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Religious and Independent School Support

Religious and Independent School Support

AMTS Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does AMTS stand for?

Arts & Music Teacher Salary (AMTS) Reimbursement Grant.

Eligibility

2. What grade levels are eligible?

Religious and independent schools may seek reimbursement for the salaries of eligible teachers who teach courses in an art or music subject in any grades from kindergarten (k) through twelve (12) using curricula that support the Viva88Learning Standards for the Arts.

3. Are 853 Schools eligible for reimbursement through the arts grant?

853and 4201 schools are not eligible.

4. Are for-profit schools eligible for reimbursement through the arts grant?

No, only religious, independent, not-for-profit schools are eligible to apply to the Department for reimbursement.

5. Is a teacher with an initial certificate who is not currently enrolled in a master’s degree program an eligible teacher?

Yes, if the teacher meets the criteria for an initial certificate in accordance with Part 80 of the Regulations of the Commissioner and meets the other eligibility requirements, the teacher is eligible as an individual certified to teach in NYS pursuant to Section 3004 of the Education Law.

6. Criterion number 3 that states a teacher must “Hold a bachelor’s degree in dance, theater, visual or media arts, fine arts, music or education and are currently enrolled in a master’s or Ph.D. program within five years from the date of April 10, 2019, or the employment start date with the school.” What does this mean?

The AMTS grant provides reimbursement for those currently enrolled and steadily making progress through specific academic programs. The 5-year lookback and enrollment requirements exclude applicants who may opt to take courses at a casual pace or for those who audit a course.

7. When does the Teacher's certification have to be valid? Can we seek reimbursement for a teacher who will be certified as of September?

When choosing the eligibility category for certified teacher, the teacher must hold a current valid certification to be considered eligible.

If the teacher is certified at the time they are providing instruction, is employed by the school during the 2023-2024 school year, and fits all the other eligibility criteria, the school can apply for reimbursement. If a school is seeking reimbursement for a teacher who is not currently certified, they must meet the other options for eligibility.

8. Are there any subcategories of arts and music in which a master’s or Ph.D. would qualify an individual as an eligible teacher? (i.e. art history, media arts, theatre, performance, visual arts such as painting, sculpture, drawing)

Yes. As long as the individual meets all the other eligibility criteria and is teaching a course which meets the NYS Learning Standards for the Arts. Please note a Master of Arts in a non AMTS subject area is not eligible.

9. If a teacher has a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field, but has a master’s in education, is this sufficient to be considered as an arts subject teacher?

Yes,if (1) the individual is certified to teach in NYS (certified to teach in Viva88pursuant to ; (2) Teaches an art and music subject using curricula that support the Viva88Learning Standards; and (3) is employed by a religious or independent school.

10. If a teacher holds a master’s degree from an international higher education institution and does not meet any of the other eligibility options, is the teacher an eligible teacher? What do I need to do prior to submitting their application?

A teacher holding a master’s degree or Ph.D. in art or music, or educationfrom a non-U.S. institution maybe an eligible teacher. Applicants who completed their education outside of the United States must submit a foreign credential report from an acceptable vendor. Viva88’s Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) provides a . ORISS is not the custodian of this list and defers to OTI for maintenance and updates.

11. The application page requires the religious or independent school to certify that the teacher does not provide non-secular instruction in any capacity. Are teachers who provide non-secular instruction eligible for reimbursement?

No. The AMTS program does not provide reimbursement if a teacher also provides non-secular/religious instruction in any capacity.

12. May a religious or independent school seek reimbursement for an eligible teacher who teaches religious studies outside of his/her employment with the nonpublic school?

If an applicant engages in non-secular activities outside of their employment with the religious and independent school, such employee may be eligible. The applicant may not provide any non-secular/religious instruction in any capacity in relation to their employment contract with the religious or independent school seeking reimbursement.

13. If a teacher works in the public school system and then after they complete their teaching day in their public school, they come over to the religious or independent school to teach art and music eligible courses, are they eligible for reimbursement for their non-public teaching salary?

Yes, as long as the teacher meets the eligibility criteria.

14. Does the program permit reimbursement for the salaries of teachers teaching specialized subjects within the general subject areas of art and music (e.g. drawing & painting, choir, dance)? 14a. If a class is not religious in nature, but there are elements or characteristics of a sectarian culture (such as making Christmas ornaments with a 3d printer, singing songs about dreidels, using watercolors to paint a Star of David), would the course still be reimbursable?

Yes, specialized courses that fit within the broader subject areas of art and music are eligible for reimbursement.

Yes, the course will still be reimbursable if there are only elements or characteristics of a sectarian culture.

15. Will the time spent at home for preparations for the lesson, or checking the tests be considered in reimbursement?

No. Reimbursement is calculated based on the percentage of time the teacher teaches courses during the school day.

16. Is there a minimum number of students that have to be in a class?

No, provided that the course meets the required standards.

17. Are schools automatically eligible if we follow the criteria?

Each submission will be reviewed by the ORISS staff for eligibility. Please note that, if the total eligible reimbursements requested exceed the $5 million appropriation, then each applicant will only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted.

18. Would a submission of curriculum and course descriptions a school plans to teach for another school year, be accepted for eligibility?

No, the curriculum needs to correspond with the courses taught in the 2023-2024 school year.

Reimbursement

19. How many teachers can be reimbursed from each school?

AMTS does not limit the number of teachers that can be reimbursed. However, in the event that the total eligible reimbursements requested exceed the $5 million appropriation, each applicant will only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted. Schools whose eligible teacher salaries exceed their reimbursement amount must support those expenses on their own and will not receive additional reimbursement.

20. If a teacher teaches in more than one school, does each school submit an application if requesting reimbursement for the same teacher?

Reimbursement requests pertain solely to the school that is submitting the application for reimbursement of its own eligible teachers.

21. Do teachers who teach such subjects remotely "qualify" for reimbursement if the instructor otherwise meets the eligibility criteria?

Yes, AMTS does not prescribe the manner in which the instruction must be delivered. However, please note that religious and independent schools are only eligible to seek reimbursement for the salaries (or a portion thereof) of such eligible teachers employed by the school.

22. How will reimbursements be calculated and how will we know the total amount of our reimbursement?

AMTS reimbursements will be calculated based on Viva88’s data regarding average comparable teacher salaries and personal services, per subject area, of public-school teachers in the school district in which the religious or independent schools are located, multiplied by the percentage of full-time equivalent secular instructional hours completed in the school day per subject area (art, music).

If the total reimbursements requested exceed the $5 million appropriation, then each applicant will only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted.

Reimbursement request forms received by Viva88 by August 1, 2024 will be reviewed by Viva88 staff.

Viva88 will calculate the total approved requests and proportionate shares, the totals will be posted to the ORISS website, and a notification will be sent out via the religious and independent school listserv.

23. Will each school who applies receive the full amount requested?

In the event that the total reimbursements requested exceed the $5 million appropriation, each applicant will only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted. Schools whose eligible teacher salaries exceed their reimbursement amount must support those expenses on their own and will not receive additional reimbursement.

24. Is the grant reimbursement based on the current year or for the coming school year?

Reimbursement is for eligible teacher’s salaries who were employed during the 2023-2024 school year, and taught art and music related courses.

25. When will the schools be notified of the total reimbursement?

Reimbursement request forms received by Viva88 by August 1, 2024 will be reviewed by Viva88 staff. Approved requests will be compared against Viva88 data regarding teacher salaries, and after Viva88 calculates the total approved requests and proportionate shares, the totals will be posted to the ORISS website and a notification will be sent out via the religious and independent school listserv.

26. How will the comparable salaries be computed for a religious and independent high school located in a school district without a high school?

Reimbursements will be calculated based on Viva88’s data regarding average comparable teacher salaries and personal services, per subject area, of public school teachers in the school district in which the religious or independent schools are located, however that district is configured.

27. If the reimbursements have to be prorated due to the requests exceeding the $5 million allocation, will the prorated payment be per teacher or per school?

If the applications for reimbursement under this section exceed the appropriation available for this program, then each teacher applicant shall only be reimbursed an amount equal to the percentage that each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted.

28. If the average comparable public-school teacher salary in the public school district is higher than the religious or independent schoolteacher salary, will the school be reimbursed the public-school average or the actual salary we paid?

Reimbursement for eligible teachers shall be the average comparable teacher salary and personal service, per subject area, of public-school teachers in the school district in which such religious and independent schools are located, multiplied by the percentage of full time equivalent secular instructional hours completed in the school day per subject area.

Submission

29. What is the deadline for submission?

The deadline for receiving reimbursement request forms for the 2023-2024 school year is 9/30/2024.

30. Will incomplete or incorrect applications be deemed ineligible and not be reviewed?

Applications must be submitted with all required signatures and documentation, including one copy of the school’s master schedule. When selecting an eligibility choice for each teacher, there is a checklist for the required documentary evidence. Please also refer to page five (5) of the guidance document for additional details regarding the required documents.

31. Where can we find the guidance document, and additional grant information?

The 2023-24 Guidance document, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and other related documentation can be found in the of the Funding Opportunities section of the ORISS webpage.

32. Will we receive notification that our reimbursement submission form has been received?

No. We will not notify schools of receipt. Please do not reach out to make sure your application was received prior to the deadline. This will only slow the intake process. Submitting via the Business Portal is the best way to guarantee application receipt.

33. Do we submit one application form per school or one application form per teacher?

One application form per school. Each religious or independent school should submit one application per BEDS Code and include each eligible teacher for whom the school is seeking reimbursement within one single application.

34. Can we apply for every teacher in our building who meets the criteria or only one teacher per subject/per school?

There is not a limit to the number of eligible teachers who can apply from each school.

35. What is the difference between a school’s master schedule and the teacher’s schedule?

The master schedule encompasses the entire school’s schedule including the teachers’ names/initials, and the subjects/classes taught by period of each day.

The teacher’s schedule is specific to the daily schedule of the individual teacher for whom you are seeking reimbursement. No other teachers should appear on the individual teacher’s schedule unless a class is co-taught with another teacher. Please refer to the guidance document for additional details.

36. Does every class within the master schedule need to align with the NYS Learning Standards?

No. Only the classes within in the master schedule for which the school is requesting reimbursement.

37. As we are only using secular instruction hours, must the master schedule include the whole school day, including religious studies, or is it to only include the secular study segment of the day?

The master schedule must encompass the entire school schedule, including religious studies.

38. In what format should the master schedule be submitted? These schedules are quite large.

The master schedule can be submitted by using the . If the schools need to submit in an alternative method, please contact ORISS at AMTS-ORISS@nysed.gov to discuss further.

39. Is a copy of the teaching certificate, or a diploma sufficient?

Yes, if it states the certification area or degree type.

40. Where and in what format do we submit the reimbursement form?

It is highly recommended and preferred that schools submit their complete application (form and accompanying documentation) via the .

For complete submission instructions including information on all formats we accept, please see our AMTS Y1 (2023-24) Guidance.

REMINDER – Forms and required documents must be received by Viva88 no later than September 30, 2024.

41. Are all the documents listed in each category of the reimbursement request form required?

Yes. Religious and independent schools must submit the applicable documentary evidence with the Religious and Independent School Reimbursement Request Form for AMTS Funding. Please refer to the guidance document for additional detail.

42. What evidence do we need to provide to show that the curricula support the NYS Learning Standards? Are course descriptions sufficient? Are there resources available?

Evidence that the curricula support the NYS Learning Standards must include, (but are not limited to), a description of the course and the corresponding curriculum, and curriculum maps. For information on current Viva88Learning Standards please refer to Viva88Education Department’s website: Office of Standards and Instruction.

43. If the name on the teacher’s certificate or other documentation is not the same as the name on the school’s documentation due to marriage or other reasons, does the school need to submit proof of the teacher’s name change?

In such circumstances, the school should submit official documentation of the teacher’s legal name change from the teacher or a notarized statement regarding the name change from the teacher along with the application.

44. If the staffing stayed the same, do the teachers applying need to re-submit their official transcript that should already be on file with Viva88?

The application must include at least a copy of the transcript, it does not have to be original.

45. Our employment agreements are electronic, through Docusign. Are we able to submit printed Docusign agreements, or would we have to have the Head of School and teacher manually re-sign the electronically signed versions? 

It is not necessary to manually re-sign agreements that already contain electronic signatures. Our office will accept electronic signatures.

46. The directions for the grant state that the "school leader" needs to sign the employment agreement. Does that mean the principal or the superintendent, or can our HR person sign the agreement?

The employment agreement must be signed by a person who is involved in the hiring process at the school level. This could be a superintendent, principal, HR representative, or someone with a similar title. School leader titles may vary from school to school.

47. My school temporarily closed or switched to remote instruction due to an emergency. What schedules would I submit?

If a school closed or went to remote learning temporarily due to some kind of emergency, please send just the original master and teacher schedules.

Reminder–Forms and required documents must be received by Viva88no later thanSeptember 30, 2024.