Most of us are all in the same boat. Parent involvement is at an all time low at my school. I have been very involved for about 5 years. There are so many factors that contribute to how much involved your fellow parents get. When I first started getting involved, we never seemed to have a shortage of volunteers, granted there was still the 10-12 core organizers, but when you asked for volunteers to staff a book fair or a field day we would easily get 50-80 responses. (then we had approx. 325 students).
After having a principal that was not supportive for 3 years, and PTO presidents that did not push her in any way or were not creative enough to come up with other ways to hold our school events. It was simply easier and much less work to just blame it on a loosey principal and hold the least amount of events. This year we had a new principal, totally different, extremely supportive to both parents and staff. However, we still had PTO members (presidents included) that were enjoying the easy way out. I suggested many ideas that I got off this site to help increase parent involvement, and was shot down over and over, being told that's a great idea... but it is way too much work.
Well, next year I will be prez. and have already begun to work with our new principal to increase involvement. And YES it is going to be alot of work for the handful of us that do it all. This past year we had a core of 4-5 people and maybe 20 that consistantly did volunteer to support us. Hopefully, all the hard work will pay off and in the 2004-2005 year we will see an increase all around. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

I feel both of your pain!!! I am a member of my local PTO organization, and with a handful of members, we did a selling fundraiser, a spaghetti feed, a carnival, a beach night, a bingo night, and other small activities. It is like pulling teeth in this community to get people to volunteer. Most are more then happy to bake a pan of brownies, but when it seems like if it is anything that will take a bit of work, they all have somewhere to be?!! Is there a party somewhere and noone invited the PTO members!! PLEASE HELP!!!

AMEN! I was in the same position. I suggest you take a break. I know I am. I am enjoying every minute of it. Get to know your family again. You won't regret it.

I am reading some these letters and I truely understand the fustration you all feel. I am an officer on the PTO for two years I sub and I have been the volunteer coordinatoor for three years. I put in 9 hours a day of volunteer work if I am not subbing I range app. 800 hours a year if not more of volunteer work. I plan the volunteer breakfast every year and receive hardly any help from teachers except your doing a great job, I work endless evenings with volunteer and PTO stuff and recently did not return for election for next year. I have goen to the last two meetings and have noticed that the next year officer who is taking my place has been there taking notes. I feel like this is a slap in the face, but my hard work is asked for the end of the year celebration. As hard as it is we are volunteers and when things seem to be not fun any more it time to say thank you but I need a break. People who give will always give and those who take will always take and not worth complaining about it , it is suppose to be fun.