Ademom74 - I, for one, appreciate your candor and willingness to stick by your words. With all due respect for Kristassia, I too think that the majority control of a parent group belongs in the hands of the parents. It's such a huge bonus when teachers are involved and supportive. My last group had a tremendous amount of teacher support but they always, always deferred to the parents where PTO business was concerned.

If parents are apathetic to the point that teachers naturally make up the majority then the community deserves whatever it gets. I think that with no other choice available, teachers can and should lead the group for the continued benefit of the students. But if willing and capable parents are around, that would be my first choice.

Lucella,
I will speak frankly to your questions. I think that our teacher/officers were conflicted by staff demands vs. parent concerns and therefore could not make effective decisions. I am sure they got alot of heat from their co-workers, staff and the principal who were pushing their own agendas. Parents as PTO leaders don't have those same conflict of interests.

Yes, I do agree that the reason we raise funds is for the school but when teachers come to the meeting asking for a cordless phone and a stove for the teachers lounge (actual requests), I ask the question...Is this what we are there for? I stand by my statement that the fundraising money generated by families should, in large part, directly benefit them.

On the other hand, if you really feel that your school is blessed with great teachers I would agree that their participation should be cultivated. Just to add to that, our 2 teacher/presidents represented the best our school had to offer...no sarcasm here, they are both great teachers, just not good PTO leaders. There is a huge difference.

The reason for my post was just to say that we have been down that road and it wasn't pretty.

being an effective leader has little to do with the other hat you might wear , and more to do with all the qualities a good leader that can rally the troops, must have.

we have had pitiful board members that were not teachers, and wonderful board members that were teachers, and all the mixes in between, all dependent on personal skill set or lack thereof, for the job one held.

ademom-
Do you think they were ineffective leaders because they were teachers, or do you think they would have been just as ineffective had they been sahm's, nurses or store clerks?

Our number one objective in our "Purpose" section of our bylaws is to improve the education & school environment for our students. Our feeling about giving money to teachers is: that's what it's there for! That is why we fundraise! It's not like the teachers are buying new shoes or something-they are using the money for our kids! We feel that our teacher's are our best resource in determining where our money & efforts are best spent-they are, after all, with our kids for 8 hrs. a day. This is not to take anything away from our parents, though. My personal mission for the year is to get more involvement from families & do more "free FUN-raising events", as you said. Maybe we are just blessed with some of the best teachers in the area. I think if you push them away, your going to have a hard time to get them back.

We had this last year... 2 teachers, one with a child and one without, as co-presidents. It was an eye-opener for them to see how much the PTO does for the school and how hard we parents work.

Truthfully (and I apologize up front if I am about to insult anyone), they were pitifully ineffective leaders. We got no more teacher participation than in years past. In fact, I think teachers did less as they already had representation on the board. Our directory was a disaster (2 teachers did it) and there was much dischord regarding our other fundraising efforts.

As a PTO, I think the focus should be on the families. For us to offer free FUN-raising events, to bring about a sense of community, do charitable work and by and large reach out to families first, educators second. As I said, no offense here, just my opinion. The teachers, at least at our school, have an opposite view. They are constantly whining about this and that and have their hands out looking for funding of their pet projects. Sorry, but I don't think should be the mission of a PTO.

These teachers decided not to run for president again this year.

Good for you Kristassia. We have a great staff at our school, but rarely see any of them at our meetings. (Except for our principal, she never misses a meeting) They are willing to come to a specific event for a specific purpose if you ask them specifically. (I love them dearly) I really think that you should be grateful to have staff members involved. I think it really says a lot about your school. And I agree that we should remember the "T". If your parents are not involved, that should not diminish the involvement of this dedicated individual. If only 11 people came to a meeting to elect officers & a lot of them were staff, I would say that is the bigger problem. Where are your parents? I can understand why you would be a little leary, but really, I think you are lucky to have your staff be active.