What your board should be doing right now

Every month of the PTO year, by role — the tasks, the deadlines that bite, and the things to start now so they're ready later. Assumes a July–June fiscal year; adjust if yours differs.

February: The engine room

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.

President

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

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

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

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 that bite

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 now, thank yourself later

TAW custom orders

Ten weeks out — custom printing and catering quotes now.
Field day equipment

Popular rental inventory books up by March.

Prefer the readable version? Read the February guide · or see the whole PTO year at a glance.

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