PTO Today

On 2 occassions our PTC has requested a copy of the school budget and both times we have been dismissed. Why can't we see a copy? I was told that we would just have to request a copy from our principle and she was obligated to give us it. I am our PTC treasurer and we are concerned that we are being "penny-pinched" to purchase/reimburse for things that (we feel) aren't directly benefiting our students. Plus we need to approve our budget for the coming school year and we don't want to spend our hard-earned money on things that the school district can and should provide. Does anyone have any suggestions on where their PTC/PTO draws the line?

You need to contact the district administration, not your school. You should fill out an "Open Records Request". They cannot legally turn you down. What they can do is charge a "reasonable fee" for the cost of copies. It will cost you nothing if you just want to look at copy of the budget. They must comply within a reasonable amount of time OR contact you and tell you that the records you request are not within the scope of the Open Records Act.
All the PTAs within our school district requested the school budgets for their campuses. No PTA was singled out as a target by their principal. It made is easier for all of us.
They were hard to interpret, but we weren't hounded as much for money once principals found out that we knew what their budgets contained.