Parents + Teachers = Success!

The 2023-2024 PTA invites every teacher and staff member at SWES to join the PTA! It is only $7 for SWES Teachers and Staff. 

When you join PTA, you get: 

1. Eligibility for Teacher Mini Grants up to $100 per year.
2. An active voice and a vote on PTA matters.
3. Staff Appreciation events and teacher support.
4. A door tag and Member logo badge for online use showing your PTA support.

All for only $7. You are not required to attend PTA meetings but you are always invited. 

2023-2024 PTA Focus

This year, PTA will focus on:

• Student and family programming, 
• Upgrading student play areas, and 
• Building a strong and inclusive community for our teachers, staff, students, families and community members despite the distance.  

PTA will continue to fundraise and provide valuable tools for our school with technology, online programs such as Education Galaxy, and school supplies for those in need.  Over 95% of PTA dollars directly support our students and teachers.

SWES PTA has established a pool of funds for teacher Mini-Grants. Mini-Grants can be used to buy classroom materials or for special events needed to improve the educational environment for teachers and students. These funds supplement district and school‐site funding. 

Mini-Grants are available based on availability of funds. Mini-Grant are funded through our Year Long Fundraisers, also known as Passive Giving. Teachers, in good standing, may pool together to submit larger grant requests. Mini-Grant sizes range from $50-$100.  

NEW Fall 2023: We will have a folder with the policies and procedures along with all of the paperwork needed to apply for the grant. 

MINI GRANT RULES

Expenditures not permitted with a PTA Teacher Mini-Grant

The following are not allowed to be purchased with mini-grant funds:

giveaways, rewards, incentives, food, travel, certificate requests, salaries (including substitutes' salary) and staff development or to supplant existing funding opportunities.

Computer hardware such as Nooks, Kindles, iPads, laptops, desktops & regular printers; web-based programs; and subscriptions may be purchased with prior PTA approval only.

This is not a comprehensive list and we reserve the right to make adjustments.

Who can apply for Mini-Grants

Teachers who are PTA Members in good standing are eligible to apply for PTA Mini-Grants. Teachers of “Specials” who received line items in the PTA Budget for the school year, are not eligible to submit mini-grants as they have already been allotted funding. Each teacher may receive only one mini-grant per school year. If you are unsure whether you qualify, please contact the PTA at info@swespta.org.

Additional rules 

1. All items, including instructional materials, purchased with money from PTA Mini-Grants are the property of the school, not the individual teacher, and must remain with the originating school if the teacher moves to a different school or leaves the District.

2. All expenditures must be incompliance with PTA By-Laws, found at https://swespta.org/about-the-pta and rules and regulations governing 501(c)(3) organizations.

Mini-Grant Application Process

1. Draft a mini-grant request on the Teacher Mini-Grant Request Form. Please take the form seriously and provide as much information as possible. We reserve the right to return incomplete forms for additional info. This may delay the request by one month per each return.

2. Have your grant request approved by the SWES Principal.

3. Submit the signed and Principal approved grant request to the PTA at info@swespta.org or the PTA President’s mailbox by the First Monday of each month at 12:00 Noon.

4. The PTA will review the request and respond by the third Monday of each month at end of day.

5. Once approved, please make your purchase and submit the receipt or invoice to the PTA along with the SWES PTA 2023-2024 Check Request Form and a copy of the approved mini-grant request.

6. Alternatively, you may submit a copy of your PTA approved mini-grant request to the school Treasurer for purchase order completion, once fully approved.

Specials such as PE, Art, Music, and STEM have each been allocated PTA dollars to support their programs from the PTA budget. 

If you have received approval based on your plan, when you submit your Request for Payment form, please include your approved budget form. Otherwise, your payment request form will need to go back to the Finance Committee for review and approval before a check can be issued. 

If you have not received approval, the process for spending these funds is:  

1. Fill out the spending form  

2. Submit to the info@swespta.org. The committee meets monthly to process.  

3. Once you receive approval, follow the process outlined above.  

Please send any questions or requests for further information to info@swespta.org.