Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
In most parent groups, the president is a regular and full member of the board. Being an ex officio member (ie a person who is a member of the board by virtue of the office she holds) doesn't necessarily mean the person holding that position has curtailed privileges. In other words, the term ex officio doesn't mean a person is in any way a "lesser" member of the board -- unless your bylaws specifically limit the powers of ex officio members. In your case, the bylaws state that an ex officio member may not vote. I wouldn't recommend this type of limitation for a PTO. PTOs tend to be most successful when the board functions as a team and the leadership is strong. Making the president a lesser member of that team seems to me likely to be counterproductive. This setup may work for a business, where the CEO is hired by the board, but in a case where everyone's a volunteer and the president is responsible for day-to-day management, it's more likely to be a hinderance and cause hard feelings.

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