[00:00:00] Welcome to The Principal’s Handbook, your go-to resource for principals looking to revamp their leadership approach and prioritize self-care. I’m Barb Flowers, a certified life coach with eight years of experience as an elementary principal. Tune in each week as we explore strategies for boosting mental resilience, managing time effectively, and nurturing overall wellness.

From tackling daily challenges to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, I’m Barb Flowers. We’ll navigate the complexities of school leadership together. Join me in fostering your sense of purpose as a principal and reigniting your passion for the job. Welcome to a podcast where your well-being is the top priority.

Welcome everyone to The Principal’s Handbook! Today, I have a special guest, Christina Heideck, who is going to share her insights on PTAs and PTOs. I’m excited to have her here, as this is a topic we haven’t explored yet. Christina, can you start by introducing yourself and telling us about the work you’ve been doing?

Christina Heideck: Hi, Barb! Thank you so much for having me on today. I’ve been volunteering as a PTO leader in my children’s schools for the last 14 years. Before that, I was a litigation attorney, but once I had kids, I wanted to spend more time with them. So I transitioned into being a professional organizer. When I’m not volunteering, you’ll find me organizing closets, garages, and workspaces.

For the past seven years, I’ve been running PTO Answers, a company I founded because, through my own experiences, I realized there weren’t enough resources to help me run my PTO group effectively. There were some resources, but they didn’t quite fit my needs. It turns out I wasn’t alone—there are thousands of people out there in the same situation! I now run a Facebook group with almost 8,000 members, and we have people joining from all over the world, even places like the Philippines. It’s been an incredible journey!

Barb Flowers: That’s amazing! It’s great to hear about your work, and it’s a perfect time to dive into this topic. As a principal, I’ve always been very involved with the PTA or PTO, but this year, I found myself in a new position. I got a letter from my kid’s school about needing officers, and suddenly, I’m the vice president! It’s eye-opening to see things from the other side. I know parents are busy, but it’s so often the same ones doing everything.

So, Christina, what strategies do you have for increasing parent engagement in PTA or PTO activities? It’s a challenge!

Christina Heideck: Yes, it’s definitely a challenge, especially coming out of the pandemic. It was incredibly damaging for parent groups, and many PTOs and PTAs struggled to recover. The pandemic forced schools to roll back events and stop gathering, so for a lot of parents, they’ve been disconnected for a while. This has led to lower involvement, and it’s going to continue to be an issue as fewer parents step up.

As a principal, you can be supportive by inviting parents to get involved and clearly explaining what the PTO/PTA does. There are often misconceptions about what being involved really means. It doesn’t have to be a huge time commitment. Parents often think they’re signing their life away, but it’s important to communicate that there are many ways to help, even if they can’t attend meetings.

You can also demonstrate your support by showing up to meetings—though you don’t have to go to every one. If you have an assistant principal, they can attend and help out, or you can encourage a teacher to act as a liaison between the PTO and the school. That way, it doesn’t all fall on the principal. This collaboration makes the process smoother and more sustainable for everyone involved.

Barb Flowers: I love the idea of communicating what the PTO does, especially because I’ve found that many parents don’t fully understand it. When I was a principal, we conducted a survey and realized many of the responses didn’t even relate to the PTA. It made us realize we needed to be more transparent about what the PTA does and how the fundraising benefits the school. For example, the PTA funded a new PA system for the gym, and we were able to showcase that to parents so they could see where their donations were going.

Christina Heideck: Exactly! You have to be really transparent. Parents need to know what their involvement is contributing to. You can’t just introduce the PTO during the new family orientation and expect it to stick. You need to engage with parents throughout the year. It’s all about ongoing communication. You’re also right about the importance of working collaboratively with the PTO to reach the school’s goals.

However, not all PTO leaders come with leadership experience, so sometimes things don’t run as smoothly as they should. Principals can help by ensuring that there’s a structure in place, with clear goals, and that the PTO’s capacity is aligned with what the school is expecting.

Barb Flowers: That makes sense. So, as far as fundraising goes, how can principals help guide PTO leaders to develop sustainable and inclusive fundraising strategies that really support the school’s mission?

Christina Heideck: The key is collaboration. It’s important to sit down together and map out the entire year. If the school has its own fundraisers, ensure they don’t conflict with the PTO’s fundraising efforts. I’ve seen schools where separate fundraisers were scheduled too close together, and it just drained the same pool of parent involvement. This is where communication and trust come in—clear expectations help prevent burnout.

Also, PTOs need some autonomy. It’s important that they can set their own goals for programs and fundraisers, but with the school’s blessing. When they’re treated as just an extension of the school, it can cause tension. PTO leaders are volunteers, and they need to have the freedom to run things in their own way. So, creating a balance is important.

Barb Flowers: That’s such a good point. At my school, we had an interesting situation where the PTA provided funding for classroom supplies, which was great—but over time, we realized some of the items being purchased weren’t necessarily aligned with the PTA’s mission of benefiting all students. That’s when communication became key—having open conversations about what the PTA could fund and making sure it was in line with the school’s needs.

Christina Heideck: Absolutely! Open communication is essential to prevent misunderstandings. Every year, you should revisit the PTA or PTO’s goals and make sure they align with the school’s mission. It’s about finding that balance between supporting the school’s needs and ensuring the PTO can set its own goals and initiatives. That way, both the school and the parent group can collaborate effectively without overburdening anyone.

Barb Flowers: And what about middle school or high school PTAs and PTOs? How can we get more parents involved at those levels?

Christina Heideck: Getting parents involved in middle and high school is definitely more challenging. At those ages, the needs shift from class parties and small events to things like teacher appreciation, fundraisers for class trips, and supporting older students through scholarships. It’s important to give kids some space as they grow, but you still need opportunities for involvement.

At my son’s high school, I helped organize an after-prom event. It was a casino night, and the kids loved it! But that’s an example of how parent involvement evolves as students get older. It’s not about being in the classroom anymore—it’s about providing opportunities for the students to engage in a safe environment while also helping parents stay involved in other ways.

Barb Flowers: That’s so true. It’s great to hear that there are still ways for parents to get involved, even as their kids get older. I know in the district I was in, we always had trouble getting officers at the high school level, so hopefully, this conversation helps principals see how important it is to nurture parent involvement from the start.

Christina Heideck: Definitely. Parent involvement is so valuable at all levels. The more you can support parents and provide opportunities for them to help, the better the overall school community will be. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Barb Flowers: Well, thank you so much for being here, Christina. How can listeners reach out to you if they want more information?

Christina Heideck: I actually have a special freebie for all your listeners. They can grab it at PTOAnswers.com. It’s a six-point assessment that takes just five minutes to help principals identify opportunities for partnering with their PTO on family engagement. It’s designed to get you thinking about how you can leverage the PTO to make your job easier.

Barb Flowers: Perfect! I’ll make sure to include that link in the show notes. Thanks again for joining us today. This has been such a valuable conversation!

Christina Heideck: Thank you for having me! It’s been great.