We gathered near the appointed time with a few moments of quiet worship. Our first session was a closed one.
We affirm our strong support for Jan Luchini as Director of the school.
We ask the Human Resources Committee and Lucy to plan how to move ahead, as in meeting with the staff early in the year to share our expectations of Jan.
The faculty joined us in our open session.
The Clerk informed us that she had received an email from Mary K. Stillwell, saying that she is resigning from SFSC.
We approve the minutes of the last meeting.
We approve the following dates for SFSC meetings in the coming year. The July date will be determined by the date of next summer’s yearly meeting sessions, which is not yet decided.
We approve the annual School Report for the Yearly Meeting with changes Jan has suggested.
We agree to approve Mark’s Farm Report via email.
We heard the report of the Consultation Committee, and approved the following minutes:
We approve the requirement that students 18 years old or older sign a release of information regarding personal information. We also approve the disclosure form Jan Luchini has presented to us.
We approve the requirement that staff who own pets are to purchase renter’s or liability insurance for dogs (other pets will be at the discretion of the Director). Staff will also be required to complete forms that provide information about pet history.
We approve re-appropriation of $33,672.00 from the windows project budget line item to the fire doors line item of the Bridge the Gap Capital Campaign.
We are most satisfied with the successful completion of the Bridge the Gap Capital Campaign, and commend Jan Luchini and Margie Figgins for their excellent work.
We are well-satisfied with the financial report for the year. Jan Luchini again has closed the fiscal year with a modest surplus. We recognize that the considerable reduction in interest payments as loans have been paid off has been a great help. We commend both Jan and her entire staff for their care in meeting the budget.
We approve the suggestion that in May of each year the Clerk of the School Committee write letters to members who have not regularly been attending meetings to inquire about their commitment or possible need for release from the Committee. We request $33,000 from the Yearly Meeting for its support of the school, as we do not see a need for an increase this year.
We approve the decision not to buy supplemental property insurance at a cost of $15,000. We agree with Jan’s suggestion to review the cost of such supplemental property insurance annually.
We appreciate Jan’s work on the Crisis Management Handbook, and look forward to its final form and implementation in the coming months.
We heard the Academic Committee Report, and approved the following minutes.
We approve the decision to require narrative reports on students’ work on completion of even-numbered blocks, and status reports on the completion of odd-numbered blocks. Any class that ends on an odd-numbered block would require narrative reports at that time. Community life reports will be due on odd-numbered blocks, and can include information from teachers if appropriate. Academic alerts will continue to be sent to students and parents during the third week of all blocks. Humanities class teachers will be required to meet individually with students at the end of the first block of the course.
We approve the proposal to require all freshmen and sophomores to successfully complete a one-block health class.
We again approve the new graduation requirements, effective for the class of 2011.
We discussed the changes in state accreditation by the Department of Education. We authorize the Academic Committee to work with the Director and the Academic Coordinator in gathering facts, and taking timely action as necessary. If the Academic Committee wishes to ask another School Committee member to work with them, we authorize them to do so.
We heard the Farm Committee Report.
We authorize the Farm Committee and Jan to create a committee for long-term planning of the farm program.
We are pleased to hear that the root cellar is now fully funded.
We welcome new administrative staff members, Bob Gutwein, Glenn Singer, and Amanda Edwards, to the school. We appreciate their efforts to familiarize themselves with their new positions even as they are preparing reports for us. We also thank the entire staff. Their steady and dedicated work is vital to the health of the school.
The Spiritual and Community Life Committee will plan a committee retreat. We ask them to consider a date, location, possible topics and resource people. We closed near the appointed time with a brief period of quiet worship.
Callie Marsh
Recording Clerk