kmamom - I'm a longtime PTO parent who wholeheartedly agrees with you.
My position is that as a parent group, you have to weigh the pros and cons of each structure and make the decision best for YOUR group.
With PTA, you definitely lose some funds to state/national dues. And some don't agree with their political agenda. But you do get a great infrastructure. All kinds of guidebooks and templates are available, bylaws, training, 501(c)(3) in place, processes and programs are already created.
If you aren't prepared to initiate all those pieces yourself (or you don't think your organization will sustain it), it may make sense to join an organization like PTA. They have a lot to offer.
If it's more important to you to have independence, to have every dollar go to your school, not to have to follow someone else's rules AND if you are prepared to build your own infrastructure - PTO would be a good way to go.
To me - both types of organiztions have value. It's just a question of what best fits your group.
kmamom, I've often wondered if my group would be better off as a PTA, too. We have so many problems with the pres, no bylaws, no budget, no meetings half the time. At least if we were PTA, rules would have to be followed, right?
I've read many of your other posts and I know your group has similar problems to mine--but I think mine takes the cake! I would love to get about a dozen members off this board and bring them to my school so they could tell people what a parent group should be--or could be.
I know some people have problems with their PTA (I am not anti-PTA)but I don't know if it would be a bad thing if someone came along and disbanded our group. I wouldn't like them taking over our money, though, since most of what we have was raised by the auction I chaired. It is currently sitting in our account because I insisted the members be given a chance to vote on how to spend it. The pres and sec tried to sneak in two *secret* financial meetings but the princial and I put the kibosh on that.
But if the problem is really the principal or the superintendent, the upper level of the PTA has no authority. The only real "teeth" they have is the authority to take over the money.
If they threaten to close the PTA, it could just start back up as a PTO.
For the record, I am not anti-PTA, but I do think they need to touch base with their membership.
Our school group is still a PTA. We have a LOT of management problems--many the same as ones I see PTO people on these boards struggling with.
While I'm generally pro-PTO, in this case I found myself being thankful we are a PTA. There's an actual chain of command that can be follwed to get help with things like out of control presidents and officers and no bylaw following. I went to the first rung, found them to be of no help, but the rung above their heads IS taking things seriously.
If we had been a PTO we'd have no avenue to get people in line (it goes unsaid that you have to hope the chain of command stays true to their mission!). Sure you could go the principal or superintendent--but what if they're part of the problem? They certainly aren't going to make people toe the line if the rule breaking is working in their favor.
