Scattergood Friends School Committee

Approved Minutes – July 25, 1998

The School Committee met on Saturday, July 25, 1998 at 9:00 am at the Des Moines Valley Friends Meetinghouse.

The meeting opened with a period of silence. Members present included: Burt Kisling, Dana Harr, Deb Fisch, Lucy Hansen, Dan Treadway, Kathy Standing-Cordero, Bruce Rohwer, George Welch, Bob Rye, Joe Davison, Jim Cottingham, Richard Johnson,. Staff members present included: Ken Hinshaw, Kara Hartzler, Nancy Ryan.

The minutes from the May 16 meeting were read and reviewed. Lyn Cope-Robinson and Joanne Scott were added to the list of staff members present. Dana expressed concern that “disability” was not included in Scattergood’s recently-adopted non-discrimination statement. Ken responded that he has discussed the matter with the school’s lawyers and is waiting to hear more from them before we implement a specific policy concerning disability. The School Committee recognized Dana’s concerns and will continue to research and make further progress on the issue of persons with disabilities. The wording of the group “Quaker Family Support Committee” has been changed to “Quaker Family Network,” with Kathy, Lucy, and Alice as members of that committee. The sentence referring to providing extra help for Nancy with the Long Range Planning Implementation Task Force was removed from the minutes. Under the “Report to IYM” section, Lucy was noted as being with FUM, Bob with NYM, and Joe with ILYM. The statement describing Scattergood’s purchase of disability insurance for all employees was altered to include only full-time and full-time equivalent employees, as well as those employees who carry their health insurance through the school.

Kara Hartzler was introduced to the SFSC as the replacement for Karla Hanson. The Committee approved Kara as the recording and legal secretary. The exception to this will be when the committee is in Executive Session, during which a different person will be appointed each time.

Nominating Committee Report: The Nominating Committee recommended that Ron Knight and Dan Treadway be reappointed to the SFSC for a second term. To fill seats vacated by Dana Harr, Jim Cottingham, Elaine Hansen, Kay Meyer, and Kent Luetke-Stahlman, she nominated Donnie Morehouse, Barclay Kuhn, Ted Welch, Janet Lemmerman, and Jeff Kisling as prospective members of the SFSC. The Committee approved these nominations.

Term Limits: The SFSC approved three (3) year terms, but removed the provision that states members must take a year off between terms. Richard expressed agreement with this decision as long as the Committee is “bold” in dealing with members who should move on.

Proposed School Committee Dates 1998-99: The dates for next year’s school committee meetings were discussed and approved. The starting time for the September 12 meeting was changed to 8:00 a.m. to accommodate those who will be attending the regional AFSC 50th anniversary celebration. Lucy questioned why the July meeting was scheduled to be held at Scattergood when it has traditionally taken place in Des Moines. Deb expressed a desire to avoid meeting in two different locations in a single weekend (example: a Friday night meeting at Scattergood and Saturday morning meeting in Des Moines). The Committee agreed to postpone a decision on these matters and discuss them at a later time.

Director’s Report: Ken read the Director’s Report, which reflected a number of positive happenings at the school. Enrollment is nearing sixty, including students from China, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Gambia, Japan, and Korea. Friends enrollment has increased and now stands at 41%. Tuition revenue also appears promising, with projected figures breaking the $400,000 mark for the first time in the school’s history.

Ken also reviewed several changes in the Student Handbook concerning the school’s major rules. These changes included making vandalism a separate violation, altering the drug policy to include the giving of non-prescription medications to other students, adding “insubordination” as an offense, including “misrepresentation on sign-out” as a violation, and broadening the sexual relations policy to include “genital contact.” The Committee approved the new major rules. Several members affirmed that, although the Committee is responsible for making the major rules, they entrust the staff to decide how to enforce them.

Ken brought several new items to the SFSC for funding approval, including a freezer, additional sidewalk replacement, additional housing renovations, a machine shop enclosure, improvements in the auditorium, purchasing of vans, a gym-weight room, and a new car for development. Regarding the new car for development, the Committee discussed the merits of buying new versus used and paying cash versus financing. It was decided to purchase a new car with negotiable financing, although Burt noted that he hoped this would not set a precedent for financing vehicles in the future. The Committee approved funding for the facilities improvements.

Instruction Committee Report: Richard noted that nine seniors were awarded diplomas on May 31, and two students were named as candidates for the National Merit Scholar Award. Two students will also be taking classes at the University of Iowa next year.

There are many positive improvements happening in the area of Instuction. A teacher’s manual has been created and distributed to all incoming teachers. In response to ISACS’s recommendation, there is work being done to provide more challenging courses and independent studies for advanced students. ISACS also suggested periodic curriculum reviews, which will be happening this year with math. There will also be regularly scheduled departmental meetings and a new World History class. As happened last year, Scattergood has been approved to offer the SAT on campus for next year.

This past year there was a situation with a student who was unintentionally accommodated with her math disability, which has now legally forced the school to continue offering her special treatment. Richard noted how important it is to inform teachers of the potential for this so it does not happen again without the approval of the school administration.

Farm Committee: Bruce read a list of recommended projects for the Scattergood farm and prairie which included a solar greenhouse/food storage building, an outdoor classroom, a poultry building/shed, a composting center, a farm pond/aquatic area, farm and garden equipment, a well/water supply, care of the prairie/natural area, and repairs and enhancements to the buildings and grounds. Of these, the poultry building, composting center, and buildings and grounds repairs are the top priorities. Nancy noted the importance of seeing the farm as an educational program as well a work program.

Ken announced that he received a phone call from the son of the man who owns sixty acres west of the farm. There may be an opportunity for the school to purchase this land. The Committee expressed interest in pursuing this opportunity, and Burt asked the Farm Committee to research the matter.

Development Report: Bruce reported that the increased communication of the Development Committee though e-mail has helped accomplish a number of things. A “Quaker Family Network” has now been established, and the group has been working with Nancy to further improve the efficiency and results of her trips. The Phonathon was a huge success, raising over $26,000 during five nights of calling. The fall appeal will be a direct mail solicitation with a follow-up in the newsletter.

Staffing for 1998-99: Ken noted that Scattergood is not required to provide a nurse, according to the school’s legal counsel. All staff will be taking CPR and First Aid courses, so this may alleviate some of the need for a certified health practitioner. Deb urged the school to err on the side of caution and safety on this issue. Dan suggested that the school utilize a 24-hour phone nurse service.

Annual Report to IYM: Ken read the Annual Report of the 1997-98 school year that will be presented to IYM. The School Committee approved the Annual Report. It was agreed that Deb would read the Annual Report at IYM.

1998-99 Budget: The Committee received a copy of the 1998-99 Budget Proposal as well as a ten-year budget comparison. Jim suggested including the number of students in each year’s budget chart so as to see how the numbers fluctuate with enrollment. Burt expressed a desire to have the budget reflect depreciation costs. The Committee approved the Scattergood budget for the 1998-99 school year.

Long Range Planning Update: Burt expressed thanks to the Long Range Planning Implementation Task Force for their work. He also noted that IYM in the past has moved away from Scattergood in certain ways, but people are hearing good things about Scattergood that may be changing some negative perceptions. A large concern of the Development Committee is how to get in touch with Quaker families in order to have a coordinated effort. The Committee discussed the meaning of Reck Niebur’s Chapter One. Richard expressed some uncertainty over what exactly Reck is seeking, particularly in relation to the Instruction Committee. Other members defined Reck’s vision as the process of analyzing what we’re already doing and being deliberate in its continuation.

Five Year Budget Projection: Ken’s report focused primarily on the school’s need to increase tuition revenue from the current one third to one half of the budget that Scattergood generates to the industry average of two thirds. The largest casualty of this deficit has been staff salaries; as ISACS stated, the school is subsidizing student families on the backs of staff members. Ken stated that a reasonable goal would be to raise annual tuition revenue to $600,000 and try to match payroll to tuition. The School Committee expressed strong support for improving both staff salaries and retirement benefits. Burt stressed the importance of building gradually over the course of a five-year-plan, so that improvements are made even if the goal is not reached by year five. Deb suggested having a special development category for people to donate money for staff retirement. Kathy brought up the idea of having a residency program for Scattergood teachers similar to that of medical students. Burt raised the possibility of creating a Human Resources sub-committee to address such issues.

The SFSC went into executive session at 3:15 to review the Director Evaluation. After a few minutes Ken was called back to the meeting, and the formal Director Evaluation was conducted. The meeting adjourned at 4:30 pm.

Kara Hartzler, Recording Clerk