PTO Council Might Fold Next Year

A version of this story appeared in TheDailyNorwalk.com yesterday.

The PTO Council is in trouble. Six of the seven positions on the executive board are currently vacant for next year, and unless parents volunteer for the positions, the organization might have to fold.  The PTOC is the overarching Parent Teacher Organization that deals with district-wide issues, as opposed to a particular school's PTO that addresses the needs of that school. "There will be no PTOC, unless people step up the plate," says Jill Arvanitas, PTOC president whose term finishes at the end of this year. "We have sugar coated it for as long as we could, but at this month's PTOC meeting, we made the point loud and clear."

"I’ve gained a critical understanding very early in my children’s student careers of how actions that happen at the district level impact my kids in the classroom," says Arvanitis who has a child at Cranbury Elementary School and another one entering next year. "The PTOC's goal is to provide information to parents and be a unified advocacy voice for the district as a whole. "

According to Arvanitis, the organization has been short staffed all year. In addition, some members filled in positions for people who had to step down. This has left the group with only one returning member, Emily Aguilar the Vice President of Information. Arvanitis herself steps down this year. She took over current Board of Education member Sue Haynie's term when Haynie decided to run for the Board. She says that there has been some interest in the open positions but no "bites".

A couple factors have led to the situation, says Arvanitis. First, she says the economy is putting more pressure on parents' time.  "People are so busy.  The economy has more parents working for longer hours.  Before, there were more stay at home parents involved."  Arvanitis also acknowledges that some parents are "disillusioned" by the system and the decline in the PTOC has happened over time.  "People tell me that there once used to be standing room only at the meetings."

For the past year, Arvanitis has been working with some success to re-engage parents and the community. During her one year stint as president, attendance at the monthly meetings has doubled. The PTOC has changed the meeting format from presentations to discussions. It has held several meetings, including a Parent Budget Forum with the Superintendent, to help parents understand the process. In addition, the PTOC has deployed an improved communication strategy with a new email newsletter.

Arvanitis points to a couple of the PTOC's less visible accomplishments. It renegotiated the insurance rates that local PTOs have to pay to cover school events. The group has also provided a webinar to local PTO's to demonstrate best practices in financial management and make sure each PTO had financial controls to protect their funds.

 "We are buildling momentum," says Arvanitis. "And now, with the new superintendent coming on board, there is so much we can do. If we get the right people, we can keep the PTOC going."

Contact info@ptocouncil.org for more information. Below are the job descriptions for the open positions:
President    
The President shall preside at all meeting of the Norwalk PTO Council and the Executive Board and shall coordinate and extend the work of the Norwalk PTO Council into all parts of the community so as to promote the purposes and mission as stated in these Bylaws, and shall act as liaison with the Board of Education and administration.

1st Vice President
The First Vice President shall be responsible for meeting agendas and speakers, preside over all meetings at which the President is absent, and assist the President with his/her duties

Vice President for Education
The Vice President for Educational Information shall be responsible for informing the PTO Council of educational issues at the local, state and national levels, and preside over all meetings at which the President and other Vice Presidents are absent

Recording Secretary   
The Recording Secretary shall record and keep the minutes of all meetings, maintain a copy of these bylaws, and maintain attendance records
Corresponding Secretary   
The Corresponding Secretary shall be responsible for all internal and external communications of this organization

Treasurer   
The Treasurer shall receive all moneys of this organization and shall pay any bills or obligations as authorized by this organization or the Executive Board. The Treasurer shall keep a record of all financial transactions of this organization and shall present a full financial report at every meeting of this organization. The Treasurer shall maintain a record of member organization financial reviews.