PTA Finance FAQs

Please note that the data used to answer the questions below includes 2024–2025 spending numbers and 2025–2026 budget numbers (as most recently reviewed by the PTA Finance Committee in May 2025). 

Who decides how the PTA spends money?

You do! PTA funds belong to the PTA members, and only members can approve how they’re spent.

Here’s how it works at Lily B.:

• The PTA's Finance Committee makes recommendations for the annual budget and any mid-year updates.

• Then, everyone votes at our general PTA meetings to approve or adjust the plan.

The Finance Committee usually bases the new year’s budget on what we spent the year before, with input from teachers and staff about current needs. We also love getting ideas from families. In early 2025, we asked for additional feedback through a survey to help assess community spending priorities.

What rules does the PTA have to follow when it comes to money?

Because the PTA is a nonprofit, we have to follow certain IRS rules—mainly, that nearly all the money we raise goes toward helping kids and supporting our mission.

PTA funds can only be used for things that match one of six designated purposes:

• To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, places of worship, and throughout the community;

• To raise the standards of home life;

• To advocate for laws that further the education, physical and mental health, welfare, and safety of children and youth;

• To promote the collaboration and engagement of families and educators in the education of children and youth;

• To engage the public in united efforts to secure the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social well-being of all children and youth; and

• To advocate for fiscal responsibility regarding public tax dollars in public education funding.

PTA board members and the Finance Committee also have a big responsibility: they’re fiduciaries in charge of making sure we spend money wisely and keep the PTA in good financial shape.

How is the PTA budget set up?

The PTA budget includes income and expense items that are generally intended to offset each other unless a budget surplus has accumulated over prior periods.

Where does PTA money come from?

Most of our income comes from fundraising events and programs. Here's a quick breakdown from 2024–2025:

• Auction brought in the most, about 72% of all funds.

• Walkathon brought in 25%.

• Clayton Corner, merchant incentives, general donations, and membership dues filled in the rest.

We also collect money for things like after-school programs and the 5th grade trip, but those are “pass-through” items, meaning we use those funds to offset the costs of those expenses directly.

More specifically, the following line items appear as income in the PTA budget:

• After School Activities. After School Activities “income” is a flow-through from the After School Activities expense. The PTA collects payment for certain after school activities, such as Spanish lessons with Sra. Soto and art classes with Ms. O’Brien, and those amounts are paid directly to the teacher facilitating the after school program. For 2024–2025, After School Activities income was $14,027, and After School Activities expense was $16,533. The net expense reflects the PTA’s cost of subsidizing certain after school programming in the amount of $2,506.

• Auction. The Spring Auction is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser. For 2024–2025, Auction income was $207,492, and Auction expense was $45,000. Auction income is attributable to sponsorships, ticket sales, and purchases made through the live and silent auctions. Auction expenses are incurred to pay for venue, food and drink, entertainment, auctioneer, bidding software and other costs. The net income for Auction was $162,492.

• Clayton Corner. For 2024–2025, the amount collected for the Clayton Corner Holiday Shop was $11,487, and the amount spent was $8,663. This resulted in a net income of $2,842. Note: The PTA Finance Committee determined in January 2025 that, in future years, Clayton Corner pricing should be set up so that the PTA does not earn income (i.e., so that the expense and income line items align more closely and the PTA serves merely as a pass-through for facilitating funding for this program).

• Fifth Grade Trip. Fifth Grade Trip “income” is a flow-through from the Fifth Grade Trip expense. The PTA sold Valentine Grams and Bumblebee Ball corsages, and those amounts are used to offset the subsidy the PTA provides for the Fifth Grade Trip. For 2024–2025, Fifth Grade Trip income was $2,230, and Fifth Grade Trip expense was $6,730. The net expense reflects the PTA’s cost of subsidizing the Fifth Grade Trip in the amount of $4,500.

• General Income. For 2024–2025, the amount earned through donations not associated with a specific fundraising program was $1,150.

• Membership. For 2024–2025, the amount collected for PTA membership dues was $1,723, and the amount spent to pay for National PTA dues, Texas PTA dues, SEPTA PTA dues, and membership swag was $1,042. This resulted in a net income of $681.

• Merchant Incentives. For 2024–2025, the amount earned through Community Partnerships was $1,936.

• School Store. For 2024–2025, the amount collected for the School Store was $13,678, and the amount spent was $14,826. This resulted in a net expense of $1,148. This expense is attributable to the cost incurred by the PTA to provide free spirit shirts to every pre-k and kindergarten student at the beginning of the year. The School Store is generally designed to be revenue neutral and serve as a pass-through to charge an at-cost price for spirit wear items. It occasionally has a net income or net expense due to rounding, sales of outdated inventory not reflected in the current year’s budget, etc.

• Walkathon. The Walkathon is the PTA’s fall fundraiser. For 2024–2025, Walkathon income was $64,240, and Walkathon expense was $6,672. Walkathon income is attributable to sponsorships and student fundraising. Walkathon expenses are incurred to pay for permits, police presence, the donation website, and prize costs. The net income for Walkathon was $57,568.

What is the percentage breakdown of the items that brought in income in 2024–2025?

The percentage of income for each net income item for 2024–2025 is as follows:

• Auction: 71.7%

• Walkathon: 25.4%

• Clayton Corner: 1.3%

• Merchant Incentives: 0.9%

• General Income: 0.5%

• Membership: 0.3%

What does the PTA regularly spend money on?

The following line items appear as operating expenses in the PTA budget:

• Academics and Student Support:

  • Academic Materials. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $8,000 ($4,626 of which was spent) for supplemental curriculum materials (such as class book sets, magazine subscriptions, and puzzles). Each teacher was provided with a $250 budget for educational materials in addition to the teacher and office staffer funds provided for supplies, described further below. Note: To simplify the reimbursement process for teachers, for 2025–2026, the $250/teacher educational materials budget has been moved to the Teacher Fund line item. Going forward, the Academic Materials budget is intended to be used for student planners, birthday swag, attendance incentives, a school-wide communication platform, a new kindergarten and fifth grade buddies program, and to supplement any beginning of the year school supply needs as the district is no longer providing supplies.

  • Accelerated Reader Program. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $11,900 ($11,855 of which was spent) for the Accelerated Reader program, covering the cost of the Renaissance software (through which MyOn and Accelerated Reader are available) as well as prizes for students who achieved their Accelerated Reader goals each grading period. Note: Based on feedback from staff and a significant increase in participation in the Accelerated Program as higher-quality incentives were made available, the Accelerated Reader budget for 2025–2026 remains higher than in years prior (at $11,000), and the PTA intends to incorporate high-quality incentives (such as caps and t-shirts) with highly-valued but low-cost incentives (such as free dress days).

  • After School Activities. As noted in the discussion of income above, there is also an After School Activities income line item that serves as a flow-through for when the PTA collects payment for certain after school activities, such as Spanish lessons with Sra. Soto and art classes with Ms. O’Brien, and then pays those amounts directly to the teacher. For 2024–2025, After School Activities income was $14,027, and After School Activities expense was $16,533. The net expense reflects the PTA’s cost of subsidizing certain after school programming in the amount of $2,506.

• • Cultural Arts. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $8,000 ($6,606 of which was spent) for Cultural Arts Day (aka Marvelous Monday) and Hispanic heritage decorations and celebrations including participation in the Fiestas Patrias Parade. Note: For 2025–2026, the PTA split this line item so that the applicable PTA volunteers have more direct control over separate budgets for Marvelous Monday and multicultural events.

  • Fifth Grade Activities. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $7,100 ($4,914 of which was spent) for fifth grade activities including the fifth grade zoo field trip, catering for the family picnic, and a reception following fifth grade promotion.

  • Fifth Grade Trip. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $6,730 budget for the Fifth Grade Trip to Austin and San Antonio, which was used to subsidize costs of the trip and provide snacks on bus rides. As noted in the discussion of income above, there is also a Fifth Grade Trip income line item attributable to Valentine Grams and Bumblebee Ball corsages, and those amounts are used to offset the subsidy the PTA provides for the Fifth Grade Trip. For 2024–2025, Fifth Grade Trip income was $2,230, and Fifth Grade Trip expense was $6,730. The net expense reflects the PTA’s cost of subsidizing the Fifth Grade Trip in the amount of $4,500.

• • Health and Fitness. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $5,300 ($5,022 of which was spent) for health and fitness programming and support including Math & Fitness Night activities, Field Day shirts for every student, inflatable rentals and snow cones for Field Day, and Running Club shirts. Note: The cost of Field Day shirts was split between the Health and Fitness and Social Events budgets as those shirts were also used for Bumblebee Ballgames. In 2025–2026, that cost has been moved to be fully covered by the Health and Fitness budget.

  • Library. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $13,600 ($13,321 of which was spent) for Mrs. Bradshaw to use to purchase new library books and replacements for damaged books and to pay visiting author fees.

  • Math & Science Liaison. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $1,000 budget for the math & science liaison on math and science programming and support including Family Museum Night at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and Math & Fitness night activities.

  • Mrs. Cook’s Books. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $9,000 ($8,076 of which was spent) to provide four free books for every student through Mrs. Cook’s Books. Note: The May 2024 invoice for books was not paid until the PTA’s 2024–2025 fiscal year began. The budget for Mrs. Cook’s Books was increased to account for this and was further increased to allow the PTA to provide four desirable books to every student during the year. Based on community feedback in the 2025 PTA survey indicating strong support for Mrs. Cook’s Books, the PTA is maintaining the higher budget at $9,000 for 2025–2026 so that more popular titles can be purchased.

  • UIL. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $500 budget for UIL to provide shirts for Lily B.’s UIL team members and snacks for the day of the competition.

  • Yearbook. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $7,100 ($4,996 of which was spent) to pay half the cost of all purchased yearbooks.

• Campus Support and Maintenance:

  • Environmental. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $1,000 ($190 of which was spent) to maintain the Learning Garden.

  • Historian and Preservation. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $500 ($70 of which was spent) on Historian and preservation expenses. This line item is intended to cover archiving costs and other expenses associated with maintaining the historical integrity of the school.

  • Landscaping. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $7,200 ($4,001 of which was spent) on landscaping expenses including sprinkler repairs and maintenance work to supplement the caretaking the district provides.

  • Traffic & Safety. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $2,500 ($2,150 of which was spent) on traffic and safety expenses such as FWPD officer support during the first two weeks of school and signage for school carpool and bus zones.

• Fundraising and Income-Related Expenses:

  • Online Transaction Fees. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $1,900 budget for online transaction fees associated with our Square account.

  • School Store. As noted in the discussion of income above, there is also a School Store income line item that serves as a flow-through for when the PTA charges an at-cost price for spirit wear items. For 2024–2025, the amount collected for the School Store was $13,678, and the amount spent was $14,826. This resulted in a net expense of $1,148. This expense is attributable to the cost incurred by the PTA to provide free spirit shirts to every pre-k and kindergarten student at the beginning of the year.

• • Note that the PTA’s budget includes in this category expense line items for Auction, Clayton Corner, Membership, and Walkathon. However, as noted in the discussion of income above, each of these expenses has an associated income line item, and the net result for 2024–2025 was income to the PTA as discussed in more detail above.

• PTA Operations:

  • PTA Administration. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $5,500 ($4,851 of which was spent) for PTA administration expenses including dues owed to the FWISD Council of PTAs, tax preparation, insurance, bank fees, accounting software, Amazon fees, antivirus software, and two volunteer social events.

  • PTA Scholarships & Donations. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $1,000 ($966 of which was spent) for scholarship and donation expenses including sponsoring a table at the Paschal Harvest Project luncheon and providing teacher appreciation goodies and school supplies for George C. Clarke Elementary.

• Social and Community Outreach:

  • Communications. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $1,000 ($495 of which was spent) for communication expenses including Constant Contact access needed to produce the weekly “Happenings in the Hive” email newsletter.

  • Dads’ Club. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $350 ($0 of which was spent) for Dads’ Club expenses.

  • Family Engagement. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $3,500 ($2,412 of which was spent) for family engagement events including Muffins with Moms, Donuts with Dads, Goodies with Grandparents, and the Spelling Bee reception.

  • Newcomers. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $1,200 ($1,108 of which was spent) for newcomers events and programming such as the Yahoo Boohoo breakfast on the first day of school and refreshments at Stay and Plays.

  • Programs/Publicity. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $2,500 for PTA programs. Last year’s PTA programs included the McLean informational panel and the Birds and the Bees course.

  • Prospective Students. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $1,600 ($1,444 of which was spent) for the Pre-K/Kindergarten Coffee and Pre-K/Kindergarten Round-Up events.

  • Social Events. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $20,000 ($17,450 of which was spent) for PTA social events including Family Spirit Night, the Bumblebee Ball, and the Bumblebee Ball Games.

  • Volunteer Coordinator. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $6,300 ($4,815 of which was spent) for Room Parents to use to pay for class parties and other classroom events. The per-class Room Parent budget is $300.

• Teacher and Staff Support:

  • Admin and Office Staff Support. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $2,000 budget for $500/person supply budgets for the Assistant Principal and other office staff.

  • Principal’s Fund. For 2024–2025, the PTA spent its full $1,000 budget for the Principal’s Fund, providing supplies and supporting other school needs of the Principal.

  • PTA Fund. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $5,500 ($3,103 of which was spent) for the PTA Fund, which is used to support various school and PTA needs that arise during the year, such as a snack cart for staff.

  • Student Planners/Supplies. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $2,000 ($1,998 of which was spent) for student planners and other supplies.

  • Teacher Appreciation. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $8,500 ($7,703 of which was spent) for teacher appreciation catered lunches, gifts and treats.

  • Teacher & Classroom Supplies. For 2024–2025, the PTA budgeted $22,000 ($18,156 of which was spent) for teacher and classroom supplies. The budgeted amount reflected a budget of $700 per teacher for supplies and classroom furnishings to enhance their students’ learning environments.

What’s new in the operating expense budgets for 2025–2026?

Based on parent and teacher feedback, we made a few updates for the 2025–2026 school year:

• Teachers now get a combined $950 budget for classroom supplies and learning materials (it used to be split into two lines, but we’re simplifying that process).

• We added funds to pay for a single school-wide communications platform so that the same app is used consistently across grade levels.

• We added funds to support additional school supply needs so that teachers are not bearing any additional costs associated with the district no longer providing supplies for students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

• We added a $300 Career Day budget for snacks for volunteer presenters.

• The Cultural Arts budget was split into two parts—one for Marvelous Monday and one for multicultural events like Hispanic Heritage Month.

• We created a $1,000 budget for the Pyramid Liaison to coordinate a float for the Paschal Homecoming Parade.

• We increased the Health and Fitness budget to $7,000 to cover the full cost of Field Day shirts and inflatable rentals for Field Day.

• We created a new $1,500 budget for a Snack Cart to provide snacks to staff members on a regular basis.

• Some small adjustments were made to reflect actual spending from last year.

These updates help make sure our budget matches our community’s priorities! The Finance Committee will continue to review school needs and budget requests throughout the 2025–2026 school year.

What is the percentage breakdown of the the items in the operating expense budget for 2025–2026?

The percentage of expenses for each net expense item for 2025–2026 is budgeted to be (note that this does not include long range plan expenses):

• Academics and Student Support: 44.5%. Underlying line item percentages are:

  • Academic Materials: 2.9%

  • Accelerated Reader Program: 6.2%

  • After School Activities (net of income): 1.4%

  • Career Day: 0.2%

  • Marvelous Monday: 2.2%

  • Multicultural Events: 2.2%

  • Pyramid Liaison: 0.6%

  • Fifth Grade Activities: 2.8%

  • Fifth Grade Trip (net of income): 4.4%

  • Health and Fitness: 3.9%

  • Library: 7.6% 

  • Math & Science Liaison: 0.6%

  • Mrs. Cook’s Books: 5.1%

  • UIL: 0.3%

  • Yearbook: 4.0%

• Campus Support and Maintenance: 6.3%. Underlying line item percentages are:

  • Environmental: 0.6%

  • Historian and Preservation: 0.3%

  • Landscaping: 4.0%

  • Traffic & Safety: 1.4%

• Fundraising and Income-Related Expenses: 1.5%. This percentage reflects the line item percentage of 0.8% for Online Transaction Fees and the net expense of the School Store of 0.7% attributable to free spirit shirts provided to every pre-k and kindergarten student at the beginning of the year. The other line items in this expense category (Auction, Clayton Corner, Membership, and Walkathon) result in a net income as opposed to a net expense, so they are not included in the expense percentage calculations. 

• PTA Operations: 3.9%. Underlying line item percentages are:

  • PTA Administration: 3.3%

  • PTA Scholarships & Donations: 0.6%

• Social and Community Outreach: 19.1%. Underlying line item percentages are:

  • Communications: 0.3%

  • Dads’ Club: 0.2%

  • Family Engagement: 2.0%

  • Newcomers: 0.7%

  • Programs/Publicity: 1.4%

  • Prospective Students: 0.9%

  • Social Events: 10.1%

  • Volunteer Coordinator (Room Parent Fund): 3.5%

• Teacher and Staff Support: 24.7%. Underlying line item percentages are:

  • Admin and Office Staff Support: 1.1%

  • Principal’s Fund: 0.6%

  • PTA Fund: 2.2%

  • Snack Cart: 0.8%

  • Teacher Appreciation: 4.8%

  • Teacher Fund: 15.2%

Why isn't every dollar in the budget used?

Sometimes we end up spending less than planned. Reasons might include:

• Events costing less than expected (thanks to donations or savvy spending)

• PTA volunteers opting to spend money differently than their predecessors

• Room Parents or teachers not using their full budgets

Each year, the Finance Committee reviews what was spent and what wasn’t to help make the next budget as accurate and useful as possible.

What happens if we don't spend a full budget?

Sometimes we end up with extra money—for example, when events cost less than expected or we crush our fundraising goals.

When that happens, the Finance Committee looks at the best ways to put that money to good use. That might include:

• Allocating more money across the different operating expense budgets on an annual basis, and/or

• Setting aside funds for big improvements, such as the track project described below.

What are Long Range Plan expenses?

In addition to its annual operating expenses, the PTA’s budgeted expenses include “Long Range Plan” items. These are funds set aside for big projects that go beyond our regular yearly spending and include:

• Paddles Up Funds. Each year, the PTA Auction includes a “Paddles Up” donation moment during which everyone in attendance has the opportunity to donate to a specific PTA project. These funds are set aside to be used for that project. Paddles Up amounts currently reflected in the PTA budget are:

  • Paddles Up 2023: $11,138 remains to be spent on outdoor improvements. Funds have already been spent on items such as basketball court re-striping, additional soccer goal nets, mulch for the covered playground, and rented lighting for Family Spirit Night. Several of the projects that the funds were originally set aside for were instead paid for by the district, and the Finance Committee plans to allocate the remaining funds toward the track project described further below.

  • Paddles Up 2024: $7,995 remains to be spent on auditorium improvements. Funds have already been spent on new stage plants and audio updates, and remaining amounts are intended to be used for a new screen for presentations, additional audio updates, and curtain cleaning or replacement.

  • Paddles Up 2025: $7,652 remains to be spent on improvements to shared spaces. Funds have already been spent on new library furniture, recovering chairs for the atrium, and functional storage solutions.

• Historian and Preservation: The PTA has added a $1,000 long-range expense item for Historian and Preservation expenses associated with restoring the painting of Miss Lily B. Clayton and completing a document and photograph archiving project.

• Indoor Master Plan: $5,000 has been set aside for potential indoor improvements. To the extent the school administrators do not have any needs that require funding, this amount carries over in the PTA’s budget each year.

• Outdoor Master Plan: The PTA’s excess cash funds as of the end of the 2024–2025 fiscal year were allocated to this budget so that a total of $128,275 is now allocated to potential improvements to the school’s outdoor spaces. The PTA is currently working with the district to assess whether these funds may be utilized to improve the outdoor track.

• Teacher Training/Assistance: $8,940 remains set aside for teacher training programs.

I heard Walkathon funds were used for special projects. Is that right?

Usually, no. Walkathon and Auction funds (other than Paddles Up funds) go straight toward running the PTA’s regular programs—things like the Teacher Fund, library books, and events. Our major fundraising events occur in the fall and the spring to provide timely funding for all of the expenses that the PTA incurs over the year.

But in some cases, when we raise more than expected or don’t use the whole budget, we have set aside the extra for special projects. 

A few years ago, we had a large surplus due to event cancellations during COVID. That year, Walkathon helped fund improvements to outdoor spaces like the sprinkler system and plantings.

I have an idea for a special project I think the PTA should support. Who should I contact?

We'd love to hear from you! If you have a suggestion for a special project—big or small—please reach out to  president@lilybclayton.org or treasurer@lilybclayton.org.

I took the PTA Budget Survey last spring. What were the results?

Thanks to everyone who filled out our 2025 PTA Survey! We heard from staff, parents, and grandparents, and your input helped us shape the 2025–2026 budget. 

Based on your feedback, we:

• Set aside $128,000 for outdoor space upgrades (like improving the track!)

• Funded a schoolwide communication app so families across grades get consistent updates

• Budgeted for extra classroom supplies since the district is no longer providing them

• Added funds for new programs like a kindergarten/5th grade buddy program, Career Day, and Paschal Homecoming Parade

• Kept higher budgets for library books and Accelerated Reader prizes

• Swapped Family Math & Fitness Night for a new Literacy Night during Open House

You helped make this happen—thank you!

A more detailed summary of the survey findings and outcomes is available here.

Whew. This is a lot. Is there a simpler version of all this?

Yes. Please check out this infographic that shows how the PTA raises and spends money in a simple format.

I saw that a slide is broken and the covered playground needs repairs. Why hasn't the PTA fixed that?

In most cases, repairs like these are the responsibility of the district—and the PTA doesn’t usually cover costs that should be handled by FWISD. 

Even when we do take on extra projects, we have to work through the district’s process and vendors, which sometimes leads to delays. But we are always working behind the scenes to advocate for improvements and support the school however we can.

My family's current financial situation doesn't allow us to pay for the Fifth Grade trip or buy a costume for the Storybook Parade. Can PTA help with that?

PTAs are specifically prohibited from donating money to any person or family. But we work hard to make sure every student can participate. 

• We use PTA funds to lower the cost of the Fifth Grade Trip for everyone.

• Ms. Tidwell runs a scholarship program outside the PTA to help cover Fifth Grade Trip costs for families who need it.

• The PTA’s Library Liaison and Mrs. Bradshaw collect donated costumes and books so that every student who wants to participate in the Storybook Parade has the opportunity.

• The PTA’s Helping Hands volunteers collaborate with the school counselor to assist with community needs as well.

If you need help, please reach out—we’re here to support every student.

Why do Auction tickets cost so much?

We get it—Auction tickets aren’t cheap. That’s because we want the event to raise money, not just break even, as Auction’s purpose is to raise money to support the PTA’s annual budget and all the wonderful work the PTA does each year.

Ticket prices help cover the cost of the event, like the venue, food, drinks, and auction software, all of which have gotten more expensive in recent years. Pricing is designed so that any money raised beyond covering ticket costs supports the amazing programs our PTA provides for students, staff, and families!

I'd like be more involved in the PTA and its spending decisions. What should I do?

Awesome! There are lots of ways to get involved:

• Join the PTA and come to general meetings to vote on the budget

• Sign up for a PTA volunteer role to help with events, communications, or a specific committee

• Attend Executive Board meetings to learn how decisions are made

• Email your ideas for new programs or improvements

PTA financials are shared at every meeting and available by request to our Treasurer at treasurer@lilybclayton.org. Our PTA meeting dates are reflected on the calendar.