Arts in Education

BEFORE THE EVENT:

1. School district representative contacts the artist, author or illustrator to determine the dates, fees, and number of sessions for the visit.
2. School district representative completes the AIE Request form and submits it to SWBOCES (do this at least 5 weeks prior to the program date.)
3. Prepare students, teachers, and school community for the visit

ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT:

• Author brings completed invoice to give to the school representative.
• Author/illustrator visit takes place

IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE EVENT:

• School district representative completes the AIE School Evaluation form. (Note: the invoice and the Program Evaluation form are required for payment.)
• School district representative submits the AIE Program evaluation form and the Author invoice to SWBOCES. Note: the author payment will not be processed until these 2 forms are received.
• Artist submits the Artist Program Evaluation Form

AFTER INVOICE AND EVALUATION FORMS ARE RECEIVED:

• SWBOCES will process the Author invoice upon receipt of all required forms and will mail payment directly to the Author.

By using SWBOCES AIE services to book their Author Visit, school districts receive state aid for part of the cost of the Author Visit based on the district's state aid formula. This aid is received the following school year.

Why should my school participate in this CoSer?

In addition to the educational value, school districts receive state aid for part of the cost of the program based on the district's state aid formula. This aid is received the following school year.

Who can submit a request?

Anyone with the link can submit a request; however, our department will not begin the processing of a request until it has been approved at the building level and also final district approval by the School Business Official (SBO.)

What does the approval process look like?

After an initial request is submitted via the online request form portal, the building leader (Principal in most cases) will receive an email with a copy of the request as well as a link to submit their approval of the request.

Once the building level approval has been submitted, the district level (SBO) will receive an email with a link prompting them to go to the main authorization form for final approval.

Once the final district approval has been entered, our office will begin processing the request into a PND (pending purchase order). At that point, the AIE coordinator will review all the requested materials to make determination for final approval.

The entire process is transparent and progress can be tracked from initial request all the way to final payment; therefore, there is never a loss in communication regarding any request we process.

Should I wait for the final numbers before putting in the request?

No. Since we pay based on the final invoice from the vendor it is better to begin processing a request early and make changes later if necessary. If you're not sure what the final cost will be, it's best to estimate high on the request form

How early do I have to put in a request for it to be processed in time?

As early as possible! Ideally, we like to have requests at least 6 weeks prior to the start of an event. This allows our department time to finalize all contract and billing pieces ahead of time. If you know in September that you are going somewhere in May, submit your request.

Do I need to have an invoice to put in with my request?

In most cases we cannot use the invoice that a teacher provides, so a requester should not delay submitting a request simply because they have not received an invoice. We pay based on the final invoice from the vendor and not the original submitted request totals. If there is a discrepancy between those numbers, we will contact the SBO prior to payment to grant authorization for changes.

Student music festival participation fee requests should be accompanied by an invoice. (i.e. NYSSMA)

What if the wrong information is entered on the request form?

If there are any minor issues or changes that need to be made to a request after it is submitted or approved, we can make those changes on our end to avoid the need for re-submitting an entire request. If the changes result in a change in cost (# of students, ticket prices, etc..), we will contact with the SBO for approval.

Can a request be put in after the event has happened?

No. These are considered confirming purchases and our department does not allow the processing of requests that were submitted after the fact. Since every event is approved individually we must confirm that each request meets the state guidelines for the CoSer prior to the start of the event in order to approve the event for aid.

How do I know if my request has been approved?

Requests are processed in order of the date of events. Once your request is entered, the building leader and the requestor will receive a confirmation email that the process has begun and is awaiting final approval from the AIE coordinator. If the AIE coordinator denies the request or needs further information, our office will contact the requestor. Otherwise, the request has been granted full approval.

What vendors can we choose from?

We do not restrict who a district can request for service as long as their programming meets the guidelines for the CoSer. If a vendor is requested that isn’t in good standing with the AIE program, we will reach out to the district to discuss the issues and determine if they still want to proceed. Since our goal is to support our districts and their best interests, we do our best to ensure that we are working to mitigate any concerns prior to an event and inform a district if issues arise.

Which vendors are BOCES approved?

Although you will often find the statement in publicity materials distributed by some artists, no artist is "BOCES Approved." Only you can decide if an artist is appropriate for you students and BOCES places that decision firmly in your hands.

How often are vendors paid?

We strive to pay vendors within a month of the program. In order to avoid a delay in payment to the vendor, it is imperative that the requests are submitted early enough to allow for processing time. We also require an evaluation of the program from the district.

Can you prepay something?

As a measure to protect the district if circumstances change and we need a refund, we will not prepay an event unless it is absolutely necessary. (i.e. ticket purchases)

Can the district request to be reimbursed for things they self-paid?

Unfortunately once a district self-pays a vendor, we cannot reimburse them. If the request was put in and approved on time, we can ask that the vendor refund the district directly so that we can process payment, but that is not a guarantee.