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Original poster

what has your PTA wasted lots of money on?

116 replies

zanzibarmum · 23/10/2009 21:08

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?

OP posts:
mablemurple · 25/10/2009 23:35

Unnecessarily aggressive, DMNC.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/10/2009 01:01

DMNC, you are completely out of order. You responded very aggressively to Seeker's post, she clarified it in a very good-natured manner and you had a go at her for no good reason at all. You obviously have PTA issues, but don't take them out on Seeker.

CatherineofMumbles · 26/10/2009 07:33

lol @ 'issues with the PTA' coming from the more frothy mouthed contigent. If the PTA committee gets upset because they do not inspire universal adulation I suggest they take their toys home.

mablemurple · 26/10/2009 08:04

I'll probably put them in the next PTA raffle, Catherine, thanks.

seeker · 26/10/2009 09:01

I am always puzzled at the hostility shown towards active PTA people on here! As I said earlier - I do hope the hostile contingent make sure their children don't take advantage of the extras and treats the PTA's work provide!

CatherineofMumbles · 26/10/2009 09:32

Mable, please don't - house is already full of unwanted tat won in raffles the kids have been stong-armed into entering to 'raise' money for unnecessary purposes.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/10/2009 09:48

Gosh, that sounded rather rude Catherine. Did you mean it to?

mablemurple · 26/10/2009 10:41

Why are you putting the word raise in inverted commas? Does your PTA not actually raise money then? Is it all a pretence - some sort of money laundering operation? And you still haven't qualified "unnecessary purposes". Speak to your head teacher and ask him/her whether the PTA's contribution is unnecessary.

gorionine · 26/10/2009 10:53

I do not know how other PTA work, but ours has several regular year events (summer fair christmas fair a couple of discos)+ usually a couple of other events that might differ from a year to another (carboot sale , fashion thing...) The money raised is kept in a bank account.

The PTA does not usually decide what the money gets spent on. The HT comes and tells us what the teachers or the school council (children)would like us to invest in. If we have enough money to sustain what is wanted we would just give it because it is actually what it is for. Now if a project had, once completed, at a later time "gone wrong" or "been a waste of money" why blame the PTA, they have payed for it but not chosen it IYSWIM?

gorionine · 26/10/2009 11:02

Sorry, should have said "they have raised the money that payed for it (ultimatly, all the parents who came to the events actually paid)."

gorionine · 26/10/2009 11:02

Sorry, should have said "they have raised the money that payed for it (ultimatly, all the parents who came to the events actually paid)."

renaldo · 26/10/2009 11:19

our PTA work hard and spend money wisely - sorry if that doesnt fit the stereotype

seeker · 26/10/2009 14:11

Well how else do you you expect the money to ne raised? Are the committee supposed to pay forthe stuff themselves?

abra1d · 26/10/2009 14:21

My children really enjoyed the climbing frames the PTA fundraised for. And they loved the stageblocks, digital cameras and laptops.

I don't do as much as I should to help but I always try to man a stall or bake a cake or something or else it's the same old three people (small school) working like mad to help all our children.

DailyMailNameChanger · 26/10/2009 16:06

Ladyglenora, did you actually read my post? My post was saying that I do not have PTA issues, that I support the efforts of my PTA and am very impressed by them.

Goodness me, only here can you post in support of something and get told off for posting against it. I really think that people read a post and then make up what they wanted to hear from it rather than what was actually said.

As for being aggressive, TBH I am sick of the passive aggressive behaviour - an apology that continues to make deliberate misquotations is NOT an apology, it is a passive aggressive attempt to exert authority. I did not say I had a problem with ALL PTA members, a fact Seeker would have been well aware of however she continued to misquote (and capitalise the misquotation) in order to appear correct in her point. It is childish and idiotic when the person she is misquoting was agreeing with her and attempting to support her point.

You may find my tone aggressive but at least it was not hidden aggression and superiority, something MN is awash with at the moment from certain posters.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/10/2009 16:38

Oh, yes, DMNC, I did indeed read your post. It was quite extraordinarily rude to Seeker. I accept, if you say so, that you don't have PTA issues, but you certainly do have politeness issues.

DailyMailNameChanger · 26/10/2009 16:44

Ladyglenora, obviously I was talking about the first one but you seem determined to be taken in by people who are good at subtle undermining. Have fun with that, I am sure it will get you a long way. You may have noticed that I have no intention of appologising for getting cross about something as rude and ridiculous as Seekers using my support as a stick to beat me with. Trust me I will think twice before supporting someone like seeker again.

seeker · 26/10/2009 17:03

I am a bit surprised by all this! I did notice your support for your PTA, dmnc- but why did you have sour the praise by saying that all the people involved were obnoxious busybodies? My post wasn't, as I explained, aimed at you. I just used your phrase as an example of the sort of criticism that's often thrown at active PTA people. I was certainly not being passive aggressive or any of the other things you said I was. I feel very strongly about this subject- if I was going to be aggressive it wouldn't be passively!

DailyMailNameChanger · 26/10/2009 18:03

Hah - guess we are similar in that then seeker!

Seeker, I did not sour the praise, I gave my personal view of some of the members - as people not as PTA helpers. If you had read it properly or tried to understand then you could quite easily have used my point to fully support your argument but, instead, you used it to turn my support into something very negative. As I said I will think twice before posting in support of you again. It was totally uncalled for and has left me pretty stunned to be honest. Yes, I am angry at being used in the way you have. You did not explain that it was not aimed at me at all and actually used your explanation to further misquote me - pretty disgusting behaviour really, especially as you CONTINUE to do it in your last post too. Please show me where I ever said that ALL involved were anything?

Chandon · 26/10/2009 18:13

Bit put out out by this OP.

I am on the PTA for our small village primary. I am on it as no-one else would (as are the other mums, no egos at all, we were all begged or asked and too soft to say "NO"), we put a lot into it. We get a couple of thousand a year, which we would like to spend on improving education (not allowed though, there are strict rules on how it can be spent)or the school building by hiring a caretaker (also not allowed) or even to fix the heating (school often closes for a day in winter as heating breaks down)...again, not allowed.

So we spend on:
1.)funding school trips, so everyone can afford them (ie next trip only asks for contribution of 2 pounds per family, rest is funded by PTA).
2.) School grounds: we have given each class a raised bed for growing fruit and veg as well as plants and seeds. Kids love it and learn from it too.
3.)benches for children and parents to sit on

It makes me sad to think someone would assume we are a bunch of egos or spending it stupidly...

seeker · 26/10/2009 20:55

Apologies - you said "most are obnoxious busybodies" not "all are obnoxious busybodies". A misquotation - I'm sorry. However, I wouldn't personally consider it "disgusting behaviour"!

DailyMailNameChange - you seem to have a problem with me personally. I can't for the life imagine why. Shall we agree to not waste any more time on this?

DailyMailNameChanger · 26/10/2009 21:09

Seeker, I did not until this actually, not at all.

Twisting somones positive post to make them out to be being horrid to a much maligned group is a pretty awful thing to do. I posted something very positive despite my personal feelings towards certain individuals and yet was left looking like I had been quite mean thanks to you.

You may not think it is disgusting behaviour but I do - being on the receiving end of it is a very different viewpoint I can assure you.

You can agree to whatever you like I am sure, I will certainly agree to avoid this thread from now on.

seeker · 26/10/2009 21:23

No, you were lest to look mean thanks to you. I extracted two words from your post - without mentioning your name. I chose them because they are words very often applied by others to active PTA members, and put them in a post about a particular hobby horse of mine - that people are disparaging of the PTA, but still allow their children to have the benefit of their work.

You decided to make an issue out of it, and make personal attacks on me, even after I explained and apologized. I see no reason why I should take that lying down!

DailyMailNameChanger · 26/10/2009 21:31

But you didn't explain Seeker, you continued to misquote and abuse my post without acknowledging that it was in any way positive, like I said an apology like that is not actually an apology at all. Why should I take that lying down?

As for making an issue, why on earth couldn't you pick words from some of the negative posts here? There are plenty of them to choose from. Your comments so close to mine leave it perfectly clear who you were quoting.

I am sorry for the personal comments, they were not required at all.

seeker · 26/10/2009 21:36

" Sorry, DailyMail - I did 'cherry pick" your comment. But only because it's one I've heard so often used about the people who do the work in the PTA - not because I didn't take on boeard the rest of your message. I just think it's extraordinary that ALL the active PTA people at your school are obnoxious busybodies - you must be very unlucky. I am feathering nothing!"

Here is the post where I apologized and explained. In a subsequent post I apologized again for saying 'all' instead of "most".