Does anyone have experience with switching from a PTA to a PTO?

[calypso*a*go-go]

I am currently serving on the PTA board at my son's elementary school. There has been a motion within the group to change from a PTA to a PTO. The primary reasons given are the large portion of the membership fee that must be sent to the State PTA and also the fact that the money is used by the State PTA to lobby for and fund education programs that some of our members don't agree with (primarily sex education). It was also implicated that being a PTO would bring a more favorable response from our parents as everyone automatically "belongs" and would take more "ownership".

In order to make the switch, we need to have a general meeting in which everyone votes in favor of the PTO. We then have to disolve our PTA status. To do this, we need to spend all of the funds that were earned as a PTA as anything that is an asset would automatically go to the State PTA when we disolve. The other downside is that we would lose our 501c3 Non-Profit status and would have to hire an attorney to help us file the correct paperwork to apply again as a PTO. We were told this would take approx. $1000 and up to 18 months.

The people in favor of the switch are sugar-coating everything and making it sound like no big deal...I can't help but think it's more complicated than that.

Please give me your experience as well as any pros and cons on PTA vs. PTO. I want to make an informed decision when the time comes to vote (which will be very soon!).

Thanks

 

[Serena]

I don't have time for a more involved response, but it wasn't that difficult where I am.

I don't remember it all though, good luck.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

Calypso, go to PTOToday and look at #3 on the list.

I was the president of a PTO in Texas last year. I don't have any specific information about how to go about it, but Tim and the gang at PTOToday are top notch!

I'm a little partial to them--they voted our PTO Best in the South this past year!

 

[swanmom]

Our group ending up doing this after significant debate. Some were ready to do it and others were scared. People just kept saying it couldn't be that easy ........but it was! We (I was on the executive board) had been considering it for a while but, then, when our school really needed our local PTA reps in a crisis situation (losing a much beloved principal over a technicality that just required some clout on the state level to get resolved), the PTA reps did nothing. After repeated phones calls,they finally said that 'this isn't an area that we can help with.' After that, we invited them to a meeting to explain their unresponsiveness and they 'forgot' to show up. We spent the 'no-show' meeting trying to think of anything or any service that they had actually provided in the last decade. No one could think of anything. That was the final straw, we decided that we were not really receiving anything for our rather substantial dues (we had over 500 families registered in just that one school.) The next meeting we voted to become a PTO. We switched the bank accounts..........other than that it's been business as usual. I doubt if any parents who weren't on the board even noticed any difference. There have been no negative consequences, no legal problems, no complaints and not once has anyone on the executive board felt that there was a situation where we could have used their help.
It's been three years since the switch.
Definitely check out Rafiki's website suggestion.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

You know our PTO kicked around the idea of becoming a PTA a few years back and truthfully the benefits of staying a PTO outweighed the PTA status. I do not remember the whole tax thing but to my knowledge we did have a no tax status.
When it all boils down (and possiblly I am cynical) most PTO's and PTA's become cliques and popularity contests.
Yes they do earn money for the kids but often it is spent on stupid things like ice cream and pizza. I do not care what the organization is called, I would rather put the money toward educational materials rather than a 1.95 dish of ice cream. Possibly it is different in other parts of the country but in the cities around me, this is how it is. It was stupid. the kids would be using sub standard books and some of the parents would be trying to organize a party instead of trying to fill the library. YOu could not win for trying.

 

[Motherfletcher]

The only benefit of being a PTO is that you don't have to send the $2 per person to the state for the PTA national membership. PTA is actually better raising a national voice for children. Senators and Representatives look at the national member numbers. If you have ever tried to lobby for the rights of children those numbers behind you make a world of difference. Remember that children can't vote and politicians know that when they make critical decisions about the health, safety and welfare of children.

 

[tar heel]

It shouldn't take that long to get your nonprofit status. Don't know about the $, but isn't there a lawyer parent in your school? Ask him/her to donate the legal services.

In the meantime, your school itself should have nonprofit status that you can use if necessary.

 

[jellymanoffspring]

I am a former PTA President and I have to say I did wonder if changing to a PTO would be benificial...
Many folks have such a negative feeling about PTA (as the poster above who called it a clique) While some may be that way I think it is usually more of an excuse to not have to get involved...I can tell you ours was not at all...

Our major expense was bringing in Cultural arts shows for the students...Chinese Dance Troup, Portable Planetarium and "TIPI MAn" who lived in his tipi for a week at the school and gave classes in his tipi....

MY main concerns about switchng were...the loss of clout for the national organization in lobbying Congress....and Insurance issues....
I never investigated it but do PTOs carry their own insurance...in case of injury at a PTO event or in case of loss (like a corrupt member stealing funds?)?

 

[Serena]

I know with the money issue. I was treasurer, but there was always 2 people dealing with the money. Even our checks had to have 2 signatures. We made it that way. I didn't want any questions about the handling of the money.

We did have parties, but we also funded the classrooms, and the library. We made enough money that each teacher, counselor, nurse, etc, had a certain amount of money we gave them to use for the rooms. If they had a special need, we usually funded that too.
We put together science experiements in containers and put them in the library for all the kids. We bought books for the library, about 2 sets of books for each grade level.
We did have an ice cream social for every kid that had been on the honor roll at the end of one year.
We had free movie night about once a month. We sold snacks to pay for the movie, security guard and housekeeping. All the family could come and enjoy a free movie, and they'd bring blankets and pillows.
We had a lot of fundraising, but all the money went back to the kids, in one way or another.

 

[Trish Bessette]

I am the President of our PTO and in no way are we a clique or a popularity contest. We raise enough money each year to fund every field trip for K-8 students. We support our teachers and fund educational events.

There is nothing "fluff" about what we do.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Thank you for your feedback...it has been very helpful. We should be having a vote at our February meeting. I'll do an update to let anyone that's interested know how it turned out.