Hello everyone,
Well I guess we are all in similar situations!!!
I have 4 kids, 1 moving to MS in the fall, 1 going into 5th, one moving up to K, and the baby... starting Prek.
I stepped up this year to "help"... The end of last year, we almost had NO PTO due to lack of a Board... 2 wonderful women stepped up and figured someone had to run it! So in November we lost the best Sec we ever had! She will not be returning due to severe medical issues!
Now May 1st... we were supposed to do elections today... but how do you do that with 3 people other than the pres and princ. there??? So that did not happen!
Now our planning meeting is 5/20... but still no board... I stepped up for Pres and we have a Treasurer! Obviously we are not a full board! We sent out letters 3 weeks ago... got little Exec Board interest! The grade Reps are covered, but that does the board no good!
Does anyone have any ideas how to get our parents to show some interest??? If we dont get a VP and a Sec in the next 2 weeks, we will be turning money over and quitting! I can not watch that happen!
I so know your feelings. This year I am running for my 3rd year no one else stepped up to run. But on the otherhand I had a dad step up and run for vice pres which we have never had and all my other running officers are all new to PTO so they giving off great vibes and new energy and ideas which is great.
Your family situation and your needs are always going to change and you have to do whats right for you.
Cindy<br />
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<br>____________________________________________<br />
<br>"People have the right to be stupid, but some abuse the privelege."
Why don't you find someone that can fill the President position and you take the Vice President. You can then "groom" them to fill your shoes while you are still there and then slipping out of the VP position is easier than leaving the President position.
Making a positive difference one project at a time <img src=images/smilies/smile.gif>
It sounds like you had a challenging year. Good for you for sticking it out and even looking forward to next year.
What can you do about these two ladies? Don't vote for them. If a majority of the voting members agree with you, they won't win. If they're running unopposed, and your bylaws allow it, subject them to a Yes/No vote. If they get the No votes then they lose and you keep looking for your new president.
Checks and balances are very important. The co-presidents should not have the kind of freedom you say these ladies have. The treasurer should control the funds based on approved budgets, allocations and legitimate reimbursement requests. Two signers on the checks prevent any one person from deciding it's OK to spend money.
They won't meet with the board? Have a meeting anyway. Set the date, set the agenda and announce it in advance. If they don't show then that's their choice and is further evidence why they shouldn't lead the team. Make sure to give them a copy of the minutes so they can see what was discussed. I'll caution you, though, to keep it from getting personal. Discuss the goals of the team, the expecations of officers, the checks and balances that need to be established. Consider, too, having the bylaws reviewed over the summer by an independent Bylaws Review Committee. Your first order of business as the 07/08 board can be to discuss and adopt relevant bylaws.
Many, many groups give the president a lot of power. They are the leader of the team and can set the tone for the school year. They preside over the meetings and keep an eye on the big picture. They should not be making all the decisions, spending all the money and controlling the group. Good for you for knowing that this isn't the way things should work and trying to do something about it.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
Hello all: I am new to our school's PTO board this year, but I have always been very active in our school and PTO events. This year was somewhat eye-opening for me and I am wondering if anyone can provide some input. We currently have a board of 5 officers (2 co-pres, vp, secretary & treasurer). Our co-presidents are best friends. As early as December of 2007,they continually advised the board that they were "done with PTO". I believe we forged ahead with that in mind. We now have elections coming up and our co-presidents have decided that they wish to run again for the same office. This year has been a tough year for all of our board members and I believe we all muddled through as best as we could to pull off our events as successfully as possible. Our co-presidents have continued to make decisions and spend PTO's funds as if they were a board of 2 instead of 5. Additionally, they seem to have a real problem working as a team and communicating with any of the members, and refuse to have a meeting to discuss the entire board's concerns. Can anyone give me some insight as to what our option are here? Who can we go to about this? Also, I am concerned about how funds are being spent. We don't have a very good checks and balance system in place. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
You always make me smile and always give great advice. You are right of course...we'll see where this trip leads me...maybe it's time to start that book...
d
