Originally posted by PAConnolly: Is it possible to establish a PTO for just one grade?
I wouldn't form a PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) for one grade. I think you'd be better off forming a booster club for a specific grade or group (band boosters, football boosters, etc).
I had a thought. Did they strictly say it had to benefit all children or was it just one of many requests? Could it be possible that there just isn't funding for it and if so, would you be competing for funds that might be scarce to begin with? I was just wondering what their budget was like? If it's small than while they might want to be able to fund side issues like this perhaps the money is better used for a wider number of students. I could see this as a possible reason to the denial of the request...
Short answer -- yes, you can certainly establish a PTO for a cause like that.
My advice, though, would be to call it something different. Call it the "5th grade fund" or the "Memory Makers" or something. The PTO name like the PTA name usually has the connotation of whole-school parent group. Seems like having two -- especially where one would be more of a specialty group -- would lead to unneeded confusion.
Also agree with other posters that the "all school" interpretation is unusually strict.
There are plenty of PTAs that fund specific functions such as DARE, Graduation and other things that only work with a few grade levels. I think there is a misunderstanding in the "helps all children" idea. The idea is that one or two children aren't benefiting but a larger number. I think you should call National and get an official answer and then take your request back to the board, with this information. It's most likely miseducation on what they think they can and can't do and what really is.
Our PTA raises money for the whole school, but we have items we fund every year (requests have to made every year). We provide money for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade promotions. It's not always equal as it determined by the request and how much money we raise. We always have enough and are able to help in other areas too, such as CJSF and PE. I could find nothing in our by-laws that state the money must always be distributed to help all children...and besides, eventually most student reaches grad, so you are helping all.
I don't see why not. It would seem to be similar to booster clubs that you see in high school, where they are set up to just provide support in specific areas--athletics, arts, etc.
As long as you are raising less than $5k/year, you won't need to bother with any IRS filings. If you're planning on doing more than that, though, could get a little tricky.
