Navigating PTA Politics

[khm]

I'd just have her tone down and do minimal decor and let her end her run gracefully.

Maybe unrelated but his rant somehow reminds me of one year, the dads planned the end of season sport picnic. They adamantly didn't want "the moms going crazy again" so they totally left us out of the emails. They wanted to grill some meat, bring some chips and popsicles and be done. No salads, sides, desserts, etc. I wonder if this principal is just pushing for minimal extra "stuff"/distractions and more focus on the event itself or raising of the funds or whatever it is. Maybe he's a bit over dealing with the politics, too?

I dunno, he didn't go about it in a good way though. Sorry your friend is feeling hurt.

[Corie]

Factually, he has every right to decide what goes up at school and how long it stays there. But the way it was presented was just terribly rude (not to mention, she did this work at the request of a faculty member, who did get approval for her ideas beforehand. It's not clear why he criticized a parent volunteer directly rather than dealing with his own employee).

If your friend did some decorations at the request of a faculty member, I probably would have assumed that this faculty member would remove the
decorations when the event was over. Not your friend.

[ahisma]

I think your friend is the one who needs to decide how she wants to advance.

[squimp]

I don't think I would get involved. I would encourage my friend to do what she needs to feel comfortable.

[vonfirmath]

Is it the principal of the school upset?

Or the president of the PTA? Because the PTA does not have a lot of say in how the principal wants to run their school

I know our PTO would LOVE and has volunteered to get rid of a school-room of unused junk. But the Assistant Principal won't let us (And there may be district wide reasons he does not). The PTO does not operate in a vacuum where it can do anything it wants.

[bisous]

I don't understand why she is letting the principal get under her skin so much. I wouldn't.


But, it is what it is. I'd finish up, and bow out, and quietly tell people I like -- who ask -- that the reason this PTA has a problem getting volunteers is the relationship with the administration / lack of tact. Not for the purpose of trashing the school, but to avoid sending friends into the lion's den.

I agree with this too. I'd let your friend decide how she wants to continue. If she continues, I'd support her. If she drops out, I'd fill in to the best of my ability and maybe simple is the best you can reasonably pull off in the circumstances and if so I wouldn't feel guilty at all. I wouldn't let the principal's rudeness stop me from doing something for the benefit of the kids.

[ett]

I don't think I would get involved. I would encourage my friend to do what she needs to feel comfortable.