A. The Cedar Valley Catholic School Board and the Waterloo Catholic Faith Formation Commission share in the mission of the Catholic parishes to celebrate, proclaim and live the Good News of the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus Christ. This mission is the sole purpose for the existence and activities of Catholic schools and faith formation programs; it therefore governs the formation of policies and the disposition of personnel, facilities and resources within and among the parishes, schools and faith formation programs. (cf. model constitution for parish faith formation commissions, section 5 in Archdiocesan Board of Education Policy 8620.1; model constitution for interparish school boards, section 5 in ABE policy 8620)
This Joint Agreement recognizes the autonomous responsibilities of the Cedar Valley Catholic Schools Board (CVCS) and the Waterloo Catholic Faith Formation Commission (WCFFC) delegated to them by the parishes, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, and the state of Iowa. This Joint Agreement clarifies the working relationship and shared responsibilities outlined in separate Consolidation Agreements; it further defines the disposition and use of personnel, materials and facilities relative to the mission of the Catholic parishes.
B. Any revision made to either the CVCS or WCFFC Consolidation Agreements will be done in collaboration with the other governing body.
C. Any revisions to this joint agreement will be subject to a mutually agreed upon resolution and requires the approval of both bodies.
D. In the event that consensus cannot be reached regarding any issues addressed in this agreement, an appeal process for resolving a disagreement between CVCS and WCFFC will be implemented. A committee consisting of the CVCS Pastor Representative or Pastoral Coordinator, the WCFFC Pastor Representative, the CVCS and WCFFC Chairpersons, the CVCS Chief Administrator, and a Faith Formation Administrative Team designee will be convened to come to a resolution. If consensus efforts fail, the Regional Vicar may be called to act as an arbitrator.
E. Faith Formation Leaders and Catholic School Administrators will serve as resource personnel to CVCS/WCFFC teachers/staff/catechists and students/program participants, when requested. Faith Formation Leaders and Catholic School Administrators should be involved in ongoing joint planning for catechesis and faith formation offerings and initiatives. (seeABE Policy 6141)
F. Sacramental catechesis will follow the directives of the Archdiocese to prepare and involve parents/guardians, sponsors, and the parish community. Preparation is not limited to the year(s) in which a sacrament will be celebrated, but presumes continuous enrollment in a religious education or Catholic school program. Parent/guardian meetings / parish involvement should jointly include individuals from all programs offered. (see ABE Policies 6150.2 and 6150.4)
G. CVCS and WCFFC Administrators will communicate with one another as new students enroll or change programs. Family information that is shared will only include: student name and grade level, parent name(s), address, phone number(s).
A. The WCFFC has primary responsibility for all resources and supplemental theology materials in the local faith formation libraries and offices.
B. Faith Formation Leaders will reserve classroom audio-visual equipment through the CVCS building administrator(s).
C. An ad hoc religion curriculum committee will collaborate for the purpose of previewing religion textbook series. The committee will consist of CVCS teachers, WCFFC catechists, and administrators from both bodies. After previewing and evaluating archdiocesan approved religion publishers, a recommendation will be made to the CVCS Board and the WCFFC for textbook adoption.
A. Joint Personnel: If a need arises to share personnel between CVCS and WCFFC, each entity would be responsible for creating a unified job description and/or job agreement, along with compensation packages designated for each entity. A definitive line of accountability will be included, along with the approvals of both CVCS and the WCFFC. The stewardship of financial resources and personal gifts provides the basis for consideration of sharing personnel.
A. Office spaces for Faith Formation staff, as well as for space for programming needs, will continue to reside within the Parish and/or CVCS buildings, unless a mutually agreed upon alternative location can be provided.
B. CVCS Wednesday evening and Sunday morning policies are written, revised, and approved in collaboration with the WCFFC. (see attached)
C. Facility Usage: All buildings and facilities exist for the joint usage of the metro Catholic community. To reserve space within the buildings, arrangements can be made through the local CVCS administrator (School) or the local Parish. If a problem arises in making these arrangements, the Pastoral Coordinator will be contacted to negotiate a resolution. Generally, Faith Formation activities will take precedence over other events/activities, if arrangements are made in advance
D. Daily cleaning and summer maintenance schedules for CVCS will accommodate faith formation programs and activities.
E. Changes in facility usage or configuration which will impact any faith formation activities require the formation of a joint CVCS/Faith Formation ad hoc Facilities Committee which will evaluate the proposed changes based on current and future needs. Possible changes should be submitted to the appropriate chief administrator, who will contact the corresponding chief administrator and/or appropriate pastor(s). The chief administrators (and, if necessary, pastor(s)) will determine who will serve on the ad hoc committee. Following the committee's deliberations, a formal decision based on the committee's recommendations will be made by the chief administrators and submitted to the CVCS Board of Education and the Waterloo Faith Formation Commission for approval. (Amended and approved by the Waterloo Faith Formation Commission on August 11, 2015 and CVCS Board of Education on September 3, 2015.)
Arrangements for use of CVCS vehicles for faith formation activities shall be negotiated between the CVCS Chief Administrator and the faith formation Administrative Team (or designee(s)) according to the CVCS Vehicle Usage policy. (see attached)
All usage must comply with Archdiocesan self-insurance and Protection of Children directives.
If food service involving school lunch facilities are needed for faith formation programs, arrangements shall be negotiated between the CVCS Director of Food Services and the faith formation Administrative Team (or designee) pursuant to the limitation of federal or other regulatory agencies.
Approved by the Cedar Valley Catholic School Board
September 5, 2013.
Approved by the Waterloo Catholic Faith Formation Commission
September 10, 2013.
• • •
Cedar Valley Catholic Schools System Policy
on Wednesday Evening and Sunday Activities
It is the policy of Cedar Valley Catholic Schools that Wednesday nights be considered Family Night.
The policy allows all school campuses to be used by Religious Education Departments and creates potential scheduling dates for Intergenerational events and Religious Education programs such as C.O.R.E., Youth Ministry, or sacramental preparations such as Confirmation.
The policy is as follows:
On Wednesday nights, all sporting and extracurricular activities shall end at 5:45 P.M., with all students being off campus no later than 6:00 P.M. Winter sports events and extracurricular activities will receive a half hour extension with practices etc. ending at 6:15 P.M. with everyone off campus by 6:30 P.M.
Also to respect the importance of Sunday liturgy, no Sunday rehearsals, practices, or events shall begin before 1P.M.
--March 24, 2004
• • •
The following policy will be in effect for Religious Education, Adult Formation and Youth Ministry use of Cedar Valley Catholic Schools vehicles:
1. CVCS (Becky McElroy) must be given a minimum of 48 hrs. notice for bus or van use. Use will only be granted if CVCS doesn't have a conflicting event at that time.
2. The group using the CVCS van or bus, must arrange for their driver.
3. If using a driver other than a current CVCS bus driver, the completed driver paperwork must be to Becky 48 hrs. prior to use of the bus. Paperwork is - Employee Driver Application, copy of each of the following: certificate of annual 3 hr. training, medical card, social security card, & CDL license. Becky must register each driver with the state. Driver must complete the Catholic Mutual, http://www.catholicmutual.org/ online training "Be Smart Drive Safe" & have results emailed to bmcelroy@cvcatholic.org and dbqcvhr@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us.
4. Becky must be given a copy of completed Driver Information Sheet/Volunteer Drivers Form & Archdiocese of Dubuque Questionnaire for Volunteers 48 hrs. prior for each driver using a van. Driver must complete the Catholic Mutual http://www.catholicmutual.org/ online training "Be Smart Drive Safe" & have results emailed to bmcelroy@cvcatholic.org and dbqcvhr@arch.pvt.k12.ia.us.
5. Out of state trips require Board of Education approval the same as school activities.
6. "Rental" for both vans & buses will be at the current IRS vehicle mileage rate plus any additional costs unexpectedly incurred by CVCS should that vehicle be needed while it was in use other than because of a scheduling error.
7. CVCS bus drivers will currently be billed at $13/hr. Cost will be re-evaluated as wages increase.
8. Reimbursement to non-CVCS employed drivers is the responsibility of the group using the vehicle.
9. Becky's time will be billed at $13 if a CVCS driver is used and $25 if it's is an outside driver that she needs to certify with the state. Cost will be re-evaluated as wages increase.
10. The group using the vehicle is responsible for verification of completion of all Field Trip/Off Site event forms required by the Archdiocese and retention of those forms.
11. No costs related to damage to a vehicle whether it be by accident or intentional by either a driver or passenger shall be the responsibility of CVCS.
-- October 1, 2012.