Wowwee. Your group has been paralized by this one rule change. I can't even imagine how awful your meetings are if everything has to be voted on. The simple act of planning a sno-cone day could eat up an entire hour on the agenda.

No, I don't think it sounds easy at all. Tweaking bylaws until they fit the needs of your team is a long and tedious process. Trial and error are a part of the process. There are no quick fixes or absolute rules. Ulitmately, though, bylaws are supposed to make your work easier and your meetings run more smoothly, not the opposite!

Overall, common sense must prevail. (Go ahead beignets & coffee.... you know you want to...)

One concern is that it seems that the folks meeting about these issues are too close to the problem. That's why a non-partial bylaws committee can work wonders. They aren't playing favorites with officers, they aren't trying to make things work their way and they can work in relative anonymity until they are prepared to present the recommended revisions.

For my team, I was charged with appointing a review committee every two years. I didn't announce the members of the committee. Only that it had been formed and what their timeline was. 30 days for the committee to recieve input: A box was placed in the school office into which members could place their own recommendations, concerns, comments, etc. At the 30 day deadline, all info from the box, the current bylaws as well as the past two revisions (for history's sake) and a copy of Robert's Rules of Order were given to the committee; 30 days for the committee to work on the revisions and present copies to the voting members; two weeks for members to review; an official meeting to discuss and vote.

While a review every two years was mandatory, we also had a provision that allowed for altering the bylaws at any given time provided the guidelines for doing so were followed.

Sounds easy, huh? Well, we tried that in a way. Back in Jan. there was a meeting with our principal (this is her first year at our school), executive board members, and committee chairs. We went through the by laws and came to decisions on how to run things for the remainder of the year. Well, now everything and I mean EVERYTHING needs a vote to the entire group at a meeting. I'm not sure why then we have an executive board. We only meet once a month and some decisions cannot wait until a meeting. Not to mention, we cannot accomplish anything at a meeting when we are argueing over every little detail of everything. it's ridiculous. Our bylaws specifically state that the President does not vote unless there is a tie. So I needed something signed for a Fall Fundraiser for next Sept today. The principal would not sign b/c she called the PTG Pres. and she said "no". OUr president won't even be here next year b/c her child is graduating! Well, if she doesn't vote, than why should it matter what she says? What I needed signed was a commitment letter for the fundraiser. If we sign by Feb. 28, than we get an extra 4% profit for the fundraiser in Sept. However, if the PTG votes on the Fall Fundraiser and decides "NO" for this particular program, we have until June to bail out with no problem. We also have $16,000 that needs to be spent before the end of the school year, and we cannot even agree on how to spend it.

If you're looking for help, you're in the right place!!! That's the name of the game around here.

First, I think there's a pretty clear consesus that simply changing the acronym your group uses has little to do with any real or lasting change. Some folks tout the virtues of PTA and the supposed support structure in place but other's feel that PTA doesn't help much for their real, day to day struggles. PTO is a more general acronym used to cover parent groups outside of the PTA realm. Even a PTG can become a PTO Today Plus member and benefit from the membership privileges as well as the tons of free stuff here on the site!

It's great that you have bylaws. Even the best ones, though, can have gray areas. Many groups have a standard clause in their bylaws to refer to Robert's Rules of Order whenever a specific situation isn't covered by the bylaws. You can find helpful references on the Tools page here or you can buy revised, abridged and full fledged versions at most book stores or learn more at www.rulesonline.com .

I'd suggest that your team establish a Bylaws Review Committee. This committee should include capable parents and staff members who are not currently board members. Their purpose should be to review the existing bylaws, compare them to other solid examples, to Robert's Rules and to the needs of your group, then propose changes or ammendments. The proposed revisions can be presented to the voting members who can line item approve/deny each change or approve/deny the entire revised document. This is a 60 - 90 day process but is well worth the effort. Most groups routinely go through this process every two to three years anyway just to make sure they are keeping up with current trends and needs of the community they're serving.

Hi. WE need help. We have a PTG for which I'm the secretary. It's complete anarchy. We cannot even agree on how to interperet our ByLaws. Our PTG raises a lot of money and we do a lot for our students/staff, however, our meetings are such nonsense. All we do is fight. Nobody can agree on anything. I'm thinking it may be better to switch to a PTA/PTO (I don't even know the difference yet). Does either of there groups have standard rules/bylaws that are not left open to interpretation? I just don't know what to do. I just left my principals office in tears over the most ridiculous issue. I'm so glad I found this site. If anyone is willing to help, I have a number of "issues" and questions.....thanks!