Beloit board recognizes HBCU college tour as district-sponsored, approves $5,000 toward bus after policy and insurance concerns

The School District of Beloit board voted to recognize a historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) tour as a district-sponsored extended field trip and approved $5,000 in financial support toward transportation costs after lengthy debate about policy compliance and financial transparency.

Board members raised several concerns before the votes, including whether the trip paperwork met district policy 352 for extended field trips, whether a current faculty member was listed as the required sponsor, whether the district’s insurance would extend to a co-sponsored trip, and how fundraising money was flowing through outside accounts. Chair Michelle Jones pressed administrators and the presenters for evidence of insurance certificates and complete itineraries, saying the board needed to "show me the receipts" to document where funds were going.

Despite the concerns, the board first voted to recognize the HBCU tour as a School District of Beloit-sponsored field trip. Later, after additional discussion about funding mechanics, the board approved a $5,000 allocation to support the tour, with trustees specifying that the district would pay the bus vendor directly to improve transparency. The vote on funding passed 5–1.

Administrators and presenters said the trip is co-sponsored by external groups (named in materials as Nightingales and a college partner), and that those organizations carry their own insurance, though the board noted no certificate had been filed in the district records at the time of the discussion. The business office clarified that, historically, fundraising for similar trips has been routed through district activity accounts; for this trip, some funds appeared to remain in outside accounts. The board asked the policy committee to tighten procedures, update checklists, and require a finance report for extended trips above a threshold amount.

Key factual details captured in the meeting: the district discussed an $18,518.07 bus invoice as part of the trip budget and a Nightingales account balance of about $5,000; Wisconsin statutes cited during debate included 118.3 (pupil nondiscrimination) and 118.27 (gifts and grants) in relation to selection criteria and grant handling.

The board directed staff to: (1) obtain and file insurance certificates and a complete itinerary for the trip; (2) provide a transparent accounting of fundraising and to prefer direct payment of vendors when external funds are used; and (3) forward proposed policy changes to the policy committee to clarify timelines and financial-check requirements for extended/co-sponsored field trips.

The funding vote concludes the board’s action on this item; staff will return with any follow-up documentation requested by trustees.