Those must have been some really soft gloves! Have you thought of running for governor of California?!

phew--did anyone else hear that bullet whizzing by? Missed it by THAT MUCH.

d

Hi all,

Thanks for feedback and good ideas - we're in cash-strapped CA, where we actually have to fundraise to help pay our reading specialists, and computer tech., etc.! -- that's why principal's check is large --

I wore 2 velvet gloves, was very complimentary about all his hard work, emphasized that it enhanced our fundraising abilities to know exactly where the group's money was going, and pointed out how dumb I personally would feel if I couldn't answer that question for our members!

Principal responded positively - we're going to meet, so he can update me on where the money's going, and I'm going to suggest that the big ticket items are included in the budget for next year....

Thanks so much!

DLF is right; this one is going to require some tact. You definitely want to understand the history and how the money is being spent without seeming to accuse the principal.

The fact is that in most schools both the PTO and the Principal (school) need money from fundraising. They may each do their own or as partners.

My guess would be that the Principal considers this a partnership. The PTO runs the fundraiser, but the school is a partner and gets a certain amount each year. After all, he does provide access to school families and no doubt uses the school to promote it and teachers to help distribute information and perhaps collect funds. So I would bet in his mind, those funds are the school's share of "school fundraising". The alternative is that the principal run his own fundraiser, which would probably still utilize parent volunteers and would then compete with PTO fundraisers. In this scenario, it's no different than if you partnered with any other non-profit.

A good approach might be (if this is true) to tell the principal the PTO wants to promote all the benefits derived from the fundraisers, including how all funds were used. So you aren't demanding an itemized list, but a fair representation for this purpose. Perhaps have yours already done.

One of my schools was similar (although the numbers were much smaller). The principal's discretionary funds included several thousand dollars from the PTO. He used that for everything from janitorial supplies to staff development and extra programs. But when it came time to "account for it", he let us cherry pick items from what he'd purchased. We'd much rather list a unique program or field trip among our accomplishments than a year's worth of paper towels.

This was not relinquishing our responsibility to see the funds were used properly. Most of our items were planned and we often directly funded programs or equipment for the school. But one of the line items was a certain amount of $$$ for the Principal's Activity Fund. It was simply his share of the fundraising. Later, that changes as roles shifted and he owned one of the two fundraisers with the PTO owning the other.

Good luck!

Boy--if that's the way it's always been than this is going to be a very delicate/difficult "tradition" to approach. I can see and automatic fight coming on. Make sure you wear a velvet glove as you pick up that great big mallet.
d

Uh, 40k in one year as a principal's "discretionary fund"? Wow, that's a lot of money. I guess I'd want to know a few things:

When your members vote to allocate funds, are they aware of this particular allocation and then vote yes for it?

Is the principal required to inform the PTO of purchases made with the money so the membership knows where their hard-earned funds go?

What % of your budget is this and are there other funds that the PTO retains control of?

As treasurer, it's your obligation to use sound financial practices, have an "open book" policy so members can always see what's going on, and to insure that everyone is following the bylaws and the approved motions whenever funds are spent.

As long as everyone is following the rules, and the funds have already been allocated, I'd say then it has to be done that way. However, if you have concerns, it's your right as a parent, PTO member and officer to state your opinions during the meetings and suggests changes for the future.