So you’re stepping into the role of Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) President for your child’s school and you have questions.
You’re ready to make a positive impact on the educational community, support your school’s mission, and foster stronger connections between parents, teachers, and students.
Whether you’re a seasoned PTO veteran or a newcomer to the world of school parent organization leadership, this article answers five frequently asked questions about the PTO President role.
This post is specifically intended to be help for new PTO Presidents, so let’s dive in!
Lesson #1: You Can Be a Fantastic PTO President
I have zero experience running a PTO. Am I unqualified to be President and run the group? I’m really scared that I’m going to screw this up and it is terrifying.
Good for you for stepping up!
Your willingness to take on the role of President is really the only qualification you need. Seriously.
I know you’re worried about screwing up, but I can already tell you have the skills necessary to be a great leader, so I don’t think that’ll happen!
No volunteer comes into the President role knowing all that they need to know right away, even if they’ve held the role before.
And as you have more time in the role, you’ll learn more and more and will become a better leader by getting some knowledge and experience under your belt.
One of the ways to take a shortcut to get an immediate confidence booster along with a ton of knowledge, check out the President’s Success Kit.
It includes a lots of guidance, plus printable binder system that has everything you need to get organized as President.
And the kit provides a place for everything you’ll need to reference, so you’ll stay organized and have what you need at your fingertips.
There’s also a ton of done for you forms that you’ll need to use throughout the year and a guide to what to pay attention to each month.
One of the hardest things about being President is keeping tabs on all the things without it taking over your life.
This kit will make life so much easier!
Lesson #2: You Can Have a Good Term Even Without the Past President’s Help
I need help getting started this year. I’m the new PTO President and am starting with nothing. Literally nothing’s been passed down to me and the previous President will not answer text or calls.
So sorry you’re been ghosted and feel like you’ve been left out on your own to figure out how to run your PTO.
That’s not right!
Is there another PTO volunteer who is friendly with the past President and can maybe get the PTO President’s binder from her?
Does your school parent group have a Google Drive where there may be past meeting agendas, event flyers and other ?
If the answers to all of these questions is no, then you’ll need to put things together for yourself.
Start by downloading the President’s Getting Started Checklist and get to work ticking off the boxes.
After that, connect with the Fundraising Chair, the Family Event Chair and Program Chairs and get to work drafting a PTO planning calendar for the year.
Next, contact the PTO Treasurer and begin working on a draft budget for the upcoming school year.
The other leaders may have some information to help guide the processes of creating the PTO calendar and budget.
But if not, lacking past information means that you have the opportunity to begin fresh and really make things work for you and your volunteer team.
Lesson #3: Your Ideas are Valuable and Shouldn’t Be Surprises.
Should I as PTO President share my plans and ideas with the Vice President before any Board or General PTO meeting?
Yes! Collaborating with the other members of your leadership team is a great way to include everyone and generate ideas and support at the same time.
The PTO President should generally discuss everything with the entire Executive Board before talking about anything in a general meeting.
It helps to make everyone feel like they’re on the same team and the experience of the Executive Board members can help flesh out details and problem solve issues.
The more refined ideas and plans can then be shared during the general PTO membership meeting.
Lesson #4: PTO Presidents Have A Lot of Power and Influence.
Can PTO Presidents Vote?
Whether or not PTO Presidents can vote during PTO meetings is a really common question, so I’m glad you’re asking.
Unless specifically prohibited in your bylaws or standing rules, then there’s no reason why Presidents can’t vote.
Each PTO gets to craft their own set of rules that govern the group and all members should follow, as long as the members vote to adopt them.
But should PTO President’s vote?
That’s an entirely different situation.
And the answer is probably not, unless it’s for elections of officers.
And that’s because voting comes down to power and perceptions of power- from the membership, board and the President themselves.
While PTO President’s aren’t the decider of all things, they still have a lot of influence on the entire group and many members will defer to the President’s wishes even without the President voting.
The main role of the President is to be the organizer in chief, facilitator, and main contact point for the PTA/PTO.
But some Presidents misinterpret their role to mean that they have the deciding power of the group.
To be blunt, they’re wrong!
The Executive Board as a whole and the general membership really has the final say.
President’s cannot block or permit things without the backing of the Executive Board and membership.
They cannot override the wishes of the members and Executive Board.
If your bylaws state the President’s can’t vote, I’ll bet there was an issue in the past with a President who overstepped their bounds and exceeded their power limits.
Or there was a worry that a situation would arise where that would happen, so the limit was added as a precaution.
Lesson #5: Set the Incoming PTO President Up for Success.
My youngest is graduating from the school and I’m not sure what to do to turn over resources (like the President’s Success Kit I purchased) to someone else.
The President’s Success Kit is designed to help the current President as well as all future Presidents of your group, so you have the right idea about passing the resource on!
One of my routine practices when I’m leaving a PTO volunteer role is to clean out my PTO binder and get it ready for the new leader.
I fill out the Event, Board position and Committee Summary forms and add those to the binder (and keep a copy for myself in case I need it in a future PTO volunteer role).
I declutter and organize my PTO President’s binder and get it ready to be passed off to the new leader.
Aside from giving the binder you created with the kit materials, add the kit’s digital materials to your PTO’s digital file storage system.
If your PTO is not already using a cloud storage system, get a Google Drive, Dropbox or One Drive cloud storage system set up to organize your parent group’s record and digital life.
Transfer any resources to the system and let the officers who will continue with that PTO know that you’ve added the files there.
Be sure to enable the right sharing permissions so that they’ll be able to access everything you upload.
Part of your routine transition out of any volunteer role should be to set future PTO leaders up for success by handing over anything you have that will help them.
Take any PTO property (office supplies, left overs from PTO events, etc.) to your PTO storage closet at school or give it all to the incoming President.
Finally, double check the recommendations for how to wrap up your volunteer term the right way.
Over to You!
And there we have five little lessons that all PTO Presidents should know and learn to be better leaders of their PTO and their school community:
- You’re qualified to be PTO President because you cared enough to step up.
- You can have a fantastic term even if the outgoing President isn’t any help.
- Share your ideas with the Executive Board before presenting them at the general membership meeting
- You have a lot of influence as PTO President, so consider not voting (and keeping your opinions to yourself!)
- Set up future PTO Leaders by success by passing along your resources and knowledge.
Asking questions to learn the right answer is a good way to get up to lead your group and also get the help you need as a new PTO President.
Recommended Resources: Help for New PTO Presidents
Creating or updating bylaws shouldn’t be a nightmare.
Our Bylaws and Standing Rules Made Simple breaks down the process of creating or updating your PTO’s governing documents into easy to follow process anyone can do.
Written in straightforward English, the kit transforms your bylaws into off-putting legalese into powerful tools that’ll get everyone on the same page.
Take your school parent group from disorganized and unclear to professional and effective.
Picture this: you, the PTO/PTA President, taking charge like a boss, armed with a treasure trove of resources that will make everyone else wondering exactly how you manage it.
Your secret weapon? The President’s Success Kit!
This isn’t a bunch of busywork templates that look really pretty, but don’t actually amount to anything.
This kit is a collection of game-changing, mind-blowing arsenal of systems, tools, and templates designed to make your life easier and turn your dreams of doing fantastic things for your school community into reality.
The President’s Success Kit is jam-packed with bite-sized nuggets of guidance that will empower you to lead with confidence.
Get your copy today!
