Author: James Yapias

Dear Principals, Counselors, Department Directors, and SCC Chairs:

I am writing to provide you with an update regarding our ongoing collaboration with Salt Lake City Corporation, Utah Transit Authority (UTA), Salt Lake Education Foundation and Salt Lake City School District. This partnership is designed to improve transportation accessibility for our students, parents/guardians, and staff.

Please review the following updates and procedural reminders:

Bus Pass Access:

• Current Pass Holders: Students who already possess a UTA bus pass will find that their pass remains active.
• New or Replacement Passes: Students who are new to the district, require a pass for the first time, or those who have lost their bus pass can request one through their school secretary during registration or throughout the year.

How to Request:
To request more blank bus passes for students, staff, parents/guardians:
 

• Please coordinate with your school secretary.
• The secretary will submit a desk ticket to Information Technology (IT). 
• IT will then provide the schools with blank cards for the school to assign accordingly. SLCSD Helpdesk Portal

UTA Field Trip Pass:
 

UTA bus passes may now be utilized for student field trips, contingent upon prior approval from the school principal. All field trips must adhere to the district’s established approval procedures and maintain appropriate chaperone ratios.

• You will need one pass-holding adult to accompany every ten students. Please note: Since our school district has an agreement with UTA, our students are NOT limited on the number of field trips taken per year.
• To Schedule a Field Trip:
  • Go to  UTA Field Trip Scheduling Page
  • Click on “Schedule a Field Trip”
  • Fill out the information about the field trip (students, chaperones, destination, date, etc.) on the form
  • Download Transit App and create a Transit Account with an email address
  • UTA representative will contact requestor within 3 business days to confirm scheduled field trip and/or instructions to access the field trip pass. Pass will be sent to requestor via Transit app.

Bus Routes and OnDemand Services:
 

For information regarding bus routes and OnDemand transportation options, refer to the following resources.

• UTA Bus Routes
• UTA OnDemand Services

UTA Informational Materials:
 

UTA has provided instructional materials in both English and Spanish, including video guides on:
“Tips for Riding,” “How to Plan a Trip” and “How to Use Your Pass.” Please see the SLCSD transit “How-To” videos linked below:

• English Playlist
• Spanish Playlist

Frequently Asked Questions:

• UTA School Pass Program FAQ. 

For any further inquiries or assistance, please contact utacontact@saltlakeeducationfoundation.org or Salt Lake City School District: 801.578.8269.

Thank you for your cooperation and continued support in making transportation more accessible and convenient for our school community.

Sincerely,

James E. Yapias
James.Yapias@slcschools.org

Please take a minute to review the following information pertaining to accepting donations.

Letting your donors know how much you appreciate their gift is not enough. We need to comply with IRS regulations regarding tax deductible donations. The Salt Lake Education Foundation and Development Office will send thank-you letters/receipts for each donation that your school receives.

Pursuant to Utah Code §51-4-2(2)(a), all public funds shall be deposited within three banking days after receipt. This rule applies to ALL funds, including funds received from fundraisers (note that cash above $50 must be deposited same day).

Monetary Donations:

1. Checks payable to the school or district: Deposit them at Chase Bank as you normally would. Forward copies of the checks, the summary of cash received for that day’s deposit, and a Development Deposit Form to Jeanette.Hartley@slcschools.org.  In the description of the deposit form, please list the fund 21 account number. A thank-you letter/receipt on district letterhead will be mailed to each donor.
2. Checks payable to the Salt Lake Education Foundation: Deposit them at Zions Bank in the foundation’s account. Please contact Jeanette.Hartley@slcschools.org for the account number. The only difference in the process is you will deposit them at Zions Bank, and you will email a Foundation Deposit Form (instead of a Development Deposit Form) along with copies of the checks and bank receipt to Jeanette.Hartley@slcschools.org. In the description of the deposit form, please list the fund 21 account number of where you want the funds to be transferred. A thank-you letter/receipt on foundation letterhead will be mailed to each donor. The foundation will transfer the funds to your school’s fund 21 account in the month following the date of deposit.
3. Cash: You may deposit cash at either bank. Please follow the same instructions as when you deposit checks, using the appropriate deposit form, and list the donor’s address on the deposit form as it will not be listed on a check. Use a Development Deposit Form (when the deposit was at Chase Bank) or a Foundation Deposit Form (when the deposit was at Zions Bank). If a donor’s address is listed on the form, a thank-you letter/receipt will be mailed to the donor.

Please be aware that not all funds collected from fundraising efforts are donations. For more information, see Is It a Donation? If there are goods or services given in exchange for a contribution, the amount should be listed in the “Other Revenue” column found in the “Split Gift” section of the Development and Foundation Deposit Forms.

Gifts In-Kind:

The Gift-in-Kind Donation Form should be given to donors who give non-cash items (such as school supplies or auction items). It is the responsibility of the donor to list the value of their donation on the form. After the form is received by the foundation, a thank-you letter/receipt will be mailed to the donor that may be used for tax deduction purposes.

The forms may be found on the foundation’s website at https://www.saltlakeeducationfoundation.org/.  For assistance, please contact:

Jeanette Hartley

Jeanette.Hartley@slcschools.org

Phone: 801-578-8270

Elizabeth Moran

Elizabeth.Moran@slcschools.org

Phone: 801-578-8258

As a reminder, Board Policy F-1 details our deposit procedures and Board Policy C-6 details our donation procedures.

Process After Funds Have Been Deposited:

It is essential that any gift received by the foundation is used for its intended purpose to ensure compliance with donor intent. Funds deposited in the foundation’s account at Zions Bank are tracked in Blackbaud software, which is designed for nonprofits, in categories that correspond with the purposes of the donations.

1. Elementary and Middle Schools: Funds for elementary and middle schools are transferred to applicable school accounts held in fund 21 following the foundation’s month-end reconciliation. Funds for classrooms are placed in grade-level accounts, not in accounts for individual teachers. Elementary and middle school administrators and secretaries may see their balances and account activity in BusinessPlus.
2. High Schools: Funds donated to the foundation for high schools are held in the foundation’s account and are transferred to high schools upon request. A check is sent to the school.
3. Grants: If the funds received by the foundation were a result of a grant in which the foundation’s 501(c)(3) number was used and require oversight and/or reporting, then those funds remain in the foundation’s account, maintained by the Development Office.

Thank you for your support in ensuring that we comply with the acceptance of donations procedures.

James E. Yapias

This communication is to update you about the school, school leadership, and district grant-seeking support system, which must be used by your faculty and staff or anyone who is seeking grant funding. This procedure went into effect on April 18, 2018. This procedure aims to increase site and department support, collaboration of resources, and student achievement through a streamlined process. The link to the Grant Pre-Application Approval Worksheet is https://apex.slcschools.org/apex/r/slcsd/grant-application.

Thank you for your collaboration efforts on grant submissions. Using the Grant Pre-Application Approval Worksheet helps the district and foundation have a clear, shared plan based on school improvement and community needs. Most importantly, it allows us to communicate effectively and efficiently with stakeholders.

Process:

School administrators will be notified before a grant is submitted and will be able to have questions answered and pre-approve the grant application. The foundation will also be notified to ensure compliance with our C-6 Fundraising Policy and 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.

The pre-submission approval process:

• Approval by impacted schools/departments (15 business days before the grant application is due)
• Approval by the foundation director (10 business days before the grant application is due) All local, state, business/corporate, and foundation grants less than $100,000
• Approval by the superintendent (10 business days before the grant application is due) All federal grants
• All local, state, business/corporate, and foundation grants $100,000 or greater
• Approval by additional district personnel as required by the foundation director.

If you have questions about the Grant Pre-Application Approval Worksheet, contact me at James.Yapias@slcschools.org or 801.578.8561.

Sincerely,

James E. Yapias

GRANT PRE-APPLICATION APPROVAL INSTRUCTIONS