Can they reschedule a meeting without your approval? You are the president. I would think it would have to be agreed upon. Well we have our first meeting tonight. This is my second term. We have changed the night to Monday nights to see if we can get more involved. We had 5 present last meeting in May. I let everyone know we would be voting in officeors, so 4 of the five people were voted in. Three of us are the same ones as last year. With the principal as my vice-pres. this year. I sent notes out to parents to be sent back to have sign up for volunteers. So far no notes have been sent back. We shall see how all of this works out. Hope that things are going better your way. Remember you are not in this alone!

I know that this may not help now, but amend your bylaws. Have a clause that you cannot call a meeting without so many days notice and without x number of people being there. Make the officers do a plan of work and have everyone discuss it. Once your budget is set (with figures from the plan of work), don't allow additional monies to be allocated without board approval. That is what PTA's do and that is what I am doing for our PTO. You need to control the situation, because ultimately you are the person that everyone is going to come back to.

I think we all have a story like yours Maggie! Two years ago we had a Prez that would call me at noon to have a meeting THAT afternoon after school! With three children and pregnant that was alot to handle!

Can you let the Principal know you need a little more notice and flexablity with meeting times?

Also, would it help to let the Principal know of your issues with the cultural person the school has? I ran into the same road block last year with the committee I was asked to be on as a parent and did ALL the leg work and calling but the class sponsor took ALL the credit, to the point I rewrote thank you notes that were to go to everyone that helped to make them sound more sincere!
Now I'm venting!! Sorry!
Maybe the other way to look at this..if she wants to take on more, who are you to get in the way!
I have a hard time with that too!
Hang in there Maggie, and if all else fails grab a kid and squeeze the love outta them!! That I KNOW works!! (of course I have to catch one of them first!!!)

[This message has been edited by mykidsmom (edited 08-04-2001).]

Hang in there Maggie and vent anytime you want. It is soooo wonderful to have this tool to vent with and you get support back. We are all pulling for you and you have my prayers as well. It looks like it is "off to war" for both of us this year. I made progress today, maybe things will be brighter for you too soon.

Maggie,

I feel SOOOO bad for you. Things do not seem to be going your way lately. It's pretty clear (at least to all of us here) that you've been working really hard to make some positive changes in your PTO/PTA.

Unfortunately, I'm too tired right now to have any great words of wisdom. I just wanted to let you know that you're in my thoughts and in my prayers.

Take Care,

Jo

[This message has been edited by MightyJo (edited 08-04-2001).]

Hi guys, once again..... I open my pta mail and am not happy! :> ) To keep it short, the principal has a planning meeting scheduled for the 7th of aug, none of the new board can go that night. (trust me I've already told her that that's just wrong). I then left the principal a note in her box about science by van and told her that I had forwarded the info to our cultural arts person. I heard nothing from her. Today I get an e-mail (not actually to me... I was just c.c.'d on it) The ex treasurer has decided that it was her idea and now she is going to take over. I did all the work! (ok, yes, I'm whining here, I'm sorry) But for goodness sakes, why the heck doesn't the cultural arts person know anything about it? This is the same person who also decided to book the Opera for this year at some point last year. (without talking to the cultural arts person yet again) I am SOOOOOOO mad! Ok, I'm calmer now, thanks for letting me vent. I am just really tired of all this "planning" going on without any (and I do mean any) input from me or any of the new board for that matter. maggie