It is a separate, but affiliated, entity - essentially operating at the school districts' sufferance. How much oversight the school or the district can have is an area for debate.
On the one hand, these organizations are generally involved with STUDENT activities occurring on SCHOOL property. So the school/district could hardly take a totally hands-off approach. On the other hand, it's not the school or the districts' responsibility to RUN these organizations.
I think it's fair that the school and district have some general policies that "if your organization is going to be affiliated with us, then there are some ground rules that need to be followed". This might include accounting practices, safety issues, public information, open meetings, etc.
While most of us would probably do these things anyway, we are talking about a group of volunteers with varying degrees of experience, commitment, and even common sense. Not to mention the fact that they change every year. It is amazing the bizarre things people will do sometimes.
Think about it as a parent. When you get these PTO flyers promoting activities and asking you to buy things coming home in backpacks, don't you have a feeling the school has approved/sanctioned them? Otherwise, why would you be confident enough to participate?
If the PTO is truly so separate that the school/district could have NO oversight, then they've basically become just another vendor in my mind. In that case, I don't see why they would have the right to use the school name, send things home in backpacks, use school resources, market to our children, etc. LOTS of entities/businesses donate to the schools. They don't have these special privileges.
The flip side is: what is TOO MUCH oversight? To what degree should the district or school be able to dictate how things are handled? It can be a grey area, and it's something you often see discussed here.
In our case, the PTO is separate entity and quite independent. We choose our officers, our projects, how our money is spent. We would be incensed if the district tried to dictate any of this. However, we also must follow some district/school policies. Our accounts are audited by the district accountant each summer. The school authorizes only 2 fundraisers (i.e., big sales) per year. PTO membership must be open to everyone with children at the school, not just a select few. etcetera, etcetera. In our case, I think the level of oversight is necessary and fair. And as a parent, I'm GLAD it's there. It adds credibility and stability from year to year.
[This message has been edited by JHB (edited 08-23-2001).]
