary behavior? Administration just ignores this individual at this point. Thanks!

I had no idea there would be so much drama involved when I took on the challenge to be president of my son's school PTA, I knew the main challenge would be trying to reach out to middle school parents since they are seldom seen at schools, it was much easier in elementary school, but facing the fact that people's emotions interfere with the focus of the group and things seem to get very personal if people have different opinions that was a great surprise for me, but as a leader I try to resolve matters, by speaking calmly to individuals trying my best to be impartial even if I know who was wrong in the situation,but I think they will always be hurdles and we have to try to climb over them and always keep our focus on the children so we can all move ahead.

Part of preventing the drama, is acknowledging, up front, that it will occur. There will be differences of opinion. There will be times when leaders/volunteers are ready to resign due to conflicts. But, there will also be moments of sheer happiness and pride at how well we are working together. This is what happens in teams....especially, new teams.

All teams, regardless of age, experience, occupation, etc. go through the normal stages of team building: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. As our PTO President, I stated at the beginning that we, the board, would go through this. I don't believe anyone believed me. In fact, some members were resistant to the fact that we might actually enter the Storming phase. We did....but we survived, and we made it through to Norming and Performing.

We are now a high-performing team - a "well-oiled machine" as some have told us. We trust one another. We rely on one another. We are there for one another when frustration creeps in.

There were days when it was tough, but since we knew what we were dealing with, it made it easier to persevere and to move through the phases in a mature manner. We knew we all wanted the same goal - to improve the educational experience for our children. Therefore, united around the same goal, we were able to move through the tough times making our board stronger and more cohesive.