Question: Should I Stay or Should I Go?
2nd and final year of term as PTO prez at an elementary school. It's also my child's final year at the school, so I'm gone after this year. As in many schools, no one wants to be on the Board, let alone get many volunteers to help out. I became president when no one else would step up. The previous president was helpful in getting me setup, but she has "checked out" this year, as she is more than burned out. My fellow board members don't seem to have the same sense of obligation that I do in completing the job they agreed to do, in that they think they only have one job (ex. just record the minutes, just photocopy papers, etc...). There were no clearly defined job descriptions in the previously created bylaws. After last year, I was completely burned out, recruiting volunteers, making all the flyers, running and planning every meeting, putting the yearbook together, etc... The board members were always "too busy" with their jobs or their kids (hello, we all have jobs and kids!). I was ready to resign at the end of the previous school year. Our VP (who replaced the previous VP that resigned last year) convinced me to stay, and that she would help to be sure all were sharing the duties. Well, not much has changed. I had to set up our new financial accounting software, as our treasurer wouldn't do it. Once it was all done, she still has done nothing, as financial paperwork piles up at the school. I send email updates to them, since we never see each other at the school, except for a monthly meeting. No one answers them, or they have to be reminded to check their email (which we already discussed as a problem from last year). I get no updates from anyone on what they are working on. Too much hand-holding and babysitting adults. I so do not want to micromanage a group of adults, but it's become the only way to get others to follow through on tasks that should be their duties. We even amended the bylaws to include more specific job descriptions, and it didn't do much good. Why should I continue, when I am on the way out of this school, and no one else seems to care if anything gets done? Most of these parents have younger children in the school, so the continuation of the PTO is going to fall to them. The stress was so overwhelming last year, that my family wanted me to quit (still do!). What to do? Should I bother, when so many won't? Even the principal is not a huge help or supporter of our efforts...always too busy to talk to me, and doesn't answer emails in a timely manner without reminders. Should I just start backing off on tasks and let others crash and burn when they don't finish things, and just get through the year, or just get out now?
Asked by Anonymous