Hey lurking,
Once you find out if there are bylaws or not, send me an email and I'll send you the ones I'm very proud of. [img]smile.gif[/img] Look them over and start collecting some of the disenchanted parents to start a change in the way your group is doing business. Numbers matter.
Good luck.

I would not be surprised if mine did that - it is a mess. Things have gone behind closed doors and no one is talking openly. Several of us are fed up and just plan on putting all of our efforts in to our child's classrooms......

kmamom - I am logged in!!!!

Dear Ptl from hell,

How's this. Are PTL is such a clique, They are rewriting the constitution to justify their lack of " hands on" participation because they are now "administration" and aparently just want to make all decisions and not include anyone else. So guess what? There are only 6 people all officers that show up to meetings, no events because us peon's are fed up. We are going to start a boosters club, and work really hard and stay focused to include everyone.

Thanks for the symathetic ear!

I have since found out more – there are many parents who refuse to work with this board (they have been in contol for at least 4 years!) because of their treatment of people. Also, this school is a very ethnically diverce, yet the board does not reflect this. We as a group do not know a thing about anything – we do not know how much money is taken in or how it is spent. Nothing is open about this PTO.

No, I did not expect to receive the photographs – but my offer (and their “willingness” to assist is on the record and the Principal was there to witness).

I spoke to the guest speaker before the meeting started and asked her when she was contacted to address the group. She told me when she was contacted and in fact, showed up for Friday’s meeting, but no one else made it – how embarrassing!

After cooling down a bit – I realize my first action is to obtain the by-laws. I seriously doubt that there are any, but I do need to start there. I think that there are enough parents we could stack a meeting and remove them from office, but they are the types that won’t go down without a fight! But I am ready for that!

These folks do not have the school or the children set as their best interest. They spend much of their time complaining to the district office about things that as a group they should be working to fix. They never offer up any solutions – just complaints.

This is not a power play – I work full time and have a title that I am well compensated for – I don’t need to be the President or Treasurer – I would be happy emptying garbage cans at student functions. All I want to do is to participate and I cannot. Because of last year’s fiasco – I turned my efforts to my wife and son’s classrooms, and I will do the same this year if this mess does not get straightened out.

Sorry – I did not mean to get long winded again!

Don't lurk--Sign on!

What a nightmare!!! When you said "no one showed up" I thought you meant no general members showed up--when I realized you meant the BOARD, I almost fell off my chair! If you came here looking for sympathy, you came to the right place! I despise people who ask you for your opinion, then when you honestly answer their question they get mad. If you REALLY don't want to know--DON'T ask!!

About the photos - did you REALLY think you were going to see those? You're talking about people who don't even show up for meetings they schedule! Can you imagine what their personal and professional lives must be like?

If they actually have bylaws, ask to see them. Go to the secretary, president or principal. This type of situation doesn't get fixed by one person--you're just seen as a trouble-making PIA with a bug up your as$ about the PTO. You'll need others to prove that you're not alone in your thought process. I'd go in with a list of criticisms--NOT complaints--the difference being a complaint doesn't look for a solution, a criticism not only points out the problem, but offers solutions. (My first question would be WHY the principal likes the way this president "runs" her board). Once you know how they're supposed to be running their elections, you can gather members together to get these people out of office.

If they're aren't any bylaws, I'm not sure what you'd do--usually Critter knows a lot about this stuff, as well as Jon Wilson. I'd still go with getting a group of members together--strength in numbers.

As many positives there are about being PTO versus PTA, being a PTA does give you a higher authority to go to to get justice in a situation like this.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

I just got off the phone with the Principal of my son’s school – there is a HUGE problem with the PTO there.

This is going to be a long winded rant/vent – sorry!

Last year at open house they (the PTO board) were begging for people to help – in fact, one of the members (who I had never met before) came to me and asked me to join. I said I would – filled out the form and checked what I would be able to assist with and paid my $3.00. I specifically noted the Fall Festival and I was more than willing to help – never got a phone call. My wife is a teacher at this school and she was never contacted either. From open house (in September) to the Fall Festival (last weekend in October), there were no meetings. I try to attend a meeting the first Friday in November – no one shows up for the meeting. This meeting was posted on the weekly take home flyer that was sent home with all children. Another meeting was scheduled for the next week – I take off from work again to attend – no shows again and this time there was a guest speaker from an outside firm to speak to the group! So this meeting gets rescheduled for the following Tuesday. In the meantime, I send the Principal an email stating that I felt that this was irresponsible of the Executive Board and that they did not want anyone to assist or “play in their pond” – that they wanted to exclude people, not include. Other parents feel this way but don’t want to rock the boat. There is more background to support this – I just don’t want to take up the space (and your time). I also invited her to share that email with the PTO. Well, needless to say, they were upset. I attended the hastily rescheduled meeting, listened to the guest speaker (talk about school lunch programs) and after she left, they asked me what they could do to increase the parental participation. I said, to start with, actually have and attend the meetings that they schedule. Well this pissed them off – who was I to tell them how to run their PTO. The Principal was attended this meeting – and to make peace, I offered to produce a fundraising videos for them – and they agreed to assist with some background photographs. I still have not received any of the photographs (they were due in February). The President has some legitimate personal issues that I would not wish on anyone – however, the rest of the board does nothing without her! The entire board seems to use her excuse as to not have meetings or inform others of what is going on. There was not another meeting for the rest of the school year! Then, in May, a flier was sent home asking for nominations for the PTO Board. Unbeknownst to me at the time, my name was offered up as President. I hear nothing the entire summer. So, I drop by the Principal’s office Monday and am told that outgoing President really wants out and there is a woman that wants to be the new President and no one else was interested. She also asked me to come to a meeting today in her office to discuss this year. I was to call her today to make sure the meeting was still on. So when I called, she then informs me that the past President is going to stay on, because the new person really does not want to do it. I told her that I was interested and no one ever contacted me. Well, she said that is why I told you to come to the meeting today – what? But she really wants the past President to stay on. I simply told her that there were parents who did not like them and would not work with them and that this was a big problem. I was basically uninvited to the meeting then and would be informed of what was going on next.

Frustrated? You bet!

Next course of action? Beats me!

Open for suggestions? You bet!

Sorry for the long diatribe – I just needed to vent.