Knowing what types of expenses they expect to have for the year and if they have income to cover it all may explain it all. If they are trying to continue with the usual yearly events that occur in the school, but they also want to try & complete a project or make a major contribution to the school, that may also be the reason for the emphasis on money.
Ask more questions to get details on why they appear to be worried about the income of the PTO. If it does not sound worthy of such worry, offer your input and suggestions as an experienced President. My first year as President, I was worried about every event. My second year was more relaxing since I had been through it once. So it also depends on the experience of your PTO board.
CrewCheif is on target. Maybe they need your infusion of ideas about activities rather than money. Sounds like they will be there to worry about money.
tbot - it's hard to really know what the concern is with the limited info on your post. The reason for the fundraising obsession is important.
Some parent groups are forced to be obsessed with the finances due to lack of funding from the district. If that's the case at your school, maybe the challenge is finding more efficient/profitable fundraisers to cut down on the number of them you have each year. Taking a look at the budget over the last two or three years should shed some light on just how much the PTO is responsible for.
If it seems that it's merely a quest for a big savings account, I would ask to see what the long term goals are for the funds Perhaps they're saving for a new playground or other big ticket item and just haven't kept the parents well enough informed.
If it's fundraising just to fundraise, maybe just bringing some awareness to it would help. It's easy to fall into a bad habit or practice or to be in a "that's what we've always done" rut. Maybe they just haven't thought of a better way yet. You can be the one who helps them find the way.
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"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
What can i do? I recently joined the PTO of a new school my children go to and this school is obsessed with finances. I was the PTO president of a school previously, and it was always about the kid's education and fun in school and community. How do I go about addressing to this group that it can't be all about the money.
