Does the PTO have govern documents (bylaws)?
What Rules of Order is your organization using? (ex; Robert's Rules of Order)
Your voice as a parent is important! My recommendation, first find out what rules of order your organization uses. Then buy the book and get yourself acquianted with its procedures.
Some parents (officers) feel enttitled to holding positions and do not allow new members to share ideas or concerns--this is outright wrong! If your organization makes it impossible for parents to join or express lack of interest for parent involvement.....request for new elections. Everyone counts!
Our PTO moved board meetings to mornings so that less would attend and votes would go through smoother by recommendation on the council prez a few years ago. Times have not changed so it must have worked well.
Parents are invited to those meetings...but most of our parents work and have no chance to go.
General meetings go in this order. PTO reports, budget posted on wall, and then a performance from the students. Sometimes it's just one grade or a few grades performing...and ONLY those parents show up. They are coming for the performance...that's it! We get ONE question proposed to the members once a year and that is do you vote ye or nay for the slate of officers. The members are never asked their opinions on decisions the board makes. The board recently made a policy that affected the parents without a vote or survey or any chance to say no...then when members asked why can't we have a say...it was told to us the the policy is in effect and will be going into the by-laws. Don't we get to vote on that? Don't we get to vote on anything? The board makes all of the decisions and tells us what they decided.
Should a PTO board have that kind of authority? If a policy changes...shouldn't the members be asked to vote on it or at the very least if they are in agreement with it? Should the meetings be open for any questions or concerns from the floor at a general meeting so that members actually feel a part of the process? Our members are ganging up and not buying in next year because it seems to them that they have it under control and don't need the members for a thing!
