Thank you all so much for all your ideas. There were so many, I
couldn't believe it! This is just awesome. Just to clarify, I was
looking for ideas on what to do during the school day. After school,
we do lock the money up. It's during the school day that we leave the
money in a drawer that anyone can access. The circulation desk is
often unmonitored as the librarian and aide are assisting patrons,
classes, in meetings, - there's so much going on that it would be
easier to just say the desk is unmonitored. Also we do have student
library monitors - 7th and 8th graders who are all the best that we
could ask for. However, they are also very busy shelving, shelf
reading and helping patrons find books. This provides many ideas on
what to do, and for that I am very thankful! Thank you!
Angela
Now, here are the ideas -
I keep a $5.00 petty cash tray available to my "staff" (HS TA's,
etc...) and lock everything elsze up. A couple years ago I didn't do
this and lost about $50.00 in 3 weeks -- light fingererd TA. And when
I started locking the money up and counting it every period, 2 of my
favorite personal CD's disappeared --same kid I'l sure, but never could
prove a thing.
I also keep a close eye on things around Homecoming, Prom, etc.... We
have great kids here but sometimes temptation gets the better of them.
I would suggest a small lockable box that you could hide in the back of
a file cabinet drawer, or in some other location. Also, never let on to
anybody else, student or staff membe,r that you have it there.
Here in Ohio it is illegal to keep any money overnight in any classroom
or office, other than the treasurer's office. The only exception is the
library and I never let the money get over $5. For us $5 is for the
year, since we don't charge for printing from the computer, copies or
fine.
You might want to check with your treasurer's office to see how they
want you to handle the money. Many of the teachers in our building to
not realize that it is against the law and that they to turn any money
they collect to the office.
We always kept small amounts of money in a locked cupbaord. If you
don't have one, it would be worth the piece of mind to get a padlock
and ask the maintenence deaprtment to install it for you.
If the money went over $25, I would put it in an envelope and bring it
to the office to keep in their safe.
We have our "petty cash" inside a locked cash box which is inside a
drawer at the circ. desk. I put larger bills inside a cabinet inside a
closet in my office until they can be deposited. So far, so good.
I have kept money in something "bigger than a breadbox" to prevent the
sneaking out with it. I have also had the custodian put a lock on a
drawer...this was an easy fix. We keep it in a noisy tin right now,
it's behind the desk (we don't allow students behind there) and in 12
years of collecting fines etc., no problem (knock on wood big time) <g>
We try to keep most of the money in a file cabinet locked up and
figure it we won't have to call the FBI in if $5-$10 where stolen. Big
money goes through the bookkeeper so we don't have large sums on hand.
We bought an inexpensive, small lock box from Wal-mart for $10. We then
stick this in a cubbard that can be locked. Yes, someone could still
walk off with it out of the cubbard but at least it's "locked" in an
effort to get it out of the open to tempt those "honest" people (as my
mom would say:)
I also collect money. I don't have a locked money box, but I keep the
money in a locked file cabinet in my office. I have a pencil box full
of change that I keep at the desk so I can make change right away, then
I pull bills out as they accumulate and take them to the file cabinet.
I also deposit money into my library account in the office when it gets
to be a lot. I really don't worry about the change box too much. Most
kids don't go behind my desk and with cameras and all the other kids,
no one has ever tried to snag any money from it. Even if they did, I
don't keep much more than $3-4 in that box.
At my former library, we weren't even allowed to keep change. All
monies had to be turned in IMMEDIATELY to the office (library and
teachers as well), who would make change. My assistant took care of
that, and frankly, I never saw the money again. I was only there one
year, and my assistant had run the entire program the year before when
the former M.S. left in October, so I let her handle it. I was glad to
go, because the school kept everyone in an iron grip at all times and I
felt smothered. At my current school, I use the fine money as petty
cash when I need to buy something immediately and don't have time to
wait for a purchase order (trips to Office Depot, etc.).
We also sell a lot of school supplies and collect fines, etc. I have a
lock on the drawer and at night the money goes into my office and gets
locked in a cabinet there and my office is also locked. Could a thief
steal our money? Sure if they wanted to work hard enough to find it.
It never goes in the same cabinet every day - rotation. I have student
aides who help sell, but they do not have access to the money drawer.
If they need change, they have to get myself or one of my
paraprofessionals.
We have a dble locked key safe that we use. it is locked in a cabinet.
The cabinet is locked in an office the Office is locked in the LMC and
the LMC is alarmed.
So far, no problem.
I have a similar situation and place the cash box in a drawer behind
the circulation desk so that it's accessible to workers, but out of
sight (and reach) of the general public. Unfortunately I've also
discovered that even "trusted" aides with access will be tempted and
skim or outright steal. Be vigilant. Count money daily. Good luck.
We have a lock on our money drawer. Your custodion can probably
install this. WE lock the money in a closet in our periodical room and
then lock that room. This is a large school with 2700 students and we
get lots of money.
I used to be in a middle school in another state and we kept the change
box underneath the circulation desk during the day and locked it up in
a closet in our locked office overnight. When it got to be a large
amount of bills we would deposit it in the account set up for us in the
main office. Our "money box" became a joke.....no one could steal it
without hurting themselves because I had 30 lbs of change (we weighed
it in the nurse's office). After I left last summer my clerk took the
coins to one of those counters in the supermarket and we had almost
$1,000 in coins if you can believe it. Of course this was deposited
into the library account and with that money she had a lot of money to
purchase books with and the librarian coming in had a good amount to
work with as our book budget had been drastically cut.
We put ours in the school safe every afternoon and retrieve it in the
morning.
I am "required" to turn in money to the main office each day, which is
locked in a file cabinet until it can be deposited at the board office.
However, I usually have about $20 in my desk from lost books. If I turn
in the money each day, when a child returns a lost book (which happens
constantly) it is a huge process to get his money back to him. I also
use it for small office supply purchases.
I am sure no one quite knows what I am doing or I would be in trouble.
But their way is unmanageable.
I have a locked box that sits in a locked cabinet in a back office area
(read storage room). I keep no more than 3-5 dollars in the box that
is in my desk drawer out front. I keep no more than $50.00 in the
locked box. The rest I give to the bookkeeper to deposit and note in
my library account. Toward the end of the year, however, I accumulate
at least $100.00 in the locked box that I keep. This I use if I run
across some bargains during the summer.
Back when I had an aide that could be near the counter at all times, we
kept the small money box in that drawer. Now, I keep it closer to
where I am working.
We are required to turn monies into the office on a daily basis. They
put the money in a safe.
Sometimes the school banker isn't available. We hide the money in a
locked cupboard in the backroom - and change which cupboard from time
to time. Some days we take in as much as $250.
Most of our thefts occur at night when only the P.M. janitors are on
campus. We've never lost any money, knock on wood. But we have lost
tvs, vcrs, cameras, etc.
Angela Boyd, Library Aide
Correia JHS, San Diego, CA
abuidhe@san.rr.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/
Archive: http://askeric.org/Virtual/Listserv_Archives/LM_NET.shtml
LM_NET Select/EL-Announce: http://www.cuenet.com/archive/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://ericir.syr.edu/lm_net/ven.html
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-
LM_NET
Mailing List Home