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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

School asked me for 20p

195 replies

MoanCraft · 11/05/2015 22:06

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.

OP posts:

Roseforarose · 12/05/2015 07:20

Yanbu but as usual on mumsnet you're either being deliberately misunderstood or else your post isn't being read properly. You've said you're paying it but you're peeved that they were so petty as to ask you for it. Yes they were petty in view of what you do for them. 20 pence? and they go to the trouble of phoning you up for it. Just embarrassed themselves if anything.

MackerelOfFact · 12/05/2015 07:24

Firstly, aren't school trip payments technically a 'voluntary contribution', so they can't actually force you to pay for any of it, let alone all of it.

Secondly, recovering the 20p is going to cost more than 20p anyway, so what really are they gaining other than getting one up on the OP? The best and most economical thing to do would be to just add something to the next school trip letter asking parents to please check the amount carefully and supply the correct money.

Thirdly, would they be chasing you up if you'd overpaid 20p? I doubt it. Schools aren't the only things that need money, families need it too.

duplodon · 12/05/2015 07:26

MN is weird. Of course yanbu. It is 20p. I have been the person counting the funds where it coming up short by a LOT and I would not have handled it in this way. If it was really only 20p over all I would pay it for you. If lots of people underpaid or it was more than a fiver to make up overall I would ask for a group letter to be sent out indicating that not everyone paid the correct amount due to the amount being 8.70 and asking people to check and bring in extra if needed. Our school also has an extra fund for this sort of thing which parents pay a voluntary contribution to at the beginning of the year.

BeaufortBelle · 12/05/2015 07:30

Just chalk it up to small minded pettiness OP. You are going to see a lot of it until your children leave school. Just drop it into the office and between now and the next head's coffee morning or parents' feedback meeting just mentally note it and if nothing bigger comes up raise it in a very general way. Sadly something bigger will come up.

Justusemyname · 12/05/2015 07:40

I thinks lot of back tracking has gone on with the OP and I'd be livid if she was driving my child. Do the parents know when they signed to say anyone could drive their kids it included random parents?

TyrannosaurusBex · 12/05/2015 07:46

YANBU. It's ridiculously petty. I used to devote hours and hours a week to school - volunteering to help during lessons, PTA etc. it still bugs me that having organised the Christmas Fayre almost single-handedly one year, plus having been at school on the day since 8.30am, my 2yr-old was offered a mince pie while we cleared up at 6.30pm and I was asked for 20p. One of the school dads hurriedly thrust 20p at the woman involved, he'd seen murder in my eyes!

tobysmum77 · 12/05/2015 07:47

I just don't think you can be as busy as you claim to give it this amount of headspace.

Roseforarose · 12/05/2015 07:58

I wouldn't be surprised if loads of parents sent in £9 rather than faff about for the 70p. I bet they weren't phoning them up telling them to call in for the 30p theyd overpaid by. Petty.

londonrach · 12/05/2015 08:00

Yabu. Money for trips are tightly controlled, just give the 20p

Catmint · 12/05/2015 08:23

It's not petty.the suggestion that someone should be let off any amount charged for a service given because of what they have donated has made me really cross. there is absolutely no relationship between whatever you have donated to the school, and the budget for this trip. That's totally irrelevant. If you want to pay for your child to be treated differently because of what you provide, send them to private school. Donations should be freely given without expectation of favours being done. This is a matter of principle. It doesn't matter if the amount is 20p or £200.

In politics, people abhor the idea of seeking to buy influence, ( in this example, influence over whether you are asked to pay the full amount) why do you think it should be different in a school?

It is treating people consistently to ask for this money. It is protecting you from rumours going round that you underpaid. 20p can very easily become £20 in those circumstances.

It's not petty because by saying that asking for the shortfall, what you really mean is that you expect a member of staff to either run a deficit budget for the trip, or to go into the school accounts and make a decision about which budget head to use to make up the shortfall.

And the assumption that they wouldn't be phoning over payers is nonsense. They aren't thieves, they would have given change.

DoJo · 12/05/2015 08:36

Mamma, I think this is the thing that's got to me. That someone made a phone call and asked me to bring it in.
I do agree with some previous posters that it would have been an idea to put a note in dcs bag or mentioned it when I was in.

I get that you are happy to pay the 20p, but I'm not sure how else you would have found out that it was outstanding if you had not had a phone call? Printing a note, taking it to the classroom and finding your son's bag would have taken longer, as would finding you at collection time (if they even know that it would be you collecting your child). You say the phone call must have cost more than 20p, but don't seem to be putting a value on the time of those in the office who would have had to expend more time and effort informing you by any other method than a short phone call.

whiteiris · 12/05/2015 08:46

YANotBU :)

Dublinlass · 12/05/2015 08:47

Bunnyjo?What if? You know well thats not going to happen. Chances are lots of overpaid by a few cent and i doubt school is getting in touch with them. OP for last time before I leave this conversation because it's driving me mad, you are not being unreasonable to be a bit peeved. You are paying it so can't understand the posters here. Do people come on just to start argument? Strange people

sanfairyanne · 12/05/2015 08:49

you want the school secretary to open her own purse to balance the books???

Bakeoffcake · 12/05/2015 08:50

The teacher will have had NOTHING to do with the money. All money would have been sent to the office and they would count and deal with it.

Just pay the bloody 20p, if this is all you have to get het up about you're a very lucky person.

unlucky83 · 12/05/2015 08:52

And the 'mentioning it when you are in' - the secretary (or whoever else is dealing with it) has to remember to ask you ...and then maybe remember to remind you -brain clutter they don't need -they have lots of things they have to remember....a quick telephone call and the 'tell Moan' bit at least is ticked off the list...
I'm treasurer for the PTA -at a recent event in the school the secretary gave me an envelope containing a small donation for something she has had since January. She actually stopped what she was doing and went all the way back to the school office for it. tbf as DD is older now, I'm not hanging around the school doors as often -but she has seen me more than once in the last 4 months - her very words were 'I'll give it to you now whilst I remember'

Only1scoop · 12/05/2015 08:55

Really odd that you got a 'phone call' and not a note or a quick message through dc.

Have you really given 'hundreds' of pounds of your own money to the school since your dc started? If so I don't understand what for unless you were choosing to donate.

Seems a bit off to call you. 20p could have rolled off the desk when they were counting.

Off

RufusTheReindeer · 12/05/2015 08:56

As someone has already said I don't really get the "it's voluntary, but if you don't pay the full amount we are going to chase you for it " bit

However I do think YABU

duplodon · 12/05/2015 09:13

20p could have rolled off the desk when they were counting.

This is a very good point, as is the inconsistency of this message about voluntary contributions to cover trips the school has to fund anyway if no one ever pays a penny. So there must be a fund for this.

DamnBamboo · 12/05/2015 10:45

So there must be a fund for this

Why must there be? Generally speaking, activities for which the voluntary contributions are not met by most (bar the most needy for which the headteacher would be able to use the pupil's own premium money), just don't go ahead

DamnBamboo · 12/05/2015 10:57

Therefore if a parent sent in NO money (just a reply slip) then legally the school would have to cover that cost though the school's own budget

As a school governor, this is utter rubbish. They don't legally have to pay for school trips at all.

workhouse · 12/05/2015 11:20

So there must be a fund for this

There is a fund for this at my Dc 's school, the request for money for school trips is, that it is voluntary, but if they don't raise a certain amount from parents the trip will have to be cancelled. We always pay the full amount because we can afford to, but I am sure that some parents don't. There is a fund which covers the shortfall.

YANBU OP, unbelievably petty by the school.

Toofattorun · 12/05/2015 11:27

Oh dear....

Just give the fucking 20p and quit the martyrdom.

Aberchips · 12/05/2015 11:31

LowryFan · 12/05/2015 11:38

YANBU. School offices seem to run on a totally different planet to the rest of the world. I wouldn't chase someone up over 20p. But then I wouldn't expect them to pay everything by cheque or exact change in funny little envelopes either. With a trillion different little slips of paper needed every sodding week.

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