PTO Today

Here’s this week’s question from our Ask a Question section:

kczech asks:

Anybody have difficulty getting teachers to participate at school carnivals? At my school the teachers seem to think that they need to be paid if they participate.

Craig writes:

It would be great to have teachers participate in all PTO and PTA events, but unfortunately that doesn’t happen. In truth, I don’t blame the teachers. They have their own families and private life to worry about, and chances are at least some of them have their own children in other schools where they would like to be involved. When you meet the kind of resistance that it sounds like your group has, you’re better off moving on. Focus on getting teachers to help you in the most key ways — distributing your communications in the classroom, helping you collect fundraising money, working with you to plan field trips and other curriculum or enrichment-related events. You might try to get a teacher representative at your events, but from your description I doubt there’s anything you can do to get broad attendance from teachers. Read the articles Let Teachers Teach and Get Teachers on Your Side for more on this topic.

Related links:

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/262-build-your-volunteer-base-11-ideas

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/1089-three-creative-carnival-ideas

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/1088-classic-carnival-activities

How is your group doing with recruiting volunteers for your school carnivals? Do your teachers participate?

We are gearing up for another chat on our Facebook page this Thursday, March 3rd at 1pm EST. Consider this your invitation for  a virtual cup of coffee and chat. This is your chance to chat with other parent leaders who share the same  issues and joys.  Drop in for a little bit or stay the whole hour.

If you are new to our chats here’s how to participate:

• post your questions prior to Thursday on the Facebook event wall.
• email me questions ahead of time at me at lgundlach@ptotoday.com (if you’d feel more comfortable keeing your question(s) anonymous.)
• or post questions on our wall during the live chat… go with the flow.
• Just a note about participation: During the chat keep hitting your refresh button to stay on top  of the conversation stream.  It’s a good idea to have our Facebook page up in several tabs, just in case one gets hung up in a refresh loop.

We hope you’ll join us on our Facebook page on Thursday between 1 and 2 pm EST.  Even if you don’t have a question, I bet you’ll learn from the conversation.  If you have any questions about this event, don’t hesitate to contact me.

This week’s question from our Ask a Question section comes from an anonymous poster:

Do most PTO’s have their own independent from the school bank account? Ours is combined with the school’s account so we really don’t have control of our money.

Craig writes:

Most PTOs do have their own bank account. It’s really the only way to properly manage your budget, and it’s certainly the most efficient way to run your group. You’ll need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS if you don’t have one. Having an EIN doesn’t mean you’re an employer — it’s like a social security number for businesses, and it only takes a few minutes to obtain (IRS.gov). You also should put some strong financial controls into place. You may need to demonstrate to the school that you will do this. There have been lots of cases of theft from PTOs, and the school may be concerned about that. The number one thing you should do is have your bank statement sent to someone who is not a signer on the checking account — maybe even the principal, if this helps your situation. The article 5 Smart Financial Controls offers simple, easy-to-implement ideas that will protect your money.

Related links/More articles related to PTO or PTA finances and budgets:

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/400-what-every-treasurer-should-know

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/71-budget-basics-for-ptos

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/218-how-to-manage-your-budget

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/396-annual-audit-how-and-why

http://www.ptotoday.com/filesharing/document/80-pto-today-sample-parent-group-budget

Can quizzes be fun and entertaining? We think so. In this video, Tim gives you the scoop on our newly launched PTOtoday.com Fun Fact Giveaway quiz.  This is your chance to learn more about the resources on our site and be entered to win a $50 Target gift card. Pretty cool, huh?

Here’s the link to the quiz. http://www.ptotoday.com/ptotoday-fun-fact-giveaway Go!

Here’s this week’s featured question from our Ask a Question section.

Anonymous writes:

We have a president but he doesn’t seem to care if the group has a different idea about how to make things for events. It’s really his way or the highway. We have a good group of people that I don’t want to get discouraged about being on the PTO. We need these people. What can we do?

Craig writes:
Your president is a micromanager. Unfortunately, that’s not uncommon and the typical result is exactly what you describe — people get turned off and involvement declines. As involvement declines, the micromanager’s belief that if it weren’t for him, nothing would get done becomes reinforced. To stop this spiral, you have to talk to the micromanager about the effect his actions are having. This can be a touchy conversation — it’s important that you approach in an unemotional way and simply as business rather than a criticism of his personality. It’s possible that he doesn’t really know how to manage effectively without micromanaging. Share the article Change Your Micromanaging Ways with him. And before you talk to him, I’d recommend reading How To Deal With Difficult People. It will help you to prepare, depending on what his reaction is. Good luck!

Have you had experience dealing with a micromanager in your PTO or PTA? What has worked for you in terms of managing the micromanager?

Here is this week’s  featured question and answer from our Ask a Question section.

Marcia asks:

How long should the PTO keep financial records? And which records should be kept? Should all paperwork relating to the budget be stored, such as deposit forms, check/cash requests? or just monthly bank statements, monthly budget reports and annual 990s?

Craig writes:

Keep monthly treasurer reports for three years. Keep bank statements, canceled checks, check registers, and Form 990s for seven years. Keep incorporation papers, Form 1023, IRS determination letter for 501c3, meeting minutes, end-of-year treasurer reports, and annual reports permanently. You can download a checklist with this information from the File Exchange. Items like deposit forms and check requests can be discarded after you’ve done your end-of-year audit.

Related links:

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/400-what-every-treasurer-should-know

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/423-taxes-ptos-and-the-irs

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/171-can-i-deduct-that

http://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/396-annual-audit-how-and-why

Parenting is a tough job. If parents don’t compare notes and support each other, it’s even more difficult. School parent groups have a tremendous opportunity to forge community at their schools by hosting parent education nights. These programs are a great way to facilitate support and conversation. Nice to see an uptick of these events in the news. Take a guess at the two hottest topics. Don’t look ahead…

If you guessed internet safety and bullying, you guessed right. These are such pervasive and important topics. Many schools and parent groups are stepping up to organize workshops or events.

Top-line of school internet safety programs in the news this week:

• Middle school invites police officer to give parents the real scoop on internet safety and cyber-bullying.
• Another middle school acknowledges that kids online is a fact of life, and invites parent to get informed about internet safety.
• If you are interested in hosting a night to educate parents about online safety and cyber bullying use our free kit to organize an internet safety night.

Overview of anti-bullying school programs in the news:

• Bully expert encourages parents to be nosy.
• Nice to read about schools joining together to address bullying.
• Parent group educates parents about the school system’s anti-bullying program.
• An entertaining bully show gives parents something to talk about…

That’s where it all starts, right? Talk. Talk to experts about what’s really going on. Talk to other parents about what they are seeing and hearing. Talk to our kids… keep talking.

What is your PTO or PTA doing for parent education nights? We’ d love to hear more about them.

Have you reviewed your bylaws recently? In this video blog Tim talks about why it’s important to take a look at your bylaws through the lens of prospective volunteers. In other words, what are your bylaws saying about the spirit of your group? Your goal is to grow parent involvement, right? Listen to what type of laws should be eliminated, so your group is not perceived as old-fashioned and unwelcoming. No need to unnecessarily scare off volunteers!