Instructional Funds
What can they be used for and how do you use them?
Each of our TK scholars will receive $450/semester ($900/year) and 1st through 8th grade scholars will receive $850/semester ($1700/year) in instructional funds (IFs)*. These funds are for use toward curriculum materials and/or Vendor-Provided Educational Activities (outside community-based or online classes) that meet the terms and conditions described herein and are provided by AISA approved vendors. We are excited to be able to offer your scholars access to many great learning adventures.
Before IFs are made available, your child’s enrollment must be complete with a current Master Agreement on file. Aveson must also be your sole school of record. Dual enrollment in multiple public and/or private schools is not allowed. If your child is enrolled for a partial school year, instructional funds will be decreased by $8 for each day not enrolled. If your child misses attendance credit due to incomplete work completion/reporting or missed mandatory meetings, IFs will be deducted at a rate of $25/day. Complete instructions for any type of IF disbursement will be found within the appropriate request form, linked above. Please follow all instructions carefully.
Curriculum Orders
All AISA scholars will receive a Universal Curriculum Package upon enrollment. That said, there may be other resources that you choose to use in your home study. Orders for curriculum materials, online learning programs and consumable school supplies will be accepted as the school year begins. Use the AISA Curriculum Order Request Form to make your request. Follow all instructions on the form, then “share” it electronically with the Independent Study Coordinator Mrs. Blanca Hernandez and CC AISA@aveson.org. Materials will be ordered for you and (generally) sent to your home.
All items will become the property of Aveson Charter School, and non-consumable resources must be returned in reasonable condition to the school as you finish with them or immediately upon your child’s withdrawal from AISA. Those items not returned in reasonable condition or in a timely manner will be billed to you at their purchase price. You may choose to keep materials over the summer if you will continue with them in the following school year.
As you make your selections, keep in mind that Aveson will only purchase secular materials. Aveson staff will evaluate all purchases and deny requests for nonsecular resources. All curriculum materials must be ordered through the school using a Curriculum Order Form. No reimbursements will be made to families for material purchases. Once an order has been placed with a vendor, there will be no refunds to Instructional Funds accounts. Finally, in order to avoid making inadvertent "gifts of public funds," Aveson can ONLY provide curriculum and materials to be used during the CURRENT school year. Therefore, the deadline for the submission of an order request for curriculum resources and consumable supplies will be the final Friday in January each year and subscriptions purchased in January may only equal six months in length.
Criteria for Materials That Can Be Purchased with Instructional Funds
Aveson Charter Schools receive funding from the state in order to support students in their progress toward state standards. Therefore, the following criteria for use of Instructional Funds toward materials apply:
Allowed Items
Curriculum appropriate for the student’s course of study, whether hard-copy or online
Materials for use to meet state and school standards for the student for whom they are being purchased
Materials that are non-sectarian and non-denominational
Materials that are “basic” economical models unless a case can be made as why a higher-priced model is necessary
Materials that are equivalent to what students would be provided in the typical school classroom
School supplies adequate for learning basic course skills (paper, pencils, etc)
Materials for a documented educational project: fabric, wool, yarn, paints, etc. may be purchased in amounts appropriate for a single planned project, maximum of $150 total per semester
Educational software to instruct and enhance learning in a subject area
Materials that do not expose any person to possible danger or serious injury
Disallowed Items
Furniture, storage, organizational items (large or small), and other household/office items
Excessive quantities of anything
Computer parts or equipment for non-school owned computers
Printer ink
Costumes, uniforms, clothes or jewelry
Toys or items without instructional value
Personal hygiene items
Personal PE items such as skis, bicycles, tricyles, scooters, ball gloves, bats, rackets, helmets, etc.
Home office equipment such as phones, faxes, copiers, printers, TVs, etc.
Musical instruments, microscopes and other specialized equipment
Kitchen equipment
Anything that could expose a student, family member or staff member to danger or serious injury such as knives, poisons, darts, weapons, welding equipment, etc.
Sectarian materials
Items that would not be regularly provided in a typical school classroom
Any single item (aside from core curriculum) with a price tag over $100
Items that are not age or developmentally appropriate for the student for whom they are being requested
Multiple levels of curriculum for any given subject area, beyond what can be used in the current school year
Curriculum that is delivered as a PDF without permission for sharing to home educators (ie. items from Teachers Pay Teachers)
How to PDFs
Vendor Provided Educational Opportunities
As of January 1, 2022, in order to qualify for reimbursement using instructional funds, vendors must be on our approved vendor list for the appropriate school year BEFORE your scholar's class begins. This is a requirement of the recently passed AB130, which updated independent study regulations. If you have a vendor that you would like to add to our list, click here Vendors will complete the brief application form. If approved, they will be added to our vendor list, which will be posted here on this website. This policy will apply to all vendors providing in-person classes. Online vendors will not need to apply and reimbursements for online classes can still be requested. However, please note that parents are expected to monitor all of their scholars' online interactions in for the purpose of maintaining the child's safety.
Please Note: Any class provided by an approved vendor must meet the following guidelines in order to qualify for reimbursement.
AISA scholars may use available instructional funds toward vendor-provided educational activities, offered by vendors in the local community or online, through our reimbursement process. All classes should support your scholars’ school curriculum (ELA, math, science, social studies, PE, electives) and must take place during the school year. All activities for which school funds are use MUST BE DOCUMENTED in the monthly Learning Log.
Moreover, because AISA scholars are enrolled in a public charter school that receives state funding in the form of ADA, scholars may not simultaneously enroll in another public or private school, whether AISA IFs are used or not. It is very important that we avoid all instances of dual enrollment and/or gifts of public funds. Please read all of the information below carefully to avoid problems obtaining IFs for your scholars' classes.
Reimbursements for Approved Vendors' Classes
AISA uses a reimbursement process to provide IFs for your vendor-provided activities that address educational goals in the subjects that are commonly taught on school campuses: literacy, math, science, social studies, physical education and qualifying electives.
Allowed Activities Must Meet the Following Criteria
group classes (minimum 2 students)
offered to the general public
held in public spaces (or online!)
provided by legitimate businesses
non-sectarian in nature.
Disallowed Activities
private school (including preschools)
team registrations
recital/performance fees
tickets to shows
admissions/memberships to museums, theme parks or other venues
classes that take place outside of the regular school year (fall, winter, spring and summer breaks)
activities that are "high risk" (including but not limited to horseback riding, rock climbing, high ropes or zipline adventures, underwater activities, etc.)
Additionally -
If a class requires a paid parent’s participation, only the scholar’s tuition qualifies for reimbursement.
Private schools cannot provide educational activities for AISA scholars.
The vendor must be able to provide you with an itemized receipt.
All class sessions reimbursed must take place within the current school year.
How to Request Reimbursement for Vendor Provided Educational Activities
Select the vendor of your choice according to the above guidelines. Then, register your child and pay for the class. Following the conclusion of the class, use the AISA@ASL Vendor Reimbursement Request spreadsheet to request reimbursement. For long-term classes (8 or more weeks in length), you may submit a partial request monthly. Attach your receipt each time and include "partial reimbursement" in the title of your spreadsheet. Use a separate spreadsheet for each child and follow all directions listed on the form. Multiple vendors can be listed on the same reimbursement request form.
Share the completed form and your receipts electronically with the Independent Study Coordinator, Mrs. Blanca Hernandez and CC AISA@aveson.org. A check will be mailed to your home, generally within one month’s time. All activity reimbursement requests must be received WITH ORIGINAL RECEIPTS (in pdf) 8 weeks prior to the last day of school, even if the activity is still in session or no reimbursement will take place. The only exception is for vendors that bill weekly, such as Outschool. Those final requests may be submitted 3 weeks prior to the end of school.