President's Message

January 2009

By Patty Christiansen, President

Your Most Powerful PTA Committee

WANTED: PTA member to serve on the most influential and powerful committee in PTA! Must be willing to devote adequate time to studying the qualifications for each PTA position, and possess sound judgment in evaluating nominees. Top secret clearance recommended as discussions and deliberations are completely confidential. Knowledge of PTA bylaws and procedures a must; tact, discretion and integrity a plus. A broad acquaintance with the membership of your PTA will help secure this position for you.

Could you apply for this PTA job? Which committee is the most influential and powerful committee in PTA? It’s the nominating committee, of course. Your nominating committee has a tremendous influence on the future course of your PTA. By choosing the nominees for the slate of officers of your PTA, this committee can make or break your association.

As a PTA leader, I have discovered that struggling PTAs have one common characteristic: they fail to recognize the importance of their nominating committee. If the nominating committee has not done its job well, a PTA can suffer for years. In contrast, an astute and dedicated nominating committee can set up a PTA to succeed.

The job of the nominating committee is to find the most qualified and knowledgeable member for each PTA position. Beware of nominating these members to serve on your PTA board:

Francie Friendly: Francie is the BFF (best friend forever) of the nominating committee chairman. She really does not have the knowledge or skill set to serve in a certain PTA position, but she will accept it anyway so that she can spend time with her buddies.

Gilda Gossip: Gilda is a member of the nominating committee, and she just can’t keep what was discussed during the meetings to herself. She calls all of her PTA friends and tells them what was said and who has been nominated. She is taking a position as an officer, and she encourages her friends to call the nominating committee chairman and volunteer to take a certain position, so that someone whom Gilda dislikes won’t receive the nomination.

Abbie Always: Abbie is always on the PTA board, and has been there for years and years. The nominating committee knows that she will be angry if they don’t nominate her again. Abbie is the one who reminds the PTA members that “we’ve always done it this way.”

Dana DoNothing: Dana is also always on the board. She is fun and disorganized and enthusiastic. Each year she is nominated to another position, and she does nothing in the position but take up space. She rarely attends meetings or contributes.

Gloria Gapfiller: Gloria is not the best candidate for the position, but the nominating committee just doesn’t have anyone else to fill the gap. Gloria is nominated because the committee won’t make the effort to find someone new.

Molly Maybe: Molly is often asked to be a nominee on the slate of officers. Molly never says, “Sure, I’d love to.” Molly always says, “Well, maybe, if you can’t find someone else.” Once elected, Molly will do the job….maybe.

Give your PTA the best gift of all: a knowledgeable, dedicated nominating committee. Help the committee fill your PTA slate of officers with the most qualified nominee for each leadership position