if you have nothing to hide then there's nothing to be worried about. Parents need to know how much everything costs so they know what they are paying for. Maybe someone will step up to help save costs.

Under Teacher Appreciation, I have it logged under Hospitality and then a description of what it's used for.

One parent saw our operating expenses and donated $300 to our PTO because she felt it was for a good cause: Our Kids!

I say publish it, but lump things in where needed. For instance, Office expenses should be lumped together. No one wants to know what we pay for postage.

Diem

I also wanted to add at our first meeting each year we have our projected budget of what we need to raise and where the money goes. I also do this in a bar or pie graph the parents loved this it was more concrete knowing this percentage is spent on say family events, such and such percent is spent on assemblies, or author visits etc. That went over better than the actual getting out the budget. Maybe you could do the graph and put that in the newsletter. Just a thought.

my3strongtikes;130554 wrote: On the other hand in the newsletter I could see how parents might take it out of context and not realize the true expenditures of it all.

That was my feeling exactly. Not that info should be withheld.

I would say at a meeting you can put out in the open. I know when I first did this at our meetings parents didn't realize that some of things that the PTO paid for were not in the school budget anymore and how much those assemblies and author visits are and they really do add up.
On the other hand in the newsletter I could see how parents might take it out of context and not realize the true expenditures of it all.

Yes, dlf - It is beautiful here in Bucks County!

HI JHB-I agree with you--and yes this newsletter is purely devoted to our finances so it is a "special edition" of sorts where I get to put everything into context -- including why we need to have a kick butt Family Bingo Fundraiser in May!!!!

d