Thank you all for the input. As of now, the PTO provides stipends to our teachers totally in the amount of $6500.00/yr. We also have a Staff Appreciation Committee that organizes events every qtr for our teachers to acknowledge their hard work, that is an add'l $1000.00/yr. We are at $7500.00/yr. Our PTO also makes all copies for our teachers, prepares and stuffs the students take home folders, coordinates two homeroom parents per teacher to help with projects and parties - We love our teachers, but when do you draw the line.
At PTO meetings there are no teachers that come. When we have fundraisers, only the teachers with children help sell. We have funds set aside for a school garden, but can't get any teachers to lead the committee or even sit on the committee.
A suggestion to use the funds put aside for staff appreciation was made, but they said they enjoyed their events too much.
I guess the best thing to do, would be to put it on the agenda, make sure parents know about, and take a vote. I just hope there are no hard feelings to seperate parents and staff from the outcome of this. I can see some parents getting upset because this does not fall under the "enrichment" of education for our children.
We gave our teacher's lounge a make-over. Painted new comfy furniture, window treatments and such...but we did not use PTO funds to do it. We organized a group of willing parents and we all pooled together. One lady was handy with making curtains and she paid for the material and made some. We went to some thrift stores and restored some stuff.
Do you give gifts during Teacher Appreciation Week? Maybe instead of that you could use the money to make their space more enjoyable.
I would have a problem if the PTO was to use funds raised for the kids to "beautify" the teachers lounge...while also spending money on teacher appreciation.
I think that many parents would enjoy getting involved with a weekend project to do something nice for the teachers...without using PTO funds.
How "redone" are you talking about? If it's slipcovers, paint on the wall and some sprucing up...what a wonderful, inexpensive way to give the teachers a place to chill. If you think an overall redo would cost too much, even a coat of paint and some pictures would brighten up any room. See details of what they want, work it out in small steps and go from there. I don't think this has to be a disaster at all! :cool:
What disater? Seems to be a perfectly ligit request.
There will be people for and against this perhaps?
Ok, Put it on the agenda, make it well advertised, invite responses pro and con and let the board or whatever group decides these things decide. The PTO at work [img]smile.gif[/img]
HELP!!!!!!!! Our teachers say they are sick and tired of their lounge and want to have it redone. They went to the Principal for the funds, he said the district would not pay for it. One of them asked me what I thought about asking the PTO to pay for it. This looks like a potential disaster waiting to happen. Anyone out there tackled this one already?
