Our school district includes several smaller communities. We are only having two major fund raisers this year for the students. We as a new PTO board are going to do is set up a PTO table at all the smaller events in these communities and sell candes we are going to buy from a local candle maker. We decided to have our own year round fund raisers to help with our operational expenses and to have some free fun nights. We decided that if we want the communities support we needed to support our communities.

We are going to have information about our PTO, our mission statement, volunterr sign up sheets, etc. and have candles, pop corn, and snow cones to sell. We are not in favor of kids going door to door selling out of catalogs or cookie dough because most parents are really the ones selling these items.

We have not had an active PTO in years and we decided if we wanted the community to get involved we were going to show support for them.

The PTO is seperate from the schools as far as monies are concerned. We have our own account, tax ID#, file our own taxes, etc

We have no say so as to how things are done

HELLO? You pay the taxes, the school administration works for you! Maybe someone should remind them of that.
You are in a tough spot, it's hard to do battle with a principal. Personnaly, I would tell her that if she wants to take over the fundraisers, she can run them too. Don't assume the PTO will do all the work. Then try to get her to understand that it is a partnership between the school and the PTO.

I did see this happen once at a PTA school, and she was brought to task by the state PTA and local by-laws. Her next move was to attempt to convince some parents to dissolve the PTA for a PTO. That failed and a year latter she was no longer principal at that school because the parents (voters and taxpayers) made their voice heard.

"She lied to us " ...she lost her credibitly rigth then and there. Cant be an effective leader if no one trusts you, or you have no ethics or morals. All the rest does fit right in, doestn it. I cnat imagine other things at that school are all smooth sailing either. And, what must the STAFF think of a principal that acts like described? Cant be a fun environment for anyone, lest of all the kids.
I guess the glass half full is youre a voluinteer and can walk away, the staff have bigger issues.

I'm a pretty mellow, easy-going person, but I think my head would explode if the school principal said to me, "The school is taking over PTO fundraisers, but we want you all to volunteer or find volunteers to conduct the fundraiser, give us the money, and don't ask any questions about what we're doing with the money."

(When you said the Principal wants the board in charge of committees, it includes the fundraiser and all of the grunt work that goes along with it.)

To answer most of the questions you all have about our principal and our school, here goes. Our school is a public school pre-k thru 5th grades. I don't have the exact figures at this time on amount raised but it was over $5000.00. It is a small grade school as compared to others around our county, population between 475 and 510 students, 53% in low income bracket and 25% miniorities. The PTO is seperate from the schools as far as monies are concerned. We have our own account, tax ID#, file our own taxes, etc. Our principal is very controlling, not just with us but with all who are under her. She did her homework before dropping the bomb that she would be sponsoring all fundraisers, etc. We called the board and were basically told that the principal can do whatever she wants to do. We have no say so as to how things are done. We talk to several people about this. As far as sitting down and talking to her privately, I can tell you this, I have delt with her for the past 6 years and she will not change her mind, she will lie if necessary to get what she wants. She lied to us by telling us these changes were county wide and we have found out differently when we talked to the board of education and other PTO's. We talked to several people and have a call into the board's attorney hoping she can shed some light on this situation. As far as running fundraiser's off campus, (which we have discussed) we've been told that all fundraisers have to be approved through the principal and by the board of ed. She did state that the superintendent said she had to have a PTO, but she wants to do away with all of our titles and have us in charge of committees, she doesn't want any voting (for anything). Needless to say if we can't get this resolved, we are folding up this particular PTO, and she will have to find herself some other puppets.
Extremely discouraged

'doable' might depend on the status of the PTO, ie dependent or independent.

If indpendnent, and the relations breakdown between princ and PTO, the fundraisers might have to be run off school grounds in order for them to keep control of their $$$ without hassles.

Seems if the head of school is antagonisitc and trying to manage all the monies and IF she has no jurisdiction to do so (ie if PTO is independent) seems absurd to try to run the PTO "off campus" so to speak and without tacit approvals of princ.

There must be more to this story than meets the eye....follow the money...maybe there is something the princ knows that the pto does not.

ie the princ may be trying to damage control or something for the GOOD of the kids and school. Get all the facts. Talk to head of school.