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This section covers Financial Guidelines & Policies of the Cottonwood Creek PFC pertaining to the following:

• CASH HANDLING / DEPOSIT PROCEDURES

• EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENTS

• PFC DIRECT PURCHASES

• CLASSROOM STIPENDS

• GRADE/TEAM & DEPARTMENT LEVEL GRANTS

• SPECIAL FUNDING REQUESTS (SFRs)

• COMMUNITY/SPECIAL EVENT SPENDING

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• CASH HANDLING / DEPOSIT PROCEDURES

All cash withdrawn from the bank or received via sales will need to be counted in the presence of two authorized individuals that have been fingerprinted. Once counted the cash will need to be moved to a cash bag and sealed in the presence of two authorized individuals. The total amount should be written on the cash bag and the sealed bag should be taken to the bank for depositing. All checks should be stamped with the “Pay to the Order” seal before it is deposited at the bank. All deposits should be made into the holding account. A deposit slip should be given to the banker with all the deposit details & the carbon copy should be saved along with the printed receipt received from the bank. Please contact cotreasurer@cottonwoodpfc.org​ with any questions regarding these procedures.

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• EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENTS

Cottonwood Creek PFC will reimburse its Board Members, Event Leads, and Volunteers for any authorized expenses incurred on its behalf in accordance with the policies listed herein. Authorization of expenses (e.g. approved event budget, approved Special Funding Request, etc) must be obtained from the PFC Treasurer and/or PFC Board PRIOR to incurring any expenses.

Cottonwood Creek PFC will also reimburse CCS teachers and staff for expenses incurred related to annually awarded stipends, grade/department level grants, and other school support.

 

To receive reimbursement, an ​Expense Reimbursement Form ​must be completed and submitted with all orignal itemized receipts and/or invoices​ (receipt photocopies, phone/computer screen-shots, and/or credit card statements are not valid forms of documentation). Any expenses submitted for which a valid receipt is missing run the risk of not being reimbursed.

 

The ​Expense Reimbursement Form​ can be printed directly from the PFC website; alternatively, paper copies of the form are available in the school’s front office (located in the file box beneath the PFC bulletin board). Once completed, please securely attach all receipts to the reimbursement form and leave in the PFC Mailbox located in the front office.

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Reimbursements will be made via check and will be mailed/delivered within 10 business days after the form is received by the Treasurer provided all documentation is complete and all receipts have been submitted.

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Please keep in mind:

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​- ​​Reimbursement will only be made if prior authorization was issued; total expenses ​must not exceed budgeted/approved amount. Any over-spending will not be reimbursed without prior approal from the PFC Treasurer and/or PFC Board, in accordance with the limits outlined in the PFC bylaws.

- Personal expenses should be kept separate from expenses made on behalf of the PFC. Please do not submit receipts with mixed personal and PFC related charges.

- Expedited/Express shipping charges WILL NOT be reimbursed unless prior authorization is obtained from the Treasurer; the PFC will only reimburse for standard/regular shipping charges.

- Reimbursement requests should be submitted ​within 90​ days of the expense/receipt date.

- The cut-off date for all reimbursement requests is the last day of the current school year (with the exception of Event reimbursements, which are due ​within 30​ days following the event date)

- The PFC will not reimburse for any gift cards purchased without prior approval; gift cards being purchased for events (e.g. as prizes, etc) should be directly purchased by the PFC when possible.

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• PFC DIRECT PURCHASES

Whenever possible, the PFC will issue direct payment to vendors or make direct purchases for expenses greater than $150.

To request a direct payment/direct purchase by the PFC, a ​PFC Direct Purchase Request Form should be completed and submitted preferably with at least 10 business days advance notice. The form should be completed in its entirety with applicable documentation attached (e.g. invoice, vendor agreement, etc).

The ​PFC Direct Purchase Request Form ​can be printed directly from the PFC website; alternatively, paper copies of the form are available in the school’s front office (located in the file box beneath the PFC bulletin board). Once completed, please leave in the PFC Mailbox located in the front office.

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• CLASSROOM STIPENDS

Classroom Stipends awarded by the PFC are intended to assist teachers and support staff in enhancing the learning experience for Cottonwood students. Stipend awards may be used on educational items intended to directly benefit students such as:

 

- ​Classroom materials (both consumables and non-consumables) 

- Instructional materials / aids / equipment (e.g. flash cards, posters, bulletin board materials) 

- Books for classroom library

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Stipend awards may be spent all at once or spread throughout the ​current school year​; total reimbursement will be capped at the awarded amount for the school year with no exception. Any unused funds at the end of the school year do not rollover to the next year and will be forfeited.

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To obtain reimbursement after purchasing qualifying materials, please follow the PFC guidelines and procedures outlined under “​Expense Reimbursement”​. The deadline to submit for reimbursement is the last day of the current school year.

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Any non-consumable items funded by the PFC should remain at CCS with the teacher who purchased the items, or left with the classroom at CCS should the teacher leave the school entirely.

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• GRADE/TEAM & DEPARTMENT LEVEL GRANTS

Grade/Team & Department Level Grants awarded by the PFC are intended to be used on shared educational materials/resources at the grade or department level. Grant awards should ​not​ be divided amongst teaching staff within a grade or department; rather, funds should be shared and spent collectively on shared learning materials or enrichment experiences such as:

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- Book sets

- Programs/Subscriptions

- Field Trips

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Grant awards may be spent all at once or spread throughout the ​current school year total reimbursement will be capped at the awarded amount for the school year with no exception. Any unused funds at the end of the school year do not rollover to the next year and will be forfeited. 

To obtain reimbursement after purchasing qualifying materials, please follow the PFC guidelines and procedures outlined under “​Expense Reimbursement”​. The deadline to submit for reimbursement is the last day of the current school year. To request that the PFC do a direct purchase for larger purchases, a PFC Direct Purchase Request Form ​should be completed and submitted preferably with at least 10 business days advance notice (as outlined above under “​PFC Direct Purchases”​).

Any non-consumable items funded by the PFC should remain at CCS with the grade or department for which the item(s) were purchased.

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• SPECIAL FUNDING REQUESTS (SFRs)

Special Funding Requests (SFRs) are intended to provide teachers, staff and the PFC with a means to request additional financial support not previously awarded or designated in the current school year’s PFC budget. The ​Special Funding Request Form ​can be printed directly from the PFC website; alternatively, paper copies of the form are available in the school’s front office (located in the file box beneath the PFC bulletin board). Once completed, please leave in the PFC Mailbox located in the front office.

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SFRs will be accepted at any time during the current school year, up until 3 business days prior to the FINAL PFC Board Meeting, provided that:

- the SFR is done in advance of the purchase/prior to incurring the expense;

- a signature from CCS Principal must be obtained on the form prior to submission;

- the SFR is submitted at least ​3 business days prior​ to the nearest PFC Board Meeting (dates listed below);

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PFC BOARD MEETING DATES 2019 - 20

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• August 23, 2019             September 6, 2019       October 4, 2019

• November 8, 2019         December 6, 2019         January 10, 2020

• February 7, 2020           March 6, 2020               April 10, 2020

• May 8, 2020 *Final Mtg

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If your SFR is approved, total spending must not exceed the approved amount without prior authorization from the PFC Treasurer and/or PFC Board, in accordance with the limits outlined in the PFC bylaws. To obtain reimbursement after purchasing qualifying materials under the approved SFR, please follow the PFC guidelines and procedures outlined under “​Expense Reimbursement”​. To request that the PFC do a direct purchase for larger purchases, a ​PFC Direct Purchase Request Form ​should be completed and submitted preferably with at least 10 business days advance notice (as outlined above under “​PFC Direct Purchases”​).

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• COMMUNITY/SPECIAL EVENT SPENDING

The PFC has established an annual budget for Community and Special Events. Parents, CCS staff and CCS teachers may request funding for additional or new events using the ​PFC Event Proposal Form. Once the Event Proposal Form has been submitted and approved, the following policies apply.

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Community and Special Event spending will be managed by the PFC lead(s) and/or committee lead(s) assigned to the event. Cottonwood Creek PFC will reimburse or make a direct purchase/direct payment for any authorized expenses incurred on its behalf in accordance with the policies listed herein. Please refer to the policies above regarding​ “​Expense Reimbursement”​ and “​PFC Direct Purchases”​.

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Authorization of event expenses (e.g. approved event budget, approved Special Funding Request, etc) must be obtained from the PFC Treasurer and/or PFC Board PRIOR to incurring any expenses.

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Submission for expense reimbursements must be made ​within 30 days​ following an event. All expenses associated with an event should be submitted for reimbursement--committee members should not cover any expenses out-of-pocket, as the PFC needs to accurately account for total event spending.

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Any donated items with monetary value (e.g. gift cards) should be reported to the PFC Treasurer for recording purposes.

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Any unused/unopened items purchased for an event should be returned whenever possible, prior to submitting for expense reimbursement, as those funds can be reallocated to other events/funding needs. Please attach return receipts to the original purchase receipts to reflect the net amount needing reimbursement.

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