PTA Meeting Strategies

I have been a long-time member of the PTA. I have sat through so many meetings that I can possibly count. This year I am announced as a member of executive board for two different PTAs. I have noticed that few strategies can make a PAT meeting more successful so I am going to share these PTA Meeting Strategies with you today:

• You need to get the butts in the seats to have successful meeting. Get the words out to the parents with every possible way. You can use any of these techniques to communicate a message to all parents about this meeting. These techniques include; have meeting on same day every month, send a home flyer with all students about meeting, have your meeting appear on school marquee, send emails to parents one week before meeting and have the principal announce about the meeting in weekly PA announcements.
• Offer free food in meeting. If you mention that you will offer free food in meeting in flyers and emails you send, you will surely notice an increase in attendance.
• Create an agenda of meeting and a form to take meeting minutes. You can also provide the parents with Tips to Take Minutes at a PTA Meeting to take proper notes of what will happen in meeting for future considerations.
• Keep strictly on track as many parents come to PTA meetings with specific agenda that would affect only their own child. This happens on almost all meetings. Many parents will come with specific problems and questions that would be better to be answered in a separate room because they know that all teachers and principal will attend the meeting. If any parent comes with a problem then a meeting can be heated quickly. You should let the debate continue for few seconds and then say the words that this problem is valid and will be given to a charge of a committee to try and resolve it.
• Think for a door prize as people love free stuff. Arrange a prize for the people staying till the end of the meeting. Ask for donations from local vendors.