| Gift—Holmes PTSA; - LPS Board Meeting Minutes July 5, 2005 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 6 2006, 10:42 PM (1,567 Views) | |
| fyi | Jan 7 2006, 08:28 PM Post #31 |
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Principal
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I'm quoting myself here---haha. Actually it's to correct myself. If we could raise funds for the district, and then "gift" it to the BOE, the money should be used for programs for the students---not to pad administrators pockets. However, since I do not trust the current BOE, I think that would be a risk. They have trouble managing their per pupil funding now. Elisa, isn't it true that a large portion of the per pupil funding is used for teachers and administrators---salaries and benefits? Also, is the purpose of "gifting" to avoid taxes? Or is it just a formality? |
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| fyi | Jan 7 2006, 08:31 PM Post #32 |
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Principal
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I must have sounded really naive here. What was I thinking? |
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| fyi | Jan 7 2006, 08:35 PM Post #33 |
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Principal
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Do schools have the option of not "gifting" to the BOE? How does the school spend it before the PTA votes on it? If the PTA raises the money, shouldn't they determine how to spend it? I'm confused. Why would any PTA "gift" money to the BOE if they lose control over the funds? |
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| Iliveon-Levandownbytheriver | Jan 7 2006, 08:57 PM Post #34 |
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Principal
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Here is what Standard and Poors has as per pupil funding...its not exact but maybe we could get some kind of idea. It is for 2003 though. http://www.schoolmatters.com/App/SES/SPSSe...ompID=771&Site= |
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| gr1 | Jan 7 2006, 09:24 PM Post #35 |
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Principal
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Obviously, I'm not Elisa, but yes, the per pupil funding is what is used to pay salaries. By law, that money cannot come from another source.
When you gift money to the BOE it is for a specific purpose. The PTA doesn't simply cut a check to LPS. Example. When purchased playground equipment a few years back. We went to the board, they accepted our gift. The secretary at our school filled out a PO for the equipment that the PTA chose. It was delivered and installed. LPS paid the bill and then sent our PTA an invoice, which we then paid. We recently donated more $ for books etc. We gifted the $ to the BOE, but everything was ordered by our school principal & teachers. The difference is, it now doesn't reflect in our school's "budget allocation" for those items. The check we wrote was to our elementary school. As far as avoiding taxes, that is another reason to do the gift route when a pta grants money to a school. All PTA's should have their own tax identification number and they are a non profit organization which would make them tax exempt, however, they are only tax exempt for purchases made for their own use. Purchasing something and giving it away (to students, school... or reselling it then makes it taxable) |
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| ktmom | Jan 7 2006, 09:32 PM Post #36 |
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Principal
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The PTA does raise and spend the money. No PTA money can be spent without voting on it at a meeting if it is outside of what is in the budget. |
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| ktmom | Jan 7 2006, 09:37 PM Post #37 |
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Principal
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We don't gift money to LPS for supplies, etc. But for any equipment including playground equipment by gifting the money to LPS to purchase the equipment you transfer the liability if something were to happen as well. Without gifting the money for playground equipment for example we were told that as the PTA board at the time of purchase we could be personally held liable if any injuries were to occur on the equipment. When you gift the money they can not spend it on anything but what the gift was for, etc. |
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| Elisa | Jan 7 2006, 10:06 PM Post #38 |
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fyi, I think that I was previously trying to get at your idea of a particular school raising money, gifting the BOE and that gift being used for student programs. Am I correct, is that what you were thinking? Your idea about schools raising additional funds to supplement the budget was interesting. gr1 and ktmom, you are obviously great resources on the pta subject so please correct me if needed. My understanding is that pta could not direct money to an instructional program but money we would raise and gift to the foundation could make programs possible through the district. I think that we have probably intertwined two issues here, how pta spends the money they have raised and could fundraised money help fund programs or even raise the per pupil amount. Does that sound right? |
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| ktmom | Jan 7 2006, 10:23 PM Post #39 |
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Principal
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You are correct Elisa. PTA does not raise money to go directly to instruction at least I am not aware of any case in which any PTA has attempted to do so. That is typically not what the funds are needed for. To me we attempt to pick up the shortfall in the budgets the teachers/school get for books, teacher supplies, field trips, assemblies to name a few. It is my understanding that the foundation can use money for anything related to the schools including instruction. |
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| ktmom | Jan 7 2006, 10:29 PM Post #40 |
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Principal
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I should add that I think the foundation is a fairly new entity and has only been formed recently due to the serious situation regarding the state education funding. The per pupil amount has remained fairly steady over the last several years even though the cost to run the schools is increasing. Other cities started foundations years ago to begin to raise funds but Livonia has always (I think) had a surplus of cash to rely on. But since the funding keeps shrinking and the costs keep increasing the fund has diminished. Hence the need for the foundation, parents are welcome to make donations but I am not sure what they have used any money they have raised to date for. I don't even know how much money they have raised. So is must be fairly small or I am sure we would here about it more. If nothing else I hope this has all parents thinking about the crisis in education funding and how serious it is. We need to let the people in Lansing know that our kids need more money for education!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| fyi | Jan 7 2006, 10:47 PM Post #41 |
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Principal
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Elisa, Thanks! You summed up what I was thinking better than me. I'm glad someone can figure it out!! Thanks also to ktmom and gr1 for the info. |
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| fyi | Jan 8 2006, 02:17 PM Post #42 |
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Principal
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This is an excerpt from a newspaper in Florida: Parent Teacher Associations and PTOs are not the same, explained Bonnie Abellera, president of the Leon County Council of PTAs, which also includes PTSAs. Parent Teacher Organizations are fund-raising groups with the goal of financially supporting the school, Abellera said. The purpose of PTAs or PTSAs is child advocacy. ************************************************************* Does anyone know if the BOE could create a district policy that would allow a parent group to raise funds for the sole purpose of supporting the school financially. A PTO? Would something like this be allowed under Proposal A? |
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| gr1 | Jan 8 2006, 04:18 PM Post #43 |
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Principal
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FYI - No Prop A stipulations currently do not allow for PTA's/PTO to fundraise for cash toward operating expenses. The difference between a PTO and PTA is simply that PTA's are part of the National PTA. There is no national organization which governs PTO's. National (and locally Michigan) PTA lobbies and advocates for laws... protecting children. PTO's primarily concern themselves with what we normally see our local PTA unit do within the school. Events, fundraise for needed items... A PTA unit must pay membership dues to the National and State PTA. In Livonia, we pay about $4.75 between Membership to National, State and Livonia Council. Some believe it's not necessary, but the agencies do also provide training and assistance when needed, (specifically now when we'll be merging units and $.) A PTO would be on their own. PTA's try to emphasize that their main purpose is to be advocates for children, but there are many different ways to do that. Raising $ for books for them to read at school, providing social opportunities... At a PTA conference, a speaker there said, "We are not banks for schools." Some administrators and staff automatically assume the PTA will buy it if they are asked to. It is up to the members of that unit to decide what purchases are made from their budget. Does that clear it up? |
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| fyi | Jan 17 2006, 11:41 PM Post #44 |
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Principal
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gr1, You seem very knowledgeable about PTA issues. Are you a former PTA president? |
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| gr1 | Jan 18 2006, 10:04 AM Post #45 |
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Principal
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Yes |
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3:38 AM Jul 11