How to spend money raised by the PTA.

lindos90

Bit of back ground first..
My children go to a primary school where the PTA is about to be 'relaunched' (Went through a very quiet spell following the chairperson removing their child from the school, retirement of old head and a poor ofstead report.)

Anyway, with a new head things are looking up, and the PTA is likley to become active again. There is aparently a couple of thousand quid in the PTA account from previous fundraising which has not been spent, and there appears to be little in the way of accountability for what has been bought by the PTA funds the past.

My concern is that this money could be swallowed up into the main funding for the school to go on 'essentials' like building maintainance, which I feel is the responsibility of the governing body, but I may be wrong? The school also has a 'petty cash' but im not sure what this is for either, and how the PTA funds fit within these other funds.

My questions are:

Should there ideally be a remit for what this money is spent on?

How do other PTAs decide how the money is shared out/spent?

Any advice welcome!

herewegoagain2010

I've been involved with 2 primary school's pta's and have found that both pta's had a list of suggestions of improvements, spoke to the head and then came up with a short-list for the parents to vote. We managed to raise funds for a trim-trail, wooden hut with instruments, a tyre play area, interactive whiteboards and lunch bag racks. Get a pta committee in place, get a list of suggestions from pta members and go to the head. I'm sure they'll be fully supportive and point you in the right direction. I'm sure the teaching staff will soon help you spend it. Good luck with the fundraising and enjoy the spending x

lindos90

herewegoagain2010 wrote: »

I've been involved with 2 primary school's pta's and have found that both pta's had a list of suggestions of improvements, spoke to the head and then came up with a short-list for the parents to vote. We managed to raise funds for a trim-trail, wooden hut with instruments, a tyre play area, interactive whiteboards and lunch bag racks. Get a pta committee in place, get a list of suggestions from pta members and go to the head. I'm sure they'll be fully supportive and point you in the right direction. I'm sure the teaching staff will soon help you spend it. Good luck with the fundraising and enjoy the spending x

Hi, thanks! I am hoping to suggest we get suggestions from parents, maybe a box in the main entrance, as then parents will feel consulted, rather than just the PTA making decisions. Of course im sure the new head and the teachers will have lots of ideas too, but as the money is from the parents, I feel they should have a say in how its spent.

I would also like to propose a 'mini' fund where teachers can ask for smaller items that I know they usually get out of their own pocket, like decorations and displays in classrooms. They could then just bring their reciept and get reimbursed. Does that sound like im on the right track? (For example the infants teachers bought lots of bunting, paper plates etc for a 'royal wedding day' at school. It was brill, the kids really loved it, but I dont feel the teachers should have to dip into their own pocket when doing something like this).

I would also like to propose that the PTA accounts are published, either on the school website or via an annual letter, so we are accountable for the money we raise, and so parents can clearly see what it has been spent on and therefore how it has helped their children. Does that sound Ok? Im not sure if other schools do that?

paddyrg

Being public about the accounts is an excellent plan to my mind - transparency means trust, and if people see where the money is spent, and who with, they may be more eager to support it. For instance, if the money all goes to one builder who is the husband of a member and the deals aren't the best available will be different from being public "can anyone beat this price for xyz", along with a copy of the accounts.

The micro-fund is a great idea, but set parameters/boundaries. £10 max, maybe, and max 1 application per term per class. Or maybe even just set it up as a grant of £10/class/term for the teacher to do some nice extra with if they choose.

Biggest thing I would do as a P(i)TA would be milk - I LOVED my daily third-pint of milk, and will still drink a pint from the carton without hesitation. Is that something that could happen again? Would there be the support? I just don't know, but I do think it is a crying shame that dairy farms are finding it harder to keep going and kids aren't getting this brilliant healthy habit. Even once a week, how about it?

Good luck, sounds like you have some great plans, hope it all goes well!

lindos90

paddyrg wrote: »

Biggest thing I would do as a P(i)TA would be milk - I LOVED my daily third-pint of milk, and will still drink a pint from the carton without hesitation. Is that something that could happen again? Would there be the support? I just don't know, but I do think it is a crying shame that dairy farms are finding it harder to keep going and kids aren't getting this brilliant healthy habit. Even once a week, how about it?

Good luck, sounds like you have some great plans, hope it all goes well!

Oh I used to love the cute little milk bottles, my main memory was that the milk always seemed luke warm though! Im guessing it was always funded by the government to promote better bones and teeth?

There is currently a scheme at school where parents pay a small amount per day and children get a little carton of milk at break time. This works well, but thanks for the idea as its reminded me about suggesting named water bottles being available to kids, especially during hot weather! (currently each class has a plastic cup that can be filled in the classroom sink, and then rinsed for the next child....im guessing thats why infections and bugs spread!)

Thank you all for your comments, sometimes I worry that my ideas are daft and Im shy about expressing my views in meetings. Your comments are giving me confidence!

paddyrg

What I've read of your suggestions so far, they're exactly the kind of thing that someone needs to sort out and just do. And don't allow the committee nature of a PTA drain your life force, but give the whole thing a spur by getting some early wins in place (like the accounts, for instance - I would go so far as to have them as up to date as possible from the start, so every appeal, every project has immediate feedback to the community). There will doubtless be circular debates, but a fresh mind is probably just what they need.

nickj_2

i was involved with my daughters schools pta , we raised money for the extra things that thye could would purchase normally , play thing for wet weather dinner times , playground equipment ,
our biggest acheivement was to equip all classrooms with projectors and interactive whiteboards . the school purchased one set , i think they payed £2k for the projector and another £1k for the board , one of the parents found a supplier that could provide both for £1k ...........
fundraising shouldn't go towards building maintenance etc , that should be the county council / schools problem

lindos90

nickj wrote: »

i was involved with my daughters schools pta , we raised money for the extra things that thye could would purchase normally , play thing for wet weather dinner times , playground equipment ,
our biggest acheivement was to equip all classrooms with projectors and interactive whiteboards . the school purchased one set , i think they payed £2k for the projector and another £1k for the board , one of the parents found a supplier that could provide both for £1k ...........
fundraising shouldn't go towards building maintenance etc , that should be the county council / schools problem

Thats a very good point about shopping around for a cheaper supplier! Fantastic that saved thousands which could be spent elsewhere! If we know what needs to be bought I wouldnt mind doing the leg work to find the best deals (MSE is in my blood!):money:

Owain_Moneysaver

If you have a list of intended projects you may find more people are willing to donate more than if the purpose of the donation is 'unspecified'

I would also suggest spending on 'experiences' that children will remember, eg getting a theatre group into the school for a day, as well as buying equipment.

Owain_Moneysaver

lindos90 wrote: »

Thats a very good point about shopping around for a cheaper supplier! Fantastic that saved thousands which could be spent elsewhere! If we know what needs to be bought I wouldnt mind doing the leg work to find the best deals (MSE is in my blood!):money:

Schools and LAs are often tied to 'competitively tendered' suppliers.

Public sector purchasing is, of course, renowned for getting value for money.

Owain

lindos90

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Schools and LAs are often tied to 'competitively tendered' suppliers.

Public sector purchasing is, of course, renowned for getting value for money.

Owain

Its sometimes a crazy system isnt it! I would have thought though, that the PTA, as a registered charity would not be tied into buying from particular suppliers, even if the school is?