what has your PTA wasted lots of money on?

[zanzibarmum]

PTAs do a great job raising money but IME they can also waste a lot of money on ill-conceived, poorly executed and under used projects.Who's got the most outrageous story of waste?

[LynetteScavo]

I think a lot of people think PTA's are only about raising money. At DS1's school the PTA do a lot of hard work organising events to bring the school community together, and if money is raised, that is seen as a plus.

[mablemurple]

What do you mean by currying favour anyway? I was part of my dd's lower school PTA for five years. During her time at that school, my dd, through her own hard work, did very well. I feel very angry that anyone would think that her success was in any way due to the patronage of the head as some sort of "reward" for my work on the PTA. DD is now in middle school and I don't think that me being a member of the PTA committee will help her in any way whatsoever, given that she is the one who actually has to do the work.

[Inghouls2]

come on then Zanzibar... tell us your outrageous story of ill conceived waste, cos I've certainly not come across any....
oh no hang on a minute...
this is just another poorly disguised, let's bash the PTA thread...

[senua]

@ spokette. How did you raise £35k!? Tell us the secret.

Our PTA doesn't decide what to spend the money on; we invite applications from staff, who are the ones who should know what's needed. As a rule of thumb, most goes on helping music and sport depts but that's only because they are good at asking and tend to run the same events every year.

[TrickOrTrefusis]

Our PTA recently stocked up the school library, bought an interactive whiteboard for the mobile classroom and new desks and chairs for the little ones. They replaced the mouldy old window blinds that could no longer be adjusted, and contribute to the upkeep of our sensory garden.

If they hadn't done this, the school would just have had to do without, or funds from the school budget would have had to be spent on them. Instead, some budget is being spent on reading support for some pupils who probably have mild SEN, but who can't be referred this year. (Apparently there's a limit for the number who can go through the statementing process each year, which is usually taken up by the urgent, more disruptive cases.)

Our Principal (who, incidentally, came in over the summer holidays and repainted the classrooms in her own time) received a letter last week, accusing her of cronyism and mutual back-scratching within the PTA, "always the chosen few", "the PTA seem to me to be running the school", "personal favours" blah, blah. Every piece of "evidence" in the letter was factually incorrect, but the Principal can't explain anything to the mean-spirited individual concerned, because the letter was anonymous.

[scarletlilybug]

I left the PTA of ds's old school because most of the money raised went on a party for the old people in the villgae. (I mean more than 50% - every year).

When I protested about this - especially since the children themslves didn't get a Christmas party - I was told "that's what we've always done".

I don't knock the efforts of people who are trying to raise money for the school - but if the money raised is not seen to be spent appropriately, I doubt any PTA is going to be as well supported as it should be.

[Clary]

Our PTA like LGP's actually raises money for things requested by the HT, thanks.

We have in the past raised £15k for a trim trail, and funded numerus small things like chocs at Christmas time, gardening club etc.

all well used I think. Latest plan is cover for outside play area for FS2. HT and staff suggestion again.

Yes agree with others, if you don't like it, join the PTA and do it differently

[mablemurple]

That is shocking Trefusis.

[piscesmoon]

'What do you mean by currying favour anyway?

I agree with you 100% mablemurple-I am only going on previous mumsnet's threads where posters think that the DCs of the PTA get preferential treatment!! There are a lot of PTA bashers about, which is sad.

[iamdisappointedinyou]

Of course the DC of PTA members get preferential treatment. That is why I (treasurer) have a DD doing a "gap year" while she re-sits her A Levels because she didn't get predicted grades.

Maybe it's a case of people only noticing anecdotes that fit their prejudices and ignoring the rest?

[CherylVole]

I feel an article coming on

bad effort journo.
Our pta is fantastic - funds whole school trips and works their nuts off for NOTHING apart from helping their kids
we have fab social nights and great nulti meida resources.
adn wtf is WRONG with a nurture room? Presume this is for safe handling for upset kids who might have TERRIbLE problems to deal with.

shame on you

[CherylVole]

oh and as a governor apparently i have "BOUGHT" my kids golden sticker type awards
i dont think i am getting good value for money tbh

[vvvodka]

urghh.... dont ge tme started.

for the last 8 years, yes,i have been contributing towards a swimming pool for the children. and i dont mean small amounts. apart from the christmas and summer fair, and the easter fair for the first three years too, there is the film night, the bingo night, the numerous discos, the football event, the pamper evening, the christmas shopping extravaganza, the webshop, the christmas cards and the te towels................. it s relentless. not to forget the direct debits we set up when each child started the schook for five pounds a month, every month, till they leave at end of year six.

so, the school gets a swimming pool. nice? you would think? but we then have to pay twenty quid a month for our own kids to get lessons there. this in a school where the majority of parents are members of 'posh' gyms. ( houses averaging 500K even in the recesion) with some kids even having swimming pools in their own back gardens, etc. but the head wanted one.

then, we had to pay for a covering for it. fine, as i didnt really enjoy watching dc run from changing rooms to pool in 10 degrees celsius with only swim suit and towel. but they get some super dupre high tech triple glazed walls that turn the inside into a cloud. so we spent about three thousand pounds on a dehumidifier. wheni mentioned in a pta meeting why we didnt build properly in the first place, i was giventdirty looks

then we spent 8000 pounds on a dosimeter for the pool, so they could add the chemicals in easily.

all this, in my opinon, uselss. as the kids really only got about 8 lessons a year.

lets see what else, the interactive white boards for the classrooms , which the teachers use as tv's . but there are no fans in the class rooms. althought when i raised a huge huge fuss, they did buy for my dc's classroom, and when i raised a bigger fuss, stating that it wasnt about only my child, but creating a suitable environment for kids to learn in, would they send kids to unheated classrooms in the winter? and even if the fans were only used for one week of the year, they were more necessary than the interactive white boards, ... i wsa given odd looks by the pta types. but that one i pushed through with the governors, and i believe it was the governors who paid for them. the school did then do a follow up, and put water fountains in the plyaground, and decent shaded areas in the field.

[StinkbotsMum]

A mother who moved her 4 children out of our primary last year also claimed to me (privately) that the PTA regulars had an in with the staff/HeadTeacher, "the chosen few", etc. Although I have my own conflicts with some of the PTA people, I honestly think she was being totally paranoid.

Our PTA has been quite wise with how it's spent the money, I reckon. Spent on a large building extension (school found matching funds from another source), including a new library; then books for the library, etc.

[deaddei]

i agree with swimming pools being a waste of money- ours gets used in the summer term and we still have to pay!

[CatherineofMumbles]

vvvodka - well said. I have no intention of joining the PTA committee ('cos we are , like or not deeemd to be 'memebers' of teh PTA and 'doing it differently' because actually I don't think it needs doing at all. They raise money by nagging the rest of us to buy back the cakes we have made and then look around for things to spend it on to justify their own snese of worthiness. Why not just ONLY raise money when there is an identified useful objective? Interactive whiteboards probably only invented to justify the existence of PTA committees

[CherylVole]

interactive white baords aare a vital modern teaching tool
your school would have SEVERE recruitment probelms wihtout them these days

[Clary]

Catherine if you think that about interactive whiteboards then you have clearly never been in a well-run, well-taught infant class watching them being used for phonics, numeracy games and much more.

[Clary]

x post cheryl

[LadyGlencoraPalliser]

Was going to post about whiteboards, but Clary and Cheryl got there first. They are an incredibly useful piece of classroom equipment. I'm actually appalled by the meanspiritedness of some of the people on this thread.

[CherylVole]

how do you manage not to VOMIT as you send your kid to this horrible school?

[CatherineofMumbles]

School is great, and would be just as good without the PTA 'raising money' for elctronic gimickry to justify their own existence. If they want to get on with it to big themeselves up to their simlarly inclined mates, fine, just don't hassle the rest of us.

[piscesmoon]

Interactive whiteboards are not 'electronic gimmickry'- I would hate to teach without them. Unfortunately people don't get to see what the school's resources would be without the PTA. (If they did, they would give a huge vote of thanks and not complain).

[LynetteScavo]

I don't understand why PTA's had to raise money for white boards (has happend in all the school smy DC's have attended). Surely the government should have provided sufficient funds for them.

I'm being naive, aren't I?!

How much funds the PTA raise is actually somthing I look at when choosing a school. Maybe I'm shallow, but I think it does give a good indication of what type of parents/children attend.

[LynetteScavo]

Catherine..have you ever seen a class being taught using a white board? It is fun! It helps children want to learn!