To quit the PTA?

[SuperSheepdog]

I joined the PTA a year ago when my eldest was in year 1, so years of using the school ahead of me. At the time there were only about five people on board.

It was all pretty chaotic but I agreed to be secretary, take minutes at meetings and look after paperwork. There is a chairman, treasurer and since a few others have joined. The treasurer went sick (genuine) so I agreed to look after bank statements for a time. He was gave me detailed notes and the constitution. He told me how to keep records etc and was clear that our pta money should be kept in the bank account or in the school safe but from what I see it is often being 'looked after' by various fund raisers (not even pta, just parents at the school). I don't want to be responsible for this! I've raised it at meetings and the committee promised action but it hasn't happened. I know it was a major hassle for the sick treasurer to stop cash wandering.

Having also helped organise events but not ever been thanked I'm ready to quit. The whole thing is chaos. Aibu to quit? I'm probably spending a couple of hours a week on this. How to quit without causing any negative repercussions for my kids? Whilst the school aren't bothered about membership they would have to recruit a new secretary for me to hand over to, so I couldn't disappear unnoticed.

I think maybe to start with, you need to be more forceful with insisting the money is kept in the safe or paid into a bank account. When it's raised at meetings, is it minuted that everybody MUST do this? Do you have any way of enforcing this, e.g. after the latest fundraising event, finding out where the money is and ensuring it's put in the correct place straight away?

Maybe they just need somebody to take them in hand!

Of course YWNBU to quit, but it seems a shame when I think you have a lot to offer. What does the chairperson think about this?

Resign if you wish - it's not your problem, and I don't see why there should be repercussions for you? I used to be on the PTA and nobody had an issue when 'officers' resigned - other than the pressing issue of who was going to take over.

As temporary treasurer, it sounds as if the buck stops with you if money goes missing,whether or not you were the one who was looking after it. If you have brought this up at meetings and it has not been dealt with in a satisfactory manner, I think you do need to consider your position and this might mean stepping down. Otherwise if money goes astray under your watch, your reputation is damaged. I have a friend heavily involved in her PTA and after fundraising events, she used to take the money home to count it, in the evening, helped by her husband and a glass of wine! A set of new governers at the school questioned this and now she has to count the money at school, during the school day (so not at her convenience) with another PTA member. The money has to be locked in a cupboard at school until it can be counted and banked. The school safe is too small. She does not like the new arrangement but it is more open to scrutiny than previously. There were never any questions about her honesty but the governers felt that the money going out of the school was risky.
Being on the PTA is a thankless task, much like a lot of volunteering - I am involved in scouting and parents rarely appreciate show any appreciation. However whilst your child is at the school, at least they are benefitting from an active PTA.
The PTA is not the school - your child's teacher may not know that you are involved in the PTA and even if she does, it has nothing to do with how your child is treated/educated in the classroom. Many parents are not involved in the PTA and there are no negative implications for their children.

Why does the school need to recruit a new PTA secretary? Surely that's down to the PTA? The school could help by putting a note in newsletter, but they have no obligation surely. Schools can run without PTA's. It's nice to have one of course for fundraising vthings for the school, but it's not like a board if governor's? It will have no detriment on your son at all if you leave.

Also to the poster who friend cannot count the money at home - pta's do not fall under the power of a board of governors it's a completely desperate body so they can recommend but no one has to listen

at "a completely desperate body"

Joking apart - I think the 'recommendation' of the board of governors in that particular instance is spot on

It sounds as shambolic as our son's PTA. There is a long-standing "Parent Support Group" who used to organise all the events, but they weren't a formal group with verifiable accounts nor were they charity-registered (it's an SEN school). I added my voice to pressure for a formal PTA to be created (which could be charity registered and therefore apply for funds as well as fund-raising) which it was. However from the communications that come home, it is still the Support Group doing most of the activities, and I have no idea how the funds are accounted and passed over to the formal PTA. It's all rather unfortunate as the "lead" on the Support Group is one of the governors, and rules the roost.

Annoyingly they now insist on having the PTA meetings during the school day (virtually as a sub-group of the weekly Support Group sessions), and I work full-time. I take enough days off to go to meetings and reviews for my son's education, I don't have spare days for PTA meetings too. So I've just had to wash my hands of the whole damn thing.

A proper pets should be a registered charity and as thus is bound by certain rules. They cannot just take money home. This has dodgy all over it. Raise your objections again, publically and tell them you are walking.

I can't believe anyone would think there would be repercussions of you leaving the PTA that impacted on your child. Nobody will care. Most heads hate PTAs and all the playground political infighting and demands for school resources. One head friend disbanded PTA after she received hate mail for stopping monthly jumble sales - they expected school staff to be involved in collecting the rubbish that they then wanted stored on school premises. They expected the caretaker to open late for meetings and the head to attend in their own time. The amount raised was tiny and the head just felt she'd had enough of pretending they were actually doing something valuable instead of causing mayhem.

I'd write a letter to the head quitting and include the reason re people rule breaking with PTA money "storage".

I am a new member of our PTA but was involved with the Christmas fundraiser. All money raised was counted straight afterwards (under supervision and organisation of the treasurer) by all of us who could stay behind to help. It was bagged up and locked in the school safe overnight then taken to the bank the next day.
How are these parents getting hold of the money in the first place?

Summarise your concerns in an email, saying you've bought it up at meetings, but it's not being adhered to. Say you have to leave.
That's it.

What Oblomov said.

All money should be counted with at least 2 people there. Ye need a form they can both sign with the amount filled in. Every time. I'm involved in that sort of work in another capacity and this is mandatory and only right.
Leave if you want but l would stick it out until June and then you will have your stint done FOREVER!