Is your childs school PTO very cliquish?

[disykat]

While I do think it is important to keep working parents involved and informed on everything, I think the working parents need to be a bit more understanding too. If your entire board is composed of people who can come in during the day - should they inconvenience themselves for one or two volunteers that might come to an evening meeting?

I'm getting a bit insulted by the way this thread is turning. While all volunteers are important, I think there does need to be some understanding that the ones who spend 5 - 10 hours a week (or more!)at school are going to find volunteering more convenient than those who can only come in once a month. It does not mean they are shunning you - it just means they are easier to schedule. I think there are ways of including working parents, but alienating your daytime workforce is not a good solution!

Obviously if you have working parents willing to take spots on the board, the meeting times need to change - and to even be a PTA in good standing you have to have at least one general membership meeting a year.

Our old board never called volunteers - just did it themselves and whined about how overworked they were. Now our new board is working hard at changing this, but it took some of us who were persistant enough to make these changes.

 

[bananiem]

In my previous post I wasn't trying to hurt anybody's feelings or alienate anyone. Lord knows I 'd love to see many more volunteers at our school and I don't care how or when, just wish others would DO IT!!
I was replying more to the idea of cliques. I understand that some PTA's are very clique-y and don't let in "outsiders." However, as one being perceived as being in a clique I wanted to point out that because you always see the same Moms together doing things it's sometimes because they called for volunteers and they are stuck doing it because all the people they called said no. I type our school newsletter and each month I remind everyone that all parents are considered members and we have various committees, etc. We had one new parent that has come this year. Actually she has helped out in other ways in the past and her work schedule changed so she can make the meetings one Monday NIGHT a month. I don't know if I'd count her as new.
So I guess what I'm trying to say is- Don't judge any group to be clique-y until you've tried several times to get involved. Then make your decision. Don't let one "No we don't need help right now" turn you off of helping later.
Please keep in mind that I am trying to explain one side and am NOT trying to say anyone is right or wrong, or that it doesn't occur.

 

[Amusement Park Junkie]

I came across this 5 years ago and it really surprised me. When DD started school, DW and I both got involved. The meetings were once a month at night so we could both make it. They always had volunteers to watch kids if a parent had to bring them. I felt welcome right away and started pitching in. I kept taking on bigger roles and doing things that could be done at night (Anything I could create and print from the computer). Our last year there, I took on the role of treasurer. For all of you who are involved, give them a big thank you. Handling hundreds of checks each month for lunches, milk, fund-raisers, etc. is a lot of work.
Then we switched schools. We moved her to one closer to home and the high school she would eventually be attending. I took a day off work for the first meeting of the year because they held it during the morning. This was the first meeting of the year. There was no welcome for new parents. There were no requests. All I remember was an announcement of who was doing what, and giving a number of the moms (I was the only male there) a chance to stand up and tell what they were donating from their family businesses. It seems that the families here were much better off. None of the moms seemed to work outside of the home. I hate to point a finger at this, but that's the only difference that was evident to me.
That was the end of the school volunteering for me. I went directly to her teachers each year and asked what I could do at home, but nothing for the school in general. I just couldn't believe the different feeling I got at the new school.
I just channeled my time into DD's dance studio. Pictures, fliers, etc. I now create all of the recital programs. I was going to help somewhere, because I wanted to be involved in whatever DD was interested in. If you don't feel wanted at the school, you may very well could be at one of the other functions your kids are involved in.