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1800 Donations Gifts and Grants to the District

  • 1000: Community Relations
1800 Donations Gifts and Grants to the District

The Board of Education welcomes and appreciates gifts and donations from the public.  Gifts and donations of money, property, equipment and materials may be accepted by the Board, except that the Superintendent of Schools may accept on behalf of the Board gifts and donations having a value less than $500.00. (This policy does not cover personal gifts to staff.  See policy 2160, Code of Ethics, for guidance on that issue.) 

The Board reserves the right to refuse to accept any gift which does not contribute towards the achievement of the district’s goals, or the ownership of which would deplete the resources of the district.  In accepting or rejecting gifts and donations, the Board will review the following factors: 

  1. The terms of the gift must identify: 
    1. The subject of the gift; 
    2. The purpose of the gift; 
    3. The beneficiary or beneficiaries if any; and 
    4. All conditions or restrictions that may apply. 

  2. The gift must not benefit a particular or named individual or individuals. 

  1. If the purpose of the gift is an award to a single student, the determination of the recipient of such award shall be made on the basis that all students shall have an equal opportunity to qualify for it in conformance with federal and state law. 

  1. If the gift is in trust, the obligation of the investment and reinvestment proceeds shall be clearly set forth. 

  1. No gift or trust will be accepted by the Board unless: 

    1. It is in support of and a benefit to all or to a particular school in the district; or 

    2. It is for a purpose for which the school district could legally expend its own funds; or 

    3. It is for the purpose of awarding scholarships to students graduating from the district. 

Any gift rejected by the Board shall be returned to the donor or his/her estate within 60 days together with a statement indicating the reasons for the rejection of such gift. 

 

Soliciting and Accepting Gifts, Grants or Donations

Prior to seeking any grant or donation, the applicant must obtain prior approval from the district.  Teachers seeking grants or donations for their classroom must obtain approval from the Building Principal (see attached Form 1800-A).  Other staff or administrators seeking grants or donations to benefit an entire school or the district as a whole must obtain approval from the Superintendent or his/her designee.  Grant applications for funding of more than $100,000 require prior approval by the Board of Education.

Approval shall depend on factors including, but not limited to:  compatibility with the district’s educational program and standards; availability of existing district resources; whether ownership would deplete district resources; and its impact on the equitable distribution of district resources.

All grants and donations must benefit the district and be congruent with the following principles:

  1. The district’s mission, vision, core values and beliefs. 

  1. The district and school goals that positively impact student performance. 

  1. The district’s instructional priorities and strategies. 

  1. Equity in funding. 

  1. Conform to district governance and decision-making procedures of the Board, central office and building-level staff. 

  1. Provide a value or benefit that is greater than the obligation under the grant award. 

  1. Not violate management and/or bargaining unit rights and responsibilities. 

  1. Not carry any conditions that would divert school or district efforts away from the district’s primary mission. 

The Board reserves the right to deny approval of solicitation of any funding or grant application which does not contribute towards the achievement of the district’s goals, or which would deplete the resources of the district.  The Board may approve seeking grants which require a match of district funds or resources when the initiative has been identified as a priority by the Board and when such funds are planned as part of the district budget process or can be accommodated by the current budget. 

All solicited grants and donations must be formally accepted by the Board. 

 

Coordinating with Support Organizations

The district requires independent support organizations (e.g., booster clubs, parent-teacher associations, education foundations) seeking to make a contribution of money or property to first meet with the Superintendent to identify the terms and conditions of the proposed gift and the needs of the district.  The Board must approve such gifts and donations prior to any public announcement or the contribution. 

 

Accounting for, and Oversight of, all Donations, Gifts, and Grants

All gifts, donations, grants, fund, property, and materials received by the district become the property of the district.  Such items may not be returned without the approval of the Board.  All items are subject to the same controls and regulations as other district property, and shall be deposited or inventoried accordingly.

The Board shall receive a report annually of all gifts, donations, grants, funds, property, and materials received by the district during the school year, and where each was used.  It is the goal of the Board to properly account for all district resources and to monitor the distribution of those resources to minimize disparities between schools within the district. 

 

Cross-ref:
1222, Relationship with Booster Organizations
1225, Relationship with Local Educational Foundations
2160, School District Officer and Employee Code of Ethics
5251, Student Fund Raising Activities
6640, Inventories

Ref: Education Law §1709(12) 

 

Adopted by the Board of Education: 06/14/18 

Download the Donations Gifts and Grants to the District PDF