Have you spoken to the principal about this? If not, take a another parent with you to a meeting with him/her and discuss. The school may have some funds to help with the structure. It never hurts to ask.
I would do it as a separate thing and get the school and community involved.
Our PTO did this a couple years ago to build our playground. We had our PTO but then had a seperate committee just to take care of the playground project. Some of our PTO memebers/officers were on both other weren't but either way it showed a more unified front to the parents.
I think if you had two seperate things parents would just probably not do either because they didnt want to get "involved".
Good Luck with your project
Cindy
Cindy<br />
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<br>____________________________________________<br />
<br>"People have the right to be stupid, but some abuse the privelege."
1. Yes, a school can have any number of groups with any number of acronyms. But I don't advise it... more below.
2. The national PTA has no such rule, and it's perfectly permissable for a PTA to raise funds for a shade structure. That said, it's also perfectly permissable for a group to decide no to.
I agree with Renee on -- if you're really committed to the shade project and the PTA wants no part of it -- then a separate shade organization is better than a separate broad parent organization.
To me, one of the key functions of a parent group at a school is to build community and support and involvement around the school. And having two organizations like that is almost self-defeating. It will only confuse average-Joe parents, who won't bother figuring out the intricacies of the differences.
Maybe form just a committee for this project that isn't 'connected' to the pta. Another idea would be a pavillion where the kids can go to get out of the shade.
I just found this forum and hope you can help. I was wondering if a school could have both a PTA and a PTO. Needless to say, our school needs to do some major fundraising, we wish to build shade to cover part of our playgrounds. I'm in Fort Lauderdale and the kids bake in the sun everyday and they need a little shade in the heat. Anyway... out PTA, small group with their own agenda, does not want to support and is claiming by national PTA rules that only two fundraisers can be held a year, doesn't seem right to me... But if I can start a PTO also, it would be a way to target our shade project, we need over $ 50,000 to build just three structures. We have some ideas and know we can raise the amount. Any help would be appreciated.
