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PTO Notes - January 12th, 2010
Children’s House Friends and Family:
If you weren’t able to make it to the last PTO meeting on Jan. 12, here’s a run-down of the discussion…
Classroom Materials and Teacher Training
Eddie Conners, PTO president, announced that the PTO gave $3,000 to the school for classroom supplies and teacher training. The PTO had previously approved the donation. From that money, the teaching team in each classroom will receive $500 (for a total of $2,500) to spend on materials they would like for their classes. Dede Lowe said teachers would be happy to let the PTO know what materials they end up buying. The group decided to get with Sheila Patterson to discuss collecting information on how the money is spent. The remaining $500 will help pay for Montessori training for two teachers.
Becoming a Nonprofit
The PTO unanimously voted to formally become a 501c(3) organization. Officially becoming a nonprofit will help separate the PTO from the school for tax purposes and will help with future fundraising activities, particularly the Kroger cards. The Kroger cards generate $330 to more than $500 a month for the PTO.
The PTO officers will spend the next 30 days working on getting the organization incorporated through the Secretary of State’s office. The officers will review the resources available through our PTO Today subscription and present draft bylaws at the March meeting. Then we will begin working on the IRS paperwork that’s required to obtain the nonprofit status. The total cost is expected to be around $1,000, including the IRS application fee. We hope to have completed the work by the end of the summer.
Kroger Cards
The Kroger cards generated about $380 and $330 for the last two months. For those of you keeping score, here is how much money the PTO has received through the Kroger cards this school year. (The month listed is the month in which we received the check for the previous month’s Kroger purchases.)
- September: $85
- October: $543.36
- November: $395.75
- December: $496.10
- January: $380.50
- February: $332.25
Total: $2,232.96
Spring Fundraiser
We discussed ideas for a possible spring fundraiser, particularly one that requires very little effort. PTO members are encouraged to think of some ideas and bring them to the next meeting. It’s far easier to think of ways to spend the money that a fundraiser could generate. One idea the PTO discussed is a fence that would run in front of the school along Lee Street. The Hillcrest neighborhood requires a fence that is attractive enough for the historic area, while the Department of Human Services requires something sturdy enough to protect children from any car accidents along Lee Street. The PTO discussed a decorative fence with supports behind it that can’t be seen from the street.
Next Meeting
The next meeting will be held Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. in the upstairs class.