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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:
Original poster
PTAmissing · 27/05/2016 15:55

update

I'm back. Looks like you were all right and the money is more than likely gone. Treasurer made an attempt to come to the school yesterday to pick up some money from an event last week. She was told the head wanted to speak with her and she didn't turn up. She's been sent a recorded letter from the chair and head telling her she has 48hrs from the new half term to return all paperwork, accounts, cheque books etc to the school before he phone the police.

I said my piece, everyone agreed that the situation doesn't look good. We're considering having to cancel the fair. We can't buy any food from the cash and carry, can't book stalls etc.

Apparently treasurer has been saying for years we aren't eligible for a debit card on our account so parents have to buy the food etc on their credit cards and she will give them the cash. I'm guessing there is a card somewhere. Nobody has seen a bank statement not produced by the treasurer for a long time.

So depressing for everyone really.

OP posts:
Original poster
PTAmissing · 27/05/2016 15:57

Treasurer is not picking up the phone to the school at all now.

After she didn't turn up she left a message with the school asking if someone could drop the money off to her at home as she couldn't make it Shock

OP posts:
RebootYourEngine · 27/05/2016 15:57

Wow what a right mess.

stiffstink · 27/05/2016 16:04

And she still wants them to drop off more money!

Brazen!

chewingawasp · 27/05/2016 16:04

I wouldn't have given her 48 hours from the new half term - that's ages away. A couple of people should go to her house and not leave until she lets them in and provides the documents. She does have older children so there must be somebody at home.
The whole committee seems to be badly managed and it has enabled this situation to occur. Very sad.

dowhatnow · 27/05/2016 16:04

So obviously she didn't turn up for the meeting either.

Why give her 48 hrs from the start of the new term? I'd have thought 24/48 hours from now would have been better.

Groovee · 27/05/2016 16:05

Not good OO

unlucky83 · 27/05/2016 16:06

Treasurer is right IME you can't have a card if you have two signatories on an account. We do pay upfront and get refunded once we have a receipt. If it is a large amount /parent couldn't afford to we would have to do a cheque for cash and use that or two signatories go to the shop together....

If they have emptied the bank account I think they must have forged signatures somewhere...

handslikecowstits · 27/05/2016 16:06

I'd be going to the police now. It sounds a rum do to me.

LagunaBubbles · 27/05/2016 16:08

The Police need to be phoned now, it's delaying the inevitable which is likely she has spent the money.

chewingawasp · 27/05/2016 16:12

The letter being sent is effectively tipping her off. Head should have spoken to the police and had action taken immediately.

cozietoesie · 27/05/2016 16:15

Assume there's no money then.

Is there to be a new and properly constituted PTA?

Original poster
PTAmissing · 27/05/2016 16:16

Letter was on advice from the PTA association. School is closed now so nobody for her to hand stuff into.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 27/05/2016 16:17

I have run a charity account and no, we couldn't have a debit card on it (or manage it online or anything else useful, which is a PITA but I understand the needs for checks and balances)

Surely whoever the second signatory is could go into the bank and ask for copies of all statements? What is stopping them?

Hissy · 27/05/2016 16:17

48 hours AND A WHOLE WEEK?

Your chair/HT are idiots!

The police need calling now! Today!

Had the head even bothered their arse to call the bank? To find out balances etc? No?

Janefromdowntheroad · 27/05/2016 16:18

We're having a EGM next school week to discuss constitution, school fair, and PTA overall.

Hissy · 27/05/2016 16:22

Well we've established the pta aren't exactly on point either eh? This should have been dealt with the minute the treasurer stopped taking calls/responding.

The money woul still have been gone then clearly, but your fair would have been saved.

The only option you have is to approach local stores, and ask them to sponsor to the tune of meat etc, that a sponsor has pulled out etc etc, can they help? Our local tesco provides the burgers etc for our bbq at school.

chewingawasp · 27/05/2016 16:24

Haven't you ordered equipment for the school that the PTA is paying for? What will happen there?

GoudyStout · 27/05/2016 16:26

Some Treasurer's accounts will give you a debit card, allow cash withdrawals from ATMs and even allow payment with Applepay Confused - although those ones tend to be ones that don't need a second signatory.

TBH, if the Treasurer has internet banking set up then she could have easily sent money anywhere. Easy to do and easy to cover up with a fake invoice (friend's company was defrauded like this).

mythbustinggov · 27/05/2016 16:27

You can't have a debit card, but you can have single signatory access to online banking on a dual signatory account as most banks don't offer dual internet authorisation to charities (and the charges are aimed at businesses, so it costs). One of the charities I'm involved in is just moving all accounts to Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) as they do offer dual authorisation on internet banking.

cozietoesie · 27/05/2016 16:28

I think the fete is still 'saveable', personally. If the new PTA did an 'all pulling together' exercise and asked all parents for a 'contribution' - £5 say- then that might well be enough to start afresh and cover basic costs - including insurance etc.

OhtoblazeswithElvira · 27/05/2016 16:30

Oh dear OP. This is looking so bad. Part of me is still hoping this is all a huge misunderstanding despite everything pointing in one direction. It just damages your faith in people Sad

Windyone · 27/05/2016 16:32

The charity I work with have 2 committee members with debit cards with the Co-op bank. I am one of them and use my card to buy stuff online for the charity.

PausingFlatly · 27/05/2016 16:33

Can you (more likely, the Chair) phone the bank and ask them to freeze the account RIGHT NOW, pending investigation?

ProfYaffle · 27/05/2016 16:35

Has anyone approached the bank? When we had a dodgy situation with our allotment association (it's all go in deepest Norfolk!) they were very helpful and froze the account until we could organise new signatories.