Our PTA has a thing about not giving to just one grade, but I personally don't have a problem with it. Especially if it's a set amount to HELP, not 100% finance (unless you can afford it I suppose). Especially something like an upper grade trip, dance or yearbook. In most cases everyone will receive the same benefit.

I don't know about sponsoring the teachers though--it doesn't seem right to me. In my district(I know I know...!) they make a VERY comfortable living and have tremendous benefits, whereas a lot of the kids have less than OK financial situations at home. Maybe throw the teachers a bone and pay for a portion of their cost of the trip and have them split the rest. I'd check your bylaws and see what they say about how the funds are to be spent. Maybe the answer is cut and dried there!

We spend extra funds every year on our 3rd grade students as they are leaving our school at the end of the year. We give them a party and signature tee-shirts and we also buy them agenda books for the start of the year. We feel it is fair because it is done every year and each child will someday have their turn to be in third grade! This has been debated in the past but we have always stuck to it!

Unless it's a huge amount of funds, we'd probably be fine with that.

We try to fund activities that benefit the school as a whole, but we also give to different groups at different times.

Often we'll take the approach, "we're spending this much on 1st grade for this item. What do the other grades need with a similar amount of money?" Other times it's just the one particular activity/grade.

We try to use fair judgement and common sense. The point is at the end of the year: "Did the PTO serve all the families/all the classes?" (Not did we spend an even amount on all students/all classes.)

<uncertain>,
Is this a district sponsored trip? I mean, the PTO isn't paying fo the bus or admission?
Does the whole organization vote on unbudgeted funding requests or just the board?
Our bylaws require funding requests to be approved by the membership unless it is in the budget (which is approved by the membership annually).

Our school is K-5 and PTO gives the 5th grade 1,000.00 toward its big trip at the end of the year (helps to pay for charter buses - they go to Springfield, IL about 3 hours away).
Our philosiphy is that every student will be in 5th grade (hopefully once in their life) and so eventually every student will benefit from PTO's help on the trip.

Some of our PTO members want to pay for eighth grade teachers to accompany their students on a class trip. Every part of the trip, down to the privately chartererd buses, are paid for by the families, not the school. Last year the board did pay for teachers, but the board was all eighth grade mothers. Most of the new board feel that the funds we raised should be used to the benefit of all students, grades 6-8. We may be out-voted, however, and I'm wondering what other people think on either side of this topic. Help!