Administrative Procedure 507: Financial Support Co-curricular Activities

Education Act: Section 265(2) Duties of Principal: Co-instructional Activities

Administrative Procedure (AP) 116 Partnerships, Acknowledgements, Advertising and Corporate Recognition; AP 120 External Collaboration Protocol; AP 268 Competitions Beyond the Local Level; Form 507 Co-Sponsoring Request from Outside Group or Organization for Financial Assistance from Avon Maitland District School Board

1.1 This administrative procedure establishes the principles and guidelines by which the board supplements, or supports financially, school-based co-curricular and extracurricular activities and events.

1.2 This procedure also provides direction for co-sponsoring events and activities with outside groups and organizations requesting board funds.

 

2.1 School-based events and activities are supervised by a teacher, vice-principal or principal as part of their regular responsibilities, are intended for the students of the school, and are supported primarily by fundraising or fees charged to the student, but may also be supported from the school’s budget or from the central program budget.

2.2 Co-curricular school events or activities include field trips and excursions and often occur, at least in part, during the regular instructional day. These are often class trips to support the curriculum and are initiated by the school.

2.3 Extracurricular school events or activities include school bands, choirs, school teams and clubs and are considered an extension to the curriculum.

2.4 Co-sponsored or partnered events or activities involve the participation of Avon Maitland District School Board students in events or activities which are supervised and organized by community groups and which receive some funding from the board.

 

3.1 All stakeholders in Avon Maitland District School Board recognize the important role that school-based co-curricular and extracurricular events and activities can play in the growth and development of students. The district also recognizes the value to students of events and activities which have been provided by community groups and organizations with board support.

3.2 Given the restrictions which the funding model places on the district’s ability to raise funds, and given the limited flexibility provided to school boards inherent in the education funding model, the amount of funds available to spend outside of the established funding envelopes is limited compared to the previous funding model.

3.3 Accordingly, first priority in the assignment of board funds will be given to Ministry mandated expenditures on classroom instruction (including special education), support to classroom instruction (including facilities and transportation) and to governance and central administration required to manage the system.

3.4 Second priority will be assigned to optional but Ministry funded expenditures such as credit courses in continuing education, French immersion or junior kindergarten where the board chooses to offer the programs.

3.5 Third priority will be assigned to supporting or supplementing school-based co-curricular and extracurricular activities and events. Schools are responsible for planning, funding and implementing on-going events and activities. For one-time events, and for events involving more than one school, central support may be available. To receive central financial support, activities and events must have a demonstrable and direct relation to the curriculum and student learning outcomes, and be integrated into the curriculum.

3.6 Fourth priority will be assigned to co-sponsoring, partnering with, or supporting external groups and organizations, through reduced or waived fees, access to board services and through direct funding subsidies, to the extent provided in the annual budget. Outside groups or organizations must make application for each request.

3.7 The application must demonstrate the relationship of the proposal to the curriculum, must demonstrate accountability for the expenditure of board funds, and must therefore include relevant information about the group/organization, including budget information.

 

4.1 For accountability and tracking purposes, and to maximize the board’s flexibility in assigning funds, costs should be attributed, to the greatest extent possible, to their correct function, i.e. where they are spent. In the past, some school expenses have been funded out of a central account. It is now critical that expenses related to school business be accounted for as a school expense.

4.2 Local community school funding decisions should be made at the school level rather than centrally, and expenditures should therefore be budgeted for and paid for at the school level rather than centrally. As a result, the amount of funds available for the schools in total can be maximized and individual schools can determine their own priorities in consultation with the school councils.

4.3 Generally speaking, schools will be responsible for planning, implementing and funding school co-curricular and extracurricular activities and events. However, a unique opportunity or a one-time event may be difficult for an individual school to plan for or to undertake. Accordingly, there is a need to have centrally administered support funds, as budgeted annually, available to assist schools with one-time, significant local events. This fund will not be used to fund continuing or repeated events, which will be the responsibility of the school.

4.4 There will also be central funds available to assist schools whose teams and students advance beyond local competitions.

4.5 In the event of continuing special events which are curriculum based and which affect multiple schools, consideration for cost-sharing or supplemental funding will fall to the program department. Support will depend on the current relevance of the event or activity, and on other requests, so that the budgeted amount is not exceeded.

4.6 As noted above, co-sponsoring, partnering with or support to outside groups will require a demonstrably direct relationship of the request to the curriculum and student learning outcomes. Groups will be required to submit, for each of their requests for public education dollars, information which will ensure accountability for the expenditure of board funds. See Form 507 Co-Sponsoring Request from Outside Group or Organization for Financial Assistance from Avon Maitland District School Board.

 

5.1 A centrally administered support fund will be established to determine the amount of support for:

5.2 In order to ensure sufficient time for proper planning, requests to access these funds must be received by April 30th prior to the school year for which they are intended.

5.3 A small contingency will be set aside for urgent requests which arise during the school year.

 

Updated August 2012