Committee Chair Guidelines & Procedures

Thank you so much for volunteering your time to help the SBE PTO.  By doing so you are committing to making a difference in your students’ scholastic career and environment as well as improving opportunities for SBE’s future in today’s competitive world.  We greatly appreciate your time and recognize that everyone’s free time is precious; however, there are a few things you are now responsible for maintaining as Chair or Co-Chair of a Committee.

General Information for all Committee Chairs

Committees are the practical and democratic way of involving the membership in attaining PTO goals.  The work and goals of each local unit determine the number and nature of the committees necessary for that unit.  All associations need basic committees, such as parent involvement, budget, membership, legislation, publications/communications and hospitality.  Some of the committees at the local level have parallels at the state and national level.  

The following are a set of guidelines specific to Settles Bridge PTO.  Be sure you are familiar with them.

1. Complete a Plan of Work for your committee as early in the year as possible. Plan of Work forms can be found on the PTO google drive, in the Committee Chair Documents Folder, under the current year. PTO Plans of Work are required by the PTO and include a summary of goals, plans and resources needed by a committee.  These are prepared annually by each committee chair, usually at the start of the year.  The presiding President or your VP, with some or all of the officers, will review and approve proposed plans for each committee.  The PTO Treasurer then reviews the proposed budget to ensure that adequate financial resources are available to support that committee’s plan.  

2. Contact your VP with any questions or concerns you may have. Your VP serves as the board liaison and should attend any committee meetings you hold.  Keep them informed of the progress of your committee.  This person is your first line of support.  Copy them on any emails or other correspondence that is important to your event or committee.  Generally, your VP is required to report back to the board on the status of the committee monthly. If you are not getting the support or timely responses you need, then email the PTO President.  It is never okay to reach out directly to the school principal.  We have been directly asked to ensure all volunteers of the PTO work through their appropriate lines of communication.

3. Keep your committee folder on PTO google drive updated throughout the year.  This not only helps to keep your objectives and goals on track, it also helps keep your financial and planning affairs in order for the next year’s Committee Chairs and volunteers.  You will include your Plan of Work, contacts, budget information, income and actual expenses, flyers/letters and event recap.

4. ALL correspondence distributed to parents (i.e., flyers, emails, social media posts, etc..) must be approved in advance!  Submit final drafts to your vice-president for their review and they will forward it to the President and Principal for final approval.  This includes all types of communications that go to the school community (parents and teachers). See SBE PTO Event Promotion Resources for more details.

5. Newsletter content is due to the VP of Communications according to the newsletter submission dates.  Articles are to have been reviewed by your VP before submitting.  In addition to the newsletter, information about your Committee or events may be communicated through the SBE PTO Event Promotion Resources guide.

6. Securing Volunteers for your event.  Please work with your VP to get the details about the committee and volunteer needs – dates, responsibilities, etc.  Send this information to the PTO Secretary or your VP to secure volunteers for the entire duration of your event. We will create a Signup Genius and send it out from the PTO account.  You will be given the link for the Signup so you can track volunteers and share.

7. Count any money from your event at the school per the Money Counting Procedure.  Money from your committee or event must NOT leave the school.  Two people must count the money prior to giving to the treasurer.  If you need petty cash for your event, let the treasurer know as early as possible to make arrangements. Follow the procedures on obtaining petty cash.

8. Stick to your budget.  Work with your vice-president on the budget as needed.  Also, be sure to obtain a purchase order number in advance of any purchases over $100.  If you don’t get a PO number, you may be personally responsible for that purchase.  See PO numbers and check request procedures for details.

9. Watch the mandatory Volunteer Training Video at the start of the school year if at all possible.  This is a county requirement that all volunteers must complete annually.  If you have parents (any of our children’s relatives or grandparents) who are going to help you with any of your events, please ensure that they have also watched or attended the training.

10. Before you buy, check our PTO closet for supplies.   There are decorations, paper goods, supplies, platters, prizes, and more.  Second, contact the VP over PIEs and ask if any of our Partners in Education have expressed interest in making donations or participating in events.  Most are happy and willing to contribute or donate. Always consult with the PIE VP first prior to approaching businesses for donations or when looking to request support from them.  If and when you do have to purchase items, be sure you have budgeted for them.

11. When securing contracts for vendors as needed, always get more than one bid.  This is a PTO policy and good business practice.  Don’t be afraid to negotiate for a better rate for purchases.  We are a non-profit organization who should not pay tax on any item(s) that we are planning to distribute or “re-sell” to our SBE community.  

Note:  Only the PTO President has the authority to sign contracts on behalf of our PTO.  This is one of our Local Unit Bylaws and if not followed the person who signs is subject to any expenses not otherwise authorized.  

12. Communicate with your fellow chairs. The list of Committee Chairs can be found online.  Many of these volunteers have worked in other capacities in previous years and have a wealth of knowledge they can share.