PTO Today

I was wondering can you change from PTA to PTO anytime of the year? This will be my first year as president for the PTA at are school. I have been talking with members this summer about switching to PTO and everyone is on board. Can we have a vote this fall at our first meeting or do we have to wait? Please help!
Thanks,
Karen

You have to check with the disbanding rules of the PTA. There are more qualified folks that can discuss this but as I understand from reading these boards (and you should do a search on disbanding) you must do specific notifications, hold a vote and yada yada....do the search and see what other folks have determined to be the best way to disband...d

Hi Karen -

Yes, technically you can disband at any time.

But practically speaking, there are better times and worse times.

For me, I feel that the back-to-school time frame is so importnat for setting the involvement stage for the whole year that I'd hate to get a whole PTO v PTA dust-up going during that key time of year. The vast majority of parents won't/don't give a hoot about your acronym and the debate will just confuse them (and confusion is a huge turn-off) at a time when your most trying to connect with them. Ouch.

Secondly, there's a lot of gray about who exactly is a PTA member to vote at that time anyway. Your membership year likely ends June 1 or July 1, so you probbaly have very few, if any, technical members right now. Are you supposed to have a membership drive in order to disband? That's crazy (and not covered in PTA bylaws).

If you're fairly certain that your group is going PTO, then my advice at this time of year is to: 1) spend the PTA dollars down to near zero; 2) start a PTO and have it be your public-facing parent group for back-to-school (seamless to all the parents who don't care/don't want to hera about it); and 3) don't have a PTA membership drive this fall.

With no members, the PTA will in effect be gone. It's a simple way to go. It's not always what I recommend, but if the choice is a) sour your whole year by dragging a confusing PTO v PTA debate into this key timeframe; or b) running a PTA membership drive and paying big bucks for a membership that you guys don't want just because the bylaws are kind of wacky; or c) getting on with your good work seamlessly -- I choose C.

Tim

OK....
First it is most important to define your reasons for changing. The grass make look greener, but be sure your reasons and objectives are clear.

You can create a PTO anytime, there is no National PTO you have to contact, or answer too.

Lots of good info here on starting a PTO. (also lots of great info on running a PTA/PTO here and at PTA.org) Get you EIN # from the IRS and state tax ID number (if required) then file for your non-profit 501c(3) with the IRS. Lots of work ahead of you, that's why I always ask WHY? before you start.

To make sure everything runs smoothly with your change get all the info out, let everyone know how and why the change. Have an open discussion (maybe even invite someone from the State PTA to come in and present their side [ by the way, we are ALL on the same side, its for the kids] of the difference between PTO and PTA.

Really? If the "Vast Majority" don't give a hoot which letter why change?
I think an informed, intelligent open discussion is the only fair and democratic method for changeing. What are we scared of?
The "Vast Majority" is the group we are trying to reach, they should be included in any discussion of changing!
If they will be confused, and disrupt the day to day work of the group, why change?

Because one acronym costs about $1,000 per year and one doesn't. It's exactly because so many don't care about the acronym that so many groups change -- why pay a large premium for something that's not valued.

Note: didn't say not "valuable" (don't need to start a typhoon); said not valued. And it's not valued in this context; not not valued overall.

Tim

But the typoon would go swell with the conference in the Bahama's

[ 07-17-2006, 10:14 PM: Message edited by: Shawn ]

Shawn,

That would be a hurricane - the Bahama's are in the Atlantic.

Typhoons are create in the Pacific.

hehe, too many meds, I think I knew that just glad nonoe threw eggs at my house for the swell pun