Our school opened late September. Bylaws have not been voted inyet. They will be voted in soon. I have asked the Principal to include a few minutes where parents can express how they felt the PTO has treated them in the meeting. Are there any examples of good bylaws that I can read over?
Not just that, the PTO ran a Santa Shop. My son was given cash to buy the stuff. He came home with make up and junk for himself. The PTO didnt ask for help in a call and I left my number to call if they needed help, so I assumed it was under control. Boy it wasn't. The PTO lost one moms check and then called her names when she cornered the PTO where her check was. This person skirted around even a respectful answer. Our school lost this wonderful vounteer because of this.
No one wants to come to the meeting just because of her and how she has treated them or done things...
We see these types of things on the message boards often. We usually ask for clarification on the same points:
- Does your group have Bylaws?
- What do they indicate about any of this, such as membership, committees, voting rights, elections, etc.
- Is your group independant or under the school?
This one is important because it will indicate if the Principal can/should approve what she did. It is possible (I don't know in this case) that the labels have always been under the PTO and that the Principal "giving" this to you is against the norm. There may even be other control issues going on behind the scenes between the President and the Principal.
If your group is under the school's umbrella, and not independant, then the Principal is likely the boss and the President is overstepping her bounds (kind of doing that either way).
Here's a side point. I've been the President of my children's Elementary school for a couple of years now so I am pretty familiar with all of the different programs out there. And I hate to say it, but IMO, the Tysons and the Campbells labels are two of the least rewarding on-going fundraisers. You don't receive cash like you do from BoxTop$ or Inkjets and the amount of labels it takes to purchase something that could be bought at the local Walmart for $10 is crazy.
The point is not to try to put down what you are doing but to recommend maybe just letting this President have the labels and try to focus on something else. I agree she shouldn't be as controlling as she is, and that this type of behavior will just push people away. But maybe you can use the bee to honey approach. Try recommendaing co-coordinating the program, or asking to start-up or take on a different program. For example, I highly recommend BoxTop$. With a person like this the less she feels threatened the better all around. Sure you can try to fight her, but knowing the type of person she is will that really be the best for the group and your children's school?
Last choice would be to try to start setting someone else up, maybe even yourself, as the nest President. It all depends on your group's Bylaws, but there's power in numbers, so tread carefully.
O, hunny, been there !!!!! It is called adult bullying. Do not stand for it. Some people want to be a PTO officer for themselves. Couldn't care less about what is best for the kids. This is the comment I got from our new president last year about our treasurer of 4 or 5 years "I don't think she has time to do this" Wasn't necessariy that she didn't have time, obviously she did if she had been doing it that long. The problem....she didn't agree with everything the pres said. She too wanted to do everything herself. Very manipulative and even secretative. She would let people do things and then go behind them and redo them. She even brought by-laws to a meeting to be voted on that 3 officers had very plainly requested more time to go over them and make sure everything was like it should be. It was CRAZY !!!! HORRIBLE year....We are still dealing with the fall out of some of her antics. Not sure what your by-laws say, but as a parent and member of the PTO you have the right to be involved. Do not let this controlling, self serving goof ball get to you. Take the high road. Keep your focus on the kids. Make sure she has a meeting for elections at the end of the year, according to your by-laws and rally support to vote her out. GOOD LUCK !!!!!
I am in a new charter school in Colorado Springs. There has been 1 PTO meeting where people were elected to be officers. 2 officers have resigned because of disrespect. I am not an officer.
I had asked the principal to help with the Cambells Labels..She gave me the OK. I pointed this out at the only PTO meeting we have haved and was given riff from the President about it is a committe under her control. I ignored her and told her that the principal said I could do this for the school.
I showed up in November to help at school and was asked to come into a "closed" PTO board meeting. The president made the exact comment that she couldnt be sure that I could do the labels correctly. ( I have had 8 kiddos and have done labels for 10 years) How I needed to report to her so she could do it. I was pissed and went to the principal and complained.
This president does EVERYTHING.. There have been but 1 PTO meeting and she is trying to do everything herself. She disrespected 2 parents whom 1 has left the charter and the other resfuses to help out any more.
Isnt the PTO to be meetings where parents can come together and help do things for the school together? Instead of 1 person doing everything and planning everything.
