Hi, I am in the same boat! Our old President (who by the way is now Vice)gave me nothing, I think she wanted me to fail! This web site has been great I have gathered so much info & ideas!!
At our officers meeting last night, she showed up with a nasty look on her face & a bad attitude! She talked through out the whole meeeting, brought her noisy kids, kept asking how much longer the meeting would last, and was rude!! Every topic that was on the agenda she overpowered, but only w/ negative stuff!! I am so worried how our 1st general meeting will go, I know she will be negative!!
Last year when I took over as president, I was given on small folder with a few papers in it. PTOTODAY is where I gathered ALL of my information and now I have so much that I hardly have room for it all in my PTO file box! This site will help you with everything, just ask a question and odds are someone in the forum will have "been there, done that" and offer solutions and if they can't answer your questions they will know of sites you can visit that can! It is awsome!
As for the Loud Talkers, tap your Gavel and tell them to be quiet. At the beginning of your meeting vote to spend only a certain amount of time on each item on the agenda and items that can't be decided on will be tabled. If they continue to disrupt the meeting ask them, "Have your taught children to act this way too?" "Are they going to get in the classroom and prevent the other students in class from learning because they are being disruptive?" The whole reason for this organization is to bring Parents, Teachers and Students together. "Why are you here?" Then ask them to leave, so you can conduct business.
Amy,
I am a new president this year and our past president gave me nothing also. Ban together with your VP, sec, treasurer and brainstorm. Unless you bylaws state differetnly, you can have executive meetings to go over details that aren't accomplished during your regularly monthly meetings and take care of things.
Most importantly, be the adult she's not being. Just stay on top of things and advise with your committee.
Last night I had my first meeting as the new president. From the start the previous president has refused to give me any paperwork she had or any help so that has been a constant hurdle trying to know what needs to be done and when. Well at our first meeting last night we had 9 parents there including myself. Four of us were officers. Five were the past president and her friends. We started the meeting and they wouldnt stop talking in regular voices not whispers. We had to talk over them most of the meeting they refused to vote on anything and they didnt sign up to help us man the pta booth for the openhouse or with school pictures. The principal and asst principal were both present and after the meeting the principal said if the next meeting gets nasty or out of control she will stop the meeting and take it to the city president. I dont know if there is anything we can do to stop her from talking. I could sit there and wait for them to stop but personally from what I saw they wouldnt have stopped and we like to keep our meetings as brief as possible.
The only highlight was at least they didnt vote No on everything because they would have had a majority.
