2024-2025 PROGRAM GENERAL RULES AND GUIDELINES

    General Grant Rules and Guidelines

1.       Field trips must be used on same day and cannot be divided into multiple days for any reason without first receiving prior authorization from the MEEC. To do so will forfeit your grant and no monies will be paid.

2.   Applications must include a copy of the actual school district or transportation company round trip transportation cost from your school to your requested sites (including tour time and departure/arrival times).  If you are unable to secure a written estimate from your transportation department of transportation company, a google map or similar map print out that includes roundtrip milage as described above, and the transportation cost (including per hour or per mile break down) will be accepted.  MEEC is not liable for unscheduled stops or additional charges incurred that were not requested in the original grant application submitted.  Round-trip milage traveled by bus from school to host site and back may not exceed 350 miles.

3.       Applications may not request more than three (3) busses.  Due to the high cost of fuel, applicant must show proof of attempts to secure school district transportation for all trips (ex. Email communication between transportation department).  Exceptions may apply and MEEC should be notified immediately.  MEEC is not responsible for district bus services and does not approve/disapprove which school transportation service your school district chooses to use, but the MEEC Executive Board reserves the right to approve/disapprove the use of charter bus services on a case-by-case-basis. 

4.  Determining Grant Award Sites: Teachers must select a 1st and 2nd choice of where they would like to visit.  Sites must be on the 2024-2025 Approved Host Site list. Applicants must select two different sites. MEEC’s EnviroBus Buck Committee determines while site applicants will be awarded based upon the overall total cost of all choices, then makes the selection to best maximize the available budget. 

   5.Grant recipients are responsible for coordination of all travel arrangements, which include but are not limited to:

·         Obtaining District and/or School Approval

·         Coordinating the field trip date with the host site contact personnel.

·         Notifying MEEC of planned field trip date or if trip is unable to be taken.

·         Notifying MEEC immediately of any problems with visiting awarded host site. Visiting a site that was not authorized in your award notification, for any reason without prior MEEC approval, will result in non-payment from MEEC.

·         Providing a minimum of one adult chaperone for every ten students attending the field trip or the minimum amount specified by the host site. If sufficient chaperons are not provided, the host site may cancel the trip at their discretion and no funds will be paid by MEEC.

4.        Grant recipients are responsible for ensuring that MEEC is billed for their trip no later than June 13, 2025.  Failure to submit invoice and receipts (as applicable) by the deadline may result in applicant being ineligible for a grant the following school year. Invoice must include applicant name, school, site and date of trip to process payment. Missing information will cause a delay in processing as the invoice will be returned to the requestee for completion.  Invoices may be submitted to MEEC by mail at: 14306 Park Ave., Victorville, CA 92392 or by email to meec@mdaqmd.ca.gov

5.        EnviroBus Buck Transportation Grants must be scheduled to occur within the school year the grant is awarded. If for any reason the grant is not used in the school year it is awarded, allocated funds will be forfeited.

6.        Grant recipients may transfer/share the grant to/with another educator from the same school site. However, the original number of buses requested may not be exceeded nor the destination site changed. Please notify MEEC of any such changes immediately. You must notify MEEC immediately if you are exchanging sites with another teacher from your school.  MEEC is not liable to cover these charges without prior MEEC authorization for the change.

7.        Liability Clause: MEEC and its agents are released from any and all liabilities which may arise from participation in an EnivroBus Bucks funded field trip. MEEC field trip liability forms are required for each student and must be submitted one week prior to the scheduled field trip or grant may be forfeited.

8.       Grant recipients are required to submit an online program evaluation survey after the field trip along with three (3) student field trip evaluation surveys. Surveys are available online only and will be available for completion from September 20, 2024 until June 30, 2025.  Failure to submit surveys may result in loss of funding for the following year application period.