Our PTO has had some issues with our President from the time that she has been elected till now.(which has been one year) The problems are all about her control issues. There are only 5 people on the board along with the principal and teacher rep. 3 out of the 5 parent board members are her only friends and stick behind her solidly.
Because of bylaw misconceptions several parents have asked for the creation of a bylaw committee to revise the current bylaws. The president was not at all happy because if this is done then voting rights could be extended to ALL parents of the school and EVERY parent would be an official PTO member.
Well at the last meeting, the president announced that she and the 3 other BOARD members feel that an outside person should head this committee as kind of a Liaison.It just happens that this outside person was brought into the last meeting of last year,by the president , to try and talk the parents out of a revision of the bylaws. It ended in a huge conflict that the principal had to break up.
We did voice our concerns about this lady who they want incharge and they say we have no rights to stop them. Can they really do this?

I don't know how PTO differs from PTA but we are a PTA and our bylaws actually have to be reviewed and resubmitted to the State PTA every 3 years. We just did this last month and we just put out a notice that anyone that was interested in sitting in on the meeting to go over the bylaws and discuss changes should be at whatever place at whatever time. We had the entire board there plus a few teachers and a few other PTA members. We all went through the bylaws line by line together and discussed any changes that should be made. I brought the revised version home to retype and will present it to the group one more time for approval before sending it off to the State PTA. This works very well for us. The whole thing is on a volunteer basis. No one is assigned to this committee.

I would contact your concil or district PTO person, if you have one and get their input on the bylaw situation. We recently changed from a PTC to a PTA and set up a committee-all volunteers, to create our bylaws, which have to be updated regularly. If I am not mistaken, as a tax exempt entity, you hve to have governing bylaws and if there are misunderstandings, the members must approve changes-at least that's how it is with us. All members are eligible to vote. Bringing in a '3rd' party seems to me like someone is trying to cover something up...
Also, what do your bylaws state about terms of office? Ours stipulate all elected positions are for one year at a time-anyone can stay in aposition longer provided they are voted into that position again. It's not a "once you get it it's yours forever" type thing-I would look into terms of office as well. Maybe it is time to push for a change. But definitely check with council/district or even state organization for support.

:o Thanks for the input. Our terms of office are as follows, President 2 yr., Vice Pres. 2 yrs. all others 1 yr. As for there reasoning for bringing in an outsider, i guess she would be called, we believe that they feel that this person will make sure that the voting will not change and that the other misconceptions in the bylaws will be rewritten to there liking. The bylaws have not been revised or even looked in over 6 years. It wasn't until parents started questioning some of the laws and asked for a copy of them that they found them at the past Presidents house and even when they were found we were told that we didn't need to see what they already know are the laws. Know they want to change the name from BYLAWS to something like GUIDELINES of bussiness. How do I find a number for our states pto council or whoever else we need to talk to?

I am sure that there are many things going on behind the scenes, but here's the points as I can se them...

- The current President was elected by the committee. She wasn't put in place by the Principal. She wasn't put into place against the Bylaws. She was properly elected and as such she is what your group has, for better or for worse.

If, at the time, the current members didn't want her or had an issue, then someone should have stepped up. It's a bit late now to complain about things...

2. Personally I agree with the idea that "every parent or guardian of a child attending the school, as well as each member of the professional staff, are automatically members of the PTO". But at the same time only members who attend the election meeting should have the right to vote. I can understand the President's concern. Not because she feels she won't be reelected, but because only active or attending members should be able to decide who will run the group, IMO.

3. If Bylaws need to be redefined it should be controlled by the President, or the committee should at least be led by the President. The Bylaws define how a group will be controlled, and it is the President's job to ensure that this document is updated properly. The idea of an outside person is odd and doesn;t seem needed, but at the same time it sounds as though you and a couple of others would have a problem with the President heading up the committee. Depending on the current Bylaws, that should not even be an issue. It is the President's responsibility to led that committee, or at least make sure that it is being done to the best interest of the group.

3. Whether or not they are "allowed" to have this outside lady rewrite the Bylaws is based upon your current Bylaws. My group's Bylaws state, which is quite common, that the Executive Board has complete control and authority or the group. That sums it up right there. If you current Bylaws, which you have a right to see, state something like this, then they are in charge and in control.

Ultimately the committee put them there. She, as president, is in charge. To now complain how she runs things is not fair to her. She's probably doing her best. If there are areas that she needs help with, maybe talk to her, or one of her officers, privately and offer suggestions on how it can be better. Maybe she needs help with communication, maybe you could take on the newsletter, maybe she needs helps increasing involvement, maybe you can take on volunteer coordination. The point is that she has the job, let her do it, within the Bylaws, yet help her make your group better.

Again, there may be much more going on behind the scenes, so my suggestions may be off because I don't know everything.

Either way, good luck and I hope it works out.
PresidentJim

One thing that your President is overlooking (besides her insecurity) is that although the bylaws can essentially give voting rights to all PTO members (or every parent in the school) they must show up to vote!
Our bylaws state that all PTO members are allowed to vote if they meet certain requirements. They must be PTO members (paying dues) and they must have volunteered 2 or more hours during the year or attended 2 PTO meetings. That way it keeps those that never get involved from coming in and casting a vote without being educated on the PTO, its function and means of operation.
A decision of bringing in an outsider person should have been put to a vote by voting members and just because this person is going to chair the committee, keep in mind it doesn't mean that she cannot be overruled during the drafting of the new bylaws. You need to have a committee of members that are looking forward to change.
Make sure you included that the bylaws need to be reviewed every 3 years.
Don't fret about her bringing in someone unless she also hand picks the committee itself. I hope you and your friends are stepping up to be a part of the committee since you have such a big concern.