Scattergood Friends School Committee

Approved Minutes

February 24, 1996

The School Committee met on Saturday, February 24, 1996, at 9:00 a.m. on the Scattergood Friends School Campus in West Branch, Iowa. This meeting replaced the January 27 meeting which had to be rescheduled due to bad weather.

The meeting opened with a period of silence. Members present: Burt Kisling, Barb Garlinghouse, Kay Meyer, Bruce Rohwer, George Welch, Ron Knight, Dan Treadway, Connie Clapton-Schumm, Jim Cottingham. Staff: Ken Hinshaw, Ardith Tjossem, Dena Miller, Karla Hanson, Jan Luchini.

Minutes: Karla Hanson read the minutes from the November meeting. One change was made to the section about the proposed tuition increase (see attached).

Director’s Report: The Director’s Report was read by Ken Hinshaw. He talked about his fundraising trip to Bolivia to meet with former SFS student, President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada. About nine of the president’s family members have attended Scattergood and there are many who expressed interest in continuing the family tradition. Julie Kastner made a beautiful scrapbook which included handwritten journal entries by Gonzalo, as well as pictures from the past and present.

Director of Development advertisements were placed in local papers and were sent to Quaker organizations in Iowa and the surrounding areas. To date approximately 20 resumes have been received and several look very promising. Interviews will begin in mid-March. We specifically need to find someone who will be committed to staying with this position for several years. The school committee asks that undesignated funds received from the Scattergood Friends School Foundation be used to staff the ongoing position of Director of Development.

Will Hardy has done an excellent job with the facilities this year. By the next school committee meeting we will have installed two new signs next to I-80 to take advantage of the approximately 50,000 travelers who pass by each day.

The need for updated handbooks (student, staff and parent) was discussed and it was agreed that these should be completed for the next school year.

Admissions: Dena Miller reported that 5 new students were enrolled for second semester. Another student from Kenya has been experiencing problems obtaining the proper documentation to leave her country and we are not certain of her arrival date. Unfortunately, one of the new students decided to leave after less than a week, but has been given the option to enroll next year. This prompted a discussion about the need to implement procedures to better greet and acclimate new students who enroll at mid-year.

A discussion followed regarding drug use by students at Scattergood. Ken indicated that while there had been some drug use earlier in the year, he had expelled the primary students involved with it. Ken expressed his assessment that there was not a drug problem at Scattergood, although periodic use of controlled substances by students was very difficult to eliminate completely.

Five 9th grade girls have been accepted for the fall. Several more prospectives are planning to visit within the next couple of months. In January, 11 students (grades 6-8) from Iowa City spent a day on campus.

Dena has also been working on getting accredited by a third party accrediting agency. This would increase opportunities for recruiting quality college prep students.

At approximately 10:15 a.m. the school committee went into executive session to discuss renewing the director’s contract and resumed after brunch until 11:45. The school committee then met with Ken Hinshaw and discussed various aspects of school administration. Burt Kisling announced that the school committee unanimously approved the renewal of Ken’s contract for the following year. Ken Hinshaw accepted. Burt Kisling will meet with Ken later to execute the contract.

Subcommittee Reports: The school committee began discussing subcommittee reports at 1:30 p.m.

Farm: Bruce Rohwer presented the report. Belle is exploring the possibility of share rent or cash rent option with the Fawcetts. The school committee approved the farm report and approved the sale of the corn bin and mixer mill now while they still hold some value.

Facilities: Ron Knight reported that the most pressing issue for this committee is the boys dorm expansion. At this point it looks like the expansion will happen on the south of the existing building. Nels Larson (SFS ‘65) is working on architectural plans, and along with Ron Knight will estimate costs for this project. There is a very real chance that this expansion could take place over the summer and this could be used as a selling point for prospectives.

It was also noted that the Berquist House needs immediate attention. The north wall is in very poor shape and there are places elsewhere where the stucco is falling off. Ken noted that the basement floor of the main is in need of repair. He asked that committee members notice the cracks in the floor and the fact that the tables wobble not because of the tables themselves, but because the floor is extremely uneven. New drainage is needed around the main before the floor can be fixed. The roof of the main is also in need of attention.

Instruction: Connie Clopton Schumm reported that a meeting took place on campus with committee members, staff and students. The main focus at this point is to update the graduation requirements. The present list contains inaccurate curriculum information and it does not include information about the current block system. A draft will be done soon with a goal of having the final version complete by the March 30 meeting.

Spiritual Life: Connie reported that the subcommittee’s main focus has been the upcoming retreat. March 29 and 30 have been designated for this purpose. On Friday, students and staff will “adopt” a school committee member who will shadow them for the day. Activities will be scheduled throughout the weekend. Ed Clopton has expressed interest in facilitating the retreat. It was agreed that only a couple of hours would be needed for the scheduled school committee meeting.

Consultation: It was noted that having financial reports early is very advantageous. The November capital notes payable showed $80,000 outstanding and the January report shows $0. The school continues to carry a cash flow deficit from previous years of approximately $150,000. Overall, Ken is pleased with the status of this year’s budget.

Jim Cottingham presented 13 tuition related recommendations. The school committee approved the recommendations, including the raising of boarding tuition. Other recommendations included requiring a minimum tuition from all students, guaranteed tuition rates for multiple year students, and changes in the forms of financial aid available.

The School Committee adjourned at 3:15 p.m. Karla Hanson

Recording Clerk