I tell my team all the time, "Hey, I'm only one vote. I don't run the whole show." Sometimes I'm accused of being a bit too controlling. I have to remind everyone that we're a democracy and if they feel strongly about something, they should present their case, make a motion and follow voting procedures.
As far as the principal (or in our case now, the asst principal) having a vote, my personal opinion is that it isn't necessary for my group. The principal/asst is over us and always has 'veto' power. We are a service group that falls under the BOE, super and admin. If they don't like something, we don't do it.
If, however, it works well for other parent groups then, Great! The beauty of writing your own bylaws is getting to decide what makes sense for your own team.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
CapeDad is my kind of dad....i agree one vote one person does not skew ANYTHING. even presidents all over the world are allowed to cast one vote at election time.
our principal sits on the board, we have 20 members on the board, that one vote is fair and square. if we had only three persons on the board, i might have a different opioion.
I don't see the point in including the principal and not giving him/her a vote.
While the principal obviously has powers over and above the ones she gets as a board member, when she is at a board meeting, she is a board member.
We have the principal and one faculty/staff rep on our board. They are there to provide a school perspective on whatever issues we are dealing with.
They vote to make sure that perspective is represented. Our board has 8-10 members, with the possibility of a few more. Giving the principal a vote does not give him any excessive influence.
If you don't expect too much from me, you might not be let down. <img src=images/smilies/smile.gif>
When you are writting by-laws for the first time there is the tendancy to just try to capture in the document what has traditionally gone on.
When you are revising the by-laws, the tendency is to update those sections that are not working as well as desired and can be improved.
The best approach is to decide for your group what makes the most sense. Some of it may be "the way it has always been"; some may be "it would be better if..."; and some really good ideas may come from outside (adapting another school's by-laws to your situation).
My recommendation is to talk out all the possibilities and decide what you think will work for you.
That said, our Principal is wonderful and supports us tremendously - as we support the school. By her very position, the Principal has much influence over the workings of the PTO. However, we decided to limit somne of that influence so it does not overwhelm the independent organization that we are.
Therefore, our Principal does not serve on our Exec. Bd. But she is a member of the PTO and can vote on motion that comes up. She is the Chair of the Nominating Committee (along with 3-5 parents) who ensure the elections go smoothly and the new board is in place. Anything we do with the school we obviously need to coordinate with her - meetings (she attends all the meetings), fundraiusers, parties, she needs to approve all flyers before they go out and more.
Our school's principal has voting rights (incase of a tie, it's our secretary that decides)and sits on the board. Afterall, it is her school and we do need her permission to hold events and send home notes via backpack. Her role in our by-laws is described as:
School Principal shall serve as the liaison between the executive committee & the administration.
Like CrewChief's and coffee's, our principal also attends every meeting and gives us a principal's report of things going on at school and in the district.
Our school's principal is very supportive and involved in our PTO. She sits on the board as the Advisor. It's good to have her on board because like CrewChief's principal, she attends all meetings, brings us up-to-date on school happenings, and also has final approval for PTO events & activities, literature, etc.
