OPEN MEETING
NOVEMBER 7, 2006
BOARD MEMBERS
PRESENT: HANIA BROOKS, DAWN PLEW, JOHN LAZAR, GINA POLIZZI, MICAH
ROBERTS, VALENCIA FOSTER, STEVE ROOT, ANN WARREN, MARIA ESTELA HERNANDEZ, LARRY
DEMERS, GINGER BOWER, AND MARIA VON HARTZ
MEMBERS PRESENT: TINA TEODORESCU, DAKOTA SUNSERI,
NEAL FELDER, BARBARA KAYE, INGRID CASWELL
1. MEETING WELCOME – 7:10 PM
MICAH AND
MARIA WELCOME ALL AND THANK EVERYONE FOR COMING. PEOPLE INTRODUCE THEMSELVES.
STEVE ROOT MOVES TO APPROVE LAST MONTH’S MINUTES; HANIA
BROOKS SECONDS; MINUTES APPROVED.
THE
PLEDGES TO DATE TOTAL APPROXIMATELY $72,000, UP $20,000
FROM THIS TIME LAST YEAR. 187 FAMILIES HAVE PLEDGED, UP FROM 159 LAST YEAR.
WE HAVE COLLECTED TO DATE $48,670, UP 34% OVER LAST YEAR.
SEE ATTACHED SHEET FOR DETAILS.
3. FAMILY FAIR
THE DATE FOR THE FAMILY FAIR IS SET FOR THE LAST FRIDAY IN
JANUARY, JANUARY 26. HANIA, ESTELA, AND OLGA ARE ORGANIZING IT. THE THEME IS
“CARNIVAL.”
THE GOAL IS TO INCLUDE LATINO FAMILIES AND HAVE FUN,
RATHER THAN TO RAISE MONEY, SO FOOD AND DRINKS WILL BE FREE OR VERY
INEXPENSIVE. THERE WILL BE SOME GAME BOOTHS, FOOD, CRAFTS, AND A PERFORMANCE BY
BALLET FOLKLORICO.
THE GROUP WOULD LIKE TO RAISE MOST OF THE MONEY TO COVER
THE EXPENSES OF THE FAIR, BUT WOULD ALSO LIKE TO ASK FRIENDS FOR HELP IN CASE
IT’S NEEDED. MICAH MOVES FRIENDS ALLOCATE $500 TO COVER ANY COSTS THAT MIGHT
NOT BE COVERED. GINA SECONDS; THE MOTION IS PASSED.
THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION OF COST FOR ENTRY OR ACTIVITIES.
FAMILY FAIR HAS ALWAYS BEEN FREE IN THE PAST. MARIA SUGGESTS THE COST BE FREE,
BUT THAT DONATION JARS BE PLACED OUT FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO GIVE.
BARBARA KAYE SUGGESTS THAT MRS. SANCHEZ MIGHT LIKE TO HAVE
HER FOOD BOOTH AT THE FAMILY FAIR, SINCE SHE MISSED FALL FESTIVAL. THIS IS LEFT
OPEN, SINCE MRS. SANCHEZ IS NOT AT THE MEETING.
4. SPRING EVENT
GINGER BOWER PERSUADED
THERE IS DISCUSSION OF HAVING A CASINO NIGHT, BUT VENUE
AND PERMITS MAY BE A PROBLEM.
GINGER MOVES WE HAVE ANOTHER BINGO NIGHT; MARIA SECONDS;
MOTION IS APPROVED. MARIA WILL CALL INNER CITY ARTS ABOUT USING THEIR SPACE FOR
THE EVENT.
5. UPDATES
--FALL FESTIVAL: GINNEAN DID AN AMAZING JOB; THE EVENT NETTED $18,907 TO DATE (SEE
ATTACHED
SHEET). GINNEAN WOULD ALSO LIKE TO DISTRIBUTE A SURVEY TO SEE HOW WE
CAN
IMPROVE THE EVENT FOR NEXT YEAR. A ROUGH DRAFT IS DISTRIBUTED (SEE ATTACHED
SHEET) AND THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION OF WHAT
QUESTIONS TO ADD OR CHANGE. GINGER
VOLUNTEERS TO REVAMP THE SURVEY AND REPHRASE
SOME OF THE QUESTIONS. THERE IS
SOME
DISCUSSION OF WHETHER TO SEND IT VIA E-MAIL OR HARD COPY; IT IS DECIDED THAT
HARD COPY
IS NECESSARY. HANIA VOLUNTEERS TO TRANSLATE IT INTO SPANISH.
--SHELVING:
STEVE ROOT GIVES AN UPDATE. HE THOUGHT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET IT FOR
FREE, BUT
COULDN’T, SO HE
RESEARCHED THE COST. THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION OF THE ALTERNATIVES,
AND COSTCO SEEMS TO
BE THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE. TINA TEODORESCU MOVES WE
ALLOCATE $400 TO BUY
SHELVING; BARBARA KAYE SECONDS; THE MOTION IS PASSED.
--FINANCIAL
PLAN: LARRY AND DAKOTA REPORT THAT THEY AGREE, IN THE SHORT
TERM, THAT FRIENDS
SHOULD PUT $100,000
IN A 10-MONTH CD AT 4.8%, AND ANOTHER $90,000 IN A 5-MONTH CD AT
4.4%. THAT LEAVES US
WITH $80,000 IN LIQUID FUNDS. LARRY MOVES THAT WE ADOPT THIS PLAN;
MARIA SECONDS; MOTION
IS PASSED.
THE ISSUE FOR THE FUTURE IS THAT, TO AVOID RISK, WE NEED A
MORE LONG-TERM,
COMPREHENSIVE INVESTMENT
PLAN.
--LITERACY
NIGHT: FRIENDS GAVE $100 FOR SUPPLIES AND PRIZES.
--BOX TOPS:
HANIA REPORTS THAT, SO FAR
THIS YEAR, WE’VE MADE OVER $500, MORE THAN WE MADE
LAST YEAR ALTOGETHER. THIS IS GREAT! MR. FEENEY’S CLASS
WAS THE WINNER, WITH 640 BOX
TOPS.
FOOD PRIZES ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED, SO WE NEED IDEAS FOR
PRIZES FOR THE NEXT BOX TOP
BONANZA. JOHN LAZAR SUGGESTS A HOMEWORK-FREE DAY.
HANIA REMINDS EVERYONE THAT BOX TOPS COUPONS ARE ON LOTS OF
PRODUCTS, NOT JUST
SNACK FOODS.
--FUTURE
FAMILIES WINE AND CHEESE: WILL BE AT LORI BERMAN’S
--SCHOOL
TOUR: WILL BE
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH.
--TRICK
OR TREAT FOR UNICEF:
GINA REPORTS THAT $1600 HAS BEEN RAISED, WITH STILL A WEEK TO GO.
6. NEW BUSINESS
A. JOHN LAZAR SUGGESTED FRIENDS OR PTA
ORGANIZE A SPELLING BEE OR VOCABULARY BEE. BARBARA KAYE SUGGESTED AN ACADEMIC
DECATHLON.
B. MICAH REPORTS THAT SHE AND MS. COLINA
DISCUSSED HAVING “EARTH WEEK” OR “SPIRIT WEEK” IN
APRIL. STUDENTS WOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO WALK TO
SCHOOL; WE COULD GET RECYCLE BINS;
OTHER
ENVIRONMENTALLY HELPFUL ACTIVITIES WERE DISCUSSED.
C. DAWN REPORTS THAT SOME FRIENDS OF
HERS ARE OFFERING TEACHERS FREE 15-MINUTE
MASSAGES.
D.
ARE GOING,
RATHER THAN JUST TELLING THEM ABOUT IT AND ASKING FOR MORE MONEY. SHE
SUGGESTED WE
SEND OUT PICTURES OF THE SCIENCE LAB, THE COMPUTER LAB, AND THE PE
PROGRAM. THERE
WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF HOW AND WHEN TO DO THIS. MICAH SAID SHE’LL WORK
ON IT.
7. DIVISION OF
RESPONSIBILITIES
MICAH AND MARIA WANT TO REALLOCATE RESPONSIBILITIES, SO THAT
THE JOB OF PRESIDENT ISN’T SO ALL-ENCOMPASSING, AND SO THAT IT’S EASIER TO PASS
THE TORCH FOR NEXT YEAR. THIS WILL ALSO MAKE IT CLEARER WHICH BOARD MEMBER IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR WHICH JOBS.
BARBARA AND TINA SUGGEST THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ONE OLD AND ONE
NEW PRESIDENT; MICAH AND MARIA REPLY THAT IT’S REALLY A TEAM EFFORT AND THE
PRESIDENCY NEEDS TO HAVE THE SAME TWO PEOPLE BOTH YEARS. SO “COLLECTIVE MEMORY”
NEEDS TO BE HELD IN THE BOARD MEMBERS AND EVENT BOOKS.
GINGER SUGGESTS A BUDDY SYSTEM FOR EACH POSITION, SO THAT
INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED AND PASSED ON MORE EFFICIENTLY. THUS, BOARD POSITIONS
SHOULD BE DESIGNATED MORE CLEARLY.
JOHN LAZAR SAYS WE MUST DELEGATE OUTSIDE THE BOARD, AS WELL,
THUS INVOLVING OTHER PARENTS. THERE IS SOME DISCUSSION OF HOW TO DESIGNATE THE
NECESSARY POSITIONS AND ALLOCATE THEM. LARRY SUGGESTS WE NEED TO DRAFT A NEW
ORGANIZATION CHART, WITH DUTIES CLEARLY SPECIFIED. MICAH AND MARIA VOLUNTEER TO
DO THAT.
DAKOTA SUGGESTS THAT MS. TANN ANNOUNCE THE FRIENDS MEETINGS
ON THE MONDAY BEFORE, AT THE MORNING ASSEMBLY.
JOHN SUGGESTS A “TOWN MEETING” TWO OR THREE TIMES A YEAR TO
RECRUIT MORE PARENTS. SOME MEETINGS WILL BE IN THE MORNING, SOME AFTER SCHOOL,
SOME IN THE EVENING.
JOHN LAZAR MOVES TO ADJOURN;