PTO Today

Quick story from Utah on a PTA-to-PTO switch. The reasons given are fairly standard: feeling that dollars going out don’t match value and a bit of a mis-fit with PTA politics.  The non-standard part is the state.  Utah remains the highest % PTA state in the country (by far).

Found this quote:

Other benefits Dyreng has seen through the PTO are not having to deal with the politics of a national association. “We’re just not tied to all the politics the PTA has,” said Dyreng.

…interesting, as it captures pretty well the common, subtle disconnect between PTA politics and locals.  It’s not content of PTA positions that is typically the issue, but more the fact that the connection to politics (by definition, politics = contentious) tends to get in way of what many groups consider their more important goals of growing parent involvement, creating community at school and supporting kids and teachers. Politics isn’t exactly the recipe for kum-bay-ya togetherness and involvement.

Two quickies that will be of great interest if you’re affected and not so much interest if you are not.

1. Peanut Butter scare hits clients of Sweet Success fundraising (including several California schools), as some fundraising cookie dough tubs are recalled.

2. Hearing that Varsity Gold fundraising, a pretty big group especially with high schools, has filed for Chapter 11.  The question on our message boards (in some fairly heated exchanges between insiders and anonymous posters (likely competitors) is what happens next. 

Over the ten years, we’ve been tracking PTO and PTA embezzle stories, two things have been true:  1) they just don’t seem to ever go completely away; and 2) there have been several periods where the volume seems to pick up markedly.  Sadly, I think we’re in one of those up-cycles now.  (Guess we should call it a down-cycle.

Here’s a bunch more:

Massachusetts town uncovers 4 cases.

Illinois HSA victimized.

As always, here’s our feature on preventing theft in your PTO or PTA group.  These basics steps are worthwhile. Please.

Embezzle cases  — like this $10k case in Connecticut – drive me crazy for many reasons:

1. They’re preventable with some basic checks and balances.
2. It’s the worst kind of theft, stealing playgrounds and field trips and classroom supplies from kids
3. (As the comments on that above-linked article show) they invite the worst kind of suspicions and chatter about the good work of PTOs and PTAs.

New Year’s Resolutions: don’t think this can’t happen at your school and don’t let this happen at your school.  And for good measure, get the modestly-priced PTO insurance that protects you even more.

Wall Street Journal takes a look at how school budget pressures are trickling down to parent groups. Not a completely new story (we’ve been writing on this for a decade now, at least), but the pressure seems to be increasing with the state of the economy.

Big challenge — no matter what you pay for — is keeping your parent group about involvement and community.  Ironically, if you become known as the pocketbook or the fundraising machine, then even your fundraising efforts will suffer. 

Looks like a possibly troubled PTA/PTO vendor – the Washington-based company called Count Me In.  Reports from Connecticut have several schools and PTAs out significant dollars.  Be careful. 

Nice twist on teacher gifts from this North Carolina PTO.  Rather than straight gift certificate or supplies, these guys throw shopping spree and thanks event at a teacher supply store. Cool idea.

Leave it to the local news station to blow this up into some Watergate-level cover-up, but I think this media treatment of a school theft case is great evidence for my argument that groups should address these issues openly (and obviously enact systems changes immediately) if there’s a missing money issue.  This principal is far from alone in advocating a hush-hush treatment, but 1) these things almost always come out eventually (school communities aren’t widely known for a lack of rumors); and 2) groups and schools get far more credit and have far fewer problems when the issues are addressed profesionally and openly.

The media may have covered the story anyway, but the headline would have been about the poor PTO as victim and the lout who stole the money.  Instead, the story focuses on the principal and paints an unflattering picture of the school.

Worth re-linking to our “Financial Best Practices for PTOs” to help the next group avoid this issue altogether. Also hope these guys have PTO insurance to cover this kind of loss.

No one ever said PTOs aren’t resourceful.  Maybe you read this recent post about PTOs struggling in face of economic downturn. We;;, this group in New Jersey is getting creative and service-minded in response. Love this idea for a gently-used toy sale at school.  Recycles. Saves parents some bucks.  And makes group some cash.  Cool.

Seeing this story more and more these days, as local media pick up on PTOs and PTAs dealing with the economic downturn. Here’s a piece from Florida on some PTAs bringing in less. And this Maryland piece looks at how some local private schools are dealing with having less.

We commissioned some research of our own this fall with interesting results that will be in our January and March issues. Sneak preview:

• 56% of groups surveyed said profits fell this fall vs. just 19% with an increase.
• For those with lower profits, 65% said profit was down by 20% or more.
• For groups with lower profits, 38% are planning to add another fundraiser and 25% are planning to reduce or eliminate programs or services.

What’s happening with your group?