Help! We are having an extremely difficult time this year filling a new board! We are a very successful PTO and have volunteers for all our committees, but NO ONE will step up to fill the board. We have sent out notices about terms ending and have spoken to people who don't even attend meetings. The Secretary and VP can not continue due to family conflicts and the Pres and Treas (me) have been on the board for 2 terms (2yrs each term) already in one capacity or another and want to step down to give others a chance and also to regroup ourselves! We have expressed that we all will be available to help the new board but still no luck. If there is no board, how can we continue?? Does anyone have any suggestions or comments on our situation????

I think that people need to be shown the light so to speak...on many occasions since I have become president I have had to say if I don't get help I will cancel this function and I have cancelled things...when parents see that yes...Chrystal is human and I can't/won't do everything in this organization they do step up. I think in your case if you sent out an official notice of intent to disband that stated simply our school PTO will be ending after this year due to the lack of parental volunteers to run for board positions. If we do not have a board of officers in place by a specific date all PTO funds will be given to the school and all PTO functions will cease. If you still get no response then you have done all that you can do...you must never sacrifice yourself for the lack of help from other parents...believe me you will grow to resent the pto greatly and that isn't good for you or the school. Perhaps a notice would help...At our school they always thought I would do everything even when I said I wouldn't...because I usually did! Now after cancelling things right and left I've gotten lots of extra volunteers. If you do have to shut down your PTO you shouldn't feel bad (even though you will)...shame on the others for not stepping up to do their part!! Good Luck!!

Thanks, Chrystal, for your input. Sounds drastic though since we have put so much of ourselves into the PTO we WOULD hate to see it end. What you said makes sense. I will let you know how things turn out!

Have you tried to get the teachers involved on the board? It is a Parent-Teacher organization after all. We have a teacher as VP, and it's great.

Marion

I had an experience from a slightly different perspective concerning your plight. My kids were being transferred to another nearby school via re-boundarying of the district attendance.

I had been at the first school for the last 8 years and had been the PTO Parliamentarian, Treasurer, or President for 6 of those 8 years.

While I was still the PTO President at the current school, I started attending PTO meetings at next year's school to see what is going on. Much to my dismay, they were discussing elections and had no one that would volunteer for President or Treasurer. I didn't want to be on the Board, because I didn't even know what the new school was like. So I kept quiet and observed. At the next monthly meeting, no new volunteers. Finally, I spoke up and said that I certainly have the experience to run a PTO, but people I don't even know where the bathrooms are. I also mentioned that I have my own ideas on how to manage an organization and that I would be making some changes if I were President.

Guess who became President...me? Guess who is the Treasurer...my wife. I didn't get a great reception when I started making my changes, but after 10 months now I believe they now respect my ability to run an organization efficiently.

We have had great volunteer participation, teacher support, administration support, and will end the year by raising about $150,000 in gross revenues.

Remember, each year there is a new group of Kindergarten parents eager to help out that are not already burned out. They may just be the people you need to get a fresh perspective on things. Some schools hold a kindergarten orientation for the incoming students and parents. The PTO President attends this meeting, explains what the PTO is all about, solicits their input, and invites them to the upcoming elections. You may just find a "nugget" in that crowd.

[This message has been edited by Kendle (edited 04-22-2001).]