Thank you for your interest in leading an after-school enrichment program at San Jose Middle School.  Here’s how San Jose Middle School after-school enrichment programs work:  

Sessions: We offer enrichment programs in three sessions each year: Fall, Winter, and Spring.  Each session typically allows for eight (8) weeks of after-school classes. Instructor agreements are negotiated and renewed each session.

• Fall: October – December
• Winter: January – March
• Spring: April – June

Schedule: Generally we offer each enrichment class one day a week for 90 minutes right after school.  Most days, programs run 2:50pm to 4:20pm.  On Wednesdays, school is dismissed early at 1:40pm and we aim for Wednesday enrichment classes to start at 1:50pm.  There’s some flexibility to the timing to accommodate instructor availability and course content; for example, we can reduce class length to 60 minutes, or offer more than one class per week.  Details are determined through the process of negotiating an Instructor Agreement.

Pay: Our Enrichment Program Instructors are typically paid $60/hour.  We pay for two hours on each day the course is offered for 90 minutes; this allows an extra half hour of pay to cover time for setup, cleanup, and planning.  We typically pay Enrichment Instructors in two installments each session: once after the first 3 classes, and once at the end of the session.  There’s some flexibility to this model.  Details are determined through the process of negotiating an Instructor Agreement.

Class Size: For each course, we agree on a minimum number of students needed to run the class (often 4) and a maximum number of students (typically 12-20).  If we don’t get the minimum number of students signed up by the deadline, we can talk about canceling the course or can try an extra push to get it filled and adjust the start and end dates accordingly.  (The extra push has been successful in filling past courses.)

Instructor Requirements:  We do not require any particular credential or certification to lead an after-school program.  We look for knowledge of content, skill in engaging our students, and ability to manage a classroom.  All after-school enrichment instructors must comply with NUSD child safety regulations which include a background check and TB test, and all must sign a formal agreement with SJMS PTA which outlines the parameters of the course.  Instructor agreements are negotiated and renewed each session.

Registration & Logistics: The SJMS PTA promotes enrichment activities to students and parents, charging a modest registration fee (eg, $160/student for an 8-week session), and offering enrichment scholarships for families with financial need.  We contract with a third-party company, Electivty, to handle student registration, payments, and some course logistics.  We arrange a room on campus and support communications with parents.  This simplifies things for Enrichment Instructors.  In some cases, we depart from this model for programs that have an existing structure, e.g., those organized by an outside company.  Equity is a primary concern and in ALL cases, we make a concerted effort to ensure students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and abilities can participate.

Insurance: Most activities are covered under the SJMS PTA’s insurance policy.  Some activities may require the instructor to secure additional insurance.  If this is the case, we can build the cost into the registration fees and recommend insurance carriers that make the process easy. 

To explore offering an after-school enrichment program, contact the SJMS PTA President at  [email protected] or (408) 455-5643.