TATC retreat finances

Shared costs
The expenses for retreat meeting room, equipment charges, insurance, flights, and incidental costs such as snacks are totaled and then equally shared by all teachers who attend.  

Sometimes the lodging expense is added to the shared cost in the event that the facility bundles the lodging with its other fees.

Lodging expense

If the facility fees include lodging, then the total lodging cost is added to the shared costs.  If a teacher wants a lodging upgrade, such as a single room upgrade, then that upgrade is paid by that teacher and is not added to the shared costs.

If the lodging expense is not bundled into the facility fees, then each teacher is free to select their own lodging and will pay for it by themselves.

Shared transportation costs
The thinking behind this plan is to make it easier for teachers who live at a distance (especially outside the US) to not have to bear the burden of expensive transportation each year. By totally the cost off all flights and then dividing that cost equally by all teachers, each attendee will contibute equally to the overall cost of transportation.

Ground transportation and airport parking is not included in the shared costs. Each teacher pays for this independently.

Flight fare maximums
In order to keep the shared transportation expense at a reasonable level, approximately 3 months before each retreat, the Finance Role researches current fares for flights from many cities in the US, to ensure that the flights:

The maximum credit for airfares is the researched price plus 20% so as to allow some choice of flights.

Of course, participants are welcome to purchase a more costly ticket if personal needs dictate that.
However, the excess would be paid by that teacher and would not be part of the expense shared by all teachers.

Deposits
All who attend the TATC retreat are required to pay a deposit before the retreat begins. This allows the Finance Role to pay the balance due to the retreat facility on the last day of the retreat, before the teachers are invoiced for their balance due.

Participant invoices
The Finance role will take into consideration the shared expenses for the retreat, any individual surcharges per teacher for single room upgrades, the flight expenses each teacher incurred and deposits sent, etc and calculate the balance due for each teacher. after the retreat is over.

Subsidy
The TATC generally contributes a subsidy (in the past it has been $3,500) to help offset the shared cost of the retreat for those who attend.