PTO: Strong Future

PTO: Sustaining a strong leadership structure into the future

There is a long-established tradition of PTA as the governing parent association in public schools in Utah.  Maybe it’s hard to imagine moving away from that tradition and exploring another option. Some
parents have asked what will happen to an alternate parent organization’s leadership in 5 or 10 years when new families are negotiating the volunteer efforts at our school.

A lot of thought and research has gone into considering this matter at our school. Certainly, we can all agree that the strength of the parent organization has as much to do with the parents, as it does the organization. So the question remains: What plans are in place to ensure the PTO would sustain a strong leadership structure after the current parents have moved on?

Keep in mind that over 75% of schools in the Nation, and many here locally, have an independent parent organization (PTO or some other acronym not associated with PTA). They all have different approaches to training and encouraging parents with strong leadership skills to get involved.

The By-laws proposed by our potential PTO suggest a 2-tiered leadership approach. With a system of “elects,” similar to “President Elect,” each PTO board executive would make a 2-year commitment. The first year would be as an “Assistant” in training, and the second year doing the duties of that position while training their replacement.

This strategy of ongoing training, coupled with well-prepared handbooks, has worked well for other local schools. More parents are willing to be involved in leadership with a more gradual training process over the course of a year, and the workload is divided between 2 or more parents.

There are lots of training resources online for volunteers of independent parent groups. There are even reasonably priced ($5-$10/person) training conventions held in other states. As the PTO movement continues to thrive in Utah, these resources will potentially be available to our parents locally.

And, for those who love the annual PTA convention, anyone can attend, even if their school is not
affiliated with the PTA.