Can Chair of Governors be PTA Treasurer?

[TheHuntingOfTheSarky]

Does anyone know what the protocol is here? I assumed it wouldn't be possible as potential conflict of interests but would appreciate advice from those more clued-up than me.

If you are not a parent governor or a parent, you should not have been asked. Were you either of these?

Why is it a conflict of interest? Why would you have spent money without the Trustees knowledge and agreement? With proper checks and balances there is no conflict of interest unless you don’t understand the role of Treasurer for the pta. I’m beginning to think lots of people posting don’t seem to understand the two organisations are completely separate. The pta should be a charity so should be run on appropriate lines. Nothing, therefore, is in the gift of the Treasurer. Any more than all expenditure for the school is in the gift of the CoG. They are separate entities and that’s the way it must be.

Depending on the constitution.

If the Chair qualifies to be a member of the PTA they can stand for any position the same as any other parent.

The PTA is a separate entity to the school and the committee votes on the proposals based on the constitution.

There is no conflict as accounts are maintained separately and outside the schools control or auditing procedures.

It's a mystery to me where a decent CoG would find the time to be PTA Treasurer. Having said that, assuming the person in question possesses the integrity required to take on either position correctly (OP does not seem entirely convinced about this), the two roles are normally entirely separate from one another. If CoG can constitutionally be Treasurer, you need to either accept their offer graciously or find an alternative.

Sorry to have been MIA, I had no idea that there had been so many replies.

I would love to give further info but it would be 100% outing to anyone connected with the school especially if they looked at any of my other posts. If anyone would like to PM me I would be grateful to talk about it in more detail as some of you seem to be much better informed about the ins and outs of protocol etc than I am.

2 of out school Governors were PTA committee members, but without a specific role
We were just bloody grateful to have them

All the committee is responsible for ensuring accountability for the accounts.
A financial report is presented each meeting and any spending agreed and minuted.
You have a constitution or are registered with the charity commission. This is what says who can do what.
You spend in agreement with the schools needs and they should present a reason for any spend and the expected benefits. This also agrees with the constitution.
The funds are banked separately and the school can not access them without the correct processes. The Governing body has no say on the PTA.

Get a copy of your constitution out. This tells you who your members are, parents, staff, governors, friends etc. All members are equal and therefore all able to stand to be an officer unless your constitution says otherwise. Which would be very unusual.

I think a lot of posters have a very rose-tinted view of how PTAs run.
Obviously it is how they should run, but from my experience (and reading various MN threads over the years) a significant minority a run very differently.

• Many schools are crying out for people to run the PTA, and will take people whatever their experience.
• Chairs have no idea how to run meetings.
• Committee members have grand ideas but want 'someone else' to implement them.
• Committee members don't understand about cost control.
• Large committees end up never making decisions.
• Committees start large but quickly it becomes apparent that only 3 people actually will roll their sleeves up to do stuff.
• People join committees with their friends which can cause discord and accusations of cliques
• People join with new ideas, and get upset when longer standing members say 'tried it, it didn't work because ….'
• Longer standing members get upset when new people join with their own ideas and ways of approaching things
• People don't attend AGMs whatever time you set them for

With all that going on, it could be easy for core members to let things go through without proper scrutiny. They get used to having to make decisions (otherwise nothing gets done), and before you know it you can run into a situation where the Head says something is needed to the CoG who happens to be PTA Treasurer, and the funds get promised and then nodded through by the Chair.

@TheHuntingOfTheSarky are you a Governor? I wonder whether you have a clear understanding of the CoG's role?
Are you a parent who is unhappy with something the school have done? Have you raised a complaint that hasn't been upheld?
The suggestion that the CoG is in the Head's pocket seems very odd, what could the Head force the CoG to do or not do without the intervention of all the other Governors?

yes i believe they can.

I’ve never seen a chaotic pta in the way described above regarding the school demanding money from the pta and getting it without a committee decision. I’ve never seen anything nodded through by the say so of the treasurer. In fact I’ve seen very well run PTAs by parents who are sensible, well qualified to run a PTA and know the constitution. Not all parents are complete idiots. Organising events is a different matter entirely to how the finances are run. I don’t think most parents are quite so stupid as to be duped by Heads and Governors.

It only takes 3 parents to run a pta effectively in terms of meetings and money. Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Any arguing about anything else is a distraction but doesn’t impinge on financial organisation and making decisions about money.

PresentingPercy If a committee had all the traits I described then it truly would be chaos, but I have seen all of them individually and in groups.

I have also had to stand very firm against random committee members wanting to spend money in dubious areas (that coincidentally benefitted their children).

It only takes 3 parents to run a pta effectively in terms of meetings and money. Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Any arguing about anything else is a distraction but doesn’t impinge on financial organisation and making decisions about money.

I agree with this. But that is requiring competence from the 3 office holders. It isn't always the case.

I have no idea whether in the OP's case she has need to worry. But I think people saying that of course the PTA is completely separate so no conflict, are right in concept but not necessarily always right in reality.

A conflict of interest. Totally inappropriate, surely?

@DameCelia No I'm not a Governor. I'm reluctant to go into finer details here about what's been going on because it would immediately out me to anyone who knows me. I'm happy to do so privately but won't be discussing it here. My question was simply was it allowed for CoG to be PTA treasurer. That question has been answered so I'll leave it there.

Hope you can get it sorted then op.