Nancy, my wife has envolved the "Councel PTA Rep" from the onset, and she has been supportive, but when she finally attended an "emergency Executive Board Meeting" last week. In front of the Principal, the two troubled teacher/PTA members put on a good show, were very polite, then unloaded, with the help of their "hand picked" (their own words) executive board members that my wife was the cause of all the PTA's problems and was a liar. Now we have a PTA Councel member, who has been advising my wife on how to deal with the "old power structure" and basically had supported her, now when confronted with a group of vocal angry ladies pointing the finger at my wife, she got weak. While I understand it should be her (the Councel PTA member) stand to remain neutral and withhold any immediate judgement, she chose to state that "in view of the executive boards view of her (Nancy, my wifes) leadership, maybe it would be best if she step down, and to do so by Monday (this meeting was on a Friday). My wife was deflated to say the least. She was angry at herself for allowing her self to be placed in this "meeting" situation. She knew what the meeting was about, basically her being formally asked to resign by these two teacher/PTA members. She did not expect that these two would have taken the time to "rally their troops" in order to give my wife another public flogging. There are a few board members who are "on my wife's side" (it's sad that we have to talk about the PTA in this way) but since the opposition also happens to be tenured teachers who sit on many a committee which could effect the type of school career their child will have, they are intimidated and refuse to make comment against these teachers. Yes, we are very active in the community and could have easily had a 100 angry parents attend the meeting, being very vocal about these two teacher/PTA members and the type of PTA they ran up until now. My wife did notadults want to "take it there" because mature can have disagreements and resolve them with out great conflict... this is not the case. Personally, I think these two teachers have some kind of chemical imbalance, or are just outright sick in the head. My wife has now taken this to the District level of the PTA.
Doesn't the PTA Organization have a rep who will come out and help fix this? I know that when a PTA is thinking about disbanding they will come, so it makes sense that something as important as this would be right up their alley. I believe that the PTA Organization offers training to its new Presidents and it sure sounds like your wife could use the support, and the old regime could use some training. If I were you, I would contact a PTA rep (many PTA'ers here on this site) and ask questions, find out what support and help is available.
One thing I've never thought much about until I read your post, is that just when a PTA/PTO is having trouble, parents quit coming to the meetings. I never thought about it, but isn't that when we need their support and input the most? Maybe this issue should be incorporated into our First Meeting Welcome speeches.
I'll try to keep this brief. My wife was asked to be the president of the PTA this year by two veteran PTA members who are also veteran teachers of this same school. After envolving her, and stating that they want new blood in "their" PTA, they placed her as a figure head, and went about the meeting "as they always have". New ideas were dismissed, not recorded and when my wife started questioning how PTA monies had been spent in the past and how they should be spent now ... these two teacher/PTA members went off the deep end. Besides being rude and condisending to my wife and others new to the PTA (many of whom were turned off and left) they began making threatening remarks to my wife, and rallied the others who they hand picked for the executive board to begin a slander campaign and asking her for her resignation. Question. Though these teachers have children who attend this same school, how envolved can or should they be in the PTA. I'm sure there were a few years this select group carried the PTA on their back, but they now lead the PTA in a very bullyish fashion, which is keeping a lot of great parents (many of whom are professionals and who could bring a lot into this school) turned off on the PTA. If a teacher who is a PTA member, after making threatening comments (as well as actions, though it is hard to prove due to protections given to tenured teachers) be told by their Principal, or Superintendent to leave the PTA? How do new PTA members take on an Executive PTA board which is well trenched in not only as veteran PTA members, but veteran teachers as well. They told my wife she "would be sorry", and have gone out of their way to publically butcher her, I guess to make an example out of her, or any other parent who "rocks the boat".
She has not taken this lightly. Besides seeking constant advice from PTA council, She/we have placed a formal complaint about these two teachers to the Assistant Superintendent, and have envolved a lawer. Is this common, or are we just lucky?
