Let me clarify: the preschool is run by the district's community education department, not the elementary school principal. In theory, the preschool program will be aligned with the K-1 program to best prepare the preschoolers. And, since they'll share a building, the 2 groups will also share the same media center, playgrounds, cafeteria, art & music rooms, etc. In the past, the preschool's parent group has done very modest fundraising, since the program is tuition-based and there wasn't much to buy (perceived). On the other hand, the K-1 school has raised $12,000-20,000 per year.

Hi Critter,
Just want to make sure I understand first. The pre-school is NOT part of your school system? They just happen to be sharing your building?
Are your goals similar? What sorts of activities do they sponsor?

By next fall, our district's tuition-based preschool program will be sharing our elementary building. There are some parents who have assumed that the preschool's existing parent group would be assimilated into our PTO at that time. I am concerned about the implications of this idea, particularly when it comes to dividing up profits from fundraisers. Currently, our Bylaws restrict membership to parents and teachers of the elementary school (thus excluding the preschool parents), so combining the 2 groups is no trivial matter. Still, I would like some input to persuade others to keep them separate. Or,maybe I should rethink my opinion -- your thoughts?