To Grant or Not To Grant. That is the Question.

Northshore PTSA Council and local unit PTAs have a grant procedure that differs from that in other PTAs in the state. When a PTA wishes to have a school purchase something, they write a check and fill out a grant from telling the district what they would like to have purchased. It is kind of like dropping it down a well.

Until recent years, we dropped our donations down the well. It seemed like a well to the district business office folks too. To improve tracking and accountability, we state what we want to donate in a Grant Form, which is actually a Grant Commitment Form. PTA commits to reimburse. The district commits to purchase. The grant form can and should be extremely detailed. It should be signed by a PTA executive committee member and the building principal. A copy should go to the PTA treasurer. The building office manager then makes the purchases, either through the district purchase order system or via the building credit card.

You need to include:
Vendor name, address, phone, fax, maybe website
Purchasing method: Purchase order, credit card
Item name/description/part number
Shipping info and costs (If you want to pick it up, you will need to note it clearly here.)

You can create a spreadsheet with multiple purchases from multiple vendors and just say "see attached spreadsheet" on the Grant Commitment Form.

The more info you include, the happier your office manager will be. A good relationship is the key to effective purchasing.

Once the items have been received, the vendor is paid by the district and the district bills your PTA. There is liability involved with the purchase of goods and equipment for emergency prep. It is best for the PTA organization to have the Northshore School District buy things. We can be VERY specific about what we want. According to the WA State PTA, we have about $100 of wiggle room, so we can take advantage of bargain bins and a fleeting sale.