THIS is defently a time for your by-laws BUT there are no by-laws then you are kinda stuck. You could through a whole other meeting and rediscuss the topic and sight how unfair yadda yadda yadda then revote on the whole matter but how many "friends/teachers" do you think you will be more upset than you are right now!
A few years ago our former Director of our Charter school was accused of misapproreaction of funds. We had over 100 parents,teachers,staff and the press attend our PTO meeting which we were luck to see 6 moms the month before. You want an angry group! Anyway, the short of the long, the parent accusing the Director made a mockery of his accusations by presenting illegally taped phone conversations and ...can I just say investigators laughed and apologized to the school for all the bother. The parent left and the Director was eventually asked to leave (just last Spring) but in the heat of this all it's very hard to turn back and say "I don't like the way this was handled can we have a do over!?"
Unless you have set a prior policy (hint there is no time like to present to learn from this too!) I would really be careful about how you do this.
*Do you really want to ask for a "do over?"
*You really can NOT write the check or supply the funding voted and approved.
* You canbe honest about the situation and say you are not happy the way this vote came out and then drop it.
Yes. Seriously. Leave it alone. No one ever said this was a popularity contest but the minute you bring out that "soap box" and rant on and on about this the more uncomfortable you are going to make this on yourself. I didn't say this was fair or right but we are adults with childlike habits at times and the last thing I can garentee (or spell!) that the action of others.
I feel your pain. The same thing happened to us last year when the vote for new officers occured. Teachers came out of the woodwork to vote in two of their own as presidents.
But I digress. If all your teachers were active members in good standing within the PTO then yes, they all have every right to vote. If they are not members, then no, the vote is null and void and should be recinded.
Go to your by-laws on this one. Another tack is that if a motion is brought to the table that the executive board is not confortable with or thinks needs some further research, you can table the motion to be brought up at the next general meeting. This way you can discuss as a board all your concerns such as long term maintenance and bring those issue to the next meeting to be answered by the teachers. All this should be documented in the minutes.
Good luck and next time, don't let them bully you into taking a vote. Gang mentality has no place at a PTO meeting.
We have a HSA at my school, and last night we were "slammed" a disproportionate number of teachers-none with children in the school-attended a meeting and made a motion to vote X thousands of dollars on classroom SMartboards. I feel if these teachers do not support the HSA/they do not fundraise for the monies,and have not attended meetings in the past, but appear to only skew a vote- they should not be considered part of the voting body. Has anyone encountered this before? Is there precedent to set aside a vote-parents at the meeting wanted to check into leasing as we do for the computers, the burden for the cost of maintenance of the purchase was left open,(bulbs in the projectors run $300-$500 with a 5 year life, then there is the cost of the programs to put on them) the effectiveness of improvement/enhancement to teaching vs. using the whiteboards and an overhead etc.., many good points came up but where left unanswered as the vote was taken and passed. I would like to hear what others have encountered. Thank you.
