Critter,

I like they way you do it - set budget at the discretion of the Principal. It is clean and easy - so long as the membership agrees with the priorities of the Principal.

We do enough other things for the teachers and the school (Teacher Allocations, field trips, et.al.) that we really don't get a lot of individual requests. When we do get a request, it is usually for something many can share, like a replacement laminating machine or new basketball nets (this will be a topic for next year). We are able to discuss and vote a decision on these kinds of School Improvements within 1 or 2 meetings. This is the process that works for us.

Thankfully we are usually able to approve the requests, especially if the Principal agrees with it. I do remember one time we turned down a request - one of the grades already used their Field Trip budget and requested additional funds for a special opportunity. We decided it was unfair to the rest of the grades who were able to live within their budget and the we didn't want to set a precedent that might open up the floodgates in future years (and after hearing all the discussion, it was a unanimous vote - including the Principal).

I bet there are probably dozens of variations how this is handled between the PTOs. This is a good example of setting up your organization is a way that works well for you - all the PTOs don't need to be (and shouldn't be) cookie cutters of the others.

Reposted from a diofferent thread.....

We have 1 or 2 Teacher Reps that attend the PTO meetings. A teacher can ask one of them, or the Principal, or one of the board members to make a request of the PTO for something beyond what we already do. The request is discussed openly at a regular PTO meeting and voted on by the memebership. (Usually it is a motion to transfer $X from the General Fund for such-and-such request.) If the discussion indicates that we need more information, we have no problem tabling a vote until the next meeting when the requestor can get us the answers.

It is only in the case of an emergency, something that can't wait until the next PTO meeting, is the board able to approve something like this. But the Board does have to account for its actions at the next PTO meeting, and since we meet almost every month there are very few emergencies that come befoire the board.

Conie - I'm curious what criteria you use to evaluate your teachers' requests. We avoid it since we don't have all the facts, and would find it hard to be fair. Do you allocate a certain amount of money per grade, or first come first served, or how?

It sounds very democratic to have the membership discuss and vote on expenditures of PTO money, but the one time we did it, it took forever to get approved. A mom who also happened to be a part time teacher initially presented her idea in November, but due to lack of information, Christmas break, and confusion over the proper next steps, it took until our May meeting for the item to get final approval. And that was for one, seemingly simple request. By the time we approved it, our members were sick of hearing about the issue at every meeting!

Our members approve the PTO's annual budget in September which means they are also approving the category budgets that the principal controls.

Teachers requests should be discussed and voted on by the general membership.

Critter "We feel that, as parents, we are not in a position to evaluate the merits of a teacher's request. We defer that decision to their boss, the principal. "

How very smart of you! Let the 'expert' and the one who knows the whole picture of school needs, decide on merit of a request.

And it probably keeps the relations smoother between the Ps and the Ts of the PTOAs! ie the teachers never feel having been turned down by their own parent body when a request is not honored.

We (PTO Board) don't consider teacher requests. All such requests would go to the principal first. He would decide if (a) it's something he wants to pursue at all and (b)if it's something the PTO might pay for. We set up a fixed budget for several expense categories (ex: Building Extras) over which we give the principal control. He can't ask for more than we allocate to him, but we let him decide how to spend the money as long as it fits within our general definition of each category. (ex: building extras money must be spent on physical improvements to the building).

We feel that, as parents, we are not in a position to evaluate the merits of a teacher's request. We defer that decision to their boss, the principal.