I will offer what experience I have in this particular type of situation.

I was prez 3 years ago. I did not win the election for a second term. I won't go into the why's and how's because they differ from your situation. What is the same is that I, too, quit the group.

For two years.

I found other ways to help at the school, serving as prez of the school site council, volunteering full time in classrooms tutoring in reading with first graders. I helped the school run its own successful fundraisers separate from the parent group. But I always thought, in the back of my head, that I wanted to take another shot at being a player in our parent group.

It didn't take very long for the problems to arise with the parent group after I lost the election. It didn't take very long for the apologies to come, with the majority of teachers and parents saying that they had made a mistake in not supporting me, and electing someone else. I began making plans to run for prez again for next year... so much for my plans...

In March of last year, I was asked to consider running for prez for this year. It took a bit of cajoling, but I finally agreed. I was elected on May 19th, one day before school got out for the summer, at a meeting that had only 3 members of the board present and only 3 parents/staff members present. It was not unanimous, but I was reelected.

Less than one month later, I found that at least one member of the board had been embezzling over the two years I was uninvolved with the group.

That feeling you have about wanting to fix things is probably a bit of intuition. I know I wondered if I was just wanting to go back out of hurt pride or guilt, but I didn't think so. Something just told me I was needed. And I was.

Get involved. Stay involved. Fight to make things right. Fight for your group. Fight for your children. Fight for what you believe and know is right. Step up to the plate and take your best swing. And if you come up with a strike or two, swing again. You represent ALL the parents and teachers, ALL the children, even if you are not the prez... even if you have to go against the principal... even if it seems like a no-win situation... Eventually you will hit one out of the park. I know because I did it.

Now go take your practice swings... Then suit up and hit one out of the park!

First off, you need to have a separate bank account for your PTO funds, period. The principle, in no way, should have such power (if any at all), and say, over how the funds are spent.

The principle can have a say about what sort of events, or fundraisers, you have. He is, after all, responsible for the activities at his school. However, if the PTO is raising the money, the membership (however your group detemines that) votes how it is spent.

Do you have bylaws?

Are you part of a public school district? I can't imagine that they would approve of how the money is being handled.

I feel for you. Our board, last year, took a firm stand on spending practices. The principle would submit the bill, and then just expect us pay it without a vote. Previous boards just didn't have the fortitude to stand up to her. Well, we did, and the sparks flew! We refused to pay a bill for agendas that were ordered, by the asst. principle, without our approval.

Boy was she mad! But, there was nothing she could do. She could disband us, but then, for sure, there would be no agendas and lots of other things. And, I know she didn't want to be involved in the fundraising; too time consuming and tons of hard work!

She gone this year and now we have a new principle who is much more "hands off" and lets us do our thang. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I had a budget and had it approved by the principal, we set up chairpersons for the divisions of the PTO and yes we need 2 PTO signitures (pres and treasurer a new rule I implemented when I was elected pres) but all the administration office needs is the principal's signiture since it is in fact a school activity account. I did infact even talk about what items we planned on purchasing, including the suckers. It was only a ploy to get me out of the way so that he could spend the money the way he wanted without having to ask the PTO for permission.

My husband belives all this started because I turned the principal down on 2 request and I was planning on respecting the PTO's decisions to spend the money on playground equipment, even though the new principal wanted to spend the money on new computers. I at least wanted to bring the issue up of changing from playground equipment to computers to the parents in a meeting.

I feel sorry for the school. There are several teachers who have already put in for transfers from the school for next year, and a few who have packed their rooms and threatened to leave now, but have decided to stick it out for the kid's sake.

This week I started helping out the teachers agian, but I refuse to touch PTO money or put my name on anything. I don't really know what to do though because I have the teachers and a few parents who want me to go back and fight for the PTO, I just don't think I can. I have to come back to this district and work (I am almost finished with my teaching degree). And I am 100% sure I would never work for a PTO without it's own seperate account!!

The attorney for our district says there is absolutely no reason for PTO funds to be handled in anyway by the school. Is there some way your arrangement can be changed so that it can be sucessful for everyone? I'm not sure I understand about purchasing things without approval because we agree on things as part of the budget and the member assigned is authorized to buy these things and use up to that amount of money, but we always need 2 signatures to purchase anything. Is this not the case for your school?

I haven't been here in a long time because I quit our PTO. I was president, had a good board finally, but we got yet another new principal this year.(our fourth in 4 years) Anyway, I had worked extremely hard for the past 2 years restarting the PTO. Our new principal was very friendly at first, but then found out that our money was run through his activity account. My budget was fine for him until he found out how the money was handled. I was accused of misappropriating funds because I bought suckers for friday sales without permission from the principal, and a fundraiser that he approved :confused: had wanted money before we sold the fundraising discount cards(duh). My name has been drug through the mud at our school, and the PTO has been disbanded. Now the new principal has total control over all money, with no one to question him!!!

My question is this, for some stupid reason, I still want to go back and pick up the pieces and make the PTO work agian. The kids are not getting their AR awards because no one is doing them, there has only been 1 friday sales, and may or may not be another, oh yeah, the fundraiser money that was turned in last week hasn't even been counted yet either!!! The teachers want me back because of all I did for them, I just don't know if it would be worth it for me to try agian!! The treasurer changed schools because of all the back stabbing going on in the school, and I almost did the same, but my kids only know this school and they have great teacheres!!!

I guess I just really needed to vent, I know I can't go back, no matter how bad I want to fix things agian, it's just not worth it!! But I do have advice for anyone else out there who has their money run through the school, be CAREFUL!!