Another thought: you may want to make a move now to start a dedicated "playground fund" outside of your PTA. All new playground dollars could go there, and you won't be creating a larger ($10,000, $11,000, more) transfer issue down the road.
As for your suggestion: I'd imagine you could make an arrangement with a playground company to pre-pay some of your playground. If you're going that route, i'd make sure you're working with only the most stable, oldest, largest, most reputable (you get the picture) playground companies. You'd be at risk there should anything go wrong or your playground company prove less than reliable.
Couldn't you cut a check for that amount to the school district with the monies earmarked for the playground equipment? Maybe we have been doing this wrong in our group, but whenever we decide to give money to a school project, we do not hold the money, we cut the check to the district and they take care of it.
I am currently president of Pta but looking seriously at PTO. We have one problem - in reading the other posts it states to spend account down to zero. At the present we have a money market accout with about 9,000 dollars. this fund has been earmarked for playground equipment when our new building has been finished.(Spring 2005) Can we change the name on the account or do we close down the account. Can we sigh a promise note to a play ground company ans states that we owe the rest. I would appreciate any comments. I seem to be in a financial bind.