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Board to allow administrators to approve short, local field trips; overnight trips to remain board-level approvals
Summary
The Radford City School Board agreed to allow the superintendent or designee to approve day, short or local field trips to speed planning; overnight and higher-cost trips will continue to require board approval and the board asked to be notified of trips with material budget implications.
At the March 25 meeting the Radford City School Board heard a proposal to delegate approval of short, local field trips to division staff while reserving board approval for overnight or higher-cost trips.
Board members discussed that many short trips — walking visits to Radford University or local museum visits — historically come to the board for approval and that requiring board action has slowed approvals. The presenter proposed that overnight trips and those requiring more planning, supervision and expense continue to come to the board. "My proposal tonight is ... that you guys would be in on approving overnight field trips ... these shorter trips I would like ... those trips are allowed to take place," a division official said, adding that administrators would still notify the board and provide a list of field trips taken and planned.
Board members asked that staff include a budgetary caveat: if a day trip creates a material expense (bus rental, fees, staff allocation) the board should be informed. "If it's a day trip to an extended area ... because of bus rentals, etcetera, allocation of employment, I'd still like to know about those things," one board member said. The presenter agreed and said staff would discuss thresholds for when to notify the board.
The board did not change policy in this meeting; members said they would receive the trip request forms and lists and that overnight trips will remain on the agenda for formal approval.
