[MurrayMatters] PTO Update and Thank you

[Susan Weiner]

  Dear Parents,
   
  We have almost completed the agenda that we established at the beginning of the year in order to become compliant with IRS regulations and to draft new bylaws that would both serve as an operating manual for the PTO going forward and allow us to complete the requisite IRS forms.  In early April, 155 parents cast votes overwhelmingly in favor of the course recommended by the Executive Committee, which was for the PTO to become an Unincorporated 501(c)(3) tax exempt entity.  At the April PTO meeting, the proposed new bylaws were thoroughly reviewed by parents in attendance and we hope to have a final draft available for vote in May.  
   
  While the lengthy process of reviewing how the PTO conducts and should conduct its business is not terribly glamorous, we think that we have strengthened the PTO for the future.  Most of the changes will be invisible to members, but we will no longer, for example, be exposed to undue liability due to noncompliance with IRS regulations or holding an offsite auction with alcohol not covered by insurance.  In addition, the PTO officers will have an operating manual in the form of the bylaws to consult for questions regarding any number of issues, from who may attend Executive Committee Meetings to how the Treasury function should operate.    
   
  I’d also like to take a few moments to reflect upon and share with you some of the lessons I’ve learned this year, in no particular order.
   
  ·                              The Budgeting Process is important!  This is an area that I think needs more parental involvement because it establishes priorities and determines how volunteer hours will be allocated between fundraising and the classroom.  What exactly will the money be spent on?  Is the spending consistent with PTO and school objectives?  Are we budgeting too much or too little for specific needs?  The details matter!
   
  ·                              Parents don’t always have to agree with the principal and teachers.  Each party has a uniquely valuable viewpoint and sometimes it’s just best to agree to disagree, and then compromise.  Discussion and debate are healthy, and its existence is evidence that the PTO should be a partnership with, rather than a subsidiary of, the school.  
   
  ·                              Embrace new families and ideas.  There may have been a time when Murray Elementary was a small school in a rural community where not much changed year to year, but this is certainly no longer the case.  With more than 30 new families this year and last year (out of a total of approximately 215), the PTO needs to be prepared for new ideas and ways of doing things.  We cannot persist in our procedures and goals simply because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
   
  ·                              Important things don’t always require a lot of money.   One example is the After School Recreation classes, where kids learn how to knit, make I-movies, and run track.  It is coordinated by the PTO, but the program is largely self funding and the kids love it. 
   
  ·                              It’s impossible to make everyone happy, all the time.  Part of the richness of our community is reflected in the diversity of perspectives of our parents.  The best to be hoped for is that all parties will agree that everyone is well-intentioned.   
   
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  New officers for next year were elected at the April 25th PTO Meeting.  I am happy to congratulate Francesca Diggs, President; Lisa Bowen, Vice President; Carmen Garcia, Secretary; and Lee Hicks, Treasurer.  At the May meeting, Francesca will present a tentative budget and fundraising proposal for next year, as well as a tentative calendar.  Please plan to attend the meeting on May 16th to hear her ideas and provide your input. 
   
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  With just six weeks of school left, and at the risk of leaving someone out, I would like to thank all of the volunteers and committee chairs who helped out this year.  I appreciate:
  Jane Kulow for stepping in at the last minute to fill the job of coordinator for the After School Recreation program; 
  Camille Hatter for another great job with Art Print; 
  Nancy Spindel for making Bingo Night look easy every year; 
  Annie de Jong for being the patient soul who organizes Chess Club every Friday afternoon; 
  Sarah Bender and Pam Evans for doing such a great job organizing the Craft Fair in October;
  Sharon Tolczyk for almost single handedly planning and executing the Cultural Enrichment Program each year for the last several years;
  Kathy Tillar-Hughes, Diana Garner and Debbie Funk, a very creative team, for the upcoming Field Day; 
  Ewa Setaro, who has coordinated Murray’s beautiful landscaping and grounds for many years; 
  Lee Hicks, who devotedly seeks out volunteers for lunchroom duty; 
  Janet Shobe, Debbie Smith, and Marta Ramsey for their vision of the Murray Meets Mississippi program for Make A Difference Day; 
  Tiffany Barber and Anne Watkins for coordinating the decorative hospital box program for Make A Difference Day;
  Jane Donnally for coordinating and funding the Math Buddies program;
  Lynn Diduch, for orchestrating ways to show our teachers how much we appreciate them; 
  Gail Hoerr, for always being on call to coordinate food for an event like Community Day, and make it look pretty too;
  Teresa Hashisaki, for serving as Parent Council representative;
  Carole Ballew, who is a life saver as volunteer coordinator at the beginning of each year; 
  Lynne Isaacs for coordinating the wrapping paper fundraiser for many years, 
  Evelyn Mastakas for warmly welcoming all new families to the community through the New Family Welcoming Committee;
  Amy Webb and the other members of the Auction Committee, for working toward the annual auction until newly understood liability issues forced the PTO to cancel it; 
  Rebecca Cardwell and Diana Garner for pulling off the Cookie Dough Fundraiser on short notice and in bad weather; 
  Bonnie Wood for cheerfully producing the newsletter;
  Sherry Sandridge for doing a wonderful job producing the school directory for the last 10 or so years;
  Jennifer Kochard for chairing the Art Works Fundraiser;
  Ann Claiborn Dandridge and Jennifer Kochard for chairing the Skating Party; 
  the Bylaws Committee for their many hours of toil: Tiffany Barber, Elaine Broadus, Rebecca Cardwell, Victor Dandridge, Carmen Garcia, Andy Grider, Betty Knight, Christa Livermon, Bill McKechnie, Leslie Sullivan, and Bonnie Wood;
  Bill McKechnie and Vic Dandridge for volunteering to serve on the Audit Committee for this year; 
  the Executive Committee for all of its support and hard work: Christa Livermon, Rebecca Cardwell, Francesca Diggs, Andy Grider and Carmen Garcia;
  everyone who participated in the debate over the appropriate tax structure and bylaws for the PTO;
  the many parents who supported the efforts of all the committees above—we could not have gotten through the year without you.  
   
  Thank you to all the teachers for a wonderful year in the classrooms.  Thank you to Janet King for her constant cheer and helpfulness in the office, and to Carrie Land for taking such good care of our children’s big and little booboos.  Thank you to Jerome Gray for keeping us safe each morning, no matter what the weather is like, as well as to Anthony Henson and Terry Minor, for taking such good care of our school.  We also appreciate the tasty lunches for the kids provided by our cafeteria staff, Cindy Tickner and Mildred Coffey.  
   
  Thank you to Betty Knight for her infinite wisdom and patience, and to Mr.Grider for helping the PTO to resolve the important organizational details that were addressed this year.  
   
  As the school year winds down, I’d like to thank parents for the opportunity you gave me to serve as president of the PTO.  It has been quite a learning experience and I’m appreciative of that.
   
  Susan Weiner
  PTO President
   
   
  
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