Sure, middle schools and high schools have parent groups. They do have additional challenges with the strong student organizations that already exist, especially band boosters and athletic organizations.
The important thing is to find your niche and set your goals accordingly.
My middle school has a PTO that focuses almost exclusively on teacher appreciation and organizing volunteers for the few times the school needs help.Their fundraising is VERY minimal as they have few expenses. Since their net receipts are less (FAR less) than $5000 per year, they don't need to formalize.
My high school has a PTA chapter. Their focus is teacher appreciation, volunteer recruitment for major events (like registration), scholarships (they give 3 $500 awards), parent communication, and serving as a central organization for those that aren't part of one of the big groups like athletics or band. High school kids are pretty self sufficient and we parents feel really disconnected. The communicaiton channel is one of PTA's biggest services for me. Our chpater has a listserv and sends out some great information regarding our school. It really helps keep us in touch. (Note whether it's a PTO or PTA wouldn't matter for this.)
No matter what direction you go, participation is probably going to be a challenge. So prepare for that.
Personally, if I were starting a parent group for middle school or high school, I'd keep the fundraising really minimal, no dues, and focus on the areas above. I'd stay below the $5000 threshhold and not formalize as a 501(c)(3), just focusing on the service aspect of the organization. But that's purely my opinion.
Our family moved to a new county with a miserable school system - everyone says so. The good parents seem powerless to help. The county commissioners and school board don't get along. There are several PTO's for the elementary schools, but nothing in secondary. My daughter will start high school in another year and we are desperate to create support for the high school. Do you ever hear of high schools having PTO chapters? There is a band boosters and athletic boosters, but that is it. Our thought was to create a group of parents who could voice concerns in a positive way. We want to be more than a group of fundraisers (which is all it appears the elementary groups do). Does our motive seem in alignment with PTO and do you have any other recommendations? Also, would we need a separate charter from the elementary PTO's? How does it work? I tried to find "how to start a chapter" on this site and had no luck.
pzettler;132908 wrote: Message to JHB. You said it important to get sample from other PTO's "in your state". Can you help me understand a few reasons that this is important?
The important part is really that they are a 501(c)(3) because the IRS does require several very specific pieces. I recommend seeking ones in your state simply because they would be subject the same state laws as you. They might be close enough for you to strike up a relationship and share information about issues beyond bylaws. It's not really critical that they be from your state, but if you are literally just going to start searching for other PTOs in similar circumstance, why not start close to home? If you find one in your same town/school district - even better. They would be subject to the same local rules and pressures as you.
pzettler;132908 wrote: Message to JHB. YIf this is true, then it might help if PTO Today could help us get examples organized.
The organizers of PTO Today have been incredibly generous, but we need to remember they are not a non-profit. They can't/won't be providing everything a PTO needs for free. They sell (for a very reasonable price) memberships that offer template bylaws and other resources to help a PTO start up from scratch. There's a lot available for free on their website and via the forum. If you use the search feature, you'll find posts where folks have shared links to their own bylaws. But I think there's a limit to how many resources we can expect PTO Today to offer for free.
aks1382-- Just curious.... Is your Principal asking the ex President for an accounting of the PTO funds? This could be a legal issue if money cannot be accounted for and the account closed.
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