The school is administered by a nine- to fifteen- member Board of Trustees, composed of the Director, a staff representative, parent volunteers from past and present Montessori families, as well as other members of the community. The Board meets monthly and determines school policies in the areas of finance, strategic planning, and administrative accountability.
Next Board meeting:
The calendar lists Board meeting dates. All parents are welcome to attend. Please contact the Board President with any questions.
The regular board meeting of the Montessori Board of Trustees was held on Saturday, May 12, 2007 at Montessori School. The meeting was called to order at 9:10 a.m. Board members present at the meeting included Cormac O’Sullivan, Gordon Cook, Cindy Kuehl, Susie Bonjour, Matt Simonsen, Dennis Mitchell, Cindy Hoppe and Terri Schuchard. Ken Hinshaw, Accountant, was also present at the meeting. Guests in attendance were Jim Bailey, Scott Cochran and Katharine Dale.
It was moved to approve the agenda, which was seconded and approved. It was moved to approve the minutes of the March 24, 2007 meeting. The motion was seconded and approved.
Reports:
President: Cormac introduced the current board members and the new incoming board members as a result of the recent election. Cormac described aspects of the routine board meetings for the new board members and the various school events the board of trustees participates in on a regular basis. The school is functioning well both operationally and financially.
Accountant: Ken passed out the Income and Expense Statement through April 30, 2007. The statement reflects a positive year to date net operating position and a positive end of year financial projection. Eighty-three percent of the year has elapsed. Cash in bank is significantly higher in comparison to the same time last year. The final end-of-year financial position will be realized following the summer session. The playground re-surfacing is being funded 50 percent from the general fund and 50 percent from savings accumulated from past fund-raising events.
Director: Activities Summary - The playground re-surfacing is scheduled to start after summer session and is due to be completed prior to the start of the fall session. The concrete work will begin August 3rd, followed by the application of the soft surface.
Wanda Crombie has resigned her position effective the end of the current school year. This position will be replaced and schedules adjusted as necessary. A total of $5,000 has been raised to date in brick sales. Approximately 750 letters were mailed this week. A total of $20,000 is needed in order to proceed with the brick project. A decision to proceed with the brick project needs to be made by June 15th in order to tie in with the construction timeframe. If a total of $20,000 is not raised by June 15th, contributions will be retained in the savings account until the desired amount is reached. The advantages of stamped concrete versus a traditional brick solution were discussed at length.
The blacktop is beginning to show its age and is in need of repair. Gordon will proceed with obtaining estimates to fix; however, will hold on procurement until a decision is made to move forward with the brick project.
Gordon and Ken met with bank officials this week to discuss direct deposit of payroll and direct payment of tuition. Direct deposit will be forthcoming and offered to staff starting at summer session. Direct tuition payment is more complicated due to variation of tuition costs from month to month. An option may be to offer direct payment for basic tuition cost and bill for variable amounts separately. Gordon and Ken will work to implement in the near future.
Old Business:
The current parking policy will be evaluated and modified as necessary to address the current parking congestion. A redesign of the parking lot may be feasible and will be discussed at a later date.
New Business:
The recent board of trustee’s election indicate the following results:
Katharine Dale 28 votes
Scott Cochran 25 votes
Jim Bailey 24 votes
Congratulations to everyone on being elected to the board! A motion was made to approve Joe Floss as a community member of the board of trustees. The motion was seconded and approved. A motion was made to approve the following board members to officer positions for the 2007 – 2008 school year as noted below:
Cormac O’Sullivan President
Katharine Dale Vice President
Matt Simonsen Treasurer
Cindy Hoppe Secretary
The motion was seconded and approved. Congratulations to the new officers. The teacher elected representative to serve on the board of trustees is Jane Anderson. Board members are asked to bring schedules to the next meeting to determine future board meeting dates. No summer meeting is needed since new board members attended this meeting. The board discussed election of an honorary board member. A motion was made to appoint Cindy Kuehl as an honorary board member. The motion was seconded and approved.
Anticipated fall enrollment was discussed. The elementary class numbers continue to increase. Elementary enrollment is expected to be at maximum capacity this fall. Further discussion of expansion of elementary classes will be explored at a later date.
The Annual meeting and Ice Cream Social are scheduled for August 24th. New parent orientation is scheduled for August 15th. The next board meeting will be held Saturday, September 15th at 9:00 a.m.
A motion was made to adjourn, seconded and approved. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Terri L. Schuchard
Secretary
Previous Board of Trustee Minutes