Minutes from February 24, 2010 Meeting

February 24, 2010 -- Parent Council Meeting Minutes

Mark Rosen began the meeting as Chairman.  He offered an apology and an explanation for last month’s meeting.  Mark had attended PC meetings last year that had very little parent participation.  He believed that parents were not interested in the topics being discussed.  When he was offered to become Chairman, he saw it as an opportunity to reach out to the broader community to improve the school.  He saw it as a way for good ideas to come out to present to Site Council. In early September ’09, he consulted with Parent Council leadership about focusing on school improvement, and the leadership team agreed this was a reasonable goal.   The September and October meetings focused on school improvement issues, leaving little time for fundraising and budget issues to be addressed.  The school improvement issues discussed at these meetings ranged from brainstorming about grading structure to school start times.  At the January meeting, Parent Council participants and the leadership team questioned the appropriateness of introducing these topics and advising teachers and administrators about pedagogy and grading policy through PC.  Parent Council has traditionally been the established group for parents to help the school, teachers and students raise money and communicate.  The conflict sparked a review of the by-laws to find a way to form a task force or sub-group that would report to Parent Council.  Mark apologized to Randy Bernstein and Cindy Wright for rushing through the principal’s update and budget discussions in order to get to the school improvement topics, and he offered to resign his position as chair.

A motion was made to accept Mark’s resignation and elect a convening chairperson for the remainder of the school year.  Mark Rosen seconded the motion.  Helen Garrett reiterated that a task force addressing school improvement would be acceptable, but it would be inappropriate to have a parent group operating separately from Parent Council representing PC on school improvement issues.  Randy Bernstein said, “There is nothing to prevent any group of parents from forming a group to address concerns.  Bring it forward and keep it clear what it is and what it isn’t.  This (Parent Council) is the established group for parents.  Site Council can do its job as gatekeeper.  Where is this coming from?  Parent Council? Or a group of parents outside of Parent Council?  A vote was taken on the motion to accept Mark’s resignation, and it passed unanimously.  Mark resigned.   He expressed a desire to sort things out with respect, and he left the meeting.

Randy Bernstein called for nominations for a convening chairperson.  Helen Beardsworth was nominated, and she accepted the nomination.  There were no other nominations.  A discussion of Helen’s qualifications followed: she is ready to step in, has been scrip coordinator, experience with the by-laws.   A vote was taken, and Helen was elected convening chairperson for the remainder of the school year.

The business meeting began with the Principal’s Update:  The Student Talent Show made a memory, fun, money for Haiti.  It drew in kids that haven’t always been able to participate.  Measures 66 and 67 have helped the school budget go from hemorrhaging to bleeding.  We are still expecting to make cuts and use reserves.  Staffing allocations will come in from the district on March 3.

Helen Garrett stood in for Cindy Wright to present the 2010-11 Proposed Budget.

As of February 10, 2010:

PC assets total $50,052.  $32,315 of that comes from ’09-’10 Fundraising (Directory sales: $2,715; donations: $4,370; Scrip: $25,230).  The rest comes from interest income ($800) and carry-over from 09-10 ($16,937).

PC liabilities total $50,052.  Total Reserves are $7,000; Total routine budget items are $2,500; Total school programs are $35,402; Undesignated funds are $5,150.

The Proposed Budget is posted on the blog.

Parent Council derives most of its funds from Scrip, and has earned more this year, but could drop with changes in the economy. PC pays for school programs such as Volunteer Coordinator, Library Assistant, AVID Program staff and tutors, and 0.1FTE Math.  If we do not raise more money through fundraising, we will continue to use our undesignated funds to pay for school programs.

Helen  Garrett added that two years ago we made a robust survey of what parents wanted, and last year, as a result of the survey, we made a change to fund math.

A parent made a comment that we raise a lot of money at SEHS, and suggested that we maintain a fundraising calendar.  (EEF is raised separately).  It is confusing with all the various groups raising money.  Randy acknowledged there is frustration, and he wants to keep e-scrip within the Parent Council domain.  When other groups tap into e-scrip, it can drain off from the central fundraising effort of PC.

Stand For Children announced a meeting on Thursday, April 8, 7-8 pm, at Roosevelt Middle School Library, about funding for education and kicker reform.  RSVP judy_a_shaw@hotmail.com.

Kathy Ruggles, Volunteer Coordinator, asked for volunteers to sign up:

Bake/cook for or help with Midsummer’s Night Gala (Tentatively 5/6/10).  Contact Helen Beardsworth at 541-687-2820 or hbeardswo@gmail.com

Bake/cook or help with Teacher Appreciation (5/14/10).  Contact Kathy Ruggles, Career Center Asst/Volunteer Coord, at 541-790-8016 or  ruggles_k@4j.lane.edu.

The PC leadership team plans to meet to review the by-laws before the next meeting.

Come to the next Parent Council Meeting on March 31 at 7 pm.