First General PTO Meeting

My perspective before the meeting started. There were lots more people there once we actually began. That's the VP's computer. She made changes to the budget as we went along.

I thought, tonight, I would share with you all my exerience at my first ever General PTO meeting (being the President over one, anyway).

First of all, after I got there and helped set up, the Financial person of the school came to me and gave me some information -maybe 10% of what she told me stuck in my head. I was nervous. I had no idea if I was going to be able to do this. People were coming in like this was an important thing. Well, it was, we were voting in our budget. But, I have this habit of thinking anything I could possibly preside over couldn't be that important. Well, think again, Missy.

Then, Mr. Simon, our principal came up to me and told me the teachers were there (lots of them) to show me support. Made me tear up. How embarrassing, I need a tissue moments before I am supposed to be all presidential.

Our programs person, Elsa, did a FABULOUS job of setting up the table for the ice cream social to take place during the meeting. Soften 'em up with sweets, how can they hate you, right?

Then, the meeting got started. Everyone gave their committee reports. Short, concise, informative, just lovely. Then I gave Mr. Simon the floor and he had very nice things to say about this year's PTO. Made me tear up again. "Tissue!" That took all of 45 minutes to go through. We broke for 15 minutes to get ice cream and potty break.

Then the budget part started. We went through the budget section by section instead of line by line and it went quickly. Lots (and I mean lots) of questions were asked and I answered those I could, gave those I couldn't (that had nothing really to do with me) to the treasurer and Mr. Simon supported us through it all. 55 minutes from start of budget to adjourning the meeting. IMPRESSIVE to say the least. I've been to budget meetings that lasted 3 hours or more - at this school - recently. Not this one! YAY!

So, sorry this wasn't very exciting. But, I wanted this down for posterity. If I did nothing else in life, I proved a budget meeting could be done without lasting 3 or more hours.

The next blog will deal with our trip to the zoo on Saturday.