www.reference.com/browse/columbia/gift

The ordinary gift inter vivos is complete and unconditional as soon as the delivery of the gift is made

1 : an intentional and gratuitous transfer of real or personal property by a donor with legal capacity who actually or constructively delivers the property to the donee with the intent of giving up dominion over the property and investing it in the donee who accepts it; broadly : a voluntary transfer of property without compensation

If I read thiscorrectly once a 'gift is given'- the person or object that owns the gift is responsible for- maintenance, repair, upkeep, supplies to make it work, whatever is needed to make it work (elctricity, fuel).


The PTA/PTO once gifting something no longer retains any 'right or privelege' to the 'gift' thus absolving them of anything (Safety citations, etc)

[ 10-29-2006, 05:30 PM: Message edited by: Shawn ]

We are dealing with this as well. Last year we gave the school an industrial stapler. Well, it is out of staples, and the teachers are upset that the PTA hasn't provided more. The county spends zero money on maintaining the playground that the PTA provided several years ago, but they WILL cite us for safety violations if there is a problem. So we have to pay for pea gravel and repairs to the equipment if it breaks. (Meanwhile our county brags that they spend less $$ per student than any of the surrounding counties @@) We are in the process of raising funds for a new sound system, but need to address this within our bylaws before we purchase it. I am interested in the other replies to this thread. At least we are not the only ones in this situation.

I am in Tennessee. Our school system has very little for the extras. Our PTO is paying the lease and the copy charge for a copier for our teachers to use. This is not direct student but it does affect them if the teachers cannot make sufficient copies. But our system insurance policy is any equipment on the premises given to the school is insured under the school policy. I would like to say that our PTO has a interior and exterior beautificaiton committee among many other committees. We have an older building in an innner city area and I am very proud of what PTO parents have done over a period of years to make inside and outside appealing. I would like to say we look at the PTO as "value added". We don't exist to raise funds, but we do raise funds as part of our existance.

Thanks for all your commments! It helped me to know that I am not the only parent frustrated with raising money and paying for things in the school because there is not enough money coming into the system. I will add that our motto this year is "Ask - all they can say is 'No'" and with that you might get something at cost or a discount. You never know until you ask parents, businesses, etc. for what you need. The public needs to know everything that a school needs is not being funded.

Our school has responded the same way. Our PTO was asked to pay for a fence to surround our playground years ago. Every time it needs repair, they come to the PTO and say they can't repair it because it is "ours". In the past, we have responded and repaired it. Recently, we decided to respond this way......"Our original gift was the fence, but since our PTO donors change each year, it is very difficult to maintain and repair past gifts. We can tear down the fence and then let the school build a new one, or you might want to repair it yourself." As for the present way we handle gifts, we do not directly purchase any capital items. We have the school purchase the items and we give them $$ directed toward "wish list items". It is their choice what to buy on that wish list, it is on their fixed asset listing, and it is theirs to repair. Truthfully, this all seems ridiculous in nature. When we give a present to a relative or friend, are we ever asked to repair it or warranty it? It must have to do with school funding requirements, but so far our new way of handling it has worked!

We just presented a climbing wall to our school from the pta. We were told by our local pta that we needed to present the gift to the school board. Upon their acceptance of the gift, it then became their total responsibility. Pta was no longer responsible for the maintenance or insurance.

At my last school there wouldn't be printers in the classrooms if the PTO hadn't donated them. It was a direct request from the principal that we were more than happy to grant. We just wanted to be sure that we weren't also granting them a life-long parts, labor and accessories warranty!