Board of Trustees

March 24, 2010 at 6:30

In attendance were:   Hilary Belz, Jim Fortney, Melissa McIntyre, Tom McKinney, Boel Neville, Fausto Rivera, Sal Martino, Connie Waltz, Bern Warman

Ex-officio: Deborah Duke, Maria Wherley

Regrets: Lisa Hildreth

Visitors: Juli Bossert, Sharon Trostle, Andrea Unger

Time Keeper: Hilary

Process Coach: Melissa

6:30        Verse

6:35        February Minutes approve

6:40        New Study:  AWSNA booklet The PATH to MEMBERSHIP.  Deborah, as the SWS representative to AWSNA (Association of Waldorf Schools in North America), reviewed AWSNA‘s response to out earlier letter.

Our question was re. the use of the Waldorf name (Service Mark) and how does AWSNA help to clarify the value of a full Waldorf School like SWS vs. Waldorf Inspired Schools?

Answ. All will have to follow the strict AWSNA criteria. Charter schools in addition have to follow state regulations. Charter applications are denied by some states – partially because of the spiritual aspect and celebrations of festivals. Presently Deborah Duke and Tina Quintana are SWS delegates to AWSNA and represent us at conferences etc.

6:50     Business Report (Deborah) handout: Admin. attended a remarkable talk by Clemens Pietzner on Waldorf finance: Waldorf is a small part of a larger Anthroposophical work.

Explanation made re. questions of timely deposits of checks. Checks are deposited monthly in individual batches e.g. tuition checks go together, AG checks together. Checks for class accounts dribble in so they might take longer to deposit. In December 42 extra deposits were made, 75% of tuitions are paid through direct deposit.  – The auction was a real success. Income exceeded expectations.

7:00     Brain Storming Session re. enrollment and fundraising: These are areas where the whole community can be involved.

• Besides matched giving some employers have grant money set aside for non profits where their employees are actively involved. Only employees can apply for these funds. Juli Bossert (dev.com) can offer help and suggestions re. such applications.
• Sugg. made that emergency forms be reviewed to learn about parents’ employers. Parents can then be contacted re. possible grants (dev.com. is looking into the legality of this).
• Family Foundations are valuable sources; especially if there is a special connection between the family and Waldorf.
• The development committee is busy looking for and applying for grants. The committee aims to seeks large grants since each application and the follow-up is very time consuming. Please let the committee know if you are aware of a possible grant source. Energy saving and environmental grants are presently good possibilities
• Jim Fortney and Andrea Unger have worked with Tom McKinney on a survey regarding enrollment asking such questions as “What drew you to Waldorf Education.” Such information can be of value for our publicity and outreach.
• It is helpful if each of us invite prospective parents to assemblies, school concerts, open houses, class room visitation days, lectures etc.

7:20     Parent Association Report (Hilary): Elections were held for next year’s officers; Laura Gruno will be the Chair,

Sharon Trostle is nominated as representative to the board.

7:30     Open Session is Closed.

Respectfully Submitted

Boel Neville

Board Secretary

Next Open Board meeting will be held April 28, 2010 at 6:30

SWS All School Budget Meeting Board Meeting Minutes

February 24, 2010

The meeting was very well attended. Connie Waltz, VP, welcomed all and spoke about how valuable a Waldorf education has been for her own four children, who are SWS graduates. A verse was said in unison..

Terri Bridgwater, Annual Giving Chair, asked that each one of us in the school community donate to the Annual Giving Fund. These funds are budgeted, needed and counted upon. Checks can be dropped in the tuition box outside the office or mailed (or donate by credit card in the school store).

The visiting eurythmy teacher Rima Meadows led us in a eurythmy session reflecting the children’s lessons. Rima is offering a series of five eurythmy lessons for parents and those interested on Wednesdays beginning March 3 at 7 PM ($10). The children’s eurythmy program is paid for by a donation from a community member.

Tom McKinney introduced the 2010-11 Budget.

While working on the budget the school environment as well as the general economic environment of today was considered. Both enrollment and income have been stable this year. Two years ago the enrollment went down, and faculty and staff volunteered to take a 20% pay cut at that time. This year we have been able to reinstate part of the cuts, bringing their current giveback to 15%. We feel that the teachers should not have to continue to carry this. The economy is now on the upswing and the enrollment is stable so the budget includes a 3% increase in tuition. This is to reinstate part of the salary cuts (the cut will then be 12%) and also to reinstate the middle school support teacher position (a math and English specialist for sixth through eighth grades).

The budget is based on an enrollment of 77 FTE (full time equivalent). In kindergarten some children attend on a part time basis; FTE averages out the number of tuitions to equal fulltime enrollment. This year we have 80 FTE enrollments based upon an actual enrollment of about 125 students. We like to underestimate enrollment in the budget to leave room for unexpected costs which can hamper the cash flow.

We presently have a line of credit as a backup but it has not been used. Additional income comes from our fundraisers: Annual Giving, Winter Fair, the Auction and the EITC program (Educational Improvement Tax Credit). Donegal Insurance Co. has been very generous in supporting us this way and so have other organizations. EITC is tied to the PA State budget so funds were cut by about 20% this year and 30 % next year. Any corporation paying PA State taxes can donate part of their state taxes to a certified non-profit like our school. Check with your employer and speak with Maria Wherley who handles the EITC program.

Question: The tuition is low when compared to other Waldorf schools. Why don’t you increase the tuition more if funds are needed?

Answer. The economy is more positive but still tight. If we lose students it will not help anyone. We try to find a balance. Five or six percent increase is a normal national average increase per year.  We trust that those who can manage a higher tuition will make larger (tax deductible) donations to the Annual Giving Fund.

Comment: Some corporations and foundations need to give away certain amounts of funds annually.

Answer from a Development Committee member: Let us know who they are (ask Fran for a contact). We are writing grants. One is in process to GSK for science equipment. An environmental grant has just gone out.

Comment: According to the budget information an increase in the enrollment seems to be most effective way to increase our financial standing. Ideas for helping to improve our enrollment might include offering handwork classes for the non-school community, inviting friends to the assemblies and open houses.
Answer: This will become an agenda item at the next open board meeting Wednesday, March 24 at 6:30 to 7:30. All are invited. Please come and brainstorm about how to increase the enrollment. This work will include a survey asking parents what drew them to our school and will be a base in the work on increasing the enrollment. The question was asked: Should a committee for community outreach be formed?

Tom thanked every one for the wonderful enthusiasm and energy in the discussion.

The meeting was closed. Refreshments were available in the hall where discussions continued.

Respectfully Submitted,

Boel Neville

Board Secretary