School asked me for 20p

[MoanCraft]

Ds is going on a field trip. I'm always really busy (aren't we all), partly because I help out with lots of community things and one is the school committee.
I spend a lot of money when funds don't come through to cover for stuff that's asked for or needed by teachers etc., it goes without saying that I have given a lot of my time at events.
School asks for money to pay for school trip. I mistakenly underpay by 20p.
I get a call from the school asking me to bring in the 20p.
AIBU to be a bit miffed.

I think the OP doesnt like being told she is wrong.

For the 20p in the first place, and now on here

You need to check your insurance. With some companies SDP&C doesn't cover volunteering, you sometimes need 'driving for work' to cover that.

another YABU

I am not really sure why you are so upset. I got a phonecall the other week I forgot to sign DS's Dinner money cheque.. I went in the office and signed it. Never felt the need to mention it again. I obviously didn't plan not to pay for his dinner . I am not sure why your 20p is different. It may of cost 20p to call you but that is a different budget

Ok,I'll check my insurance. I'm very concerned now. Thanks for bringing to my attention.

Badger I just cannot imagine responding to that request in any way other that popping the 20p in an envelope with a cheerful apology note into my child's school bag.

The OP does seem very cross, so perhaps we're missing something.

Not very cross, just not enjoying being told I expect some sort of reduction in field trip costs just because I give my time and money. I don't expect the school to give me anything at all, quite the reverse. I don't mind being told that IBU but it's not quite right to then insinuate that I'm some prissy mother who expects preferential treatment because for my past donations.

so what ARE you cross about wrt the school?

You don't need to check your insurance, the school does.

I can't find the national guidelines online but this says they're not too different.

If a school wants to transport pupils in private cars for a school trip they must:

Ensure that the driver is not alone with any children. These are for safeguarding reasons but also because a driver cannot supervise children and drive.

Ensure the driver understands their legal obligations when transporting pupils.

Evidence that drivers (teachers and parents) have a clean and valid driving license without points for speeding, drink/drug driving, talking on a mobile whilst driving, careless or dangerous driving.

A copy of the driver’s license should be taken and kept on file and reviewed every three months.

Evidence that adequate insurance cover is in place.

Evidence that the car is road worthy by taking copies of the MOT certificate, records of how often the car is serviced, checking tyres are safe and correctly inflated.

Evidence that drivers (teachers and parents) are medically fit to drive and that they have had eye tests to determine if driving glasses are required.

Ensure that each driver has knows how to get to the destination and not drive in convoy.

Ensure that each driver is equipped with a mobile telephone for emergencies.

Ensure that drivers are given an emergency plan to follow in the event of breakdown or road traffic collision.

Ensure that drivers understand and are familiar with seat belt legislation and that all passengers will be secured properly.

Ensure that all children will be provided with child or booster seats if they are under 12 years of age or under 135cms in height, whichever they reach first.

Ensure that no child is carried in a seat with or without a child or booster seat in a lap belt.

Ensure that no child is carried in the front seat of a vehicle where an active airbag is fitted.

Ensure that specific written permission is given by each parent for their child to be transported in private cars.

Others have argued that IABU to be miffed. I'm realising that probably I shouldn't. But I'm not a selfish mum who thinks I deserve a discount that would be quite a different post.

I don't get it. You owed them 20p, so they asked you to pay the 20p - er, in the nicest possible way, just pay the 20p! How could you possibly think they were bu about it?!

"I'm some prissy mother who expects preferential treatment because for my past donations."

Why did you mention the donations then?

And what have you spent £100s of pounds on?

So if it isn't that you think the school should overlook it because of what you do..Why do they not think they should contact you?

Hakluyt is it relevant what I've spent hundreds of pounds on. It would be rather boring of me to start listing them.

I volunteer at the local children's centre. I still pay in full when I use a service they charge for. The books have to balance and the person doing the balancing can neither ignore it every time nor dip into their own pocket every time.

And I imagine they pay a set rate for their phone service, so it won't have cost them 20p.

Erm but Moan you specifically said in you OP that the 20p should be waved because you did lots/gave lots for the school!??

We're only basing our comments on what you said!

Thanks worra for listing that. I will pass to the school. Do you know at all, if they haven't fulfilled the requirement does it mean we are not insured. I'd hate to think I was carrying other people's kids and they weren't insured.

Egg on this occasion. I don't expect it.

I'm not entirely sure OP but it's possible.

Info was from this link

Moan I'm really not trying to be difficult, I'm sure you are lovely really but I'm very confused.

The whole import of your OP is that it is silly/annoying of the school to have asked you for this money given how much you contribute.

Consequentially I'm unclear on why you are annoyed/hurt by posters telling you that this is an unreasonable attitude?

You did ask!

What about car seats, do you have enough or are they older children?

Regarding the 20p I'm not sure what it is that you were 'miffed' about if it's not that you expected them to let you off

God people really are OTT. Its like one person says something and then you all jump on banswagon. Not sure what type of schools your kids go to that you think this is okay thing to do. Strange. You're not being anyway unreasonable. If a friend told.me this I would be shocked..mad altogether!!

Eigg I'm only slightly annoyed and posting to defend myself when someone tries to make worse of the actual post. It is in AIBU, I know, but I don't think it's very fair when some people post in response to an AIBU with an attitude that the op must be a total arse. I am prepared to accept a majority IABU, but just don't start insinuating that I think I should always underpay because I voluntarily give my time and money in other respects. To be clear I'm a bit miffed that someone has called me and asked me to bring in 20p. There are so many other ways they could have dealt with it. Someone mentioned that it may well come out of a receptionists pocket. Well I wouldn't want that obviously.
Maybe they could have temporarily taken it from someone else and maybe mentioned it to the teacher so I could give it to her in the day. It was just all so officious.

This, that Camelhump posted....

Of course there is a point. You are suggesting that 20p doesn't matter, and that they are being petty. All monies have to be accounted for - trips each have their own account. You can't just slip in money from other budgets and accounts - everything has to add up. It's not like lending money between friends. They aren't doing it to annoy you, they aren't allowed to help themselves to other pots of money. Can you imagine otherwise? "Oh Mrs Adams, don't worry about the £3.50 entrance fee, I remember you raised £25 for the library last year so I'll just take it from there". "yes Mr Smith, no problem, I took the 13p from the cancer research charity for you". "Absolutely fine Mrs Smith, we noticed you haven't raised anything so we all just opened up our own purses. Sorted."

Also, for those saying the teacher could have just bunged in the 20p - the teacher won't have anything to do with this - sealed envelopes of money go to the office, where the office staff then have to account for every penny that comes in for that trip.

I'm almost positive you'll just be a name on a list. I organised an event recently and parents underpaid by 50p here, 5p there and also, weirdly, overpaid by random amounts like 77p and £1.09. It gets annoying tbh when you're trying to organise something. I didn't contact any parents because it was an in school event and so entry fees etc didn't have to paid.

I suspect as £8.70 is quite an odd amount there are a few parents who have made the same mistake...so now they are a few quid down and so they need to get it off the parents - all the parents. Probably just had a list and phoned one after the other -and I suspect it cost very little to make the call - if anything.
And as others have said the money has to add up...to the last penny. The secretaries shouldn't be adding to it/altering it at all. In a years time that 20p will have been forgotten and the difference may well cause them a headache trying to get the year ends to add up. Especially if this happens every trip, every class ....
(IME of doing the books for my partner's business...and unless you are dealing with hundreds of thousands you can't really ignore even small discrepancies - sometimes they are just that but sometimes they are a sign of two larger discrepancies (ie 36p up and you find £946.96 entered instead of £496.60 .... a £450.00 payment missing!)

I issue invoices for a group - people sometimes pay the wrong amount...this means that my figures for the year don't exactly match up. I will refund people as little as 10p for this very reason - to save myself a headache at the end of year - and I have been known to put small amounts of money in (50p etc) to top up an underpayment without making a fuss - but this has back fired - eg the parent realises and then pays it on the next bill by a cheque or a bank transfer...means I am now 50p up!