To me, this seems like an issue with your President, as well as your "passing the buck" Principal.

If I was you I would try to setup a 3-way conversation between all of you. Face to face is of course better, but e-mail would work.

Let them know that it sounds as though the "overall" idea is approved and that you were looking forward to taking this on. Try to work it in that you would like to contact this Science Teacher and try to coordinate the event.

I love the overall idea and possibly you could take it even farther. Instead of one Science Night, why not turn it into an afterschool Science "Club". Maybe have it run once a week for a few months. Send flyers home and have parents sign their children up. We presented a similar idea to our Principal during a School Council meeting and we now have a French Club starting up and plan on trying other languages out in the future if this is a success.

I do agree with some of the feedback that this sounds as though it may be a miscommunication. Maybe your President feels that you desire to research, but not chair? It's also possible that your Principal/President loved this idea so much that they want to take it on themselves. This is, as someone said, a compliment, but you have the right to stay involved. Let them know that you would like to be in the planning committee. Maybe you won't be the one in charge, but at least you'll still be involved.

- Jim

1) he told me he thought it was a great idea. Encouraged me to go ahead with the idea/planning.
2)he told me that you weren't involved in the planning.

sounds a bit confusing. and after all, sounds like they asked you to help.

maybe the first thing to consider doing is,get clarifications directly from the source, face to face.

sounds like maybe there are misunderstanding or miscommunicaitons (easy thing to happen when more than 2 people involved in anything)and nothing that cant be worked out with some face to face converstaion.

I don't see the value in continuing to present ideas, etc. to the board if this continues.

First, this needs to stop here. The open discussion that needs to happen is your fustration that an idea was presented, you were given a lukewarm reception, darm near a "No" and then learn the next day that it's going to happen but we are going to do it this way. NOT COOL but happen more often than support groups have meetings for it!

Have you spoken with the teacher involved with this to see how you can help and where the idea came from? What I'm looking at is the damage is done. What I am helping you do now is show them how you can rise above this and see where you can help or offer info and go to the next thing.

Our HS student council came up with idea of haveing a dress down day. For a $1 students and teachers could wear jeans on a designated Friday as a break from the uniforms. Went over HUGE, so huge that the next year the former principal thought, if they can earn thousands then why not let EVERYONE Have a shot at this day. So instead of letting the Student Council still have one or two dress downs, she took the entire idea away and used it for the school's budget! At the time we had about 150 kids in our very small high school but that was enough to dampen things. Now they sell candy and telegrams but have never seen the money they did with that one idea. What did they do? With their advisors, they let the former Principal know they were upset and felt betrayed . THey understood this happens with great ideas but wished she had talked to them and treated they with the respect that she disires from her students. She did apologize....but didn't change anything.

Me? I would bring all the research I have done in regards to the Science Fair and infront of the Board and P hand it over to the teacher or volunteer and say, here's all that I have done on this glad to help, would have loved to seen it through but oh well.

You know, to hav an idea stolen is really a compliment...somehow it really is!

I can feel how hurt you are by the tone of your e-mail. Don't know if it helps that misery loves company but I think everyone on this board has been in your shoes at one time or another.

I don't know you but I do know myself and my reaction would be to hide out and lick my wounds. I would keep all my documentation, continue to attend general meetings but offer no other ideas or my services otherwise. Then in the spring I would put my name on the slate as a board member for next year. Then I would be in a better position to implement change.

Others on this board will give their own unique perspective, I am sure. You can then decide how best to proceed.

Good luck... Oh, and our school has decided against doing a science fair as no one would chair it, so if you are into a road trip (I'm in NJ), we would love to have all your ideas and enthusiasm... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Grrrr: I have a problem with the principal and some of the board. My board job is to find/create/grant write for new ideas to improve our school. I sent for info on science night, movie night, etc. to research. really liked the science night idea, so i prepared a proposal for the mtg for everyone to read. Provided sample experiments, etc. I was really excited that the packet had everything planned -- so all we had to do was execute it! Ibrought it to the last mtg(nov) and the response was lukewarm at best. Many brd members were concerned about money, time, who was going to lead/chair (i volunteered to do it)could we (meaning me) get any volunteers? After some discussion , the board voted to tbl the decision until dec. mtg. They asked me to provide a plan for running the event, cost estimates, etc. I got the feeling from the principal that he didn't want to do it.....but didn't want to publicly say so. (typical of him). Went to see him the next day to check out his concerns, but he told me he thought it was a great idea. Encouraged me to go ahead with the idea/planning. I was surprised, but went with it. So i proceeded to plan a science night, estimate costs, volunteers, etc. 2 days ago I was told by the board pres that another member had arranged for a local science teacher to "run" the event and that the teacher was going to bring their own volunteers -- students who were professionally trained at this. Hmmmm. She also told me that they (principal, 2 board members) had changed the entire theme and were not going to use the science night plan i brought. I was pretty upset, asked a lot of questions about who was going to do the planning, clean up, arrange volunteers, and was told that they thought i wasn't in the planning group! How did this happen? When i pointed out details of the last meeting, one said " I asked the P if i should call you about this, but he told me that you weren't involved in the planning. That i just brought the idea to the table. I am really mad about this, and feel like confronting the principal, but he will just lie about it and imply that i am the one who is confused. The mtg notes do support the fact that I was supposed to do the planning, etc., but is it worth fighting over at this time? A friend kindly but bluntly suggested that this group is never going to let me plan anything because i don't live in their sub, so i am out of the loop! What would you do? Physical harm is out because of the whole jail thing, but i am really hurt by this. And i shouldn't be too surprised by the principal's decision to move ahead without me -- he has done this before to other members (they don't live in the right sub either). What's your advice? I don't see the value in continuing to present ideas, etc. to the board if this continues. Thanks!