Again, I must weigh in...lol... I am a disabled parent. I do not have a job and am able to volunteer more than the average parent. I spend all day working in classrooms. I run most of the fundraisers. I set up, tear down, cook for, donate to, etc. The fact of the matter is it would be a lot easier for me to send in a check and not volunteer the time. Which does a group need more? My time or my money? I'm sorry, but I can't do both. My other theory is this: I am not going to donate the food, then cook the food, serve the food, clean up afterwards, and then write a check for the privilege of doing all the above. How do you decide who gets in free? Doesn't seem that hard to decide if you ask me... Most groups have a handful of people who work every event, from set up to tear down. THOSE are the people who attend for free. If they donated the food, cooked the food, served the food, cleaned up after the dinner, HOW do you justify charging them to eat?

Hope I don't sound like a bad pres on this one, but we don't give free admission to the people who help (yep - that includes myself, wife and kids as well). I am a member of our school community just like everyone else.

YES, we appreciate the volunteers and YES we need to raise the money. I agree with the SHC - how do you decide who get's in free? That's a bigger battle.

I don't think (for our group) that I would do that...I just don't think it looks exactly right..We recently had a huge gala fundraiser and our chairman was a stickler that no one comes free, even if you're working at the event. This avoids the problem of deciding who gets to come free. There was talk a few weeks before the event about free tickets but she squelched it.
Shelly

All in all, I'd have to say Pick Your Battles Wisely. With your membership voting so hard against you, I'd say this is one to let go...

For now.

Take a deep breath and move on. You will only make yourself sick if you don't. I don't agree with everything they're doing, but I also don't agree with everything your saying either. I think there is a compromise here, but not today. Maybe not this year. But it is there. Wait for it... it will come.

Best Of Luck To You.

Metzy,
I'm not sure I understood you're last post, but I'll answer your question. In all honesty, probably a little of both; in ABSOLUTE honesty, mostly the latter. But when you all said to back down, relax, don't make a mountain out of a mole hill etc. etc., it REALLY WAS my intention to bend a little and let this go, while at the same time working to make our by-laws clear. As someone here said to me, you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube, but you can work to make sure a cap is used in the future.

But, I got the that PTO meeting and....started talking (because Brenda had put the proposal on the agenda after all-very nice of her) and all my nice resolutions flew out the window.

A vote was taken and I was soundly defeated 12-1 with a few abstaining. It should have been 13-0, because I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with the whole PTO showing it's appreciation by allowing something like this, but I had the proverbial stick up my *** and wouldn't back down.

I have a hard time understanding it, I guess. I mean, like most of you, probably, I'm on other committees outside of school, and none of us would ever dream of giving ourselves such a perk. I don't volunteer to be appreciated or to get a thank-you. I do it because that's my contribution, and that makes me feel good.

I like to think that I respect and value everyone's contribution in whatever size, shape, form... But I also know (or am coming to understand) that I'm not the best at showing that.

I am sure there are those who think I'm being totally anal about this. The "squeeky wheel" or, as I more modestly (ha, ha) prefer to refer to myself, ,"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight the Paths..."" (No, I am ABSOLUTELY kidding, besides we all know what happens to people like that, I think they turn into Ralph Nader)

But, all joking aside, I feel very strongly that a volunteer board that is responsible for raising and spending money for whatever purpose, cause, organization...needs to conduct itself with some pretty high ethical standards. It's the least we can teach our children, though they also need to learn to from us to work together, to bend and to compromise.

I'm done now. If any of you are ever in Traverse City, MI look us up.

<PARENT> posted 05-05-2004 04:38 PM

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Help! I'm the same parent who posted the original perks for boardmembers. Our final fundraiser is a flower sale. Our board president has decided that she and the other board members along with the Principal and myself get to buy our flowers at cost because of all the work they/we have put in to coordinating the event. When I raised objections, I was royally slammed and when I requested that the whole PTO get to vote on this matter, I was told that I was already outvoted by the board and that there was nothing in the by-laws that says they couldn't do this.

Thoughts, feedback, solutions?? I've been on the board and have not wanted to hold an office again, but I want to stay involved. I am just really, really opposed to anything that even looks unethical

<parent> posted 05-06-2004 01:22 PM

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O.K. Boo Hoo, points are well taken, sounds like a great book. I still think that what/how they did this was wrong but I will resist the urge to copy and paste their emails to every parent I know, remain involved and work to change our by-laws.

Did you want honest opinions or did you just want us all to side with you? Looks to me like the latter.