Introduction
School facilities are there for the students’ free use this is why funding of different Business Education Programs is extremely important for any educational establishment. Teachers may access different types of funds necessary for updating of the school equipment or purchasing new items. Any Career Education Program requires competency on the part of teaching staff that should be aware of allowable and unallowable expenditures for the items necessary for classroom activities, as well as of the Equipment Inventory Policy needed to register classroom items funded by state or district.
Enhancement Grant Award Program
Under the Enhancement Grant Award Program there exist expenditures that are allowable and unallowable. Thus, funds may be spent for the instructional equipment (this may include equipment for special education programs, instructional (desks, chairs) and non-instructional furniture, such as teacher chairs and workstations with minimum unit cost being $200), other equipment (such as computer software and its installation), as well as enhancement of the curriculum and improvement of the facilities (King 12). In case of facilities, however, the approvable expenditures “are limited to materials or related items that are commonly used to renovate or modify an existing facility” (King 12). Unallowable expenditures, in their turn, include items at lower unit cost than permitted ($200), membership or usage charges (either monthly or annual), textbooks, simulations or guides for students, different consultant services or service contracts, as well as instructor training and renovation of facilities (King 13).
Equipment List
The equipment needed for the classroom includes the following:
- 15 open front desks ($45 per each item, total $675);
- 3 group-study tables ($100 per each, total $300);
- 15 student chairs ($50 per each, total $750);
- 1 teacher desk and chair ($500);
- 2 storage cabinets ($250 per each, total $500);
- 1 dry erase board ($50);
- 1 tackboard ($100);
- metal trash cans ($200);
- 1 projector cart ($ 250);
- 2 world maps (general and political) ($150 per each, total $300);
- 2 globes ($50 per each; total $100);
- 2 pointers ($ 25 each, total $50);
- crayons ($100);
The total sum needed to set the classroom up is $3725. At this, the district will be responsible for 50 percent of this amount (approximately $1862), while the state will be responsible for the other half of the expenditures.
Equipment Inventory Policy
The main purpose of the inventory is to register all the equipment items which have been purchased with state or district funds. The items which are subjected to inventory are “1) equipment items with a per unit cost of $1,000 or more, and 2) items with a per unit cost under $1,000 which are considered attractive or easily pilfered” (Division of Career Education 2). The latter include audio-visual and computer equipment. The inventory records should contain the description of an item, its identification number, cost, date of acquisition, funding source, and the like data (Division of Career Education 2). It is also necessary to update the inventory every time when new items are purchased, but, in general, the inventory should be carried out at least once in two years (Division of Career Education 2).
Conclusion
Therefore, according to the Enhancement Grant Award Program, there exist certain items which cannot be funded irrespective of how much a teacher needs them for, as the list of equipment presented shows, funding is guaranteed by state and district which need convincing reasons for sparing out money from their budgets. Educational establishments should be aware of inventory policy and its necessity for classroom equipment being kept in good condition and getting updated with time.
Works Cited
“Division of Career Education: Guidelines for the Purchase, Inventory, and Disposition of Equipment.” DESE Equipment Guidelines.1 2008. Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Web.
King, D.K. “Vocational-Technical Education Enhancement Grant Award Program.” DESE Equipment Guidelines. 1995. Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education. Web.