Scattergood Friends School Mission

 

Through a strong academic program, a cooperative workprogram, and community based on Quaker values, Scattergood Friends Schoolprepares students with recognition of self worth, sense of global citizenship,growing spiritual awareness, commitment to life-long learning, ability to liveconstructively in a community, and skills to attain future academic andvocational success.

 

 

Approved Minutes

Scattergood FriendsSchool Committee

4 April 2010

 

 

Present: GeorgeBergus, Ruth Dawson, Debbie Galusha, Frank Griffith, Lucy Hansen, PhilHenderson, Russ Leckband, Lorene Ludy, Callie Marsh, Sylvia Sanford, DanTreadway, Doyle Wilson, Bob Winchell, Allan Winder

 

Absent: Steve Tamari

 

Guest: Barb Garlinghouse, SFS Foundation

 

Faculty present:Eryka Driscoll, Margie Figgins, Dana Foster, Joey Giffen-Hunter, Bob Gutwein,Mark Quee, Ginny Winsor, Nicole Wolf-Camplin, Steve Wolf-Camplin

 

 

            Theclerk opened the meeting with silent worship at the appointed hour. She thenread the following quotation:

 

"Love is the hardest lesson in Christianity;but, for that reason, it should

be most our care to learn it."

                        William,Penn in Quakers in Britain: [CU1] QuakerFaith & Practice,

                                    Yearly  Meeting of Religious Society of Friends

 

 

            Weapprove the minutes from our last meeting held 6 February 2010.

 

            Weapprove the minutes from our conference call meetings held in mid-March 2010.

 

            Wegive final approval to the changes proposed in the description of theDevelopment Committee responsibilities, the description of the responsibilitiesof the Enrollment Committee, and other changes in the School Committee Handbookat the February meeting.

 

            Thedate for our fall meeting will be 18 September 2010.

 

            Weappreciate the minute Mark Quee and Dana Foster presented on behalf of thestaff. The discussion it engendered was valuable, informative, and hopefullyfruitful. The minute is as follows:

           

                        Weappreciate the work, thought, time and care members of

the School Committee put intotheir jobs. The staff shares with

the School Committee the hope thatScattergood will be a financially

and programmatically stronginstitution for many more years. Staff

and Committee will work togetherto ensure ScattergoodÕs future.

 

We are worried about the long-termfinancial health of the school.

To keep the school strong, werequest that the School Committee

take (or continue to take) thefollowing actions:

1.    Conduct short and long range financial planning as well as   

            monthby month financial oversight.

2.    Make time to work on enrollment and fundraising.

3.    Ensure it has the expertise to carry out these activities by

            includingcommittee members with significant experience

            inmarketing, financial planning, fundraising, and legal affairs.

 

The faculty has changed over theyears. Longer tenures at Scatter-

good have resulted in programimprovement and stability but also

require higher salaries to meetindividualsÕ financial needs both

current and future (retirement,costs of child rearing and college

enrollment, professional education,health maintenance, pay off

college loans, etc.). This inturn, can meet the SchoolÕs best interests

in retaining quality staff. We askthat you consider the urgency of

staff salary and housing needs inyour CommitteeÕs work.

 

Further, we seek new ways to buildstrong communication between

Staff and School Committee and tomake our current experiences,

Expertise and knowledge moreavailable to the Committee.

 

            Thefollowing lists are suggestions that came out of the discussion:

 

School Committee                                                             Staff

                                                                                                                              

1)formalize strategic plan and share it                             1)communicate                                                                                                        

2)communicate                                                                 2)seek expertise

3)seek expertise                                                               3)staff rep come to SC meetings    

4)share minutes                                                                4)share pertinent minutes               

5)alter calendar to include a state                                     5)attend state of the school mtg                                                                              

       of the school meeting forstaff & SC                         6)suggestions on how to make

6)current clerk available to staff                                             subcommittees more helpful                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                              

 

            Wewelcomed Barb Garlinghouse from the Scattergood Friends School Foundation, andappreciated her report on how the Foundation is changing their formula todetermine the amount of money they can distribute to the school each year. Theresulting predictability will be a welcome change.

 

Admissions &Enrollment

 

            Welistened with interest to the report from Phil Henderson on the work of theEnrollment Committee. He described their approach through a theoretical outlineof six general pieces:

1.    Prospective students, marketing, inquiries.

2.    Follow-up on inquiries: materials to candidates.

3.    Exchanges of information. This includes how to process aviable candidate. It includes the application and the interview.

4.    Evaluation of the candidate. Admissions committee screens andsorts applicants.

5.    Acceptance of the candidate.

6.    Getting them here, oriented, etc.

 

            Ournext task is to evaluate the SchoolÕs strengths/weaknesses in each area. TheSchool Committee and the staff will need to brainstorm together on this.

 

            Philalso reported that the admissions team is on top of the process. The work islabor intensive. Their diligence in moving that process along has resulted intheir being ahead in their timing. The process is working much better. Thatdoes not mean we know what the admissions rate will ultimately be.

 

            TheEnrollment Committee also believes that the blind financial need acceptancepolicy is philosophically sound, but financially irresponsible. We will need toreconsider this policy.

 

Development Committee

 

            Weapprove the Development CommitteeÕs request that we write a letter to accompanya grant proposal to Sun 4 Schools, stating that we support the SchoolÕsinvolvement in the project, and that the project supports our mission andlong-range goals. Debbie Galusha, clerk, and Margie Figgins will write theletter.

 

            TheDevelopment Committee asks that all Committee members read two books they thinkwill help prepare us to undertake the work of the upcoming capital campaign.Ginny Winsor will explore the possibility of finding them at a discounted rate.They are Philanthropy at Independent Schools, second edition, by Helen A. Colson, and Nonprofit Essentials:The Capital Campaign, by Julia Ingraham Walker.

 

 

 

Facilities Committee

 

            Weagree to fund the completion of the Art Building renovation. The funds will beavailable this spring. The Facilities Committee has decided to sell the schoolbus, as repair and maintenance costs on it are very high. Renting vans forschool trips is more financially viable than to continue with such an oldvehicle.

 

Farm Committee

 

            TheFarm Committee wants to move ahead to secure a USDA loan to build a new farmbuilding to include staff housing and the processing of garden produce. Moredetailed information is needed for our final decision.

 

            Weask Mark Quee, Eryka Driscoll, and Doyle Wilson to work gathering informationon the loan requirements and bids.

 

            TheFarm Committee suggests that Mark rent the small tractor he would like topurchase to see if it meets his needs. Ginny Winsor will request that JohnDeere and/or Case International consider a contribution of a tractor.

 

Consultation Committee

           

            Weapprove the appointments of Steve Tamari to the Academic Committee, and BobWinchell to the Human Resources Committee.

 

            Weapprove the financial reports with much appreciation for the reassignment ofaccounting codes which clarifies our financial statements, and brings us intoline with standard accounting practices.

 

            Weapprove the September report from Latta Harris regarding the 2008-2009financial reports.

 

            TheSchool Committee approves spending $25,000 to complete the art bldg renovation.

 

            Wediscussed the possible integration of the Farm accounts into the SchoolÕsaccounts. We also will explore the possibility that the Scattergood FriendsSchool Foundation might pay its own ongoing expenses, rather than the Schooldoing so.

 

            TheSchool Committee very much appreciates the staffÕs work for the School, andtheir preparation of reports for our meeting. We heard good reports also fromthe Spiritual and Community Life Committee, and the Academic Committee.

 

We moved into a closed meeting.

 

Callie Marsh, recording clerk

 [CU1]I donÕt think the citation isquite right. I didnÕt understand your email very well.