Conservative spending puts the budget in the black

With an eye on balancing the budget, the PTA made a number of cuts last school year and carried over the conservative approach to planning for spending this year.

Good news. It worked.

Despite projections that the PTA would end the year having spent about $3,700 more than it would take in, spending cuts and successful fundraising turned the tide. Actual income and expenses show the PTA finished the 2009-10 school year with an annual surplus of about $3,700, Treasurer Ron Heger reported at the September PTA meeting.

“We had a nice, good finish to the year,” he said. “We started off this year in a good position.”

Now the question is whether the PTA should plan to spend the money this school year — either by reinstating traditional expenses that were eliminated in the current budget or by funding new items or opportunities that would benefit our children. Alternatively, the PTA could save the money.

The question likely will be discussed in upcoming PTA meetings, President Barb Peterson said.

“Given how we came out at the end of the year, things will come up this year that we need to talk about,” she said.

If you have comments or questions about the PTA budget, feel free to leave a comment here and please discuss them with an Executive Board member.