As much As I would love to be a part of the wonderful new program as Treasure with the PTO, I have found that the time and work commitment was more that I anticipated. I also have had a surgery and a death of a loved one within wicks and I cant seem to get my mind in the right direction. I want to thank you for the opportunity to try to be a treasurer but at the time I need to focus on other personal problems that I'm having.

Sincerely
Laura Cano

Imovepeople

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>I'd be happy to send you a copy of our bylaws if you wish - they are fairly simple, which was intentional, in order to allow wiggle room. <hr></blockquote>

The current board, aside from myself, do not want wiggle room. They want it cut and dry. They also feel that no other board members should have a say in what they do. It is really insane.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>"Our group does not have officer's liability insurance. We were split on that. We trust each other, but then I am sure that every group who has had a problem withm issing money would have said that before it happened, as well."
<hr></blockquote>

It is my understanding that officer's liability simply covers officers for the decisions made by the officers. (From being sued by people as general liability does not cover that.) I think what you are talking about is fidelity bond.
You may want to talk with your board and check into this further.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> As far as resigning - if you have elections coming up soon, are you willing to hold on until then and just not accept a nomination? I think that would be the best way to handle it, however, without bylaws - how are you holding elections? <hr></blockquote>

I would rather resign considering the fact that I do not want to risk my assets for the decisions they choose to make. And as far as bylaws go, there are none. period. And if they want to reinstate the pta (which I really think is not legal) then the articles of incorporation would govern this entity as well as the pta bylaws that no one has any idea where they are.

Imovepeople

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>I'd be happy to send you a copy of our bylaws if you wish - they are fairly simple, which was intentional, in order to allow wiggle room. <hr></blockquote>

The current board, aside from myself, do not want wiggle room. They want it cut and dry. They also feel that no other board members should have a say in what they do. It is really insane.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>"Our group does not have officer's liability insurance. We were split on that. We trust each other, but then I am sure that every group who has had a problem withm issing money would have said that before it happened, as well."
<hr></blockquote>

It is my understanding that officer's liability simply covers officers for the decisions made by the officers. (From being sued by people as general liability does not cover that.) I think what you are talking about is fidelity bond.
You may want to talk with your board and check into this further.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr> As far as resigning - if you have elections coming up soon, are you willing to hold on until then and just not accept a nomination? I think that would be the best way to handle it, however, without bylaws - how are you holding elections? <hr></blockquote>

I would rather resign considering the fact that I do not want to risk my assets for the decisions they choose to make. And as far as bylaws go, there are none. period. And if they want to reinstate the pta (which I really think is not legal) then the articles of incorporation would govern this entity as well as the pta bylaws that no one has any idea where they are.

I am not a lawyer but . . . (notice the acronym is IANAL, which I have been accused of lots of times, not necessarily a BAD thing) You are right - things need to change. If you are a PTO you need to have bylaws that state the name of the organization as ________ PTO or Parent Teacher Organization, or any other group of alphabet soup but NOT PTA. I'd be happy to send you a copy of our bylaws if you wish - they are fairly simple, which was intentional, in order to allow wiggle room. You need to have a bank account with the same name as the organization and you need to have your own tax identity with the IRS whether you choose it simply to be tax-exempt or taking it further to the not-for-profit status.

Our group does not have officer's liability insurance. We were split on that. We trust each other, but then I am sure that every group who has had a problem withm issing money would have said that before it happened, as well.

As far as resigning - if you have elections coming up soon, are you willing to hold on until then and just not accept a nomination? I think that would be the best way to handle it, however, without bylaws - how are you holding elections?

Let me know if you would like a copy of our bylaws, and good luck.

Cathie [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thank you for your help. NOW it has come to my attention that the officer in charge of the filings is simply changing the name of the PTA that disbanded/dissolved in 2000 to the pto name. I and a couple other members of the board were under the assumption that we were forming a new entity and were told by this person and one other person on the board that we are not new. So quite frankly, our bylaws and articles of incorporation would be that of the PTA. This is all strange news to me and doesn't sound legit. Not to mention the fact that no one knows what the bylaws are nor the articles of incorporation of the pta. Now I really need help.... :eek: :eek: :eek:

It's too bad you've come to this tough decision, but you need to stand up for what you feel is right. Just a reminder that a huge proportion of PTO's around the country are operating and raising funds without being properly registered with the IRS, and/or without officer liability insurance. Does that make it right? No, but that's the way it has been as we all have operated in ignorance. We're volunteers who rarely inherit decent files or good training from the prior (burned out?) officers. Thankfully, we now have this magazine and discussion forum to enlighten us and give us support to do the right things like register as a non-profit, incorporate, or purchase insurance.

Sometimes I am just baffled by our volunteers' laissez-faire attitudes ("we don't need to do that..."). I can either throw up my hands and walk away, or throw in my two cents and help make things better. It's rarely easy to stand for what you believe in, but it keeps life interesting. Good luck in your future pursuits.