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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be the only person concerned that the PTA treasurer seems to have gone missing....

583 replies

PTAmissing · 16/05/2016 07:06

With all the PTA money?

She's been treasurer for years, no children at the school anymore.

She usually attends roughly 1 of every 4 meetings. She hasn't been to one for 6 months. She won't answer the phone or the door, doesn't reply to emails or texts. Chair went to her house and she didn't answer the door although it looked like she was in. We have no access to the money or accounts and the school is lending us money to get back off her at some indeterminate time in the future.

We have the school fate soon and she has all the info on stalls etc not to mention the money we need to buy things! She owes one of the parents about £50 for things they bought from their company for the PTA xmas fate.

Nobody else seems concerned! I really got angry about it at the last meeting and said this is ridiculous, we have no idea how much is in the account, we can't get hold of her, we have no working float. Apparently she has family drama at the moment and thats why she's unavailable but she still wants to be treasurer. I raised the possibility that there could be something dodgy going on and got shut down by the chair who said its not possible as there are two signatories on the account (because she couldn't just forge a signature???)

AIBU to think they should be taking this a bit more seriously given there is over £7000 (at the last count) of money that has been donated by the parents fgs, not to just sit in an account that nobody can get into?!

OP posts:
titchy · 20/05/2016 10:45

You need to take minutes of the meeting at which new signatories are agreed to the bank. A bank will NOT just change the signature just like that. The new signatory then needs to get the right form from the bank, provide id, proof of address etc etc. It took Barclays four weeks to get me added as a signatory.

I don't think you have time now to get this sorted before the fair.

lalalalyra · 20/05/2016 10:49

If they think it's that simple to add signatories they are mad. It took teo months for us to be able to add a new signatory to the playscheme account. And we needed a new one because one of our comittee died so the bank were being extra super helpful.

Bolograph · 20/05/2016 11:05

Does it have to be AOB?

Isn't there's a "treasurer's report" standing item? It would be reasonable to say "so where's the report, then?" at that point.

cozietoesie · 20/05/2016 14:22

And one of the parents has been owed money, individually, since Xmas?

That's not on.

Jenny70 · 21/05/2016 04:53

And who's to say the money from the xmas fete has even been banked? Is it sitting in a drawer at the Treasurer's house "to do"??

The fraud thing might be a concern, but quite frankly it sounds like the PTA is very low on her list of priorities at the moment.

I would comment at the meeting that it is untenable to have her continue, given the PTA NEEDS access to funds ASAP for the next fete. Books needs to be recovered, whatever state they are in, any non-banked money and receipts etc all handed over.

And find someone very brave to take the role on!

KittyKrap · 21/05/2016 05:10

Very strange. The rest of them seem very laid back. They must have a lot of faith in her Confused

Andbabymakesthree · 21/05/2016 07:43

OP can you take the role on?
I'd really not trust anyone else to!

I'd also be looking to recruit more committee members and get rid of your ineffective chair. Maybe other concerned mum could do that?

I think a change in roles is needed urgently.

Bolograph · 21/05/2016 08:13

OP can you take the role on?

The OP would be unwise to do that. The governance has failed to the point that a clique of friends are willing to excuse failurer by the treasurer even if it paralyses the PTA. The OP would be the mean girl who upset poor old-treasurer who was doing such a good job, and everything would be blamed on the OP.

I'd also be looking to recruit more committee members and get rid of your ineffective chair.

This is the "there is a problem so I must bravely step in" mentality which wins people posthumous Victoria Crosses. Fixing governance failure is hard, and bad enough if you're being paid for it. As a volunteer? Much better to let the existing PTA collapse and be part of the new one that arises in its place.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 21/05/2016 10:02

Whether it's OP or not, someone will obviously have to take over ... but if they've got any sense they'll insist on a full professional audit first Hmm

bakeoffcake · 21/05/2016 10:07

Any news OP?

RandomMess · 21/05/2016 10:24

Blimey.

I was treasurer of a charitable pre-school. When certain things started going on to do with staffing etc. I decided to resign in case my professional membership was compromised.

If I was treasurer and had a family crises I would have handed over long ago. I also would never be sole treasurer, get the bank statements etc. I would never risk putting myself in that position in the first place IYSWIM.

I really hope there is a good outcome to all of this.

cozietoesie · 21/05/2016 10:29

Just what is the position of the Head Teacher and the school in all of this - eg do they use PTA-raised funds to supplement any school activities?

Original poster
PTAmissing · 21/05/2016 10:35

update

WE HAVE CONTACT!

Text chair this morning to see if they had managed to visit last night. Got this message back:

Spoke to treasurer over phone, fate stuff has been done. She will be at fate with float. Amending constitution after fate so treasurer has to be a parent.

OP posts:
Original poster
PTAmissing · 21/05/2016 10:38

Yes PTA pays for one big project a year (playground equipment, music stuff etc). We have quotes for the next project and it's been ordered. Treasurer will need to raise a cheque to pay for it! We also pay for small things (yr 6 SATS trip, leavers books etc). Books had already been ordered before she went AWOL

OP posts:
RandomMess · 21/05/2016 10:39

I think you also need to look at signatories, who gets bank statements all sort of things because this has shown that you can't operate they way you have been regardless of who is treasurer!

cozietoesie · 21/05/2016 10:52

Then the HT has a role to play in all of this.

bakeoffcake · 21/05/2016 11:15

That's good news OP. You're little nudge seems to have given them a kick up the bum!

MrsHathaway · 21/05/2016 11:21

I might remark that it isn't necessarily ominous not to pay cash in - it can be difficult to get float for large events like a fete (we typically need £1500-2000 in change) and if charges are levied for cash in/out a PTA might legitimately hold on to cash between events.

December to June is pushing it, obviously, but from an Easter thing to an early summer gala, or Halloween disco to Advent Fair perhaps not.

Sunnymeg · 21/05/2016 11:32

The PTA insurance will have a figure of how much money is covered if kept in someone's house. This info needs to be found and adhered to . When I was treasurer, it was only about £200. I used to collect the float for larger events and put it in a locked box in the school safe. Someone needs to have a thorough read of the clauses in the insurance policy to ensure that the accounts are run to the required standard.

Sunnymeg · 21/05/2016 11:35

In the event of an insurance claim for anything, they can ask to see the accounts.. Even if the claim is totally unrelated.

cozietoesie · 21/05/2016 12:20

That's assuming there's current insurance for PTA activities.

Sunnymeg · 21/05/2016 13:33

Eek, I hope so!

Puzzledandpissedoff · 21/05/2016 13:39

Sounds like progress, OP Smile

Obviously I hope she really does turn up, but in the meantime do you know if anything's being done about a proper audit?

Bolograph · 21/05/2016 13:48

That's assuming there's current insurance for PTA activities.

And even if there historically had been, what are the chances that the treasurer has paid the annual premium? Such things are rarely direct debit.

One might like to ask the question of whether the fete actually has active third party liability insurance.

cozietoesie · 21/05/2016 14:06

It's just that it sounds like a situation where things might well have gone bad with the administration - which would, if true, be a darned shame for all the parents and others who have given of their time and effort. There may well be current insurance, eg provided through the auspices of a general body of which the PTA is a member, but I wouldn't assume anything right now.

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