• Student accounts may be restricted if regular documentation of academic progress is not provided.
• Participation in MCS ongoing assessment plans, including all statewide assessments, is a requirement to submit reimbursements. Accounts may be restricted if participation in the mandatory testing requirement is not met.

In some circumstances, additional allotment funds are available. Speak with your advisor and consider the allotment scholarship request procedures.

MSCS provides a buy-out option of up to $500 per student for families who are transferring to MSCS from non-District home school programs and meet our program eligibility requirements. This enables families, who want to keep resources from their previous program, to transfer more easily to MSCS. The two buy-out options are available by a credit to the student's allotment as follows:

- Pay the non-District program directly
- Reimbursement check to the family
- This option must be exercised within 12 months from the date of initial enrollment.

For parents and/or students interested in purchasing eligible items, the depreciation purchase schedule for equipment, books and computers is based as follows: 

• The purchase price is 50% following one year (365 days) of student use.*
• The purchase price is 25% following two years of student use.
• The purchase price is 10% following three years of student use.
• The purchase price is $1 following four years of student use.  

*Graduating seniors should consult with their advisor about exceptional circumstances.

**See the Technology page for more information. 

Musical instruments depreciate at a rate of 10% every 12 months beginning with the date of issue. Speak with your advisor if you have questions about the musical instrument depreciation schedule.

Student Account funds may be transferred between siblings of the same family (proficiency and grades will be considered). Graduating seniors can also transfer remaining allotment funds to a younger sibling. Contact your advisor to learn more about the process.

The reimbursement process is the most common form of accessing allotment funds. This is where you buy products or services and then request reimbursement for those expenses. A reimbursement is money paid back to parents out of their student’s allotment for items they have purchased out of pocket, such as curriculum, resources, supplies, etc. (as outlined in the ILP). Here are some common guidelines to keep in mind:

Receipts must show vendor, date, payment form, and services or materials purchased. Internet bills must show the cost for internet access.

• Reimbursements for instruction are only available if the vendor is currently on the Mat-Su Central Instructional Partner List.
• Only one reimbursement request can be submitted per week per household.
• Reimbursement requests can only be submitted for one student per request.
• Each student’s request for reimbursement submission must total a minimum of $100.00, except the final reimbursement for the year, which can be less than $100.00.
• Each reimbursement request can include multiple receipts/items. (This helps to reduce the overall amount of reimbursements in the system and speeds up the process for everyone.)
• Receipt totals must clearly state the purchase, (i.e. Internet receipts must clearly show an Internet total.)
• All incomplete receipts (invoices) will be rejected and need to be resubmitted with complete information.
• No items deemed excessive by MCS advisor or MCS Administrator will be reimbursed.
• Save your original receipts after submitting into the parent portal.

Every purchase or reimbursement must be directly related to the Individualized Learning Plan and aligned with State of Alaska standards for education. Materials purchased with allotment funds are the property of MSBSD. Appropriate use and maintenance of these materials is the responsibility of the parent. Equipment over $300 should be discussed with your advisor and some other non-consumables must be tagged as property of Mat-Su Borough School District. In these cases, reimbursement payments will only be made after the equipment is brought to the school for inventory.

Deposits are processed by the Mat-Su Borough School District, not Mat-Su Central. If you need to update your payment information, please do so on your ParentVue account.

Please ensure the following to receive a timely reimbursement:

• Grades and proficiency plans are up to date
• Receipts are legible
• Proof of payment is clear
• Provide itemized receipt for multiple items
• Only one student is on a request
• Your instructional vendor is on our list
• Your total request is at least $100
• Remember, you can always include multiple receipts.

The following may slow payment or lead to denial of payment. Make sure you do not:

• Exceed your available funds
• Use a vendor that is not approved
• Have multiple students on a single request
• Purchase items/services not associated with a course on your ILP
• Instructional Partner (vendor) receipts must show dates, times, and description of activity. See the Instructional Receipt for example of required information.

Materials needed to help learn throughout the year, such as:

• Textbooks & Workbooks
• School Supplies
• Computers, iPads, etc.

Tutoring or instruction from community partners (vendors), such as:

• Academic Tutoring
• Physical Education
• Individual courses

Educational learning activities that extend student learning, such as:

• Museums & Cultural Centers
• Performances
• Field Trips

1. Make sure your expense is related to your student’s ILP.

2. Make sure your receipt is complete. (For instruction, you may use the Instructional Receipt.)

    Receipts must show vendor, date, payment form, and services or materials purchased.

    Internet bills must show the cost for internet access. Each reimbursement request must add up to at least $100.

    This helps to reduce the overall amount of reimbursements in the system and speeds up the process up for everyone.

3. Take a photo or scan of the receipt. You may use your phone.

     If you need to upload two photos for one reimbursement request, write $0 with the second photo, or contact IT for assistance.

4. Submit in the Parent Portal (Chrome is the preferred browser)

• Log into ParentVUE
• Homeschool Links
• Follow prompts for reimbursement

• Vendor must be on the MCS approved instructional vendor list.  
• Requests for reimbursement must list month, days and times for lessons and show “PAID”.
• No services may be provided by persons less than 18 years of age.

To satisfy parts of your ILP, you may use non-vetted MCS Vendors. However, MSC cannot reimburse for vendors who have not gone through the vetting process. We work with vendors all the time to help them become vetted so that you can use allotment dollars to pay for their services. If your vendor needs to start this process, please have them visit the Instructional Partners page and contact Gena Chastain.

Like most questions at MCS, it depends! Keep in mind that your student’s allotment is made up of state and district funds set aside to help support your child’s learning. Some of these items are "consumable" and remain yours to keep, and some of them are district assets that can be reused by another student. 

For example: 

• Consumables: workbooks, pencils, science project kits, etc. 
• District Assets: computers, textbooks, musical instruments, bicycle, etc. Returning district assets when you are finished using them allows us to keep providing supplies for students in need. That said, many families will keep their supplies throughout their multi-year enrollment at MCS. Most of our students keep their school computers for at least 3-4 years and eventually buy them out for a depreciated price. 

Equipment valued at and over $300.00 is typically considered non-consumable and must be approved by your advisor and have MCS Property ID tags affixed. Some items of lower value may also be tagged, such as graphing calculators or external hard-drives, etc.

You can find more about this policy by exploring this Allotment Support page or speaking with your advisor.

Every individual learning plan is different, and families are encouraged to speak with their advisor to ensure approval of allotment purchases. Items that are considered “excessive” will not be approved by the school administration. Mat-Su Central School does not reimburse for the following except in exceptional circumstances:

• Medical expenses or medical insurance is not reimbursable, including school physicals and sports physicals
• Pets and other animals- exceptions may include bee-keeping and baby chicks
• Furniture (exceptions may include a reading light, white board, or student desk)
• Entertainment
• Family Travel
• Food- exceptions may include Mat-Su Central Educational Travel
• Clothing and excessive personal sportswear- Exceptions may include skates, ski boots, required uniform/equipment, etc.
• Payment for services provided to students by a family member is prohibited. A family member is defined as a spouse, guardian, parent, step-parent, sibling, step-sibling, grandparent, step-grandparent, child, uncle, or aunt. 

For Direct Deposit, follow these prompts. If you need assistance, bring the form to MCS and we can forward it for you. 

- Download the Direct Deposit Form.
- Fill in the form online or print and fill in.
- Send the completed form with a voided check to: MSDPURCHASING@matsuk12.us

Deposits are processed by the Mat-Su Borough School District, not Mat-Su Central. If you need to update your payment information, please do so on your ParentVue account.

Families are strongly encouraged to have conversations with their advisor prior to the purchase of any item or service over $300. 

Prepaid Services (Fitness clubs, piano lessons, karate lessons, sewing lessons, etc.) during the current year will be reimbursed on a monthly basis, only after services are rendered. 

Memberships, passes and activity fees will be reimbursed for students (one chaperone may also be reimbursed). 

Internet Service – Effective July 1, 2023, MCS can reimburse for home internet data up to $200 per family per month without advisor pre-approval. Questions? Contact MSC Technology Department: (907) 352-1366.

Households enrolling a student or students in the allotment-based program may use up to $500.00 of their family’s allotment for the educational needs of their 3 and 4 year old preschool children. An MCS enrollment form must be filled out for each preschool student. A birth certificate must also be provided (see front office). If submitting for a Preschool student, please clearly indicate “preschool” in the description field. Clearly mark all preschool items “Preschool” on Pre-Order forms.

Nonsectarian services and materials may be purchased from public, private, or religious organizations with student allotments if:

1. the services and materials required for the course of study in the ILP textbooks, services, and other curriculum materials and the course of study:
2. are approved by the school district
3. are appropriate for the student
4. are aligned to state standards
5. comply with Alaska law related to the prohibition of partisan, sectarian, or denominational doctrines from being advocated in a public school during school hours
6. comply with Alaska law related to the prohibition of discrimination in textbooks and instructional materials, and supports a public purpose

Unexpended funds provided for student allotments may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next, provided the student continues to be enrolled in the correspondence program for which the annual allotment was provided.

Yes. These are required expenses in some cases in order to purchase items, so you are eligible to claim them for reimbursement.

• Skate, ski, and snowboard rentals must be approved by the Advisory Teacher and the Accounting Office.
• Computers and musical instruments for student use need prior approval for purchase by Mat-Su Central School / MSBSD. Transferring students utilizing buy out options are exempt from this approval requirement.
• Up to $200 can be spent per student on LEGOs each school year. Exceptions must be pre-approved by the advisor.

As per Alaska State Correspondence regulations, if a student is no longer enrolled in the correspondence program for which the allotment was provided, the unexpended balance of the student allotment must be returned to the budget of the department or district. Any allotment expenditures that have been made for purchases that occur after a student's withdrawal date must be paid back to Mat-Su Central before the student withdraws. No reimbursement requests will be processed AFTER the date of withdrawal. To guarantee reimbursement, all receipts must be submitted 30 days prior to withdrawal. Any allotment expenditures that have been made for purchases that occur after a student's withdraw date must be paid back to Mat-Su Central before the student withdraws.