just one more tidbit...i am thinking that the article on stealing from the pto is more applicable here!!!!!!

This problem sounds a little more serious than just trying to work it out with the principal to me. I would be finding a lawyer or police professional to get involved especially if you know of one at your school. I would definitely be getting the bank manager involved. Does the principal have authorized access to your account? do you need two signatures for any withdrawal or check to be paid out? who has been the other person signing? check one of your tax deductible donation receipts for your tax id #.

Our account information and books are public domain and all expenditures > $600 have to be posted prior to use - in our bylaws.
$25,000 is more than worrisome alarms should be ringing somewhere.

I would definitely hold off on anymore fundraisers as well. PTO is a bonus budget support for the school - not a certainty of added income for the principal to spend. As a parent I would feel better if the information about the discrepencies was given to me as well as what mending things were going on to fix it and that given as an explanation why all fundraising has been held off for the present and why those "EXTRAS!!!!!!" the pto usually provides will not be forthcoming until the issue is resolved.

Better safe than more sorry later.
good luck!
lisa

Hi,
I can truly see where you are coming from. We are having trouble at our school this year too. But, not as bad as you.
We were informed at a PTO meeting that the principal had already sent out tickets for our fall raffel. We hadn't even discussed if we were going to do it this year. This is the principals 2rd. year here. I guess someone told her that in the past we had given the profits to our past principal for the prinicpals fund.
I as president have been told not to touch the money. I have told the treasure that if the money doen't come to her and go in our account.
Then I am going to take it to the board as theft.
In our by-laws it says that the treasure shall hold ALL money.
With all the problems that you have. I truly believe that I would go to the board of ed and hope they listen. It can't hurt.
Good Luck!
Copymom :confused:

Mi amiga, you need to come diving with me tomorrow and take a breather....and then:

By-Laws: Make them and use them. Tim's analogy of not playing the game without knowing the basics was spot on. Rules will define your group, define your responsibilities and those of the entire group, and rules will keep your group focused. At some point, your group seems to have lost its focus. If you have by-laws already in place, re-analyze them and make sure you follow them.

Money: This money is not YOUR money, it belongs the STUDENTS and therefore it should be handled very carefully. As IMP said, I can't imagine losing $25 but $25,000??? That would be our budget for the next 10 years. If your principal is no longer on the PTO account, then your account activity is private. Report the bank employee to their boss, they are probably breaking company policy if not privacy laws. The money is not the school's, per se, not the principal's, it belongs to the PTO to use for the children. Every single penny spent must be accounted for. Your treasurer should keep records and receipts of everything and her/his books audited on a regular basis. If the principal has used this money for a petty cash fund, hold him/her accountable for where it was spent. If he/she can't come up with reasonable explanations, go to the superintendent and then to the school board. No more fundraisers until this money issue gets settled or you will lose whatever trust you have from the parents.

Principal: My personal opinion is that a PTO cannot function effectively without a good working relationship between the board and the principal. Find a way to make this happen. It may take compromise. It may take backing down in some areas. It may take a miracle. BUT work towards some place in the middle.

Functions: Take all the irons out of the fire, regroup, and look at all your plans for the entire year. If your group is attempting too much, you may be wearing everyone out. That could lead to not getting volunteers. What activities are really important to your group? What traditions are worth saving? A carnival? A winter dance? What traditions or activities are more work than they are worth? Just because it's a tradition doesn't mean it has to continue. Change is good. Make sure you include the administration in your planning...make them a part of your PTO and not just a source of friction.

Last, but not least, let me share a solid piece of advice I received when I was attending seminary years ago..."A group without conflict does not grow"...I want you to know that the problems in your group can be solved. And once they are solved, other problems will arise. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Get your situation sorted out, enlist solid members of your group as this is not just your problem, and then work from ground zero to form an even stronger group.

Good luck! :cool:

nice advice you guys haave conforted me about this tim thats a very good article to point out now to test it, only problem is principal wont talk to pto were are getting silent treatment, we do have by laws we try very hard to stick to them we haavent broken one yet but unfortunatly i cant say the same for the princpal, and she cant sign for the bank her name is no where on it. you all have helped a bunch i went in running this like my business keeping reciets and everything and always telling the truth and informing the people , and somewhere i haave burned my booty

Me?

First thing I'd do is take a deep breath, count to 100, etc.

Then I'd remember something I was big on when I was coaching basketball (warning: sports analogy ahead): you can't run any big offense or defense if you can't do the fundamentals right. In coaching, that might we never worked on anything until we could dribble and make simple passes and simple shots.

In PTOs, the basics are good bylaws, a desire to follow them, basic/smart management policies (handling funds, for example) and a general understanding between PTO and principal about why parent involvement is importnat and how the PTO-principal relationship should/will work.

In kym's message, there's so much talk of this event and that event and newsletters and the like, when -- in reality -- the group should probably be thinking of none of those things until the group can get its basics in line.

Our feature story on PTOs and Principals ( www.ptotoday.com/0802principals.html ) is one place to start.

Even if it means some things/events don't get done in the short-term, you have to go back to basics before you can move onward and upward.

It's not easy, bit it's worth it. For your kids and the kids who come after you.

Tim