Team Contract With School

Competition Team Organization
1

Do any teams have formal contracts, memorandums of understanding, or charters with their school or school district? What was your process and what would you have done differently?

Our team has been asked by our principle to formalize our relationship with the school after some conflicts with the timing of meetings and teacher needs. It isn’t possible to have a teacher join the team at this time unfortunately. If anyone has examples that they are willing to share it would be appreciated, we have about two weeks to submit a draft. ::safety::

2

Don’t have a copy, but ours is based on those used for sports. The district explicitly acknowledges the team by stipending the teacher-advisors.

3

I would like to see what other teams do because we are working on partnering up with a school and I want to make sure that we do it right.

4

Our team was founded as a School club under ASB, although our activities are much broader than anything that any other club at our school does, save for ASB itself.

In other words, our school already has a system set up for the formation of clubs, but this is sometimes a hindrance since we have to run our funds through the school.

Be careful that your team maintains autonomy and that the school’s policies don’t restrict you!

5

Team 2073’s situation is that we are a registered non-profit organization separate from our school. However, nearly all of our students from one school. (The team began at this school and later we attracted one or two members from a neighboring school.)

We use this school (Pleasant Grove High) for its engineering room and just about all operations (meeting location, our advisor is the engineering teacher, etc.) We are also listed as a school “club” organized by the ASB (similar to the person above me). We fill out an official ‘club constitution’ given to us by the ASB which lists meeting times and “purpose”, etc. We began as a club before registering as a 501©(3) so the school board et al recognizes us as a school club. I’m not sure if and how additional stipends are given to the advisor-teacher on campus.

For the purposes of the world, we are a non-profit org with a separate bank account.
For the purposes of the school and district, we are an after-school club that sends about $500ish through the school account.

Does your school have any after-school “club” programs that maybe “Robotics Club” could be the school definition of your program? All you likely need is a teacher willing to accept the role of “advisor” or “site contact” when working with the school.

Hope all will work out!

~Kunal Marwaha
President, Pleasant Grove Robotics
Elk Grove, CA

6

A little more information about our situation:

  • Ten years ago our team was formed by a teacher.
  • At that time became the ‘Robotics Club’ at our school.
  • After our eighth season the founding coach (teacher) ‘retired’ from the team.
  • Our ninth season I volunteered my time to coach the team.
  • Last year the school started provideding a stipend for a robotics coach.
  • This fall our principal asked to form a ‘contractual agreement’ between the school and the team since our current system is reliant on the personal relationships of the people involved.
  • I have agreed to continue coaching until the summer of 2013.
  • The former coach who is the shop teacher is planning to retire the summer of 2016.
  • The principal has an unknown duration in her position.

We have solid relationships with our school bookkeeper and our public schools foundation to manage our funding. What I am hoping to find is if any teams have a document(s) formally outlining their existence within the school as more than a club.

7