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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

25k in the bank

94 replies

supermario10 · 25/03/2023 00:04

I have joined the PTA at my twins school and at a recent meeting found out there is 25k in the pta bank account. They are at a small school and this seems excessive, shouldn't it be spent on the children rather than sat in a bank? They are looking for new fundraising ideas but surely they should be spending some too? How do I raise this or is it normal. Thanks in advance for any advice.

OP posts:
LavenderFields7 · 25/03/2023 00:06

Private or state school?

Kailee · 25/03/2023 00:06

What's the money budgeted for? Difficult to say if it's excessive, but I imagine not.

Fairydustandsparklylights · 25/03/2023 00:07

They could be saving towards something. Outdoor equipment is very pricey. Plus, it’s better to keep the money and spend when needed as opposed to spending for the sake of it.

ACynicalDad · 25/03/2023 00:07

Unless they are saving it for a certain project I think they should be spending some of it and not going too hard on fundraising. If the head is coming towards the end of their time it’s good to keep some back for a new one.

MeinKraft · 25/03/2023 00:08

It seems sensible to have an amount in the bank that would cover significant emergency expenditure like repairs?

Lysianthus · 25/03/2023 00:08

If you just joined, then you'll need to find out why the money is there, how it was raised, what for etc. It's not 'just there', it's been accumulating over a period of time. Perhaps there was a one-off donation, maybe they just had a fundraiser. Anyway, you need more info and I suspect asking the PTA chair might be more productive than coming onto MN. If the money is as a regular of fundraising or donation, then you will now be part of a group of people who will decide how it is spent. Hopefully it's not more complicated than that.

Lamelie · 25/03/2023 00:10

It’s disgusting imo. Bad stewardship.

Original poster
supermario10 · 25/03/2023 00:12

Hi. As far as I'm aware they are not saving for anything in particular. I only ask for advice on MN to see what others views are, as maybe it is normal. I will mention this to the chair of the PTA too. We are a small state school not private x

OP posts:
ACynicalDad · 25/03/2023 00:13

PTA funds usually has to be spent on enrichment and extras, not to cover budget shortfall, repairs or salaries.

CheezePleeze · 25/03/2023 00:14

You raise it by asking a very simple question like an adult Confused

SarahDippity · 25/03/2023 00:19

IME it is better for PTAs to fundraise ring/fenced amounts for specific purposes, and to report back to parents how the funds have been discharged. A nebulous floating fund doesn’t give a sense to donors how their money is being spent. Better to say £x for the music scheme £y for art and £z for contingency fund and to report how this was allocated than to have a surplus that sits there at year-end.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 25/03/2023 00:20

It could be there to keep it safe - a lurking MAT can't get their hands over it or dictate how it's spent - or because it's going towards more useful things like a therapy room and staffing, rather than two mini climbing frames and a couple of planters out front.

Ilovetocrochet · 25/03/2023 00:23

When I was Chair of our Primary School PTA, we tended to fundraise for specific projects and as soon as we hit the target, spend the money. Sometimes, if there was no specific project in mind, we would ask teachers to “bid” for some funding and decide which we wanted to support.

Either way, we did not keep a large surplus in the bank, at the end of our financial year, the money was held over if destined for a project or we only had a minimum amount ( around £250) in the account.

Our accounts were audited each year, I’m not sure if that was a legal requirement or just something we chose to do but it did make us aware of accounting for every pound!

TeenLifeMum · 25/03/2023 00:39

We used to pay the salary of the school crossing lady so needed to ensure there were funds each term for that… not £25k though.

letthemalldoone · 25/03/2023 00:48

I'd ask the question - my PTA leased a minibus so the money had to be there year on year to fund that.

It does seem on the face of it to be a huge amount if not earmarked in some way.

DrPrunesquallor · 25/03/2023 00:53

I was a treasurer at ours
We used to keep a lot in the bank as we had to pay out throughout the year for marquees and the end of year ball, fireworks etc.

So maybe they need a kitty to buy stuff first.

I would ask
If it’s a registered charity they must have a treasurer

TiaraBoo · 25/03/2023 00:59

My DC’s primary school PTA spent a ton of money on an outdoor classroom in the nature area. It wasn’t just the wooden structure but prepping the ground and drainage. But the funds were allocated and it was transparent that we had to raise eg 25k.

NumberTheory · 25/03/2023 01:39

One PTA I was on funded the coaches for all the end of year trips. So there would have been a fairly large balance in the bank by the beginning of April.

I don’t think it’s generally normal to keep a 5 figure contingency fund. But you may well have just gone through a significant fundraising spurt over Christmas, with anticipated expenditure in the summer term. I don’t think that’s uncommon.

Obliv · 25/03/2023 01:55

ACynicalDad · 25/03/2023 00:07

Unless they are saving it for a certain project I think they should be spending some of it and not going too hard on fundraising. If the head is coming towards the end of their time it’s good to keep some back for a new one.

Seems a very reasonable price for a head teacher Grin

Raindancer411 · 25/03/2023 02:00

As someone else said, we tend to raise for certain things required by the school but if we have excess, then ask the school what they need help with funding. £25k is a lot to be sitting there...

Threeboysandadog · 25/03/2023 02:01

Our primary has a very active parent council. They organise regular fundraisers, apply for grants for larger projects and approach shops and businesses for sponsorship, raffle prizes and food for fundraising or for special school events.

The parent council meets monthly with the headmaster and deputies with a list of things they would like money to go towards and depending on what it’s requested for, money comes out of the pot, it’s decided to do a special fundraiser or it’s checked if there is a specific grant that could be applied for.

Recently money has gone towards P7 leavers hoodies, P7 trip, busses for a whole school trip to the pantomime, books for the library, the building of an outside classroom, football strips, teachers “out of pocket” expenses to name but a few. 25k is a lot to have sitting in an account if it’s not earmarked for something.

WitheredandOld · 25/03/2023 02:56

Why would you assume as a brand new member that it is not earmarked for something, and why not ask for heaven’s sake?

HoppingPavlova · 25/03/2023 03:13

Depends really on how the school and P&C works. When mine were young and at primary school the P&C paid for capital works (air conditioning, huge outdoor covered area one year that cost approx 170K, smart boards etc), as well as additional staff salaries, plus the obligatory bench here and there for a child who died or parent and who had been a huge contributor to school in whatever way. You needed the full salaries for the next year sitting there about a quarter before the current school year ended so that those teachers could be told their contracts could be renewed. The P&C then shifted the money for salaries in bulk right to the school at the end of the year.

Phoebo · 25/03/2023 03:26

Seems smart to me to have a good chunk of money in the bank, especially of they want to do something big at one stage

HirplesWithHaggis · 25/03/2023 03:51

HoppingPavlova · 25/03/2023 03:13

Depends really on how the school and P&C works. When mine were young and at primary school the P&C paid for capital works (air conditioning, huge outdoor covered area one year that cost approx 170K, smart boards etc), as well as additional staff salaries, plus the obligatory bench here and there for a child who died or parent and who had been a huge contributor to school in whatever way. You needed the full salaries for the next year sitting there about a quarter before the current school year ended so that those teachers could be told their contracts could be renewed. The P&C then shifted the money for salaries in bulk right to the school at the end of the year.

Not sure what your P&C is, but I'm pretty sure it's not the same as an English school PTA.