So glad to hear things will work out. I'm PTA and I dont think our Principal can be involved with the finances. Is that "legal" in PTO? Also, Why dont you ask the Princ if she would like an assistant with her fundraising? I'm sure she could use the help.
Someone once suggested to put signs on everything that PTO has bought for the school. So when you have Meet the Teacher night everyone will see. (Or just hang big signs: "Did you know that PTO bought your school....Sign up now and see what else we can do!")
We do a Family Fun night once a month, and next yr I will be responsible for Parent Ed. Programs. I'm very excited about it. Contact your local colleges about their outreach programs. And for other family events, contact your museums, zoos, arts (ie Young Audiences of Dallas) and stage/theaters. They do lots of outreach, tho they charge a fee. Madscience.org has lots of programs and they seem to be located throughout the country. Check out Earthballoon.com also. They would be great for next Earth day!
Okay! The meeting was tonight & it was a mess!
There were 17 people there-most ever-& 2 teachers.
First thing off the bat, the current PTO pres. read letters from the principals from the 3 schools we cover stating that they want to take over the fundraising & turn PTO into a more volunteer-focused group. (They were all at a board of ed. meeting)That just about started a riot! Calmly asked questions about money & control turned into everyone yelling & talking over each other & talking in their own little discussions while others were trying to receive information. It was crazy! A few times I had to bang on the table to get everyone to quiet down. Nothing was accomplished because people were just getting riled up by what other people were assuming would happen. It ended with everyone asking for a meeting with the principals before any decision would be made. When everyone left I stuck around to talk to the PTO pres & the one teacher. Our principal showed up at 9:45 to see why we were still there. After filling her in, she joined the discussion. After an hour & a half, I felt that it sounded like a good idea. Basically we would revamp the PTO. We would have a Building Rep who would be a liason between the principal & the PTO. A Teacher Rep who would be the liason between the PTO & the teachers. Basically seeing what jobs the teachers needed volunteers for. Secretary for taking minutes of PTO meetings. Special Events Co-ordinators for each school. PTO's new role would be more family focused-welcoming committee for new families; brainstorming ideas to attract more parents to the schools; helping teachers in the classrooms. The principals' roles would be taking over the fundraising. They want the PTO to be more focused on parents than money. They would be held accountable for everything spent & made & would have the Building Rep take the ledgers to the PTO meetings to share what was happening. If there were requisitions that the principals denied & the PTO felt should be honored, we would/could host a family fun event & earmark the money made to whatever we vote on. The principals want to downsize major fundraisers to one a year with the PTO holding smaller family oriented events to raise money for certain goals we choose. Hayrides, dances, winter carnival, etc. I personally like this proposal. We get to choose the family events & what the money goes toward. We're still a PTO & we still have a say. The principal is letting me see her ledger tomorrow to see what her money has gone to. She said she has never denied a teacher. PTO pres told me that the few teachers who put in requisitions to the PTO never even bothered to go to the principal. After talking to her, I warmed up to our principal & told her she didn't make a very good impression with alot of parents & that was the cause of the anger at the meeting. I told her to make parents feel more welcome, go to the meetings, share what she was able to get for the teachers & kids & show what she denied (if she ever did/does) & why so the parents can vote on whether or not we should step in & help. She now has the headache of collecting money for fundraisers & chasing people who won't pay.
I think this will work after we get the kinks out & calm everyone down. I'm going to type up positions & job duties to have at the meeting so maybe questions will be answered before anyone has to raise their hand. I'm also making a "Little Rascals" gavel for the next meeting. (Ya know, the campbell's soup can tied to a stick!)
So, what do you all think?
PS--I talked to the two teachers about my letter & explained that my heart was in the right place, my tone was taken the wrong way. They understood & said they would spread the word & would absolutely work with me & hoped I would be the Building or Teacher's Rep. I feel sooo much better now!
Thanks to you all for giving me advice & keeping my spirits up! [img]smile.gif[/img]
I say hold your head high knowing that you had the right intentions going into this. You had no intention of hurting anyone's feelings which is why you tried so hard to look at it from all angles and have others read it before it was distributed. You can't please all of the people all of the time. Apologize where you need to and move on, don't let a little set back stop you from making the progress you set out to accomplish in the first place. Keep smiling!
Well, the shlitz has hit the fan. Remember that letter that I wrote to the teachers? Well, it turns out they were all really offended by it including my son's teacher, who I adore. Some of them said they would never again support or help the PTO. Now, my letter was written in the tone of "we've helped you, please help us, don't let us go! Let's work together" & they took it as "we've helped you, where were you?" Apparently my wording was a tad misconstrued (sp?). I wrote with a more pleading tone & they read it as an offensive tone. The PTO pres & the principal approved this. I even asked the PTO pres if she thought it was offensive to the principal(since I wrote that parents & teachers needed to band together) & she said, "If she thinks it's offensive to her, she'll tell you to change some sentences, but it's all true & I don't think it's offensive." The principal told me "It's very well written." I left that place thinking "Hooray!I'm gonna rally this school together! We're going to better the community! Yippee!!!" Talk about rose-colored glasses.
I already wrote an apology letter to my son's teacher. My friend talked to her & she said now knowing I wrote it, she understood the tone & she wasn't offended. Soooo, I now have to explain myself & hope all the teachers don't scream at me at this meeting---if they go. Whoever gets my son next year will see his last name & think "Great, Troublemaker's son." I am so not looking forward to tomorrow's meeting. I'll let you all know how it goes...
LadyBug,
Yes the financial is public information. So they should hesitate to let you know where the money is going. Hang in there. Maybe they are not keeping accurate records and need help and just don't know how to address the issue. Good luck Thursday and keep us posted.
