Robert’s Rules of Order for Parent-Teacher Groups: A Comprehensive Guide

Your parent-teacher group meetings are crucial for creating fundraisers, deciding how to enhance your child’s school experience, or fostering better collaboration with the school’s administration and educators. Ensuring that these meetings make the most effective use of time is vital, as working parents struggle to fit them into their busy schedules. 

However, many groups’ meetings fail to meet their potential due to a lack of organization, low turnout, or constant disagreements among members. By understanding and implementing Robert’s Rules of Order, you can significantly improve the structure and productivity of your meetings, leading to more effective decision-making and a more harmonious group dynamic.

Understanding Robert’s Rules of Order

Robert’s Rules of Order, first published in 1876 by Henry Martyn Robert, was designed to help organizations conduct their meetings in an orderly and efficient manner. The primary goal of these rules is to ensure that meetings are fair and democratic and that all voices are heard. 

According to Robert’s Rules, “It is a fundamental right of deliberative assemblies that all questions be thoroughly discussed before acting or making a decision. Robert’s Rules allow decision-makers to come to conclusions without confusion.”

By studying and following these directives, parent teacher groups can manage their meetings more effectively, ensuring that all members have a say and that decisions are made transparently. This may also lead to more engaged meetings and a greater sense of camaraderie amongst your organization’s members.

Key principles of Robert’s Rules of Order

1. Equal rights for all members. This principle ensures that every member has an equal right to participate in discussions and decision-making processes, promoting fairness and inclusivity in your meetings.
2. One question at a time: When only one topic or question is discussed, confusion is minimized, and each issue is thoroughly addressed before moving on to the next topic. Giving each issue adequate time allows a greater diversity of voices to be heard.
3. Time limits on speaking: To keep discussions concise and relevant, set a time limit for each speaker. This encourages members to prepare and present their thoughts succinctly. Three minutes is a good length that will allow speakers time to share their points of view without going on too long.
4. Majority vote wins: If the board favors one thing but most of your members prefer something else, then the board cannot use their position to pass on their preference. It’s important to remember that the chairperson does not vote but moderates the discussion. They will only vote if they are needed to decide or if no decision has been made. 

This principle ensures that the majority opinion prevails while providing a fair mechanism to resolve tie situations.

Remember that your group may have to make tough decisions in these meetings. That’s where the 2/3 Vote comes in handy. This isn’t taken as a voice vote but as a standing count or a show of hands. To calculate this, divide the total number of votes by three and then multiply the results by two. For example, if your total number of votes is 60, the two-thirds vote would be 40. Situations of when to use this vote include the adoption of any motion that:

• Closes, extends, or limits debate
• Closes nominations or polls
• Prevents the introduction of a question to consideration
• Removes membership or office
• Suspends or modifies an existing rule of order

Another of Robert’s Rules that groups use is the Ten-Day Rule, which establishes a set time before any major changes to your group’s rules or board are voted on. This gives your members time to prepare anything they’d like to say to the group or share any research, ensuring that everyone is well-informed and knowledgeable.

Adapting Robert’s Rules of Order for parent-teacher group meetings

Introducing these rules to your group for the first time may seem daunting. That’s why we’ve put together this step-by-step approach to help board members and attendees become comfortable with the procedure:

1. Explain the basics: Share the purpose of Robert’s Rules and how they will benefit your group’s meetings. Emphasize that these rules create an orderly process, allow everyone to speak, and ensure decisions are made efficiently.
2. Discuss the rules with board members: Before the meeting where you plan to introduce these rules, discuss them with board members to ensure they aren’t blindsided, completely understand how and why they’re being implemented, and are prepared. This helps avoid confusion and ensures everyone is on the same page.
3. Conduct a mock meeting: A practical way to familiarize everyone with Robert’s Rules is to hold a test meeting with your board before the real thing. Walk through each section of the meeting agenda and demonstrate how Robert’s Rules apply. This hands-on experience may alleviate much of the intimidation of changing your group’s rules.
4. Introduce terminology: Ensure members understand key terms used in Robert’s Rules, including:
   • Motion: A formal proposal is made for discussion, e.g., “I move that we…”
   • Second: Agreement to consider a motion, e.g., “I second the motion.”
   • Amendment: Changes to a motion, such as adding or striking words or paragraphs to your bylaws.
   • Quorum: The minimum number of members required to conduct business. For example, if an 8-member board needs 5 members to be present, then 5 constitutes a quorum. For a 6-member board, 4 is the majority.

Applying Robert’s Rules of Order to your meeting

As your organization uses Robert’s Rules, refer to this list to ensure a proper meeting flow. 

1. Call to order: The meeting starts when the chairperson, often the President or Chairperson, says, “I call this meeting to order.” This signifies that the meeting has officially begun.
2. Roll call: Establish a quorum by checking if the minimum number of members is present. If a quorum is still needed, the meeting can proceed, but no votes can be taken.
3. Reading and approval of minutes: Review the minutes from the previous meeting. Remember that these records are what was discussed and decided previously, not what will be discussed in this meeting. This step helps hold members accountable and maintains a clear record of past decisions.
4. Reports of officers: Each officer reports their responsibilities. After each report, ask for any questions or concerns to ensure clarity and address any issues.
5. Unfinished business: Address any topics that were left unresolved from previous meetings. For example, you can say, “At the last meeting, we discussed…”
6. New business: Open the floor to new topics and proposals. For instance, “The meeting is now open for new business.” Motions can be made, seconded, discussed, and then voted on. 
7. Announcement: This is the time for any additional announcements, including the date, time, and location of the next meeting and any upcoming fundraisers or events that require the members’ attention.
8. Adjournment: The chairperson concludes the meeting by saying, “I call this meeting to adjourn.” This formally ends the meeting.

Benefits of using Robert’s Rules of Order

Promoting fairness and order: These rules promote fairness by ensuring every member can speak and be heard. They also create a structured environment where your gatherings can follow a predictable pattern, which reduces confusion and keeps discussions more focused.

Enhancing participation and collaboration: Robert’s Rules can foster greater engagement and collaboration by allowing all members to contribute and vote. This means that all voices are considered in decision-making processes, enhancing the group’s collective decision-making abilities.

Improving efficiency: Robert’s Rules’ structured approach helps manage time more effectively. With clear procedures for discussions and voting, meetings become more streamlined, making better use of the time everyone has invested.

Summing it up…

If you’re concerned about the effectiveness and inclusivity of your parent teacher meetings, implementing Robert’s Rules of Order can transform how your group conducts business. While the rules may seem complex at first, understanding and practicing them can greatly enhance the time your group spends together. 

By following this guide, board members can ensure that every voice is heard, decisions are made fairly, and meetings run smoothly, ultimately benefiting your school’s parent-teacher community.