Quick question: I'm guessing with HSA, you're in a Catholic school? (I put down PTO on my post but my issues are also with HSA). If I'm correct about your school, here's what I'd do.
I'd document everything that has happened in a time-line, including the principal's comments, and ask for a confidential meeting with the superintendent of Catholic schools (or superintendent period) and raise my concerns. The details of the money disappearance, closed account alone sound not only unethical, but possibly criminal if there's any suspicion of embezzlement. Bottom line, escalate it if you can and you have enough concerns. Most diocese are very sensitive to issues like this---especially suspicion of impropriety.
Is the organization incorporated by the state or recognized as a non profit by the federal government? Is there an oversight group for HSA's like there are for PTA's? (Sorry I don't know a lot about them.)
If the by-laws are clear on elections, you and the rest of the parents that feel something is wrong, have the right to stand when the elections are done and require that the by-laws be followed. Problem with that is... if there is no "recourse" if they ignore you it is a stand but of little use in the end. If there are by-laws that aren't being followed and they are incorporated (at least in my state) the organization can be reported to the state corporation commission and investigated. If they are found to be in direct violation of the by-laws there are consequences. That might be a way to go, since it is easier to prove they are not following the by-laws vs. proving theft (without the actual paperwork.)
Also, if you have enough people wanting/willing to step up and work within the frame work of the by-laws that could be enough for them to be required to acknowledge the by-laws at a public meeting and may allow for others to run.
Have you had a conversation with the principal without the other 2 ladies present? Have you spoken to your school board rep or district superintendent about the problem? Perhaps inviting them to the meeting for the elections?
I know the standard answer goes back to the by-laws. I also know that having by-laws doesn't mean that everyone will follow them and there isn't a lot that you can do about it other than report them or not participate. (As much as I love by-laws they are a lot like traffic laws.... some will try to get around them all the time, unless there are repercussions.) Unless the rest of the parents at the school refuse, 100%, to participate in anything the organization does going forward unless the by-laws are being followed, you are limited. At that point it becomes a group A vs. group B and that doesn't include group C who would rather not get involved to start with.
Sorry... I know that isn't what you wanted to hear or very helpful....
Yes, barb_r there are bylaws for the organization, but nothing absolutely NOTHING is being conducted according to them. I went as so far to point out to the principal that it clearly states in the bylaws that only one person may hold the presidency position for two years, but that an election is to be done on a yearly basis. Now grant it that the first year folks were appointed instead of elected is fine, because there wasn't a real committee, but by the second year it should have been different! Out of all the parents that we had on the HSA Board last year only four of us are remaining due to the mayhem, but only two of us aren't in cahoots with them!
As for the running against them...it was said that their positions are secure! I don't understand how!!! The principal is standing firm on backing them in their endeavors and I do not agree with her position in the matter. That is why I am reaching out for some type of advice on the matter here.
The funding explanation between the two of them are different. The president claims that the bank closed the account as if I'm stupid and don't know that no bank will just close an account. The account will have to have been overdrawn severely, overdrawn for some time before hand, or closed by the account holders. The treasurer, who stated that she did not handle the money...that was the president's doing, said that the president closed the account. So I guess we'll never know. All of the funding that came up missing was due to theft. Now they pointed fingers at several members who aren't there anymore and even at each other, but nothing has been documented. So that is truly up in the air with me.
Are there any by-laws for the group? Is there a policy (hopefully in the by-laws) about how to elect officers? Can someone run against them (in those positions) and win the vote? Is there any proof regarding the missing funds? Was an explanation given for why the account was closed?
I agree it sounds like something isn't right. However, if the framework isn't in place for how to deal with it the struggle will be an uphill battle that you may or may not be able to win.
I am currently a support volunteer member of an elementary HSA organization. There are a lot of unethical things going on within the organization and need to be addressed immediately.
We are entering into our third year of operation and I've seen no progress what-so-ever! The first year the officers were appointed...that is fine, because there was no real big outcome from the foot work that was put out there. The second year some of the same officers kept their positions and some others rotated their positions with members from the previous year. Now that was a major flag for me! I questioned the positions being held, but being as though I was going through a High Risk Pregnancy I wasn't able to make some serious noise about the situation. Now although I was a hit and miss type of member last year I only got a small percentage of the information for the things that were occuring during the school year, but there were a few things that didn't slip under my radar close to the end of the school year. For instance, there was a LOT of money coming up missing from the pot, the bank account ended up closed in March, none of the proceeds went to anything that they were suppose to have been going to, and there was a LOT of disagreements circulating within the office but nobody was able to come to a conclusion for the disagreements. All of those issues had me shifting through this website searching for answers. I was unaware that I could post a question until today!
Now this school year I was allowed the opportunity to sit in on a couple of the meetings with the school principal! That there was a huge honor! I was able to gain more insight on what the program was suppose to actually be doing for the school, what wasn't being done for the school and so forth. In the initial meeting the principal was very austere about pushing forward with elections right away, because she too agreed that there were far too many unethical things going on within the organization. She felt as if the school was being swindled through all of the fundraisers and no proper accounting going on within the organization. She also stated that positions being held were being held in an illegal manner. So she place anothor parent and myself on the elections project! YAY...or so we thought! A week in a half later after she had us researching and compiling information for the elections and for this school year so calls us in for a second meeting. Things seemed to still be going along smoothly on everything that was put on the table in the first meeting despite the fact that there were two additional members who protested everything that the principal set forth. Now granted the two that were protesting were the same two who were left this school year from the previous two school years that were on the front line of the mayhem, the president and the treasurer! Now the prisident and the treasurer planned on rotating positions again this school year. So they was to be sure that those two positions are secure for them. The principal's final word on the situation was that we were going to go through with the elections as planned. So that is what the other parent and I continued to do. Two days later she, the principal, changed her mind! She decided to allow them to do things their way! Total shocker!
So now my question is...what is it as a parent that we, the two lonely parents, can do to make sure that this doesn't take place??? I would really rather not be a part of any of this chaos! I don't like the unethical behaviors. I don't like all of the fundraisers that were being done and nothing to show for it, but it seems like our two little voices are being drowned out by this non-sense!
