EXACTLY.... tell her you need an update or be prepared to update the Board/community at your next PTO meeting:
First, thank her for taking on the chairperson responsibilities for this event. then tell her to please provide you an update or status. Also give her a time line that you expect things to be completed by: organizing volunteers, getting fliers out, deposits for DJs, venue, etc......
Event Name:
Games:
Food/Beverages
check in
Decorations committee
Entertainment: DJ
essentially, all the things you need an answer to. Then tell her you are available to meet and discuss this with her and are available to help wherever she needs help.
YOu have to look out for the school event and the PTO itself. Tell her she has until a specific date to contact you with the plans and status on the event. Usually PTO's have it in the bylaws that all plans need to be presented to the board for approval, so you can use that as backing. Let her know that if she does not present the plans by that date, she will be removed from the committee and another person appointed that will have to quickly put something together under the request of the PTO executive board.
She doesn't seem the type that communicates well and if she is speaking negatively about you simply asking for status, then she probably doesn't "play well with others". I've worked with parents like that and when the deadline came and went, the event was turned over to someone else. It was better to do that than the event come and it be a flop, disappointment to those attending & give the PTO events a bad rep.
why not let the other co chair take over for this years festival, dont appoint that person (helium mom) to next years committee, and if its TRUE that she inhaled helium on school grounds and in front of kids, well that is fodder for the prinicpal to handle.
i would not believe hearsay, though ('i found out') .be careful spreading hearsay and gossip that is not substantiated, to anyone, including other parents. will kill your credibility quicker than anything if it turns out to be false (might just be a false rumor another even MORE difficult parent spread). girls can be cruel to each other.
Was she doing the helium thing to use the "funny voice" afterwards. I've done that in front of my kids too...but are you implying she's attempting to get a high off the helium. Either way it is bad judgement to show children you're inhaling anything.
If she isn't making good progress on the FF then I think you certainly need to start to divest her of some of her responsibilities. Let her know that in order for you to feel comfortable you have to have some progress in the different areas. Be careful or you'll find yourself in charge of the event with 10 days left and nothing done (that was my experience this year).
As to firing her, you should have some removal procedures in your bylaws and if not then informally I'd just let her know that you're assigning someone else to the job so you can ensure it is done properly (the name of the PTO and all). If she is co chair-then you have another chair to work with.
This is my first year as PTO president although I have been at the school for 6 years I am very involved. I have a great board and a lot of parent invlolvement or so it is on paper, My problem is with a certain parent who has made other parents very uncomfortable. She is loud, rude and not a people person. She is co chairing our fall festival but has not done hardly anything she sits in the PTO room all day and always says she'll get to it tomorrow. Well I have told her that things need to get done we are in crunch time. Now she is telling people she is sick in tired of me telling her what to do. To top it off I just found out 2 days ago she has been inhaling the helium from our helium tank infront of students. I have had the tank locked up and anyone who wants to use it needs my permission. How do you go about "firing " a volunteer.
