Question: Does District Administration have Authority?

Another elementary school in our district recently had an incidient involving theft of money by a board member/district secretary. Now the district administration is trying to mandate rules of operation for our PTO. Can they do this?

Asked by Anonymous

Answers:

Advice from PTO Today

Craig writes:
That depends on what they're asking. When an incident like that occurs, it's an alarm bell to make sure you have sound financial procedures in place. For example, it's absolutely crucial that someone who is not a signer on the checking account is reviewing the bank statement each month. It's very important to create a paper trail for all your transactions. And you should be conducting a formal review of your books at the end of each year. The article 5 Smart Financial Controls outlines how to put these types of procedures into place. If the district is asking you to take steps like this to protect your finances, you should cooperate. If the district is demanding to take control of your money, I'd recommend showing them, instead, that you have implemented sound financial practices and are not at risk like the other group was. You're better off making this into a conversation about keeping money safe (the ultimate goal) than making it a face-off between your group and the board -- it's difficult to win that kind of a fight. Good luck, and please let us know how things go!