Policies and Procedures of the Lambertville Area Education Foundation

Revised 1/10/06

Note: Policies are adopted by majority vote of the Board of Directors; procedures are issued by LAEF administrators (board president or committee chairs).

Mission Statement

The Lambertville Area Education Foundation is an independent non-profit organization established to secure resources to support innovative programs that enhance the educational experiences of students, support the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of education, and build community involvement in the Lambertville Public School, Stockton Borough School, the West Amwell Township School and South Hunterdon Regional High School.

Adopted: 7/27/00 Revised: 9/26/00, 9/10/02, 4/25/06

Long Range Plan 2003-2008

The LAEF will take appropriate actions so that by June 2008:

1. the LAEF will represent all SHRHS sending districts;
2. the LAEF will be a known and respected “name brand,” and citizens of all sending districts will feel a sense of ownership of it;
3. there will be an increase in the percentage of children from the sending districts attending SHRHS;
4. all four area schools will have a positive reputation in the community.
5. the LAEF will have a routine fundraising mechanism;
6. there will be broader involvement of all sectors of the community in the public schools;
7. LAEF Board members will be more knowledgeable about educational reform/issues around the country and will use that knowledge in program decisions; and
8. there will be increased communication between the LAEF and all school boards and administrators.

Adopted: June 17, 2003

Board Member Conflict of Interest Policy

To insure that its actions are not tainted by personal interest or appearance of personal interest, the Lambertville Area Education Foundation Board of Directors directs that any member who has a personal interest in a matter before the Board provide full disclosure of that interest at the outset of the debate or when he/she first becomes aware of it. If the member or the Board decides that the interest is significant, the member will abstain from any vote on the subject. The interested member may participate in discussion of the issue, but will leave the meeting room at the Board’s request if the Board wishes to debate, or vote on the issue, in the member’s absence.

Adopted: 2/11/03

Nomination of New Members

The process for nominating a new member of the Board of Directors is as follows:

1. At any board meeting, the Chair of the Nominating Committee may propose board member candidates who have been suggested by at least two members of the board and invite discussion about their merits.
2. If the board agrees, the Chair of the Nominating Committee will arrange an informal meeting (or meetings) between the candidate and members of the Nominating Committee, supplemented as necessary to insure that there are at least three board members present. The purpose of the meeting(s) will be to learn about the prospective member, inform him/her about the LAEF and review the LAEF’s “Board Member Expectations.”
3. After the informal meeting, the Chair of the Nominating Committee will canvas the interviewers about their views of the candidate and, if the response is favorable, formally nominate the candidate at the next meeting of the board.
4. If the Board approves, the President will send a formal letter of notification inviting the candidate to attend the next board meeting as a full voting member.
5. The President will arrange for the new member to receive copies of the LAEF’s Policies & Procedures and Board Member Contact List.

Adopted: 11/12/02; Revised: 4/1/03; 10/14/03, 6/14/05

Honorary Members

The Board may vote to elect honorary members when it so chooses.

Adopted: 5/1/01

Expectations of Board Members

The Lambertville Area Education Foundation expects that its Board members will:

• attend Board meetings regularly, to the best of their ability;
• attend committee meetings regularly, to the best of their ability;
• volunteer their fair share of time to support fundraising, public relations and other activities, to the best of their ability;
• attend school activities that have been funded or otherwise supported by the LAEF, to the best of their ability;
• support the LAEF financially, according to their means (on a level equal to or greater than their support to other local non-profits);
• if they work for a corporation that contributes to area non-profits, attempt to secure donations for the LAEF;
• educate themselves about local and state education issues;
• engage in Board debates about LAEF policies and programs, but, once the vote is taken, support the majority decision (or, if they cannot, resign from the Board);
• conduct LAEF business in the interests of all of the children in schools served by the LAEF;
• represent the LAEF positively to the community.

Adopted 1/14/03

Expectations of School Board Liaisons

A school Board member from each of the districts served by the LAEF sits on the LAEF Board as a non-voting member. The LAEF expects that these Board members will:

• attend open Board meetings regularly, to the best of their ability;
• engage in Board debates about LAEF policies and programs, especially as they relate to district interests;
• represent the positions of their respective Boards to the best of their ability; and
• represent the LAEF positively to the community.

Adopted 1/14/03

Superintendent’s Signature on Grant Requests

The board will take action on grants approved by the Program Committee only after the committee has obtained the signature of the district superintendent, indicating that he or she deems the grant in compliance with district policies, procedures and budgetary considerations.

Adopted: 6/8/04

Funding of Ongoing Programs

The LAEF may fund ongoing programs (as opposed to newly initiated programs) up to 50 percent of funds expended.

Adopted: June 17, 2003

Procedure Regarding Notice of Approval or Disapproval of Grant Requests

Whenever the foundation approves a grant, the treasurer sends the check with a letter to the principal or superintendent, with copies, as appropriate, to the principal, superintendent, school business administrator/board secretary (who provides copies to school board members), LAEF program committee chair, appropriate LAEF subcommittee chair, LAEF treasurer and the teacher(s) who submitted the proposal.

When the foundation turns down a grant request, the president sends a letter to all of the above except the school business administrator and LAEF treasurer.

Adopted: 6/14/04; Revised 6/30/06

Grant Award Procedures

When authorizing a grant to Lambertville Public School, Stockton Borough School, the West Amwell Township School or South Hunterdon Regional High School, the Lambertville Area Education Foundation will transmit funds to the superintendent, accompanied by a letter describing LAEF’s expectations for the project and a simple accounting form for the school to report when and how funds are expended. The deadline for return of the form will be 90 days from issuance of the grant, unless otherwise determined by the LAEF Board.

Adopted: 9/10/02; Revised: 4/25/06

Procedures for Purchase of Equipment

When purchasing computers or other "high-tech" equipment for the Lambertville Public School, Stockton Borough School, the West Amwell Township School or South Hunterdon Regional High School, the Lambertville Area Education Foundation shall adhere to the following procedures:

• LAEF works with a designated staff contact (or contacts) to draw up specifications for, and plans for use of the equipment (ideally, the same staff will later become in-house experts on curricular uses of the equipment)
• LAEF, in consultation with staff contacts, defines the system it wants to purchase
• LAEF sends specifications and a check to the school
• The school places the order to get maximum discount, altering specifications only after LAEF review
• The school takes delivery and notifies LAEF
• LAEF removes items to LAEF Boardmember offices for set-up, installation of software and debugging and works with designated school staff to develop ways to integrate the equipment's applications into the school's curriculum
• LAEF delivers equipment to the school, sets it up and provides initial training of the contact (and, in some cases, other staff)
• LAEF and the school host a social activity for teachers to familiarize them with the equipment and its capabilities
• LAEF continues to work with designated staff to develop applications suitable for curricular use

Adopted:

Grant Application Procedures

The LAEF grant application process is as follows:

1. Applicant completes an electronic application which is available on the LAEF web site. The approving superintendent’s initials must be entered in the space provided to confirm his/her approval of the grant request. When a grant is to be shared by more than one school, each school's superintendent must initial the grant request.
2. Applicant submits the completed application by e-mailing it to the appropriate sub-committee chair.
3. Subcommittee chair reviews the application, contacting applicant if more information is needed.
4. The merits of each grant applicaton are discussed as part of the three-time per year Program Committee grant review process and a recommendation is prepared for the full LAEF board.
5. Subcommittee chair e-mails a synopsis to all board members for review no later than one week prior to LAEF board meeting.
6. Program Committee chair presents recommendations at next LAEF board meeting, and board votes on each application.
7. After meeting, subcommittee chair updates grant application data and notifies board president, treasurer and public relations chair.
8. For approved grant applications, treasurer sends the check with a letter to the principal or superintendent, with copies, as appropriate, to the principal, superintendent, school business administrator/board secretary (who provides copies to school board members), program committee chair, appropriate subcommittee chair, president and the teacher(s) who submitted the proposal. When the foundation turns down a grant application, the president sends a letter to all of the above, except the school business administrator and LAEF treasurer.
9. President and treasurer update grant application data.
10. Subcommittee chair is responsible for tracking grant progress and keeping program chair informed, so that reports may be made to the full board. It is particularly important to inform board members about programs they may wish to attend.
11. Public Relations Committee chair handles notification to the press, photo ops, etc.
12. Upon completion of the grant-funded project, applicants submit a brief report, including dates, participants, results, comments and photos if available.
13. Upon completion of the project, subcommittee chair gives a final accounting of monies spent to the treasurer. In the case of grants covering the full year, bimonthly updates should be made.

Issued: 9/10/05: Revised: 8/15/06; 10/5/06

Restricted Gifts

The LAEF may accept restricted gifts of money or goods at the discretion of the board and may hold events to raise funds for restricted purposes. However, the LAEF does not permit donors of auction items at its annual fundraiser to designate the purposes for which resulting proceeds may be spent.

Adopted: 3/8/05

Confidentiality of LAEF Mailing Lists

The LAEF’s mailing list may not be shared with any organization or individual without board approval.

Adopted: 3/8/05

Procedures Regarding Minutes of Board Meetings

Minutes will be distributed to all board members within a week of each board meeting.

Adopted: 6/14/05

Communication by E-Mail

Written communication shall be construed to include e-mail for all operations of the board.

Adopted: 1/10/06

School District Employees as Members of the LAEF Board

In defining its by-laws provision (Article IV, Section 2) that “Elected Directors shall not include members of employees of the Boards of Education of the school districts served by the Foundation,” it is LAEF policy that prohibited employees are those who work more than 30 full-time days per year for a district.

Adopted: 4/25/06

Allocation of Resources

The LAEF will use student enrollment percentages as a guideline for allocating resources to school districts, while reserving about 10 percent of spending for what the board sees as special opportunities. Therefore, in 2006-2007, LAEF guidelines will be approximately 5 percent of spending to Stockton Borough School, 19 percent to Lambertville Public School, 28 percent to West Amwell Elementary School, 38 percent to South Hunderton Regional High School and 10 percent to special opportunities. The LAEF treasurer will contact all districts to obtain new enrollment figures each October and notify the board about revised percentages at the next scheduled meeting.

Adopted: 4/25/06: Revised: 11/2/06