Michele B, you made me laugh out loud!! I love your reply. You know I read a lot of these post and think, "Thank goodness our PTO isn't run so seriously." And so many of you are so serious about all of this and not that that is a bad thing it is just the way it is. So I totally wasn't expecting the remark in your post.

Thanks for lightening up the mood!

I think it will all work out. I also liked kmamom's happy bunny buttons, but I have another quote for you! (edited a bit but you can figure it out)

"Too often, we lose sight of life's simple pleasures. Remember, when someone annoys you it takes 42 muscles to frown but, it only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and B***ch slap the Motherf***** in the head"

KMAmom... you always know how to make me smile !!!

How did you find out it was one of your officers?
How did you find out WHICH officer?
Have you talked to the "others" involved to see what t heir take is on this?
What's your relationship with your principal?

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who at least one of the people was. Since most of the questions put to me by the principal were treasury-related, it was pretty easy to figure out. I can plan and execute an event for 800, but can't hold on to a $10 receipt from Walmart. When the embezzlement was discovered, I took great pains to hold on to all receipts until a treasurer was elected. When it came time to turn everything over to her, I couldn't find the damn shoebox!!! Not too big a deal because we have duplicate checks and every check was written to the stores, not to me. Today I went to the stores and they were all kind enough to issue duplicate receipts (Note to Tim: I need something from NPN by Monday, 11/8/04 at 2 p.m. My fax numbers are: (home) 928-753-6576 and (school) 928-753-7756). So you can see she might be pretty uptight about not having those dang receipts...

The principal told me it was 'some of the other officers'. I did talk to my best bud (also the veep) and ask her if she was part of it. The only reason I did this is because we are best buds, my husband is concerned that our PTO will cause our friendship to go kaplooey, and we had spoken about this very thing earlier in the week. She assured me that she hadn't gone to the principal but had been approached BY the principal and asked about how things were going. She said that we needed to work a few things out in terms of bylaws (true, but we are all aware of that), and that everything seemed to be going well. The secretary is pretty outspoken and I believe she would have come to me with any 'concerns'. That leaves only the treasurer... :confused:

My personal relationship with the principal is very good. While not one would call friends in the 'joined at the hip' sort of way, we both get along very well. A common 'like' and 'respect' might be a good way to put it. She is often my personal sounding board for ideas as well as the fact that I take all ideas, newsletters, bulletins, etc. through her. Some might call it brown nosing (and many have...lol), but I call it respect for her position as head of our school.

As I read through the comments here, I have come to realize something: I remember how nervous and stressed out I was the first year I served on the board. This is her first year on the board and she IS sitting in the hot seat... the treasury can't be any fun after an embezzlement scandal...

What do you think?

Metz--

With all your faults and you're SURPRISED at this meeting being called?

Are you sure you're not actually ME in disguise?

One of my great, great friends suggested that while I am good at heart, sometimes I come off very hard.

You have nice friends--mine have NO PROBLEM coming right out and telling me that while I have a heart of gold I come off a lot of the time as hard-assed, uncomproimising and "above others." Nothing like a little honesty to make you fell good about yourself! Unfortunately, I know it's all true! Despite my working on my shortcomings, it seems as though I'll never be truly able to overcome them. SO now I try to take the "obstacles" less personally and treat them with a sense of humour. I know have two little "Happy Bunny" buttons on my "Big Black Bible" of PTO that say:

"I know how you feel, I just don't care."
and my favorite,
"I'm not mean, you're just a sissy"

You got to check out this website: Happy Bunny Buttons

How did you find out it was one of your officers?
How did you find out WHICH officer?
Have you talked to the "others" involved to see what t heir take is on this?
What's your relationship with your principal?

OK--have I asked enough questions yet?

My first reaction when things like this happen to me is guilt. I'm all to aware of my faults, and due to my mother's influence I usually assume things are my fault. SURPRISE--my mother wasn't always right (what an epiphany to come to after almost 40 years of life)! I try not to get too wigged out about this sort of thing, but of course I always do. The last time (this whole debacle with our principal) really made me realize that though I have my faults, it seems that a lot of the time I have done nothing wrong--its other's issues caused by WHATEVER ghosts from their past that haunt their psyche that are causing THEIR problem with whatever is going on.

Did that make any sense? In other words--it's usually someone else being an a-hole that wants to make trouble for you, and for whatever reason others buy into it at first.

As I always say, aren't the glories of volunteering truly joyous?!

You're right Michelle. I mean, if I could turn an embezzlement into a positive (and I did!), I can do this... lol...

Metzy I have no doubt that you turn this into a positive. While sometimes people who should come to you don't, think of it this way, perhaps this person felt that you were too good of a friend and rather come to you with her complaints used a thirdparty to make it random and thus not interfere with your friendship-glass half full scenario!

It does sound like a great time for you and the board to work things out and to straighten up any misconceptions. And while I love you just the way you are (I can tend to be abrasive myself at times, if you haven't noticed!) This can only make you a better leader.
Good luck and try not to take it personally!