Harding Elementary School PTA Teacher Fund Guidelines
Updated for SY23/24
Purpose
The Harding Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) is committed to supporting our dedicated teachers and enhancing the educational experience of all students in our classrooms. The Teacher Fund has been established to provide financial assistance for supplies, equipment, or events that directly benefit students in their classrooms.
Eligible Expenses
- Instructional Supplies: The Teacher Fund can be used to purchase a wide range of instructional supplies, including but not limited to books, markers, art materials, educational software, and classroom technology that enhances learning.
- Educational Equipment: Funds may be used to acquire educational equipment that supports classroom activities, such as science equipment, musical instruments, rugs for circle time, or sports equipment for physical education.
- Enrichment Activities: The Teacher Fund supports enriching educational experiences, including field trips, visits to local museums, cultural events, and guest speakers that align with the curriculum and benefit all students in the classroom.
- Professional Development: In some cases, the fund may be used for professional development opportunities or training materials that directly enhance the teacher’s ability to deliver quality instruction.
Annual Teacher Fund Establishment Process
Annual Budget Approval
The Harding Elementary School PTA allocates a budget to the Teacher Fund each school year. This budget is approved at the first General PTA meeting, which typically takes place at the start of each year. During this meeting, members of the PTA Executive Board, teachers, and parents review and approve the budget, ensuring transparency and alignment with the needs of our school community. No teacher funds are released until the SY budget is approved.
Final Student Count
It is important to note that the Teacher Fund creation process can only be finalized once the front office provides the final student count for each classroom. This typically occurs after the start of the school year when enrollment numbers are confirmed. Once the final student count is available, the PTA Treasurer calculates the budget allocation for each teacher.
Per-Student Allocation and Final per Teacher Budget
The Teacher Fund budget is allocated across all students at Harding Elementary School, with the goal of providing equitable support to each classroom.
To determine Budget Per Student the following formula is used:
Teacher Fund approved annual budget / number of students at school per final student count provide by front office
To determine the budget available for each teacher, the following formula is used:
Budget Per Student x Number of Students in the Classroom
Equitable Distribution
The allocation of funds in this manner ensures that each teacher receives a fair share of the Teacher Fund budget based on their classroom size. It also promotes an inclusive and supportive environment where resources are distributed to benefit all students equally.
Budget Tracking
Each year a new budget tracker is created and distributed to the teachers to monitor how much has been spent for the year. The current year budget tracker can be located here: Teacher Fund 2023-2024
Budget Adjustments
In exceptional cases, the Teacher Fund may need adjustments. This can happen if the budget can be increased or needs to be reduced for the year due to a change in fundraising expectations. This can also happen if the student count at the school drastically changes. In the unlikely event of this happening, the Executive PTA Board will determine the best way to make necessary adjustments at the guidance of the Treasurer and will propose the change to the General PTA for approval.
Guidelines for Requesting Funds
- Eligible expenses can be submitted for reimbursement here via this DocuSign form: https://na4.docusign.net/Member/PowerFormSigning.aspx?PowerFormId=032b0670-982c-4ea1-8570-b95442dd3a09&env=na4&acct=0189fc90-0476-4fc5-9739-7ba37c464770&v=2
- If an alternative payment method is needed for purchasing an eligible expense, please reach out to treasurer@hardingpta.org. We will do our best to accommodate as much as possible.
- Submission Deadline: Reimbursement requests must be submitted to the PTA Treasurer no later than June 15 for the current school year. Late submissions may not be considered.
- Approval Process: The PTA Executive Board will review all reimbursement requests and may request additional information if needed.
- Timeline for reimbursement: As the PTA is a group of volunteers, please expect a two week turn around of reimbursement checks at the minimum.
- Checks will be left at the front office with the secretary for distribution to the teacher. We cannot mail out checks to teachers as we are constantly working on keeping our admin costs down.
Parent Classroom Wishlists Encouraged
We recognize that many teachers often have specific needs for low-cost supplies that can greatly benefit their classrooms. To facilitate support from parents and caregivers, we encourage teachers to create classroom wishlists for such supplies. These wishlists can include items like art supplies, books, and other materials that enhance the learning experience.
Benefits of Classroom Wishlists:
- Transparency: Classroom wishlists provide transparency regarding the specific items needed to support classroom activities.
- Direct Support: Parents and caregivers can directly contribute to their child’s classroom by fulfilling wishlist items, fostering a sense of community and involvement.
- Budget Efficiency: By allowing parents to purchase low-cost supplies directly, the Teacher Fund can be reserved for more substantial classroom needs, such as larger equipment or a field trip..
Acknowledgment:
We appreciate your dedication to providing an exceptional educational experience for our students. The Teacher Fund is designed to support your efforts in the classroom and enhance the learning opportunities for all students at Harding Elementary. We look forward to working together to create a dynamic and enriching educational environment.
For questions or assistance with the Teacher Fund, please contact the PTA Treasurer at treasurer@hardingpta.org.
These guidelines are subject to periodic review and may be updated as needed to best serve the needs of our school community.
Sincerely,
Harding Elementary PTA