Q&A

Can the President make decisions on his/her own?

Can the President and treasurer agree to pay for field trips without bringing them in front of the board first and then to the monthly meetings for the members to vote? I am the secetary. I was not informed about the funds being removed from our cultural arts fund and neither was the Vice President. The President stated that because the cultural arts funds were available, she could pay for these trips without consent. Is this true?
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I'm with you. A major expenditure like that should have been discussed with the board first. The question of whether or not the president "can" make that decision without input from the board is really a matter of your own group's policies. You can use this situation to put a policy in place that all expenditures over a certain amount must be approved by the board. You should make the amount fairly large. You want your president to be able to make quick decisions when needed, but you don't want her to hamstring your future operations.
- Craig
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Check your bylaws and make sure there needs to be a executive team vote. Agreed, it is the ENTIRE Executive team that should vote and make decisions regarding the budget.
- bchase
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I agree, check your bylaws. Most bylaws state that items over a certain dollar amount need to be approved by the board and possible all members of the pto.
- webb97
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No. Even if there isn’t a bylaw in place it is very inappropriate. Transparency from leadership is crucial.
- ParentAtSchool
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