I found out last January that our school had their Fed Tax ID deactivated when I tried to get a copy of the Letter of Determination (it proves that you are a tax exempt organization) for a grant application. they helped me to reactivate the number, but I also found out that we weren't FEDERALLY tax exempt. We only had state exempt status. I am not filing for that.
You want to dig through your archives of Treasurer's documentation to look for any letters from the Fed Gov't or State. Federal sends documentation of what your Tax ID is. They also send a Letter of Determination.
Your state should send you (if you file each year) a form confirming your status and receipt of tax filing.
Call 1-877-829-5500 which is the Federal number. They can look up your school and see what your status is and then you can go from there. YOu want to know if your school had an active Fed EIN number (tax id) and if you are listed as a 501(c)3 organization. They'll direct you from there.
As a new president this year, I have no idea what we should have or didn't file. There were no records to that effect, nor have there been for the past few years that I have been able to locate.
We will be conducting an audit this summer of our accounting books and establishing some new/additional procedures. Beyond that, what is our obligation to file tax forms, etc with the state and federal governments?