Sounds like what we do. Reading of Correspondence (if we got any letters, thanks yous, township letters etc), Presidents Statements, Old Business (following up from previous meetings), Fundraising Report (currents fundraiser total and next one to go home), Committee Chair Updates (some people say NOTHING TO REPORT - i love those!), Principals Comments (usually lasts 10-15min), New Business (happening in the next 60 days only) and Dates to Remember (next months Pizza Day, Days Off, any Programs, etc). We used to have Presidents comments at the end, but some nights it was too late and we wouldnt get to them so we moved them up on the agenda. The key really is to keep it moving and to cut off those that tend to get long winded..sometimes its hard. We have a pretty laid back group so I can kida round and say "Ok, Patsy, off topic, reel it back in - The Apprentice is on in 15 minutes LOL!

our meetings last no longer than one hour, the prinicpal an myself go over the agenda ahead of time so there are no surprise thrown out there between us. I start with followup reports on the past events, then cover what is coming up next, there are times that i don't get the whole agenda done but i know that after a hour most people want to go home. do the important stuff first, it also helps being in touch between meetings with chairs. if we don't get to something it gets moved up at the next months meeting, i also give the prinicpal time to talk as well.

I love the timer idea! Sitting through 2 hour meetings was never my idea of fun, so this year, I too decided that the average meeting should last one hour. I email a note out a few days before our meeting to all of our board members reminding them of the date and also asking them to keep their "business" to a 60 day cut off. Meaning, don't ask me in November about a program that isn't running until March! I then ask them if they do have something that they think may take off in a huge debate/discussion to present it to me before the meeting and we can discuss it and then present it at the meeting. Our last meeting was scheduled for 7:15, we started at about 7:20 and I was cleaning out the coffee pot at 8:35! It was funny, the last woman to speak said something like "I know you want to keep this to one hour, but I just have one more thing to add." I just might bring that timer to the next one, thank you!

I am a first year Prez and after three years as VP enduring 2 hour meetings I decided meetings this year would move quickly. The principal and I discussed this issue and decided she would bring her 60 minute timer to each meeting. I set it once I call the meeting to order and we are done in that time frame. If people get long winded I gently remind them that we have a time limit and if necessary we will table issues until the next month.
Our first meeting went 48 minutes and our second was 57 minutes.
I am getting very positive feedback from parents who feel that the timer has cut down on cross talk and hijacked topics.

We started a smartgroups site that everyone joined (on the board) and it's locked to outside folks.
I uploaded our bylaws/standing rules/forms/etc... that i had already given them, however, if they misplaced them they know where to go rather than always asking me.
We do our discussions here so that during our meetings we only have to meet for an hour. We are conducting our first 'work day' that I am having at my home for 2 hrs. No one brings reports just their work that they need done here in the next couple of months and ALL ?'s so that there won't be any "I don't get it's" for the next couple of months and everyones job gets done.
The smartgroups site has really helped us since the discussions are done and we even do online voting thru the smartgroups site too. They offer this and you can check to NOT see who votes which way as well. Then we just say, "per our online voting, blah blah blah.
It is SO much quicker and we all really like being done in a hour.
Hope that helps. It's www.smartgroups.com and it's all free, just like a yahoo or msn type thing.

Stef

Does all have to be done at general mtg? Can some items be discussed at board mtg?

For our Secretary and Treasury reports (which tend to be the longest) handout are given, a few big points are discussed, checks are explained and ratified, then we move on to the next item on the agenda.

After the mtg specifics are hashed out- if anyone needs a better explaination.