Mobile Area Resource Centre and Mobile Art Craft Centre Services

Policy

This policy sets out the minimum expectations for Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) services operating in Victorian government schools.

Summary

• MARC and MACC services are offered to small rural and regional Victorian government schools, enabling them to provide students with access to a broader range of texts and educational resources.
• MARC services provide literacy-based programs.
• MACC services provide art-based programs.
• Funding for MARC and MACC services is provided through the Student Resource Package.
• Central offices, regional offices and participating schools all have specific roles and responsibilities in the delivery of MARC and MACC services.
• The MARC and MACC guidelines in the Guidance tab detail these roles and responsibilities as well as outlining the requirements for service delivery, driving and vehicle maintenance.

Details

About the service

MARC and MACC services enable small rural and regional Victorian government schools to provide students with access to a broader range of texts and educational resources. MARC is a mobile library service that provides literacy-based programs. MACC is a mobile art classroom service that provides art-based programs.

MARC and MACC services aim to:

• provide fair and equitable service coverage to small rural and regional Victorian government schools
• provide access to high quality resources to support student learning
• support and enrich teaching and learning programs aligned with the Victorian Curriculum F–10
• deliver high quality programs aligned to the goals and priorities set by the established MARC and MACC school cluster committee of management
• participate in collaborative learning communities within and across the MARC and MACC school clusters.

The MARC and MACC services model is comprised of base schools and serviced schools. The term ‘base school’ refers to the school receiving the MARC and/or MACC funding, and where the MARC and/or MACC teacher is employed. The term ‘serviced schools’ refers to schools receiving services from the base school to which they are assigned.

MARC and MACC teachers employed by the base school work collaboratively with serviced schools to increase access to a broader range of books and other educational resources, to improve engagement in relevant curriculum areas and improve learning outcomes.

Each cluster of base and serviced schools is required to establish a committee of management that is comprised of the base school principal, the MARC and/or MACC teacher and serviced school’s representative. Further information about the role and function of base schools, serviced schools and committees of management can be found in the Guidance tab.

Service eligibility

MARC and MACC services are offered to small rural and regional Victorian government schools. MARC and MACC eligibility is generally targeted at schools with fewer than 100 primary level (F–6 or equivalent) enrolments.

It is recommended that serviced schools are within 100 km of a base school, to maximise the amount of time MARC and MACC teachers spend at schools and minimise the time spent travelling between schools.

Enquiries related to service eligibility, including requests to commence or terminate a MARC or MACC service and provision should be raised by the committee of management with the regional service support manager.

Funding

MARC and MACC services are funded through the Student Resource Package (SRP). Funding is allocated to the base school, calculated on teacher FTE. As well as teacher salary, the funding covers the operational requirements of the services. Base schools also receive an annual casual clerical hours entitlement to support the management of MARC and MACC services.

Allocated funding must only be spent on MARC and MACC programs.

Further information about MARC and MACC funding can be found in the SRP Guide at MARC and MACC Grant and MARC and MACC teachers.

School councils may request parents to make voluntary financial contributions and payments to support MARC and MACC programs, consistent with the Parent Payments Policy.

Service delivery requirements

The delivery of MARC and MACC services is a shared responsibility between:

• central and regional offices
• base schools and serviced schools
• the committee of management established in each cluster
• MARC and MACC teachers.

Refer to the MARC and MACC guidelines in the Guidance tab for detailed information about each of these roles and responsibilities. The guidelines also outline the requirements for:

• service delivery and timetabling
• driving and vehicle maintenance.

It is expected that all primary level (F–6 or equivalent) students in each serviced school have access to the MARC and MACC program.

Related policies

• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)
• Parent Payments
• Student Resource Package – School Specific Programs
• Teaching and Learning Resources – Selecting Appropriate Materials
• Teacher Registration
• Vehicles (Excluding Buses) – Owned or Hired by a School
• Work Requirements – Teachers

MARC and MACC guidelines

These guidelines contain the following chapters:

• Roles and responsibilities of:
  • central and regional offices
  • base schools
  • serviced schools
  • committees of management
  • MARC and MACC teachers
• Service coverage and timetabling
• Driving and vehicle maintenance
• Annual report

Roles and responsibilities

Central office

Statewide Programs and Tech Schools within School Education Programs and Support (SEPS) provides policy oversight of Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) programs.

The key responsibilities of Statewide Programs and Tech Schools include:

• being a policy contact for regional service support managers
• providing support and advice about the MARC and MACC policy and guidelines to internal departmental staff as required
• maintaining lists of schools receiving the services.

Regional offices

A designated service support manager is located in each of the department’s 4 regions, to provide operational oversight to base and serviced schools about the implementation of the MARC and MACC policy and guidelines.

The key responsibilities of the service support manager include:

• being a contact point for committees of management
• seeking area executive director approval to commence or cease MARC and MACC services, at the request of the committee of management
• receiving annual reports submitted by each committee of management
• maintaining databases of MARC and MACC base and serviced schools
• obtaining requests for van replacements made by base school principals
• identifying networking opportunities for MARC and MACC teachers.

Base schools

Base school principals are responsible for employing and managing the allocation of duties to MARC and MACC teachers in line with the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 (DOCX). In instances where a teacher works at more than one school, consideration must be given to the Working in More Than One School guide.

Base school principals are responsible for ensuring the organisation of teacher work for MARC and MACC teachers is determined in the same manner as other teachers employed at their school, including the allocation of work directly related to the teaching and learning program (including face-to-face, preparation and planning time) and other duties.

Further guidance on the allocation of teacher work can be found on the Work Requirements – Teachers guide.

Base school principals are also responsible for overseeing the delivery of services and are accountable for the service budget.

Serviced schools

Serviced schools are encouraged to participate actively in service planning and overseeing operations, to assist and support the base school principal with administrative and coordination responsibilities.

Serviced schools have a responsibility to:

• ensure MARC and MACC services are aligned to the serviced school’s strategic planning and integrated in the school’s teaching and learning program (for example, Literacy or the Arts)
• provide support to the MARC and MACC teacher while they are at their school, including ensuring staff are available to supervise students when required (for example, when MARC students are not borrowing material or when MACC students are cleaning up)
• provide a representative to attend committee of management meetings
• contribute to service data collection for annual reporting purposes.

Committees of management

Each cluster of base and serviced schools is required to establish a committee of management comprising the base school principal, the MARC and/or MACC teacher, and a representative from each serviced school. Additional members may be invited to represent curriculum areas, student perspectives, or community interests if deemed appropriate by the committee of management.

It is expected that committees of management meet at least once per school semester, with one meeting designated the Annual General Meeting.

The committee of management is designed to provide local level governance of the services (not including employment issues) and to consider the needs and priorities identified by the serviced schools. The committee of management is accountable for overseeing funding, expenditure and reporting annually. Key functions of the committee of management include:

• approving the annual budget
• overseeing the use of funds allocated to the base school through the Student Resource Package (SRP) and the casual clerical hours entitlement
• overseeing the development and implementation of a timetable of service allocation, ensuring the teacher’s time is divided equitably across serviced schools
• overseeing the arrangements for changes to the service timetable due to student-free days and other school events
• ensuring services support the implementation of the Victorian Curriculum F–10
• determining the contribution to student report writing that is required
• requesting approval for schools to commence or cease MARC and MACC services from the area executive director through the service support manager
• defining the expectations of the services to be reported in the annual report
• endorsing the annual report (DOCX) to be submitted to the service support manager by December each year.

It is recommended the committee of management develop a local implementation document (approved by the area executive director) addressing the items above, and any other program operations that are considered relevant by the committee of management. The committee of management should review and approve the document annually and attach it to their annual report.

Teacher role and responsibilities

The MARC and/or MACC teacher must hold an active VIT registration or permission to teach, and a current Victorian driver’s licence appropriate to the category of vehicle. The teaching conditions for MARC and/or MACC teachers are the same as those for all other members of the teaching service and are set out in the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 (DOCX).

The MARC and/or MACC teacher should be provided with planning and preparation time that reflects the special nature of their duties. For example, the MARC and MACC teachers may not be able to be scheduled for routine yard duty, and attendance at meetings may need to consider the teachers timetable and the schedule of meetings for the year. This should be discussed with the base school principal.

Key responsibilities of MARC and MACC teachers include:

• development and delivery of relevant Victorian Curriculum F–10 aligned programs with a focus on student learning outcomes
• contribution to student reporting
• purchase and stocktake of resources and materials
• vehicle management and logbook keeping
• participation and contribution to planning and annual reporting as a key member of the committee of management.

Service coverage and timetabling

The committee of management must ensure each Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) teacher’s time is divided equitably across serviced schools.

The timetable endorsed by the committee of management should take into consideration such factors as:

• travel time
• size of serviced schools
• number of classes delivered by the MARC and/ MACC teachers
• equitable service delivery.

As serviced schools may vary from very low enrolments to approximately 100, no minimum time is set for each school within these guidelines. However, the service allocation should be proportional to the number of students and classes participating in each school.

Driving and vehicle maintenance

Work-related driving

MARC and MACC teachers and their base school principals must comply with the department’s Work-Related Driving Policy which includes a step-by-step procedure that must be followed.

Vehicle maintenance

Vehicles used to transport MARC and MACC teachers to serviced schools must comply with the requirements listed in the Vehicles (Excluding Buses) – Owned or Hired by a School Policy.

The vehicle should be garaged at the base school, or in close proximity if this is not feasible. Any changes to vehicle garaging arrangements must be approved by the committee of management. The budget implications for such a change must be clearly stated at the time of the request. The vehicle may be garaged at the home of the teacher where approval is granted by the committee of management and this does not incur additional costs.

Vehicle replacement

Base school principals are responsible for requesting van replacements.

Requests should be submitted to the service support manager who will work with the regional finance manager to obtain regional director approval.

The following actions are required for vehicle replacement requests:

1. Obtain 3 quotes for the replacement vehicle and include the following details:
   • purchase price comparison
   • running costs review
   • trade in and funds held at the school for replacement
   • the net shortfall the base school will be seeking reimbursement for
2. The school council must approve the purchase 'in principle', subject to the regional director’s approval
3. The 3 quotes and copy of school council endorsement must be provided to the service support manager
4. The service support manager will coordinate the request to the regional finance manager. The regional finance manager will arrange:
   • regional director approval
   • confirmation from the school resource branch that the shortfall can be funded

Funding is provided by way of reimbursement through the Schools Targeted Funding Portal (staff login required):

1. Users must log into this site using their school account, for example, edu001\S123456
2. A tax invoice generated from CASES21 must be attached to the school’s claim
3. Evidence that the school has paid for the replacement vehicle and associated costs must be attached as supporting documents

Service support managers should refer any questions they have regarding the above process to the regional finance manager.

Annual report

It is recommended that the annual report be planned from the first committee of management meeting of the school year to establish systems for service data collection relevant to the report.

The base school principal retains overall responsibility for development of the annual report using the provided annual report template (DOCX). Service data required for annual reporting includes but is not limited to:

• number of schools, and current enrolment figures for each school
• timetable of service delivery
• number of committee of management meetings and attendance rates
• budget and financial acquittal printed directly from CASES21 and attached for each Mobile Area Resource Centre (MARC) and Mobile Art Craft Centre (MACC) program held at the school. The attached reports should include the annual sub program budget variance report and the sub program account transaction report
• local implementation document addressing area based operational activities.

Individual teacher performance information is not to be included in the report.

Annual reports are to be submitted to the service support manager by the committee of management in December of each year.

Resources

Human resources

Guidance on allocation of teacher work in line with the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 can be found on the Work Requirements – Teachers guide.

Additional guidance about the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2022 is available at Industrial Agreements and Time in Lieu – Teaching Service.

MARC and MACC funding

Information about MARC and MACC funding can be found in the Student Resource Package Guide at MARC and MACC Grant and MARC and MACC teachers.