All of our teacher requests go through our Curriculum Enrichment Committee. The chair of this committee holds a board position. She (or he)then recruits other board members (usually the chairs of all of our major fundraisers) to serve on the committee along with the president, treasurer and school principal and vice principal.
We are fortunate that all of our fundraising is done in the fall, so when we meet in January we know how much money we have to distribute. The teachers all fill out forms for their requests and they are prioritized and turned in through the grade level chairs. We also fund requests for art, music, P.E., etc. While the $$ is not always the exact same, we do try to keep in fair, especially between the grade levels. However, one year a certain grade may have a greater need than another.
Each committee member is assigned a grade or specials class and given copies of all the requests from that group. She then reviews the requests and goes back to the grade or group making the requests with any questions. The committee meets, debates and approves/disapproves the requests. It takes us a total of 3 or 4 half-day meetings to go through everything. It is well worth it and the teachers are so appreciative.
We also distribute money through "Gifts to School" for items such as playground upgrades, landscaping, benches, etc. These items/requests can be made by anyone through the principal or PTO and the executive board will vote on them and then make a recommendation to the general membership for approval.
Sorry if this is lengthy, but it is a good system and has worked well for our school for many years.
In years past, the teachers who wanted something came to the PTA board meeting and asked for it. This resulted in the extroverted teachers getting what they needed (e.g. new sound system), but the introverts got an annual classroom grant ($25-$50) and little else.
One of the great things we have picked up, along with 3/4 of the students from the neighboring school that was closed, is 95% of the parents involved in leadership at that school. They brought over the idea of a grant program. We're putting money into the budget for the program, and have a committee to administer it.
They have a form for the teachers to fill out. They will then meet with the principal to review the applications, and if the principal can squeeze the money out of the district he will. Otherwise, if they approve the grant then they will report at the next PTA board meeting that the money has been spent.
By giving the committee final authority to spend their budget, we don't even have to worry if the teachers have asked soon enough. If a teacher needs approval quickly, the committee can decide NOW.
I think for small expenses, that you are confident won't meet opposition, you are better off with just a requisition form. Otherwise, to have the teachers make a big presentation for a relatively small request, your meeting could be unnecessarily dragged out.
If it is a considerable sum of money, than it is wise for the teacher (or teacher reps) to make an actual presentation to the membership to know exactly what type of expense they are voting on.
That's the way we do it. It saves time at meetings that some complain are too long to begin with.
hi again, we have a pta meeting tomorrow night. I checked the pta mailbox this am and found a request from the 1st grade teachers for funds for whisper phones. I am curious as to how this is handled in other schools. My thought is that we have 2 teacher reps who come to our meetings, shouldn't they be the ones presenting these teacher/grade requests? My prinicipal thought I was nuts and changing the rules suddenly. It seems to me that if the teachers want something from the pta, the request should come from the teachers (or the teacher rep) at a meeting since technically if we are spending pta money, the membership should know about it. I don't have a problem getting these phones at all, they are relatively inexpensive, I just don't think that as president I should be standing up there saying oh by the way the 1st grade wants such and such. (especially since they have teacher reps) Is it just me? thanks
