According to Section 3(c) of the 1997 Schools Act , a “school council shall (c) approve and monitor activities for the raising of funds for the school.” As well, according to Section (4), a “school council may … approve a levy, the payment of which is voluntary, once in a school year instead of, or as a supplement to, fund raising activities for the school.”
These two sections are a source of confusion for many school councils. According to the Schools Act, what is the responsibility of a school council with regard to the fund raising and finances in the school? How can these responsibilities be implemented?
Working Together for Educational Excellence, the handbook for school councils developed by the Department of Education, provides more detailed guidelines on page 8 under Financial Accountability (copy attached). These guidelines imply a strong role for councils in the coordination and monitoring of fund raising. They suggest that all groups seeking to raise funds in a school be required to seek council approval and that council examine the plans and monitor the expenditure of the funds.
How Councils Can Implement Their Legislated Role
An informal survey of councils indicates that few play such a strong role. The practical time and energy implications of doing so are daunting. In practice,
- some councils play no role in approving and monitoring fund raising activities
- some councils approve a school policy on fund raising and the administration continues to make the day-to-day decisions guided by the policy (see attached sample policies on fund raising)
- some councils approve any major school-wide fund raising activity while other smaller groups (eg. music, sports, drama) continue to fund raise independently.
- a few councils may examine, approve and monitor all fund raising activities
Approving and monitoring fund raising is a legislated function of school councils, and NLFSC recommends that councils assume responsibility in some form. Note that the School Council Handbook suggests “A council may [our italics] do this by …”. As long as a procedure is in place, the legislation is silent on what that process should be. Circumstances in the school and community may affect the form the process takes. For example, in a large high school, there are many groups raising funds, but the school community is large and these efforts may not conflict. In this case, a general policy on fund raising, administered by the staff, and reviewed yearly by the council, may be sufficient. In a smaller school, the pool is smaller and a council may feel the need to coordinate the number of fund raising activities more closely. It is a matter of assessing the situation in the area and developing a policy that fits the needs of a particular school community.
Examine the intent of the legislation and develop policies and procedures at your school that fulfill that intent. According to the School Council Handbook, the intent is
- to avoid bombarding the same people with requests for money
- to ensure that fund raised monies are spent properly
- to ensure that fund raising practices are fair and appropriate
The last point raises questions such as:
Will lottery activities, door-to-door sales, ‘a-thons be permitted?
Will any statements related to corporate donations be included?
Who will co-sign any permits or licenses required?
Will any of the particular concerns of lower income families be incorporated?
Remember, school councils must operate in accordance with the by-laws of the school board, which may already have a fund raising policy to which the council must adhere.
With the number of valuable extracurricular activities offered in most schools, the school council’s right to eliminate fund raising and to request a voluntary donation from parents instead of fund raising can be difficult to implement. The legislation allows councils to request a voluntary levy in addition to fund raising as well. Some schools eliminate school-wide fundraisers, but continue to allow sub-groups to fund raise for uniforms, trips, etc.
As stated on page 8 of the handbook, “Ensuring that funds raised within the school or on behalf of the school are: … used in accordance with the mandate, goals and objectives of the school” is often accomplished by requiring that all funds raised must be deposited in the school bank account and that the school will pay all bills associated with each group. Today’s accounting software allows for compartmentalizing of monies and funds can easily be identified as belonging to a group to be used for that group’s benefit.
Some final notes …
The legislation does not give councils any direct role in deciding the school budget, though a principal may request the input of the councils. While setting policies for fund raising or in other areas, a council must be aware of budget considerations. It would be unproductive for a council to set policies requiring expenditure of funds not available to the school unless that council is willing to raise the funds or lobby the school board and/or government for funding.
Finally, the legislation does not give councils the responsibility of approving the school fees referenced in Section 13 of the Schools Act. However, the issue of school fees is a matter of concern to parents, both with regard to possible inappropriate charges and with regard to the implications for the quality of teaching and learning in the school. School fees are undoubtedly an issue that councils may wish to address as part of their functions to “represent the educational interests of the schools” (Schools Act 26(2)(a) and to “advise the board on matters of concern to the school and the community”(Schools Act 26 (2)(d)).
The students and staff of
Bishops
College
shall be permitted to fund raise if, in the opinion of the principal and School Council, the school program or some aspect of it can benefit from such activities. Furthermore, the School Council may permit the principal and staff to identify one charity each year which the school wishes to support.
Fund raising and collecting for charities may be approved in line with these conditions:
- The principal is responsible for ensuring that the policies and procedures of the School Council and the Avalon East School Board related to fund raising are complied with. All groups wishing to undertake a fund raising project must fill out a “Bishops College Fund Raising Project Request Form.” All projects must be approved by the Principal or by a designate of the Principal appointed for the purpose.
- Fund raising methods should not conflict with the aims and objectives of
Bishops
College
or with the interests of the members of the Bishops community.
- All fund raising methods must comply with any provincial regulations that may be applicable. Any lottery licenses obtained through the Provincial Government or the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary must be approved by the Principal.
- Students are prohibited from participation by going door to door.
- Students should be involved on a voluntary basis only.
- All funds raised must be deposited in the school bank account by the school secretary. Funds may be identified as “belonging” to a particular school group or sub-group and be used for the benefit of that group.
- Funds raised shall be reported to the School Council through the school’s normal school operations.
- Projects undertaken must be organized so as not to interfere with normal school operations.
- Supporters of projects undertaken for these purposes should receive some tangible return or recognition for their contribution.
- The benefits which can accrue from such activities must be explained to students.
- A report of the results/outcome of all such activities undertaken by the school must be reported in the annual School Report Card and distributed to the School Board and general public.
INDIAN RIVER
HIGH SCHOOL
FUNDRAISING POLICY
JUNE 2000
Unfortunately,
Indian River
High School
does not receive sufficient funds from our school board to carry out what the staff perceives to be the best program possible for our students, particularly in the area of extracurricular activities. Therefore, the raising of extra monies becomes a necessity. In doing so, the following guidelines will provide direction:
- All groups will submit, in writing, their funding requirements by October 1 of each year. Any plans for fundraising must also be outlined. Depending upon the demands in any particular year, modifications may be needed to the original submission.
- All proposals for spending and fundraising must first be approved by the school administration. All fundraising must agree with and/or support the school’s Site Based Management Plan.
- In raising funds, students will be encouraged to be responsible, productive citizens. As such, only required amounts will be raised and efforts will be made to provide a service or product in return for contributions. Students at
Indian River
High school
will not participate in raising money through “...athons” or generally through the selling of tickets.
- All money raised must be submitted to the school secretary, who will issue a receipt, and deposit the money in the school account. The school will pay all bills associated with each group. [This item does not apply to the Graduation Class Executive, as special approval has been received from District #5.]
- To demonstrate good stewardship each group will give an accounting of how much money was raised and how it was spent. This must be done upon the completion of the project or in any case by the end of May each year.
- At the School Council’s October meeting, the administration will submit the school’s financial plan for approval.
