You sound just like I did last year. I remember the blank looks I got at the Ideas I so enthusiastically rattled off. This felt like rejection to me. But now I know better. It wasnt that my ideas were'nt good. It's just that they were'nt safe. No one knew if I really knew how much work was involved or if I could be trusted to follow through on my ideas. It's really not ideas that most PTO's lack it's committed members. Many members are bubbly with enthusiasm but it's all good intentions and no follow through. If you become part of the foundation of your PTO by being committed I am sure you will get your turn to make suggestions. Some of those ideas that got me blank looks last year have been accepted and tried this year. Good Luck. Hang in there.
After reading the last response, something else struck me. Sometimes when new people come in they have what they think are new ideas but are actually ones that have been tried in the past or perhaps not allowed in our school. In the interests of expediency, a "new" idea may be shut down at a general meeting without a full explanation given. When we moved to this, our third school district, I know I was forever saying, "at our old school, we did this....". That was probably pretty annoying. Or when they mentioned the wrap and candy fundraiser I questioned it until I got on the committee and saw the profit margin. As previous posters have said, by getting involved you'll learn more about the group and can hopefully get some positive change going. I love new people, I love it even more when they do some of the grunt work that the rest of us have been doing for years AND come up with new ideas. good luck!
<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by WeLuvRkids: Good question, I don't know where all the money goes. I have to become more informed at the next meeting.
I just wanted to say: WeLuvRKids has a really great question and I think this may be the answer you are looking for. Unfortunately it seems that things have always been kept on the qt at the school and change definately has to be made.I am
the PTO President at our Middle School and I know that at the beginning of the school year when school first starts we send home in the school newsletter a list of what we have planned for the year and a copy of our school budget for the year. This shows where every dollar is to be spent. Things do get changed over the year depending on what may come up but we make changes at our meetings once they are voted and passed and then another copy of the revised budget will go home. This way every parent in the school whether or not they come to the PTO meetings can see and know where the funds go to. We do not hide anything and if there are any questions about the budget we give out numbers of the board members and anyone is welcomed to call us and question it or they may come to a meeting and question it and we give all the answeres needed.
Any changes that go on - we try our hardest to get the information out to the parents of the entire school. Communication is very very important. As far as your school - I think you need to question at your next meeting where all the funds go to. Ask for a copy of the budget, get a copy of the bylaws so that you know how things are to be run. Volunteering is very very important and I am sure that you put in as much time as you can. Change - there is always room for change - new programs old programs that have been dropped and should be put back into the school. Parents are big part of what goes on in a school and the more involved you are about what goes on the better. Maybe this coming year a new board needs to be put into place. I am sure there are a few that go above the norm to help out and make change. You have to just keep acting on what you feel would be the best for the school that your child attends. You need to keep voicing your opinion on subjects that come up and keep on voicing it. It looks like the board that is on your ptg just does not like change and sorry but change is good. If you feel that the parent teacher group should get more involved with programs at the school and take over and sponser them then keep making that clear over and over and get the principal more involved - Let him know that your school means alot to you and you will do whatever you can to make it better.
Hope this helps -
My story is much like "Bear" - so much that I will not even tell mine. I would just say, if you want change you need to be involved. Change is hard for many people, so you need to respect where the school and parents are at now. I would suggest as you recommend change, support your ideas with a clear outline to justify why change is needed and how to change. Be sure the degree of change you recommend reflects the tolerance of the group - don't change too fast for your "audience." I remember the words in a prayer, "let me have the power to change what I can and accept that which I cannot."
It's a bit sad that you as a parent who wants to be more involved have to feel any sense of opposition to your efforts. Of all the things that are meant to improve achievement of student and schools, in general, involvement of parents is clearly one of the ones that are least debatable. On site at www.apipedream.org
someone posted that Parental Involvement was really just lip service and that it is not really desired by the "education elites." Hearing of experiences like yours, one has to wonder...
