I don't have any advice. I just wanted to say how sorry I am that you have this bad of a situation. I couldn't imagine having to work with someone who was such a jerk.

The only thing I can think of is too talk to the other board members to see if they are bothered by this situation. And if you have bylaws then her revised "officer duties" letter has no merit. If you don't then you are in trouble. maybe that is the first thing you should do next year. get bylaws.

1. Check your bylaws.
2. Does the PTA have it's own tax id number?

Our PTO is operated by it's officers and membership and our principal is an officer in an advisory capacity. I don't think we would do anything without his permission but we've never had that problem before (as it's in his best interest to support our group).

Wow! I can't believe that your principal does that! I just ended my second term as treasurer of our PTA and what happpens in PTA maybe different than what goes on in PTO but here is how things are run in this area. The money raised by the parent group is NOT the principal's or for that matter the school's. Your group should have it's own checking account. The only people who can write checks on our account is the treasurer, the president and 1st vice president and 2 of the three have to sign the checks. It is up to our group how the money is spent. The principal can ask the group to pay for things but can not make the decision on what the funds are for. Get a copy of your groups bylaws and find out what they say about this. Our bylaws have restrictions on what the PTA can pay for. I have heard of lots of schools where the principal rules the PTO/A funds but the bottom line is that it is wrong. I know it can be hard to fight for what is right but you probably have more support than you think. Best of luck hope this helps!

I was elected PTO President at my child's middle school. Well, elected is a nice way to say I was the only person willing to take the position. I have always been involved in my children's education, but this is my first time as an officer. I, being very eager to better understand my position contacted or new principal ( she took office 6 weeks into last year)with questions about what my job description was. I questioned, what decisions the PTO Officers made and what decisions were strictly made by the principal. The response was this is my school and therefore everything comes through me. Unfortunately, the attempts made by the officers to discuss concerns and projects other than the principal's PTO budget were simply answered by, "I don't care how you do that....You earn the money and I will tell you exactly how to spend it" My enthusiasm about raising PTO involvement seemed irritating to the principal. We have less than a third of parents joining and less than a 1/4 of those helping with activities. Her response was "That is just the facts of life....If you want to beat your head up against a wall go ahead. In reference to PTO volunteers she actually commented, "I see you people up her wandering around but I don't know what you do"
The officers and I questioned one of the expenditures in her budget and she told us that if we said no then she would be unable to use PTO money. I have now recieved a revised list of PTO Officer Duties and PTO yearly activities requirements. Under PTO President it has been revised to end with the statement: The principal has final say on all decisions relating to PTO expenditures. Does that mean that we are expected to invest the volunteer hours it takes to raise $35,000 this coming year and just keep our mouth shut? Does the principal really have the right to make this decision? She told us not to eliminate certain expenditures from last years budget that will not be needed this year because she would use that money to buy pizza for a small group of teachers that stay after school on occasion.

I am totally disheartened and wondering why I should invest so much of my time into simply fundraising with no other contribution. I am not sure my time would not be better spent one on one with my children. I wanted to make a difference and was naive enough to think that the principal would appreciate someone who was enthusiastic.

Where can I find answers about what the PTO rights are regarding the decision making process for the allocation of PTO funds. All PTO funds are turned into the school office and is then sent to the city central office. We can not write a check off of the account, but request one from the central office or a purchase order from the school office. Apparently last years officers never even recieved an accurate list of deposits and expenditures. I can't get one now. We have requested that we recieve a monthly statement this year, but it doesn't look hopeful.

Any advice would be helpful. I do not know what to do next. Thanks!