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State Ethics Gift Giving Guidelines effective December 24, 2010
Teachers may receive up to $150 per school year in an aggregate gift from a group, as long as the individuals of the group are not named nor the amounts given by each individual listed. This limit applies to gifts given to a teacher for her or his personal use. This limit does not apply to nor does it create a monetary limit on gifts given for use in the classroom, school or school district.
A teacher may accept a gift valued up to $50 per calendar year on behalf of an individual student. However, regulations have clarified that a teacher must also file a public disclosure form with the Ethics Commission upon receipt of any such personal gift if a reasonable person might assume that the receipt of that gift might influence the teacher’s actions. Examples provided by the Ethics Commission suggest homemade or gifts under the value of $10 would not meet that standard of presumption. The monetary limits apply to aggregate gifts received over a single school calendar year. Note that you may participate in either a group or individual gift, but not both. The State Ethics Commission addresses Gifts to Public School Teachers and Staff along with examples and a sample disclosure form. The WPS Superintendent addresses the Ethics Commission regulations. Room Parents typically collected in December for a holiday gift and in June for an end of year gift. To ensure compliance, ease the reporting required by teachers and staff, and provide families with a meaningful, affordable and confidential way to give, the PTO has recommended the following guidelines. Room parents will no longer coordinate group gifts by classroom. Gift Giving Gift giving is often seen as an act of expressing heartfelt gratitude in thanking those who touch our lives throughout the year. Gift giving is an individual choice and is not expected, but when done in a thoughtful way, it is greatly appreciated. Are you looking for gift ideas for your child’s teacher, specialist and school support staff? Great gifts suggested include:
Keep in mind that any gift you choose is welcome and appreciated, however, a teacher may receive ONLY up to $50 from any one person. A teacher may receive up to $150 as a blind group gift per academic year. You may participate in a group gift for a specific individual OR give directly to that individual, but you cannot do both.
Voluntary Teacher and Staff Group Gift Program
A program coordinated by the PTO makes it easy to confidentially participate in a group gift for teachers and staff who support our children at Sprague throughout the year. Gift checks will be written by the PTO. Room parents will no longer be coordinating a group gift by classroom. Click to print the Program Participation Form.
FAQ’s
How much should you give? It’s up to you, there is no limit. Suggested amounts vary from $5 - $20.
What are the rules concerning gifts to teachers and staff? A teacher may receive up to $150 per academic year as a blind group gift.
Will the teachers and aides receive the same amount? The form breaks down gifts by class or department. Primary teachers will receive a greater percentage of collections based on the number of aides per class.
Can I give an individual gift to a teacher and participate in the group gift for the specialists? Yes, you may decide to give an individual gift not through this program (up to $50) to your teacher/aides and participate in the group gift in other areas, i.e. specialists and office staff.
Will my name be listed on the card? No, all gift checks will be given with a card as a blind group gift, the individuals participating will not be identified, as state ethics rules apply.
A Little History and Explanation Historically at Sprague the PTO wanted to be able to provide a mechanism where there would not be a differentiation between folks who could give to teachers and folks who could not. In the spirit of inclusivity the group gifting options arose where individuals were not identified but rather the gift was given by the class. The room parent became the "organizer" for these efforts. Now introduce the complication of state ethics rules around gifts to teachers and staff - it has taken the past year or so to try and understand the rules and what it means for how much an individual can give and what a group can do; also making a differentiation between personal gifts and gifts for classroom use. Thus the current plan is our way of trying to maintain an option for blind group gifts. On a parallel course has been the ongoing discussions the last year or so about non-classroom staff and how would one be able to recognize those folks if desired. When you look closely there are a lot of staff that our children interact with daily and to try and provide a gift to all of them is unwieldy. Providing an option for parents to donate a few dollars to a staff member and then have that pooled into a blind group gift seemed like a nice solution. Again, this gift program is totally voluntary, but if a parent has a strong desire to recognize a staff person in addition to or instead of their classroom teacher we have given them a mechanism. Finally, by limiting management of these completed gifting forms to only the treasurer and room parent chair we can maintain the privacy that folks want when making their very personal decisions about gifting |
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