thanks for the words of hope [img]smile.gif[/img] i had my meeting yesterday...advisor didn't make it so i just mentioned that a couple of parents had asked me if anyone on the staff was making a profit on the fundraiser and i was concerned about violating company policy and having it reflect badly on the pto. principal was concerned...it would obviously reflect badly on her as well. but yikes it never ends!!! my vp called me last night very upset and ready to quit wondering why the have a pres and vp if the advisor singlehandedly makes all of the decisions...i feel her pain! now the advisor has thrown out the bylaws we took 80 hours to write and sent her own to be approved without respecting us enough to discuss any needed changes. (i had a feeling it was coming) but having a corporate background i come from the perspective that everything is negotiable...even this! the principal is going to have a hissy fit though. we needed the bylaws we wrote to meet the requirements of the irs 1023. and i really wonder whats on the advisors agenda...is it some unfulfilled desire to be pto pres? or does she really think she's helping? stay tuned for the next episode....same bat time....same bat station! its really a very unhealthy situation. i must say though we've gotten things approved at this school that none of our other schools have been permitted to attempt! and i hear that because we've been allowed to pursue non-profit status the corp isn't going to shut us down over the kind of minor drama that has been blown out of proportion. i feel more confident in being able to let the other officers know that everything is going to be okay [img]smile.gif[/img]
interesting that colorado is 49th in funding....where are you in quality of education? we're pretty high on the funding...i think close to $7,000 per child...but our school district is dead last in the country for education. i think our high school grad rate was in the 30's a couple of years ago.
btw....we have a pto meeting today so i have the super soaker in the trunk fully loaded....and i'm not afraid to use it!
OUr group was set fourth by our four fathers....sorry actually as the story has been told to me a group of parents wanted a PTO and in the beginning the Principal said no but once they sat down together for about five months and drew up our by-laws here we are. Three years ago in May, a group of parents with the brand new (I don't think the ink was dry on the ballots) Prez decided to accuse the Principal of misuse of funds. After $10000 in legal fees, accounts, police work the staff work and the parents were not only laughed out of the school but the Prez (who is STILL there) has been put under such a micrscope it's really funny. It was shortly after this I (I was her secretary) asked for the board's help and..."parental watchdog eye" not only to get throught the year but see a snowball fight before it hit again. Anyway, their support has been great and we have been worked into the adgenda of the public session and the Prez reports on our doings and plans. The board has been great also by telling parents "to learn more stay for the PTO meeting after ours". We are 15 minutes after the board. As far as the charter etc, I would love to look into that. I honestly have been wanting to look at it. As far as the PTO being apart of the charter, I'm not sure.
I really enjoy the charter school system and don't miss the whole public school thing (esp. here in Colorado where they are 49th in funding!) And the part that most people don't understand is I don't have say in what happens at school BUT my issues are heard and I can get answers. I never felt that way at the public school.
I should add that to get where we are has taken mainly two years but I will throw in the entire five years we have had our charter.
OMGH....I gotta go,time to get kids...again!!
keep in touch!
my kids mom, listen for the advisor's scream tomorrow as i unload the super soaker on her!!!
okay mind reader...i was considering proposing to the principal a different type of family involvement group. it seems the traditional isn't working well but for literally 1 school of around 15 owned by our corp in our area. perhaps they could have an employee as pres...or just have a coordinator of several committees. i've been doing pto for 12 years (not one pta by the way)and this is definitely not the hardest group i've ever been involved with. but they do need to create a model that they can duplicate and is held accountable.
btw...we are the first pto they have let pursue nonprofit status. i hear they are looking into it for the whole corp....it would give us access to lots of programs for the kids [img]smile.gif[/img] we lease some of the many closed catholic schools in our area so building hasn't been an issue yet.
how is your group set up? does the owner have a pto coordinator or is there a particular group the pres meets with? are there printed school policies for the pto to adhere to? i'm having a case of extreme culture shock....my first charter...we've always been at suburban or private schools. i do like it other than the fear of parents and constant shifting of invisible policies! how long have you been involved with them?
we need a charter school thread!
Interesting....oh yeah, I barely heard your scream over the boys playing,lol!
I am at a charter school also but we just became incorporated as a not for profit corporation just two years ago. The school did this to apply for our own loan to build our own school since the school district was already building four but had no money or intrest in helping us (another charter school had to raise their own cash,too).
Hey the whole school's policies thing has save myself a few times! Another thought for you, our PTO is actually a commitee of the school board. Yeah, this happened a couple years again when we had much distress with a Prez. It was something unwritten but works get as now we really do have to "report" to someone. We also have it that the principal is a board member.
The crazy part is you will look back on this and laugh, after you revel in the thought you survived! (I think they should do a Survivor show with a parent group! HA!!)
...as an afterthought....with charter schools you're not in kansas anymore dorothy! our school(advisor) doesn't answer to a district, we don't have one....or to the parents....or to the community. if you don't like it there's the door because there are 200 children waiting to fill your childs space.we are a privately run for profit school and overseen by a ceo at an office far, far away... i see public schools going more this way because of financial issues. we have become kind of a national model of a charter school that is incredibly successful. it will take time but i am confidant that the ceo will start to see the parents as allies. i see some loosening up already. we love what he has created. our kids have the best of everything in a district where the ceilings routinely fall in on classrooms. change is slow sometimes...and it's hard to learn new rules.
thanks again [img]smile.gif[/img]
actually as the story has been told to me a group of parents wanted a PTO and in the beginning the Principal said no but once they sat down together for about five months and drew up our by-laws here we are. Three years ago in May, a group of parents with the brand new (I don't think the ink was dry on the ballots) Prez decided to accuse the Principal of misuse of funds. After $10000 in legal fees, accounts, police work the staff work and the parents were not only laughed out of the school but the Prez (who is STILL there) has been put under such a micrscope it's really funny. It was shortly after this I (I was her secretary) asked for the board's help and..."parental watchdog eye" not only to get throught the year but see a snowball fight before it hit again. Anyway, their support has been great and we have been worked into the adgenda of the public session and the Prez reports on our doings and plans. The board has been great also by telling parents "to learn more stay for the PTO meeting after ours". We are 15 minutes after the board. As far as the charter etc, I would love to look into that. I honestly have been wanting to look at it. As far as the PTO being apart of the charter, I'm not sure.
