Board reviews policy on school support organizations, considers districtwide PTO and stronger parent engagement

The Lebanon Special School District board discussed school board policy 2.404 on school support organizations during the meeting, prompted by parent concerns about informal fundraising and pandemic-related declines in volunteer participation.

Board members said the policy review was motivated by parents asking how to find and join PTOs and by earlier public comment about payment apps such as Venmo. District staff said they will inventory the level and structure of support organizations at each school and return to the board with recommended next steps and any policy adjustments.

District leaders reiterated that funds raised “to benefit the school” are subject to school-level discretion and internal accounting procedures regardless of whether a parent organization maintains an external bank account. Board members discussed options, including creating a districtwide PTO with representation from each school to centralize fundraising and reduce accounting overhead for smaller schools.

Members noted variation among schools: some buildings have strong parent organizations while others have low participation, a trend the board attributed in part to the COVID-19 period when in-person volunteerism decreased. Suggestions to increase participation included more clearly listing volunteer opportunities at the start of each year, offering varied involvement options (business outreach, event support, reading assistance) and ensuring after-hours participation opportunities for working parents.

The board asked district staff to survey principals and return recommendations and, if appropriate, propose policy language changes.