Currier - It's a very good idea to get some solid bylaws in place. Perhaps your group has them but got away from them at some point and now 'nobody knows' what they are. If you can't track down the last approved bylaws, perhaps it's best to start over and draft new ones. Encourage your group to set up a bylaws committee to work over the summer so you can start the school year on the right foot.
Your experience should be seen as an asset to the group. If you approach things in the right way, you can do a lot to help get things back on track. Search these message boards and the bonus tools for some very useful examples of bylaws. Then, talk to the 07/08 officers.
About your specific questions:
Reimbursements If the funds were raised for the gift to the school and and your purchases were approved, you should be reimbursed up to the amount originally raised. If you went over that amount, a new motion would need to be approved to reimburse you for the extra.
Carryover Like some of the others said, carryover amounts differ by group. I'm sort of in the middle. I think enough funds should be carried over so events early in the year are covered without the scramble of a fall fundraiser. I like to see excess funds spent on needed items or allocated to long term funds such as for library or playground equipment.
Just carrying over random amounts of extra cash makes me nervous. Some people see a large bank balance as a sign of success. As a parent, though, I'd wonder why I'm supporting fundraisers if it's just to help the bank balance grow. Carrying over too much unused cash could actually backfire and make people a lot less likely to support the fundraisers.
Companies should never go unpaid. If they're doing approved work, invoices should be paid asap.
Teacher Wishlists Some schools have teacher requests go through the principal for approval first. Some have a 'grant application' that has to be submitted. My last team heard individual requests as they came in. We weren't inundated so it wasn't abused. And we had two teacher reps on the board so they usually knew if it was a fair or necessary request.
When you say your requests have to be approved by the teachers, what does that mean? Is there a committee or do all teachers have to approve each request?
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Thanks for the quick response. I guess I should have clarified more. The money that I spent out of pocket was for a 6th grade gift to the school - The 6th graders raised the money but the PTO kept it in their account. The 6th grade raised about $400. The gift so far has cost $210. The PTO gave me two checks to purchase items - that was the amount. Since then I have had to purchase additional items. Which I paid for. I'm not even looking for full reimbursement but feel they should at least give me what was raised by the kids.
We have a very informal PTO - no meeting minutes, no advance agenda, a president who has never served on a PTO before. I have been on PTO's for the past 7 years. Never have I seen something run this way. PTO rules are pretty much foreign to this group. They just keep asking for more fund raisers but will not let go of the money once they get it! I have had companies that we have worked with go unpaid for 6 months+.
I was hope to get some written rules to present to the group if at all possible
The first thing I would ask was your $300 an approved expenditure? If it was, it should be in the minutes of the meeting where it was approved, and they should reimburse you.
If you chose to do something nice and spend the money on your own, although I'm sure it was appreciated, you may be out of luck. Sorry.
We try to carry over enough money to cover start-up for next year - renewing Scholastic, assignment books/folders, insurance, magnets around $3000. This is the first year we were able to do it. We're so excited!
Teacher's wish lists - for some reason the principal won't let us do them.
Some/many of these decisions are up to your own group's systems and bylaws.
RE: caryover. There's no maximum or minimum. I believe groups should carry over enough funds so that the back-to-school time period doesn't have to be so focused on fundraising. But others think groups should spend most of their dollars each year. It's up to your group.
RE: reimbursement. What is your group's policy on that? Did you purchase things at the group's behest with prior aproval? Or did you buy things assuming you'd be covered? Big difference. In the latter case, I'd hope the group would be reasonable, but you likely should have made sure you were acting as group wanted before purchasing.
Better yet would be getting your group to put good financial controls in place.
Who does the voting on teachers' wish lists? We had a teacher make a presentation last night and the PTO president said that the teachers had to vote on it.
Also, I have paid out over $300 in expenses out of my pocket and the PTO refused to reimburse me. Said it wasn't in the budget.
How much is a PTO allowed to carry over from year to year? This is my last year at this school and I have served on the PTO for 3. THe president is refusing to reimburse people and money spent so the school is forced to pay for it. PTO has over $20,000 sitting.
