It does add up, doesnt it, all those little OOPs. out of pockets....
And personally, I find the perishable food issues a big NON issue (expect if gourmet sushi were ordered in excess and belgian chocs and champagne so parents could take it home).
Its the non persishables, yrly audits, outright embesslement, and the like, that is more worthy of closer attention, IMHO!!
Our PTO recently had an "appreciation" lunch for the teachers and staff catered in and we had a ton of food leftover (we went by the numbers the principal gave us). Since it was the last day of post-planning, we gave as much of it away as we could to the teachers, but there was still plenty left over. Our PTO has never had an issue with "perks" given to those who have helped out. The PTO members that had been there for the whole luncheon, a whopping 5, split up the food and took it home. As the PTO Pres., a teacher at the school, and a mom, I saw no problem with this. I didn't take any of the food (only because I still had to finish out the day at work), but I didn't ask anyone to donate money either. None of the food could have been saved, we had given as much to the faculty as they'd take, and the rest would have had to be thrown away. I guess maybe the difference here is that I know these group of women and I know that none of them are in this for the "perks". These are the same great women that volunteer their time regularly, work every event we have, and usually donate money from their own pockets if we are short any for some reason.
Having said all that, this is the first 'real' year that we've had a working PTO. A group tried to get one started last year, but they didn't seem very open so got very little help with anything.
Penny For Your Thoughts - I totally agree with you on keeping track of what you spend and using it as a tax write off. As a teacher, I am given a $250 write off on my taxes, but when I itemize all the things I've bought for my class throughout the year, I usually have spent at least four times that amount. I hadn't thought about keeping my receipts from PTO stuff. [img]smile.gif[/img]
PARENT you said "Our board president has decided that she and the other board members along with the Principal and myself get to buy our flowers at cost because of all the work they/we have put in to coordinating the event."
It sure looks petty, thier request,makes em look sillier than a high school clique, but hey, if that makes them happy AND most importantly they have the support of the principal, I would say laugh it off and let em have their cost only flowers!! Hope they make them sneeze. And especially the principal! How riduculous does it get, they are the very ones that should a stellar example for all around them.
I worked in a restaurant that was famous for it's pies. Before I started there, employees had quite the scam going on. The policy was that whole leftover pies went into the fridge for the next day and any leftover partial pies were given to the employees on their way home. You can guess that it didn't take long for the bakers to realize this and make a few extra pies that the servers quickly cut and plated. Eventually, the generous manager became the angry manager and his new policy was that any leftover pies went into the garbage.
Hmmmm, suddenly the bakers got a lot better at knowing just how many pies were needed for each day of the week and there were no more leftovers.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same."
"The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the true perfection of one's character."
My perk is when the children and teachers smile at me and thank me for book fairs, family fun night, assemblies... Another perk for me is the parents that thank me. That's all I need... a smile and a thank you. Then I know I'm doing my job.
As far as food goes... if an event is held on Fri. you can't really leave leftovers. If someone brought a dish to pass then it goes home with them. If it's pizza that's left over then it's divided up by the volunteers. If it's bake sale goods like cookies then it's handed out to the kids during lunch hour; cupcakes and such get sent home with people that night.
[ 06-06-2006, 07:23 AM: Message edited by: Renee S ]
pals - a litte off track here, but the pizza $$$ out of your own pocket (not to mention the mileage for trips to school for volunteering) are tax deductible I think. Check with your CPA. But all the goodies we parents pay for teacher supplies, and food for class events and school events, can perhaps be itemized. Nickels and dimes, it is, but can add up depending on how much you invest out of your own pocket for the school and I know some parents do a lot out of their own pocket and make daily commutes to help the shcool out.
