ZTAG Pathways Ownership & Authority
Governance Minutes – Approved Operating Framework
1. Purpose
a. Define approved ZTAG purchasing pathways
b. Establish ownership, eligibility rules, escalation boundaries, and decision authority
c. Enable the Pathways Coordinator (Carmee) to operate independently without second-guessing
d. Clarification:
- This role is pathway stewardship, not sales execution
- Authority is granted in full and will be formally reviewed at Carmee's 6-month review (approx. March 12)
2. Operating Posture (Non-Negotiable)
a. ZTAG sells itself
b. Quotes are issued only after an implicit "yes"
c. Carmee routes, filters, authorizes, or stops pathways
d. If no compliant pathway exists, the process ends
e. Quan may end any pathway at any time without permission or escalation
3. Pathway 1: Grant-Funded School / After-School
(District or Site-Based)
a. Typical Buyer
- Public school districts
- Individual schools
- District-led after-school programs
b. Funding Source
- Federal / state grants
- ESSER / ELOP / Title funds
- District or site-based budgets
c. ZTAG Classification
d. Non-Profit Discount
- ❌ Not applicable (EDU pricing already applied)
e. Primary Owner
- Carmee (Pathways Coordinator)
f. Authority
Carmee fully owns this pathway end-to-end. Authorized to:
- Provide grant language and coordinate with decision-makers
- Customize funding proposals using approved templates
- Completed Funding Packet must be approved by Quan before reuse
- Issue EDU quotes
- Structure district-wide implementations ready for purchase
- Bulk discounts applicable
g. Kristin Involvement (Strategic Only)
Kristin is involved only if all conditions below are met:
- Individual school has budget constraints
- School agrees to monthly Playmaker commitment to test and track learning and inclusive programs
Required Sequence:
- First "yes": Monthly Playmaker commitment
- Second ask: District introduction
- Early Adopter discussed only after proof and learning are established
Conditions:
- Carmee confirms rollout understanding
- Monthly Playmaker check-ins agreed to in advance
- Early Adopter eligibility is confirmed, never assumed
Kristin's Role:
- Develops district-level rollout strategy
- Focuses on what can be measured, learned, and scaled
- Maintains big-picture district lens
Handoff:
- Kristin hands off plan to Steve (Playmaker) for:
- Onboarding
- Playmaker check-ins
- Testing and tracking learning and inclusive programs
Boundary:
- Kristin does not engage in pricing, quoting, or transactional execution
4. Pathway 2: 3rd-Party After-School Program
(Nonprofit or Vendor-Run)
a. Non-Negotiable Rule (Freezes Debate)
If the primary business is for-profit in any way:
- EDU pricing never applies
- Only Professional pricing is allowed
- Optional 10% educational discount requires website verification
b. EDU Pricing Applies ONLY If All Are Verified
- Verified 501(c)(3)
- Programming is supervised
- Program operates inside schools
c. Primary Owner
d. Authority
- Carmee may close without escalation
- If rental, drop-off, or Playmaker supervision is not present → STOP
5. Pathway 3: City / Municipal Purchase
a. Typical Buyer
- Parks & Recreation departments
- City-run youth programs
- Municipal after-school initiatives
b. ZTAG Classification
- EDU (pending final confirmation)
c. Non-Profit Discount
- ❓ Pending confirmation with Quan
d. Primary Owner
e. Authority
- Complete vendor onboarding forms
- Typical vendor forms may be forwarded for guidance
- Coordinate procurement requirements
- Structure city-wide or multi-city partnerships
- Bulk discounts applicable
f. Kristin Involvement (Limited & Conditional)
Kristin is involved only if all conditions below are met:
- City has budget constraints
- Carmee has fully filtered and qualified the opportunity
- Request is for one initial unit only
- Monthly commitment to measure student impact is established
Boundary:
- If rental, drop-off, or Playmaker supervision is not present → STOP
6. Pathway 4: Camps
(School-Based or Nonprofit)
a. Classification Rules
- Nonprofit camps → EDU pricing (+ NP discount if applicable)
- For-profit camps → Operator Partnership (Pathway 5)
b. Primary Owner
c. Authority
- Carmee may close
- Vendor invitations or district tie-ins → forward to Kristin
7. Pathway 5: Operator / Experience-First Partnership
a. Intent
b. When Used
- Budget-blocked schools or nonprofits
- For-profit youth venues
- Organizations unwilling or unable to meet Early Adopter requirements
c. Rules
- No unsupervised use
- No hardware sale
- Authorized operator must be present
d. Primary Owner
e. Authority
- Match to approved operator
- Close pathway via introduction only
- If rental, drop-off, or Playmaker supervision is not present → STOP
f. Required Positioning Language
"This is a way for your students to experience ZTAG."
g. Operator Partnership – Authority Clarification
- Carmee owns and maintains the Authorized ZTAG Operator List
- Only Playmaker Certified Professional users may be included
- Carmee may independently route and close operator pathways using this list
- New operators ≠ allowed until Playmaker Certified by Steve
Rationale: Protects brand integrity, safety standards, and supervision consistency while preserving Carmee's operational autonomy
8. Pathway 6: Pilot Program
(District-Only, Early Adopter Mechanism)
a. Intent
- District-level evaluation and learning
- Not a pricing workaround or affordability solution
b. Mechanism
- Executed exclusively through the Early Adopter Discount
c. Eligibility (All Required)
- District partner only
- School cannot fund independently
- Clear expectations with school and Playmaker
- Willingness to introduce district decision-maker
- Commitment to monthly Playmaker check-ins
d. Primary Process Owner
e. Payment Execution
- Finance (when payment path is known and approved)
f. Authority
- Kris determines whether a Pilot Program is offered
- Once approved, Carmee may coordinate execution with Finance
g. Escalation
Escalate to Kris only if:
- Payment path is unclear
- New exception or precedent is requested
9. Pathway 7: Professionals / Operators
(Proposed Payment Terms)
a. Intent
- Evaluation of non-standard or proposed payment terms
b. When Used
- Custom payment requests
- Any proposed (non-predefined) payment structure
c. Primary Process Owner
d. Payment Execution
- Finance (after Kris approval)
e. Authority
- Carmee does not approve proposed terms independently
- All proposed terms must be reviewed by Kris before Finance execution
10. Early Adopter Protocol
(District Introduction & Pilot Mechanism)
- Not a discount program
- District introduction and evaluation mechanism
Eligibility (All Required)
- School cannot fund independently
- Will introduce district decision-maker
- Commits to monthly Playmaker check-ins (first "yes")
If unmet → Early Adopter is not discussed; only rental options may be offered
11. Document Governance (Non-Negotiable)
a. Partners receive PDFs only
b. Drive links are internal source of truth
c. Wording changes → Quan approval required
d. Layout / graphic changes → Charlie approval required
e. Carmee maintains document currency
12. Guiding Principle
a. If use is supervised, educational, and integrity-aligned → proceed
b. If it resembles rental, drop-off, or unsupervised use → STOP
c. Carmee is authorized to enforce this boundary without escalation
13. Pathways Decision Summary Table (Binding)
This table serves as the authoritative reference for day-to-day routing decisions. In the event of interpretation conflict, this table governs.
| Pathway |
EDU Pricing |
NP Discount |
Carmee Can Close |
Escalation / Authority |
Boundary |
| 1. Grant-Funded School / After-School |
✅ |
❌ |
✅ |
Kristin only for district rollout strategy |
|
| 2. 3rd-Party After-School |
✅ (in-school only) |
✅ NP / ❌ FP (Pro pricing + max 10% Edu) |
✅ (if compliant) |
|
Rental, drop-off, or unclear supervision → STOP |
| 3. City / Municipal Purchase |
✅ (pending) |
❓ |
✅ |
Rare; Kristin only for learning-focused first unit |
|
| 4. Camps |
Case-based |
Case-based |
✅ |
Vendor invites → Kristin |
|
| 5. Operator / Experience-First Partnership |
❌ |
❌ |
✅ |
Must use Authorized Operator List only |
|
| 6. Pilot Program (District-Only) |
✅ (via Early Adopter) |
❌ |
❌ |
Kris owns approval; Finance executes known paths |
|
| 7. Professionals / Operators (Proposed Terms) |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
Always escalate to Kris; Finance after approval |
|
13A. Table Notes (Clarifying Authority)
a. "Carmee Can Close" means no escalation is required if all pathway rules are met
b. Pilot Program approval is owned exclusively by Kris
c. Proposed or non-standard payment terms always require Kris review
d. Finance executes payment paths only after approval and clarity
e. Quan retains authority to end any pathway at any time
Document Version: 1.0
Status: Approved Operating Framework
Review Date: March 12, 2026 (Carmee 6-month review)