Okay -- one more thing. Our PTO does give our teachers each a specific amount to spend each year. It has to be for the classroom, and they have to turn in their receipts showing what they purchased, and then we reimburse them. If they don't turn in receipts, they don't get their money, and it doesn't roll over to the next year. I guess that's our way of ensuring that money is spent on things for the classrooms -- and not violating the Teacher's Union no gift clause.
Our teachers (we're in a public school, maybe you're not) are not allowed to receive gifts of any kind because of their union contracts -- can get the teachers in trouble too. Kids tend to give small Christmas gifts, but we aren't permitted to give them individual gifts of any kind.
As you describe it, it doesn't seem "shady" to me. You say the money is collected explicitly for the teachers who receive the money; as long as the people who donate know where the money is going, I don't see anything shady about it.
If the PTO gives the money to the teachers with no strings attached -- like a policy saying the money must be used for classroom purchases, not personal purchases -- then I would question the wisdom of it. But I don't see anything that makes me question it ethically or legally.
If the PTO gives the money with the explicit expectation that it will be used for classroom purchases, and some teachers turn around and use it to buy TVs or whatever for their homes, then I'd say the teachers are doing something shady. And if that's really happening, I'd work against it as a board member -- but I'd want to be absolutely sure I knew it was happening first.
But it's very common for PTOs to give money to teachers for classroom purchases. My PTO does it all the time. We put the money into the teachers' school accounts, which are to be used for educational purposes; the school (not the PTO) audits spending from those accounts to ensure the money is spent appropriately.
I am a new board member for the upcoming year. In the past there has been a tradition at Christmas and the end of the year to collect money (optional) for the Encore (music, art, library, etc) teachers and then split the money and just give them straight cash. All this is done by giving the PTO money, PTO deposits money into account and then writes checks to each teacher. They can then spend what they want on it.
In my opinion this goes against everything we stand for. Some teachers got as much as $1000. So what, they go out and buy a tv or ??? That money should be used for educational purposes and if parents want to give money or a gift card to that teacher, than that is their business and PTO should not be involved. Am I being too hard on this or is it as shady as I think? Thank you!
