To quit the PTA....again.

[bettycat81]

I strongly believe that our PTA should be open to all members (parents, carers and staff), and that the majority of our meetings should be open for anyone to attend. We should only hold (closed) committee meetings when sensitive subjects need to to be discussed (financial discrepancies etc). We really struggle to gain new members and volunteers and think we should be as welcoming as possible and less clique like.

Our staff rep (who was also on the committee 20 years ago when their child atrended) believes otherwise - that the members elected the committee at the AGM and the committee are now to hunker down and get on with it. Their argument is that members shouldn't know we are buying goods for events for pennies and selling at a profit (we're fundraising - I think that's a given).

We had a tumultuous year last year and this point was a straw to a camels back for me and I resigned but was later asked back and most meetings were open.

I have just become Chair and the argument was brought up again at our last meeting. Our new committee are naive to the formalities and voted with the staff member last night. So now I am faced with Chairing a committee in a direction I fundamentally don't agree with.

AIBU?
I'd be interested to hear how your PTA operate - are your meetings open to all or committee only? Do you think it matters?

Open to all. I don't like what you are describing at all.

Ours are open to all.

Ours is open to all and I've been involved in two others which were the same.

Open to all. We struggled to get any helpers or people st meetings.
Of course you buy things cheaper than you sell. The parents will know that too. Your staff rep shouldn't have this much control at all

Ours is kind of a mix of the above.

We have open meetings every half term. The main committee meet every 3 weeks to discuss events, strategy, funding requests etc.

Our policies state that the committee can approve requests of up to £50 (necessary because we get lots of last minute requests from school!) But anything bigger must be voted on at a full meeting and the staff member making the request must be present to explain why they need the money.

We are very open about finances and we are constantly asking for more volunteers!

As chair, I am very clear on my expectations. It helps that we are a new PTA, so I've been able to make sure it's set up this way. As everyone at the school is a member they need a say if they want one.

Our AGM is open to all, committee members are just for the committee, but without the air of secrecy you describe in your school. It's hard enough getting people to attend the AGM, I can't imagine anyone wanting to attend a committee if they weren't a member. So I don't think making all meetings open would make a difference, but it sounds as if the problem is your staff rep throwing their weight around, our staff rep just fed in information that was needed and took a back seat.

So now I am faced with Chairing a committee in a direction I fundamentally don't agree with.

You can't do that and have to resign. But.....this is the 2nd time you will have resigned so you must not go back, otherwise you just look like a petulant child who flounces out whenever things don't go your way. Just resign politely, saying you can't chair a committee that has decided to go in this direction as you think it's wrong. But say you respect their decision and wish them all the best for the future.

Then stay away for good.

Thank you, I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall.

What do I do? I think the Head will protect the staff member.

@Lifecraft thank you. This was my fear and in my last resignation I did as you described.

Our PTA is open to all. Very transparent.

Can the head reign the staff member in at all?

Does your PTA have a constitution, for example with PTAUK? It’s been years since I chaired but might be worth looking/seeking advice from them as to whether this is within your constitution.

Ours are open to all. Each class has a rep as well. One or two teachers and the head attend. Hardly anyone actually attends even though the meetings are open to all.

@shagmeRiggens we are under parentkind and use their model constitution. I can't find anything within the constitution. Their guidance notes do support my stance and i have proved that but it has fallen on deaf ears.

Astonishing they're not trying to encourage new people to attend throughout the year! I'd resign and put your energies into a different charity.

Have you pointed out that all the parents are automatically members and that the committee are just acting on their behalf? Therefore if the parents (members) don't want closed meetings it isn't even an option?

In our local authority the meeting must be open to all including local councillors. I would check with your local council to see if they recommend something similar. Our meetings are basically public Minuted meetings (only us tend to come along though) any private discussions we do through whats app or members Facebook page.

Ours is always begging people to come along with the hope of recruiting more members/helpers for events.

Ours are open to all and parent led. I'm not as involved as I was in the past but the mere sniff of a new person attending led to us grabbing them, marching them in, making them endless cups of tea and saying how grateful we were for a new face.

Minutes are posted on the PTA facebook group, accounts are available for anyone who wants to see them, organisers of events will happily post or tell people how much an event raised. |And we're equally vocal about what we're spending the money on.

If I was a parent. I’d really not be happy in that scenario and it’d probably affect my contributions. Probably would be best to resign op

Open to all. This doesn’t sound right.

@Teateaandmoretea yes I have.

@OtraCosaMariposa The member of staff stopped publishing the minutes for us long ago as they felt our members didn't need to know what was happening. I want to change this.

It sounds like your problem is that particular teacher. What is your relationship like with them in general? Could you talk the situation through with them individually to try and resolve it? You clearly haven’t carried her with you when discussing the point with the group, as they keep bringing it up. What is your relationship like with the head? It may be that it is worth talking it through with the head before resigning, just so they are aware that that individual teacher is putting people off.
If the head is so stupid they mindlessly support a teacher who is behaving destructively, frankly I’m not sure I would want anything to do with the school.

Many parents won't be interested and won't read minutes. But being closed and not publishing gives ammunition to the vocal minority of parents who just love to give the PTA a kicking and say you're secretive, closed, must have something to hide.

I totally get where you're coming from but if you have a very vocal member of staff, challenging it is going to be a real issue.Maybe get the other members of the committee on side, pick them off one by one and explain why openness is so important?

betty have a dig around the parentkind website. There is something in - I think - the setting your PTA up documents, separate from the model constitution.

I’ll have a look later when I’m on my PC.

Parentkind used to be PTAUK.

Doesn’t it say anything in the constitution about publishing minutes of meetings? Committee meetings are for the elected committee - and might be necessary occasionally when voting is required for decisions. So for instance ‘shall we fund the library or buy some play equipment this year?’ Committee meetings are usually once a term by the constitution

Members should vote for the committee at an AGM. Meetings for members should be as often as you like and the more the merrier though.

I’d focus on getting the minutes of the committee meetings public. You need the minutes yourselves or how will you progress with any agreements you make??