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Rodney College’s Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) has disbanded after failing to attract new parent members.
PTA staff representative and secretary Robyn Rae says getting parents interested in their children’s schools by serving on their school PTA is an ongoing problem for schools around the country.
“People seem to be too busy or don’t want to commit themselves,” Rae says.
“The last three years have been particularly difficult, not helped by lockdowns and strict rules around parents being on the grounds.”
PTA groups belong to the Charities Commission with strict rules around meetings.
“There needs to be a quorum – a certain number of people at the meeting for it to go ahead.”
An emergency meeting on May 4 did form a quorum, but no new parents stepped forward to join the group so the decision was made to disband.
Attracting a treasurer was one of the biggest stumbling blocks. Each year a financial report needs to be filed, which is the treasurer’s responsibility.
“The accounting system is straight forward, but they need to know what they are doing,” Rae says.
Fundraising, another function of the PTA, has largely ground to a halt at the college. The uniform shop, which is also run by the PTA, has been able to operate largely thanks to the goodwill of the woman currently operating it.
Calls for people to join a ‘Friends of the School’ group will now go out so fundraising can continue.
Rae is philosophical about the turn of events as the new group won’t be attached to the Charities Commission, which may make it easier for parents to get involved.
