At the present time, we are 4 school districts with 3 different policies.
I've been with FIRST for 10 years and have consistently been considered a volunteer by my district. With that said, I do get perks: anytime I do something with FIRST, by myself or with the team, it's considered conference time and I just get the time off. My situation is a little different, however: I'm a school counselor and don't have a substitute. My work is waiting when I get back, or I've stayed till ??? to get it done before I go.
Another teacher is a volunteer. He is in a classroom, needs a sub when he's gone, and so needs to plan, and sometimes not go because of conflicts.
A third teacher is paid a stipend on par with club sponsors. He also needs to plan for travel with the team.
The fourth school has a parent who is the 'official, school supported' school rep. He is a volunteer. Again, plans for travel with the team.
Several years ago, we had a fifth school as part of our team. This teacher was paid on a scale with a sport coach. Needless to say, we were all jealous!
To a certain extent, the money right now isn't necessarily that important. It does hurt a bit when you realize that it does have an impact especially on those of us who are close to retirement, and so the amount of reimbursement does impact our retirement!
