Reply to Is all PTA volunteering like a pyramid scheme?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I SAH and my friends have learned I am generally a “no.” I’m good for a discrete commitment like help with Bingo night set up, helping distribute spirit wear, etc. But I’m not interesting in an ongoing commitment.[b] I feel zero guilt because it’s a lot of bored moms creating make-work[/b]. Some of it is really over the top.[/quote]

This. So much of this is unnecessary and just a way for moms to stay busy, socializing with their friends. At least IMO.[/quote]

I'm going to go against the trend and agree with this somewhat.

I volunteer and support PTA doing events and programming FOR THE KIDS.  Too much at my school is for the adults to socialize and over the top things for the teachers.  The teachers get plenty of classroom-level and individual parent love.  And they get a salary.  Teachers do not need a potluck lunch provided for them on teacher conference days or a weeklong extravaganza for teacher appreciation week.
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Well, that's your school--maybe you should speak up and offer a different opinion about what you think should be done, since you clearly have spare time to complain about your PTA on the internet.  My PTA does amazing enrichment activities for the kids, funds 200$ classroom budgets for each teacher to buy supplies, pays for extra tutoring for kids not meeting grade level standards, and has a pantry of emergency supplies for poor families to access.  I'm not a PTA officer, and I don't volunteer much, but they do amazing things for our school.
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So your suggestion is that I should go to the PTA meeting and tell these women to stop the potluck lunch for the teachers and the morning coffees for parents that they've been doing since I started at the school 8 years ago?  Or maybe email and share my feelings?  Tell them that I think it's a waste of their time.

Thank you for your advice, but I'm not committing that act of social suicide.

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If I really thought funds were being wasted on an activity, and had a better idea, I would say something, and the PTA officers can accept or reject.  Saying that it's an act of social suicide seems like an excuse from a lazy person.[/quote]

I don't think funds are being wasted.  I think they are wasting their time and trying to waste mine.  They are asking me to sign up to bring food, cut flowers, coffee, make crafts, etc.  I'm not talking deep fraud, waste, and abuse here.  They are creating shit to do that doesn't need to be done.  In my opinion.

If you don't think it's social suicide to walk into the group of women who are invested in all this and in many cases thought it up to begin with and tell them I think they are wasting their time, then you and I don't have the same set of interpersonal skills.[/quote]

I don't get where all the PTA money goes.  We don't use it on the teachers/supplies and they charge a lot for their activities and clothing, etc.  For teacher appreciation stuff, they ask for donations for everything from food to gifts.  It is a closed group and they will be fake friendly for the stuff but when you show up to help they don't want you there.  I don't think there is fraud but I do question where the money is going and would like more spent on the school and the school's needs.[/quote]

So ask them to see the budget.  If you are a PTA member, you should have access to their financial records.  And you should be voting on it as a membership.  Are you a PTA member?  Do you go to your PTA meetings?  They should be discussing it each and every meeting.[/quote]

+1  We get a report every year.  It's not super detailed, but you can see that x$ went to a fund for teachers to buy relevant classroom supplies not covered by the school, x$ went to event x etc.[/quote]

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