Materials Policy

Helena Public Montessori Parents (HPMP)
Montessori Classroom Materials Policy
10/3/11 final revision

Goal: Adopt a policy for purchasing classrooms materials that is sustainable for HPMP and equitable for Montessori classrooms in the Helena School District. The policy will set clear expectations for teachers, Principals, and HPMP which will aid in planning for expansion, annual budgets and maintaining current classroom materials.

General: HPMP’s first priority is to fulfill teacher training needs – both currently under contract and anticipated – before material requests will be considered.

HPMP’s priorities for the supply of Montessori-approved teaching materials in descending order are:

1. Supply existing Montessori classrooms with basic materials.

2.Provide existing Montessori classrooms with replacement of existing materials due to loss, breakage or normal wear and tear.

3. Provide new Montessori classrooms with basic materials.

4. Provide teachers with support materials such as teaching manuals, books and other Montessori resources recommended by a nationally recognized Montessori organization or training facility.

If more than one Montessori teacher in a school is requesting a particular classroom material, HPMP encourages the teachers to determine if sharing the classroom material is feasible.

Exceptions to this policy will be considered by the HPMP Board on a case-by-case basis

All purchases are dependent upon available funding.

Criteria for Montessori Classroom Materials:

Materials requested must meet American Montessori Society (AMS) or other recognized national Montessori standards or have been recommended by a Montessori certified consultant or training facility. Please refer to the AMS Elementary Suggested Materials document at www.amshq.org.

Materials will be purchased from a nationally recognized supplier of quality Montessori materials. HPMP reserves the right to purchase from a supplier other than the teacher’s chosen source in order to take advantage of group discounts.

Locally made materials will be considered. These materials must meet the same criteria listed above. HPMP will ensure that such materials meet safety and educational standards. The production of such materials must be both feasible and manageable as determined by the HPMP Board and principals.

Procedure:

A Montessori teacher makes an initial request for classroom materials to his/her school principal. Teacher will submit a written request for materials to HPMP giving the need, purpose and relevance to the Montessori method; the source for purchase; and cost. Please use the HPMP Materials Request form.

The school principal approves or denies the classroom materials request and forwards the request to HPMP.

If funding is available and the request meets the criteria set forth in the Classroom Materials Policy, HPMP will approve and fund the request. The teacher and school principal will be notified of the approval.

If HPMP denies the classroom materials request, the teacher and school principal will be notified in writing as to the reason for the denial.

If approved, HPMP will order the classroom material and deliver it to the teacher’s classroom.

Requests can be made for any amount.

Deadlines for requests are October 1st (fall) and April 1st (spring) of each school year. Requests will be awarded or denied within 10 days.

Other:

The materials are the property of HPMP and stay with the Helena School District classroom for which they were purchased.

Donations from outside sources may be made directly to HPMP for the purpose of purchasing materials. The donation will be deposited to the HPMP bank account and HPMP will purchase the materials. Any excess funds from the donation will be added to the HPMP general bank account to be used to promote the mission statement of HPMP.

To ensure equity among classrooms within our District, HPMP encourages donations be made to HPMP without specifying a particular classroom so the funds can be used where the need is greatest. Donations made to specific teachers/classrooms will be considered. The school principal must approve this specific allocation.