The PTO year · February

What should a PTO board do in February?

February: the engine room — part of the PTO year, month by month.

February looks quiet from the outside and is the busiest planning month on the inside: spring event logistics, grant deadlines, and election machinery all start here. In February a PTO board should form the nominating committee per the bylaws, approve spring event budgets before commitments are made, send auction donation asks, and start Teacher Appreciation Week planning while there's still lead time to do it well.

These checklists assume the most common setup — a July 1 – June 30 fiscal year and federal 501(c)(3) status. If your group runs a different year, shift the compliance dates to match.

President — February

  • Form the nominating committee. Check the bylaws — many require it 60–90 days before elections. Its real job is personal recruiting, not waiting for volunteers to appear.
  • Apply for spring grants. District foundations and community organizations often run February–March windows. One good application can out-earn a whole fundraiser.
  • Publish honest board job descriptions. Real hours, real duties, "you'll be trained." The #1 reason people don't run is not knowing what the job actually is.

Treasurer — February

  • Approve spring budgets before commitments. Auction, TAW, field day — budgets adopted before contracts signed, not discovered after.
  • Check insurance for big spring events. Auctions with alcohol, color runs, inflatables — call the insurer now about riders, not the week before.

Secretary — February

  • Run the bylaws review. Amendments usually need advance member notice and a spring vote — February is the last comfortable window to draft them.
  • Prep election paperwork. Notice templates, candidate bio forms, ballot format — ready before March needs them.

Events & volunteers — February

  • Send auction donation asks. Local businesses, class baskets, experience donations — letters out now for a spring auction.
  • Pick the TAW theme and plan big-ticket items. Anything custom (shirts, banners, catered days) needs ordering lead time. Coordinate with room parents early.
  • Support kindergarten roundup. A PTO face at incoming-family events is next year's membership drive, a year early.

Deadlines in February

  • Nominating committee (bylaws). Commonly required 60–90 days before the election meeting — read your own bylaws for the exact clock.
  • Grant windows. Many local education foundations close spring applications in February–March.

Start in February, needed later

  • TAW custom orders. Ten weeks out — custom printing and catering quotes now.
  • Field day equipment. Popular rental inventory books up by March.

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