Circular 2011/25 - RTLB fundholding
Governance circular about RTLB cluster funding and financial reporting requirements for current RTLB fundholding schools, for the financial year ending in 2011.
Date 2 November 2011 | End date 31 December 2012 | Number 2011/25 Category Governance
This circular is about the RTLB cluster funding and financial reporting requirements for current RTLB fundholding schools, for the financial year ending in 2011.
The action needed is to use the information provided in this circular for preparing RTLB cluster financial statements for the financial year ending in 2011 to the Ministry.
It is intended for chairpersons of boards of trustees and principals of all state and integrated schools that hold funds on behalf of RTLB clusters in 2011.
For more information direct any inquiries about this circular to your school accountant, financial service provider, your local Ministry of Education Senior Financial Adviser, or your school auditor.
Introduction
This circular provides information, advice and guidance, and reporting about Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) cluster funds during the transition phase to the transformed RTLB service and structure in 2012. This circular also highlights implications for preparing your 2011 Annual Report.
Tagged RTLB funds and assets purchased with RTLB funds are held in trust by existing fundholding schools across New Zealand. These resources do not belong to individual schools and are to be transferred to the transformed RTLB service.
As part of the RTLB transformation, the responsibility for existing RTLB cluster funds will be transferred to one of the new 40 lead schools for this service from the beginning of 2012.
RTLB cluster funds
As the current RTLB fundholder, schools would have received the following grants in advance:
- Administration grant – to assist the cluster with meeting the costs of administering the RTLB.
- Travel and study grant – travel funding for RTLB work allocated by taking into account the geography, size and number of schools in the cluster.
- Learning support funding – to be allocated according to cluster policy to support students who have learning or behaviour difficulties and to support the work of RTLB.
- Year 11-13 funding – to support students in years 11-13 who are not supported by the RTLB service.
Fundholding boards would have received a letter from the Ministry in May 2011 to remind them of the following conditions when setting their spending priorities for the RTLB cluster funds:
- As usual, students’ educational needs should be paramount in deciding how the funds are to be used.
- RTLB cluster money must be retained for the specific use by the cluster. It cannot be given away to any other group or organisation, no matter how worthy. This will include any sponsorship or charitable grants.
- RTLB grants are for RTLB cluster purposes only; the funding cannot be used to provide money or goods to any individual. This means, for example, that it cannot be used to buy laptop computers to be gifted to students or staff. Such purchases will become the property of the new cluster.
- RTLB Funds cannot be retained by schools for its general purpose operational use.
RTLB clusters share these funds for a common purpose. All remaining funds and those assets purchased with RTLB funds will be formally transferred to the new lead schools from the beginning of 2012 at the lead school’s discretion.
Reporting of RTLB cluster funds and assets
Funds held on behalf of a cluster
In the Kiwi Park School model financial statements there is a disclosure note "Funds Held on Behalf of Kiwi Park Cluster". Schools which hold funds on behalf of more than one cluster are reminded that each cluster needs to be identified separately.
Reporting of RTLB cluster funds and assets
It is expected that at the end of the 2011 financial year that there will be RTLB cluster funds unspent. Current fundholder schools should disclose information on funds held on behalf of the cluster in the annual report financial statements disclosure note "Funds Held on Behalf of Kiwi Park Cluster".
The Ministry requires current fundholding schools to provide a more detailed financial reporting of RTLB cluster funds. The required RTLB cluster financial reporting requirements will be in addition to, but not part of, the schools’ annual reports. The more detailed financial reports must be consistent with the financial information disclosed in the annual reports.
Reporting of RTLB cluster funds from existing RTLB cluster fundholders need to be completed and submitted to the Ministry by 20 January 2012 to:
RTLB Funding Report
Attention: Rowena Stauber
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
Thorndon
Wellington
The use of RTLB cluster funds is subject to the same considerations that apply to other school funding, including, reporting and audit.
The required financial details will include:
1. Administration Grant
| Income | |
|---|---|
| Administration Grant balance (2010 carried forward) | |
| Administration Grant received 2011 | |
| Total income available for 2011 | $ |
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Administration fee to school/s | |
| Actual administration costs (e.g. Telephone, stationery, photocopying, laptops) | |
| RTLB teaching resources | |
| RTLB professional development | |
| Cleaning | |
| Other (please list): | |
| Total expenditure in 2011 | $ |
| Variance (Total income less Total expenditure) | |
| Balance to be carried forward | $ |
2. Travel Grant
| Income | |
|---|---|
| Travel Grant balance (2010 carried forward) | |
| Travel Grant received 2011 | |
| Total income available for 2011 | $ |
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Reimbursements | |
| Car Leases | |
| Professional development | |
| Other (please list): | |
| Total expenditure in 2011 | $ |
| Variance (Total income less Total expenditure) | |
| Balance to be carried forward | $ |
3. Learning Support Funding (LSF)
| Income | |
|---|---|
| LSF balance (2010 carried forward) | |
| LSF received in 2011 | |
| Total income available for 2011 | $ |
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Total expenditure in 2011 | $ |
| Variance (Total income less Total expenditure) | |
| Balance to be carried forward | $ |
4. Year 11 - 13 funding
| Income | |
|---|---|
| Year 11-13 funding balance (2010 carried forward) | |
| Year 11-13 funding received in 2011 | |
| Total income available for 2011 | $ |
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Total expenditure in 2011 | $ |
| Variance (Total income less Total expenditure) | |
| Balance to be carried forward | $ |
Transfer of RTLB funds and assets
The balance of funds and assets bought with RTLB funds belong to the cluster and will be transferred to the new cluster lead school.
Current fundholding schools should be prudent with the use of any accumulated funds. Use of RTLB funds through the transition period should ensure continued appropriate support from the RTLB service, for those students who need it, during the transition period to the transformed service.
Whilst it would be appropriate for current fundholding schools to use residual cluster funds to support some students during the transition period from Term 4 2011 to the first few weeks of 2012 with LSF-funded Teacher Aide support, such commitment of future support should not exceed 4 weeks into the 2012 school year.
Current fundholding schools should not be making non-essential or longer term future financial commitments. Any decisions to utilise surplus LSF funds from 2011 to cover transition support for students in the first few weeks of 2012 should be taken with care. The new cluster managers should be notified of such financial commitments as soon as they are appointed by lead schools.
Meanwhile, current fundholding schools are required to:
- Cease spending on capital items and resources.
- Update the list of all RTLB fund purchased assets.
- Spend only where current students have been identified as needing support. The period of support should not be longer than 4 school weeks in 2012. The new Lead Schools will commence provision of support from February, 2012.
- Show the balance of RTLB funds held on behalf of the cluster as a liability in its balance sheet, with reference to a note.
- Provide details on cluster assets and funds to the lead school by March 2012. It is the prerogative of lead school to accept these items or not.
- As part of the transition, in March 2012 have your school accounts audited, and provide the Ministry with the results (the audit is at the school’s expense). The results provided to the Ministry should include:
- details by tagged funding types (ie the Administration Grant, the Travel and Study Grant, Learning Support Funding and Year 11-13 Funding.)
- the budget, variance and actual final spend.
Submission of RTLB cluster funds report and assets register
Reporting of RTLB cluster funds and cluster assets register from existing RTLB cluster fundholders need to be completed and submitted to the Ministry by 20 January 2012 to:
RTLB Funding Report
Attention: Rowena Stauber
Ministry of Education
PO Box 1666
Thorndon
Wellington
Issued by
Brian Coffey, Group Manager Special Education
Ministry of Education, National Office, 45 – 47 Pipitea Street, Thorndon
P O Box 1666, Wellington, New Zealand, Phone 04 463 8000, Fax 04 463 8001
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