Should PTA pay for staff training and not be told what the training will be?

[soweneo]

There was a really difficult PTA meeting for our local primary this week. The primary is headed by a very unpopular head and pupil and staff numbers have dropped by about a third in 5 years. Add this in to general decreasing budgets and the school must be very strapped.

The school have now asked the PTA for funding for 'essential staff training' and when some of the PTA asked for clarification the school admin assistant (the only member of staff who came to the meeting) said they can't clarify.

They have also asked for stationary costs, and when a member of the PTA asked if parents could do an amazon or similar wish list instead the school have said that they want a 'pot of money' for stationery instead.

The parents who have been in the PTA for a longer time and used to fundraise for enrichment projects and school trips, science weeks etc feel these requests go against the PTA's aims as listed on the website.

Some of the younger parents, new to fundraising, feel more comfortable about it.

I feel this is more of a leadership issue that needs addressing, but perhaps I am wrong? Whatever it is, the PTA is split down the middle.
The school had already asked for a £10 donation at the beginning of the school year for stationery.

With apologies for nosiness, I was just wondering if you managed to hang on until the head left (presumably gone now)

Or if everything imploded before that?

Our school won’t accept PTA money for essential items like stationary and staff, they say its against ‘the rules’. They only use PTA money for extras like new toys and decorations and functions etc.

Inwould not oay for training if they won’t say what it is. Could be Stonewall coming in to lie about what the law is.

Some of the things said on this thread are slightly questionable. PTAs can fund something for one year group but it is expected to be of educational benefit to the children but not necessarily all children at the same time. Educational benefit could be training for teachers. Essential training though is a school budget item. Whatever is requested by the school, it should be costed and meet the terms of the constitution.

Governors set the strategic direction for a school. One assumes a new head would agree with their direction of travel. They will also inherit an improvement plan. I always suggest PTAs read it - or a synopsis of it. Plus governing body minutes. Then you know what’s being discussed.