Ouch -- sorry about your bad experience. I think I've read some things on this site about new parents vs old hands: the new parents think the old ones shoot down their ideas, the old hands think they've already tried those suggestions and don't want to waste time trying them again. Maybe you can ask the board to have a brainstorming session on the agenda at an upcoming meeting, where ideas are just brought up, and not debated (or shot down) until the end.

Why are parents at meetings? Agendas are planned already, we are just there listening to the members say....we will vote on it later. What are we supposed to do? Suggestions get shot down when the couple of vocal parents talk!