| Each year the various Henryetta school booster clubs, band, football, softball, elementary, hold fundraising programs. Those fundraisers are designed to augment the budgets for each of the programs. Those funds have been kept in bank accounts administered by the officers in each of those organizations. |  |
| Tuesday night representatives from those clubs were told that the funds need to be turned over to the school and kept in separate sub-accounts. Superintendent Dwayne Noble said the process would make it easier for the clubs. "We want to funnel it throughout he school for auditing purposes." He explained the board would not be cutting budgets for the programs because the money is accounted through the school. "We are acting like a bank, if the money is raised for the band and they want to go to Branson, the money would be there." Nancy McKay, a financial consultant working with Henryetta schools, She explained a state law requires all booster fundraising to go through the school. Under that law, the board has to give approval for a group to hold fundraising. "We have never followed that law," she said. McKay said the change will provide club members with liability insurance coverage through the school, use of the school tax ID number and annual audits. She gave two instances where booster officers embezzled funds that were not funneling the money through the school accounting system. Another case involved the death of a student on a booster-club event. It resulted in a lawsuit that included board members and club officers. Effective in June, the booster clubs were told they would provide the school with a check for the funds in their accounts leaving about $300 in those accounts to keep them active. A proposed $300 limit on bank cards was questioned. "That is up for negotiation," she said. Clayton Flanary said he felt by getting approval for a purchase order in advance would be adding extra steps. She said the school could write a check that would be deposited in the club's account. Direct deposit procedures could be added to the policy. "This is making us to come up here and make extra steps when we don't have the time," he added. "We may be up here four times in a week." Band director Alan Montgomery asked how emergency purchases of equipment could be handled. McKay said procedures will have to be developed to cover those instances. Under the new policy, fundraising activities would have to be given to the school board for approval. In the event the clubs did not want to have their accounts brought under the school, they would be facing annual audits, holding their own tax ID number and comply with IRS requirements. McKay said any budget cuts to the different groups would not affect the monies raised by the booster clubs. "If there is a budget cut, the school will take the hit, not the clubs," said Noble. Chris Ray, athletic director, "we appreciate what you do for our kids," said HHS athletic director Chris Ray. "Without these organizations there's a lot of things that we couldn't do for our kids." he said it would eliminate problems. | |
