There is always more to a difficult story than is possible or prudent to post here. Most of us try to take the info given and offer whatever opinions or insight we have. I hope you do feel support here on these boards. Without knowing everything, we can at least see that you're a concerned parent trying to help make your children's school better.

If your PTO is brand new, there are no bylaws and they are a service branch of the school then the principal does have a lot of control over how it's run.

If previous parent groups caused a lot of problems, to the point that you didn't even have one for a few years, I can really see why the principal would be cautious about restarting a group and especially careful about the people appointed to lead it.

A few things:

As secretary, you are an officer of the PTO and should have as much say in executive decisions as each of the other three officers. Make sure your voice is heard.

As this new group continues to grow, set a positive example by being openly supportive of your fellow officers. Encourage parents and teachers to get involved. As you all work together, you will all have a hand in shaping the PTO into a team that benefits all of your kids.

Good luck to you. And remember, pop in and ask questions any time you want to. Your team has a lot of work to look forward to. Maybe you can help by finding some of the answers here.

I was asked to take the position at the last mininute. minuntes before the official announcement of the board. The principal did not want a PTA last year or the year before because of personal conflicts inthe pta .. So by hand picking this crowd I guess she felt that she was avioding a problem There were parents that were TOLD NO PTA! when asked what was the status.was of it . . you cant start one if the Principal says no. When the meeting was in progress I and other parents asked for a ballot vote, It was met with resistance. then they out of fairness announced the group if anyone has any objections in front of the body of parents , well no one wants to be embarassed by saying ah No.... . so no one objected.( I heard the outrage later) but what can I do ... But the folks that would have been happy to help are now feeling angry and betrayed... because if told they happily would have asserted them selves. But the same group of folks that always help and want to help are now upset and the enthusiastic start to a great year is in need of help.. They have not had any by laws or and kinda anything. Voting doesnt look like its even an option. I am going to the first metting to me and the 3rd meeting for them next week ... but we are halfway in october... so its late. Yes there is more to the story but I want to stay positive for everyone to make a difference. I just need support from everyone here..... es

Are you using the same organizational paperwork for this PTO, the same Tax ID and same 501c3 status? Are you creating new bylaws or following the bylaws of the prior PTO?

IF this is a totally new group and you will be re-forming with all new documentations, there is really nothing that can be done. They jumped in it and start it up, so there are no "rules" they are breaking at this point. However, if they are just re-surfacing the old PTO, then you can refer to the old bylaws and the voting process for officers outlined there.

I echo both Diff's and CrewChief's points. Lets look at this logically, using the info provided...

- You had a non-existant parent/teacher group at the school.

- No one, for an unexplained amount of time, tried to get things going again.

- A handful of parents got together and discussed getting things going again.

- During this meeting of the minds they likely discussed who would take on what roles, which would make sense.

- They then got the ball rolling again.

- Now your school has a PTO that is functional, though parents are not happy in the way that these others took it upon themselves to make it happen.

Here's some questions that might help us...

- When was the last time the group was functional?

- What happened to make it defiunct (President left, quit, etc.)?

- Were there others who were interested in taking on executive roles, but didn't think of trying to start things back up themselves?

- Is there a specific worry with this handful of parents running the group (are they doing a bad job, for example)?

- Does your group have Bylaws and if so, what do they state?

Personally, (and again this is only based upon what was described, and, as always, there is likely many things going on behind the scenes that were'nt explained), I applaud this handful of parents for doing this and if they want to "appoint" themselves officers until the next election then I say what's wrong with that.

When you mention the "pay up" part, I assume that means paying dues to be considered "members". Again, personally, I have always had a issue with this kind of membership as I strongly believe that paying money does not make someone involved. But getting past that, if that's what these parents are beling asked to pay for, then personally I agree with you, I would recommend not requiring dues (unless you are a PTA and then I would recommend becoming a PTO - but that's a different point, and you already mentioned that you are a PTO - but then mentioned PTA?).

I would recommend that you let things go, for now. Say in April of so, when elections would be coming up in a few months, that someone bring up the elections and ensure that all positions will be open. Meaning that some Bylaws indicate that a position is for a duration of 2 years. If your Bylaws state that then you may want to push for a new election due to the last one not being per the Bylaws or normal guidelines. By that time the committee and the community should have a good sense for these parents who got things going. If they work out good, then maybe they'll be reelected. But the parents that you mentioned, the ones who "would have loved to tried to be a officer" but did not try to get things going will have their chance.

Also, the fact that they "selected" you as Secretary should be a compliment. For whatever reason this group feels that you were a good fit for that role and sought you out. I would feel good with that and work hard with them to make this a truly successful year.

Good luck,
PresidentJim

d - as ever, well said! You always tie things up so neatly.

I do have questions for the original poster:

apehangmomtwrjhh;138133 wrote: I have (newly) found myself as the secretary on a Brand new PTO ,,,, Before I was made aware of this position .....and of a PTO, the officers had nominated themselves and met in secret for a few weeks. I was not in, or asked to take this position, till the announcement of the self crowned PTO.

How is it that you found yourself to be secretary? Were you voted in, as you believe the other officers should be, or appointed by said officers?

Are the officers doing a particularly bad job? Do you trust that they can get this neglected PTO back up and running but perhaps just disagree with how they became officers?

I agree with d in that this motivated group of parents picked up and ran with something that everyone else seemed content to leave dormant. Why not support and encourage them while helping to find ways for even more parents to get involved and eventually into officer positions?

It's always hard to give a balanced response when there is obviously a lot of emotion involved. I hear that your PTO was defunct and now you have some parents that are willing to take the position and get things rolling again. Did they meet "in secret" or did they get together a few times so they could organize themselves? I guess perception is 9/10s of the issue here and honestly in my mind you're well into the year already PTO wise. Is there a chance that these folks are really just trying to do some good and get a program together for the children? You seem to think they have some sort of nefarious basis and I'm not sure why--other than the fact that they didn't come together to do a lot of work to allow others (whom I suspect weren't really all that interested or they would have started something) run for positions.
Is this the best way to do things -- absolutely not. Wouldn't it have been terrific if these parents had been completely altruistic and gotten together to form a nominating committee, then ask for nominations, hold an election and had the positions filled. I suspect by then you'd have been in at least November. So why not give these folks a chance (since before them you had nothing) and as Secretary push for a review of the bylaws and the institution of some solid voting guidelines and procedures to kick in come even February. That way this "Bridge Board" was only in place for 3 months before you held more standard nominating and voting procedures. The new board could assume as early as May and you'd be all set for the year following.
If however, the damage is too much to repair...then I guess you can just dismiss the new board (although you did have a chance to object), not have parents join the group and then the children will miss the benefit of your considerable talents for this entire year.
Not sure how you can be pressured if you don't feel you're a part of the election process or why a PTO fell apart when there were so many parents so eager to run for a position...but certainly someone needs to stop being shy and talk to the board about the elephant in the room or you will have wasted another year in your group and that would be very sad.

d