I. Purpose
To establish procedures for the collection, handling, and remittance or deposit of tuition and other non-student-activity fees.
II. Background
Many programs/activities sponsored by the Board of Education require the collection of tuition and/or non-student activity related fees. These include, but are not limited to: the Before and After School Program, Summer School, Adult Education, Alternative Education, Retiree Health Insurance, Use of Facilities, Certification, Student Records, Staff Development, Montessori, Driver Education, JROTC, Honors Chorus, and Band Programs. Most of these programs/offices have limited facilities for the storage of the funds they collect and if these funds are not handled appropriately and remitted or deposited promptly after they are received, the potential for loss or theft increases significantly. To compensate for this condition and minimize the risk that these funds will be lost or stolen, the following procedures for collecting, handling, remitting and/or depositing these types of funds will be employed by all programs/offices.
III. Procedures
- Cash is not an acceptable method of payment or collection for Board of Education sponsored programs subject to fees and/or tuition. Managers of programs that have accepted cash payments in the past, (e.g., Summer School, Staff Development, Montessori, and Before and After School), must provide program participants adequate notice via announcements, posters, brochures, and other appropriate media, that cash is no longer an acceptable payment method.
- In accordance with procedures established within each program involving the collection of tuition and/or fees, the only acceptable methods of payment in priority order are: money orders, cashier checks, certified checks, and personal checks with the exception of programs for which on-line acceptance of debit and credit cards have been established. All checks and money orders must be written payable to the “Board of Education of Prince George’s County or, alternatively, Prince George’s County Public Schools.” When accepting personal checks, the payer’s telephone number must be written on the memo line of the check if it is not pre-printed on the check. Programs that previously have refused to accept personal checks as a method of payment should continue to do so. This will reduce situations of dishonored checks due to insufficient funds in the payer’s account, as well as cost to the Board associated with returned checks.
- If an individual pays with personal checks and a check has been returned by the bank as dishonored, then only money orders, cashier checks or certified checks shall be accepted for future payments.
- If a prospective enrollee or payer arrives with cash, the person should be directed to the nearest facility that dispenses any of the acceptable methods of payments (e.g., Post Office, Bank, or Convenience Store). If accessing any of those facilities
is inconvenient at the time, the enrollee/payer may be provisionally registered, provided that a money order, cashier check, or certified check is submitted prior to or during the first session of the class or program. Failure to pay is grounds for
dismissal from the course or program or refusal of service.
- Timing - Sound cash management practices dictate that receipts be submitted for deposit on a regular and timely basis. Schools and offices receiving cash receipts will not hold items for indefinite periods of time for the purpose of accumulating
items for submission in batches. Receipts will be forwarded to the Treasury Operations Office, Room 113 of the Sasscer Administration Building for processing as received, regardless of the number of items on hand. All funds collected shall either be deposited in the program’s bank or forwarded to the Treasury Operations Office within one business day of receipt.
- If the funds are deposited directly in the bank by the office that received them, a completed Validated Deposit Ticket (VDT-see Attachment 1 for sample) and the appropriate supporting documentation must be sent to the Accounting and Financial Reporting Office, Room 203 of the Sasscer Building at the time the deposit is made.
- If the program that received the funds doesn’t have direct access to a board account, the funds must be forwarded to the Cash Management Office for deposit. In this instance, a Cash Receipt Voucher (CRV – see Attachment 2 for sample) and other supporting documentation must accompany the funds.
- Method of Transmittal – Ideally all funds being sent to the Treasury Operations Office for deposit will be hand-delivered, but it is acceptable to send checks up to $100 via the “Pony”. If the Pony is used, the envelope will be addressed to the
Treasury Operations Office, and the receipts and supporting documentation will be placed in a sealed envelope inside of the “Pony” envelope that is marked “SENSITIVE IN NATURE-OPEN PROMPTLY.” All receipts must be restrictively endorsed using an endorsement stamp specifically provided for this purpose prior to being forwarded to the Treasury Operations Office. If offices or programs do not already have an endorsement stamp, one will be provided by the Treasury Operations Office. The stamp endorses funds, “For Deposit Only – Payable to the Board of Education of Prince George’s County and Name of Office”.
- Verification of Amount Transmitted – Upon receipt of the funds, the Treasury Operations Office will verify the amount received and return a signed receipt to sender to document the change of custody over the funds. If the receipts are handcarried to the Treasury Operations Office, the carrier must obtain a signed receipt to document the change of custody of the funds at the time of delivery. If the amount received doesn’t agree with the amount indicated on the CRV, the transmitting office will be advised of this fact and asked to provide explanation for the difference.
- Deposits – All money orders and checks will be processed by the staff of the Treasury Operations Office and deposited into the appropriate account within one business day of receipt. The CRV will be forwarded to the Accounting and Financial Reporting Office with a copy of the deposit slip and copies of checks, and appropriate support documentation.
- Extenuating Circumstances – When receipts and collections must be retained at the receiving location overnight, they will be safeguarded in suitable, lockable containers with access limited to designated personnel and transmitted to the Treasury Operations Office the next business day.
- Questions and requests for assistance may be directed to the Treasury Operations Office at 301-952-6070 or the Accounting and Financial Reporting Office at 301-952-6111.
IV. Related Policies and Procedures
V. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures
These procedures originate with the Treasury Operations Office and will be reviewed and updated as the need may develop.
VI. Cancellations and Supersedures
This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 3160, dated November 15, 2010.
VII. Effective Date
July 1, 2013.
About This Procedure
Last Revised: July 1, 2013
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