Policy/Program Memorandum 60A

Date of issue: September 16, 2010

Effective: Until revoked or modified

Subject: Ontario young travellers program: visits by students from northern Ontario to the provincial capital^{footnote 1[1]}

Application: Directors of Education of District School Boards with Eligible Schools
Supervisory Officers of the Moosonee District School Authority Board and
Moose Factory Island District School Authority Board

Reference: This memorandum replaces Policy/Program Memorandum No. 60A, November 1, 1992.

Purpose of the program

The purpose of this program is to encourage teachers of Grades 7 and 8 in schools in Northern Ontario to plan a visit for their classes to the Ontario Legislature in Toronto and to such cultural attractions as the Royal Ontario Museum, the Ontario Science Centre, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Ontario Place. The Ontario Young Travellers Program provides financial support for such visits.

Eligibility

Eligible schools are those that are north of the southern boundaries of the District Municipality of Muskoka and of Haliburton and Renfrew counties, and north of Highway 28 in Hastings County.

The following are eligible classes:

• Grade 8
• mixed Grade 7 and Grade 8
• Grade 7, if Grade 7 is the last grade in an elementary school

At the beginning of each school year, the ministry will inform school boards^{footnote 2[2]} with eligible schools of a base annual subsidy allocation. A board may then submit an application to the ministry for all eligible, interested schools.

General terms and conditions

Application process

• School boards will coordinate the internal application process for all eligible, interested schools. Boards will review the submissions from individual schools. Boards must then list the schools in order of priority on the second page of the application form (see the Appendix) that they submit to the Ministry of Education.
• A school board may submit only one application.
• The application form will be signed by the director of education or, in the case of a school authority, the appropriate supervisory officer.
• The local regional office of the ministry must receive the completed application form by November 30 of the school year in which the proposed trips are to take place.

Approval and payment of subsidy

• The ministry will review all applications. Late applications will not be considered.
• In cases where a board's request for funding exceeds its base annual subsidy allocation, the ministry may provide an additional subsidy if funds are available. (Additional funds may be available if other boards do not require funding for such trips.) Funding is guaranteed only for the maximum amount of subsidy identified by the ministry.
• Boards will be notified of their subsidy amounts by the regional office no later than mid-January. If the number of students and chaperones actually travelling is less than the number specified on the application form, a revised calculation will be made. If the number of approved students and chaperones is greater than the number specified on the application, no adjustment in the subsidy amount will be made. Where boards incur additional costs related to meeting the needs of students with disabilities, consideration will be given to providing additional funds. (Additional funds may be available if other boards do not require funding for such trips.)
• Directors of Education will be required to sign a transfer payment agreement with the ministry.
• As part of this agreement, boards will be required to submit a brief report on their schools' trips and a complete financial statement no later than July 15 of the same school year. Funds will be transferred to the board upon receipt of the financial report indicating actual expenditures.

Travel arrangements

• The board is responsible for all arrangements for travel, accommodation, and excursions, including itineraries. For visits to the Ontario Legislature, the bilingual Application for Tour of Legislative Building form is provided separately along with this memorandum.
• Trips will be subject to all board policies and procedures pertaining to field trips, including requirements for liability insurance coverage and board compliance with the Human Rights Code.

Travel subsidy

The Ministry of Education provides a grant for each student and one chaperone per ten students. The program provides funding as follows:

• $0.03 per kilometre towards the cost of travel from the school to Toronto and back
• $46 towards the cost of meals and accommodation, if the school is more than 800 kilometres (one way) from Toronto

For schools without road access to a major centre, 50% of the cost of travel is covered for the most economical mode of travel – air or rail – to the nearest commercial centre. The normal subsidy schedule will be applied from that centre to Toronto.

Appendix: Application forms

Ontario young travellers program application form for school boards (PDF, 14 KB)