It sounds like it will be tough, but it seems nothing will be accomplished without your Principal behind you. You will need to talk to her (maybe with other concerned parents) and explain your concerns in a direct, fact-focused manner. Keeping it business-like and unemotional will only help your cause.
Before you talk to the principal, you should also check the PTO's charter (by-laws) to understand what role the principal has in the organization and what is actually required of the Treasurer (for accounting), the Exec Bd. (for oversight and voting for expenditures), and if an yearly audit is required. We have a clause in ours that a signer can't write a check to himself - one of the other signers has to sign. Is that statement in your rules? If you don't have a charter, then you might as well not bother since it is anything goes (and start agitating to generate a good charter).
The facts you are interested in discussing are:
1) Who owns the money the PTO raises? (this is only an issue because the thead mentioned something about the district controlling the checkbook). The answer should be that the PTO owns it and not teh school oir district.
2) State that the PTO rules require a yearly audit of the books (assuming they do). As a concerned stakeholder in the PTO, you have a right to see the results of the audit.
3) State that the PTO rules require a treasurers report each month (assuming the do). Detail what is required in the report. If the Treas. hasn't been providing these reports, ask when they will be provided? As a stakeholder, you have the right to know how much is being raised and how that money is being spent.
4) Go over the rules of the budgets. If an expense is not to be paid unless approved by the PTO or the Exec Bd., ask where that approval is. It may not be the Treas. job to know how many yearbooks were bought and sold, but it is the Treas. job to know how much was paid out to make the purchase and how much came in (which tells you the profit/loss for the event). No one should be reimbursed for items that have not be budgetted for no matter how much a bargain they were.
You need to make it clear that this is not a matter of trust - it is a matter of accountability. You can trust an individual all you want, but unless you can hold them accountable for their actions you really don't know where the PTO stands ("Trust but Verify").
Point out that if there are any violations of the rules, and the IRS comes in for an audit, they may revoke your Non-Profit status (if you have that). Or they may charge for back taxes and penalties that could be avoided if the books were well done. DON'T THREATEN to call the IRS, just point out what could happen if they do come in.
If this type of conversation doesn't get the principal thinking along the right lines, nothing will.
Well, here it is November and apparently this PTO is still running things with disregard to Roberts Rule or their own by-laws.
An audit was never done.
Still do not have two signers on checks.
Still claims to have made profit on event that was neg.
No Voting to decide where money is to be spent. Principal is running everyone like a puppet master!
Last years tres. tells everyone how her name was drug through the mud and that she did nothing wrong!
I know it is May- but I felt I needed to post on this subject.
Iam APALLED at the way your treasurer has been working.
There are some very basic rules he/she should have to follow.
1. The treasurer must have 2 signatures on each check. it is a hassle but that's the point (as was previously posted). It is for everybody's protection.
2. The treasurer MUST submit treasurer's reports at every meeting- reconcilled to the budget.
3. Before any check is disbursed- receipts should be submitted with a request for check reimbursement form. On that form you should have 3 signatures- one the person requesting reimbursement, 2 the President OKing the expense, and 3 the treasurer on the day the check is disbursed.
4. It should be in your standing rules- that no overbudget expense will be reimbursed without the WRITTEN apprioval of the President and one other executive committee member (not the person requesting reimbursement). If you spend your money without approval- "Thank you for your donation".
5. An Annual audit is a must. Most schools have a bookkeeper parent or an accountant. Failing that- use a treasurer from another school. The idea is independent eyes must review your Books.
6. It sounds like your tresurer is badly in need of training. I truly suggest you write some STANDARD money handling procedures, and pass them out to all board members and your principal.
This will protect you and keep problems like this from happening again.
I really hope this treasuer was not re-nominated this year.
After an audit, you can start fresh with good money policies in place.
if this is the school I thnk it is, what did you do with the reports your treasurer gave at end of year? I know she did because I have a copy and she brought them to that meeting. As a matter of fact she had two different reports! One showing every check and deposit made and what they were for and another report showing was the expenses and income for each event was. Where you at any of the audits that were scheduled during your PTo meetings? Were you at the end of year meeting???? or all of the others the previous year??
This looked to me like you do know this person. If I am reading it wrong, I stand corrected, if not... I stand by my original response.
backhoed: I don't know anyone on here. But I think all information and facts should be checked out before accussing someone of not doing their job. Just because one person doesn't like the way someone else is doing it does not mean they did not do a good job. Why didn't some of the complainers ever volunteer to do the treasurer's job when nominations were being taken for the new year?
Cellular: I would ask the treasurer why and how much was over the budget. PTO's are usually run a little looser than a business and usually you have an excutive committee to help make decisions when meetings can't be held (most are the officers and one or two parents). Was there any discussion outside of meeting about her spending extra money because good deals were found for your secret santa? Is the stuff there for the intended purpose? Sometimes you have to go over the budget to get the best deals for the benefit of the children. Remember your pto are unpaid volunteers and to expect the treasurer to know every single little detail would make it a fulltime job for them. That is why you have chairpeople for activites to report the small detail. You all need to work as a team. Did the one's asking for all the information ever ask the old or new treasurer's to sit down and go over and answer your question?
