could someone tell me if the money we raise only has to be spent on the children? could the money be spent on the teachers, parents, etc.....?

what do your bylaws say? Those are your rules. In our bylaws, our group's mission is to help the school serve its children. For us, creating happy teachers (for one idea) fits that description.

Our pto uses the money we raise primarily for the children. We provide field trip money, assemblies, field day..etc. We also give teachers classroom account with which they purchase things for the kids to use in class. We do purchase Applebees gift certificates for "Teacher Appreciation". I can't recall funds ever being used for parents though....

For us, the expenditures needs to benefit the school (i.e. kids) either directly or indirectly. I agree with all the above. However, money might be spent on parents when you consider the PTO supporting things like parent education programs or a parent/volunteer appreciation event (i.e. OJ and donuts "brunch") Some of it just depends on how you define it.

We spend money directly on the kids in the form of supplies, computers, art enrichment programs, field trips, etc. But we also buy things to help the teachers, which helps the kids - electric stapler and othe equipment for resource room, lighting for school stage, paying for substitutes so that PE staff could run Track and Field day, professional development fees, etc.

We prefer the majority of our funds be spent on things we can "touch and feel" that help the kids, but we do a lot besides that as well.


[This message has been edited by JHB (edited 02-03-2001).]

We spend the majority of our money on the kids but we do have line items like hospitality (which pays for coffe etc at PTO meetings and other meetings), scholarship ( for a graduating senior), staff training and special purchase items. Everything else goes directly to kids as field trips etc.

Besides spending money on the kids which does seem to be the main reason we are here we do spend money in other areas. We use it for teachers and staff. I also beleive it depends on how much money you have and what your projected budget looks like. We have donated money to the local high school band when they were raising money for a major trip and came to our school for a 'demonstation' (450.00). We also purchase thankyou gifts for volunteers (chairpersons). Help send the staff participants to space camp with our Challenger Club so they do not have to take this money out of their pockets just because they chaired this club. I realy think it depends on how much money you have. When we had little it all went to the kids, but now that we have more we see that by spending a little money, we bring in MORE money,(and volunteers) and spread the wealth.