charlottekey....don't give up... with the help of this site and everyone here I know that you can have a successful year. Of course it's not going to be easy at first since there is nothing to go by, but you have the chance to set the pace.

I agree with all of the posts above. Start out by getting some by-laws (that will spell out what each officers duty is) and recruit some more parents to fill in the officer positions. Find out if you have an account with money in it, if not, go to a local bank and open one up. Put yourself and another officer as well as the Principal (in case of an emergency) on the signature card. Meet with your board before the school year starts and make a list of goals that you would like to accomplish. Start small (and fun) at first... getting parent, student & teacher involvement should be high priority. Once you have the support and volunteers to help, you can move on to bigger events.

You can do this!!! The PTO is an important organization that is formed to help unite the school and provide important educational programs for the children that have been cut due to lack of $$$ from our states.

Please keep us informed on how things are going!!!

This may be a shot in the dark, but how about contacting the IRS, explaining the situation and trying to find out about an EIN number. They may possibly have a copy of the by-laws for you.

i have no idea if there are funds or anything,we are out for summer and i cant get ahold of ANYONE to help me or tell me about this last year,i have no idea of anything.the former pres.wont return my calls

I know the job seems overwhelming right now, but you can do it. Take it in small steps and gather supportive people to help you. The kids need you and deserve a functioning parent group.

Maybe I've missed it somewhere in the thread, but do you have a copy of the by-laws and do you have any funds?

thank you kathy,i appreiciate it so much. from what i have heard this year was the 1st year they had pto at this school,so i guess there are no paper trail from past years to go back too,and its summer here now too,and no one is at the school i just really feel like giving up and letting someone else deal with this headache.i never would have thought that the former president would have done me this way

I read your dilemma. First, relax. Every new president has their moments of panic.
But you have made a good start by meeting with your principal (even if they are outgoing).

The first thing I would do would be make a list of what your group did last year.
Think about those things, were they effective, lots of participation etc. Then decide where you (and the others) want to go next year, Do you want to reapeat these events?
It sounds like you have no board right now- remember you can not do it all yourself. You need to find some people to be on your board. If you can not- then you need to meet with the new principal and let them know if you don't have any help- you don't have a PTO (or PTA or whatever).
It may take a few meetings to get things going- but if people are faced with not haveing the PTO they might wake up and realize they need to volunteer.
I have a procedure book for the Presidency at our school (made from years of experience) I will be happy to share if you would like.