Question: Disbanding PTO

I will try to make this short! My VP and I have been on our PTO for 2 years. Our time was up this year. At the end of last year, we asked our principle when she would like us to hold a meeting the following school year so we can vote new officers in. SHe stated to us to not hold a meeting and she would get back with us. Well first of Aug. comes around and she is calling us wanting us to call our bank and tell hem to let our principle or her sec. talk to the bank and get info on the account. Bank refused! Well at the beginning of the school year this year, the principle holds a meeting without contacting us, states in OPEN meeting she disband our PTO and started a new PTO and it will now be for 2 campuses. The current Vp and I went to our bank, liquidated our account, bought Wal-mart gift cards for our teachers, and as we have tried to hand them out, she took 13 of them, and now wants to press charges againist us for not giving her the money! What is the advice, or do we have any legal grounds? When you disband an organization I believe that all money should go to what it was raised for. I need any advice that anyone can give me. I do not feel like I was wrong. I raised all that money for our teachers and I am just trying to give them that money they are owed!! Any help!!! Please!!! Thanks!!!

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
I hate to say it, but you should probably speak with an attorney. If you were no longer an officer and you withdrew money from the group's account, that might be an issue -- even if your heart was in the right place.

Community Advice

firefighter464 writes:
I have a question for you. What does it state in your bylaws as far as what happens to any money in accounts if your PTO disbands? Or....did your PTO not have any bylaws? (In which case I'd advise your new PTO to have them!) Otherwise, I agree TOTALLY with Craig. By the way, I would be really really interested in what an attorney has to say here about what Craig wrote. But, to offer you some peace of mind, which will be rather dismaying for the rest of us, you ought to contact officers at our PTO, as they also spent over $2300 in money when they were no longer officers even though we had bylaws in place that stated our PTO had to authorize any expenditures and our PTO was dormant with all officers resigned. But so far nobody has done a thing about it and that includes the PTO, the bank, the principal, the Superintendent, the School Board, the OSPI, the SAO, the ESD101, and the local Police Chief. So, frankly, I think you are home free as it appears nobody, absolutely nobody, has any authority to enforce anything within the realm of PTO. As far as the Principal 'wants to press charges' I'd like to ask--did she or her lawyer or the district send you a scary saber-rattling letter? because frankly those are usually done just to intimidate and scare you and are usually something you can totally ignore if you read them carefully. Probably full of 'might's and 'could's not actual declarative sentences. Now, if they actually bring charges, I'd certainly like to know what the charges are, as I'd sure like to know in my case!