Applewood Christian School

Board Meeting Minutes 2/21/2011

Board Members Present: Jennifer Boatright, Adam Cormican, Sandy Wedemeyer, Josh Greer, Jon Church, Jim Kjar

Interested Parties:  Debbie Church, Jacinda Wassam, Terry Wassam, Sal Aquino, Carie Aquino, Pam Young, Paula Crosier, Darla Lansing, Michal Herrington, Scott Young, Rusty Wedemeyer

• Opening Prayer: Sandy Wedemeyer
• Secretary’s Report: Josh Greer
• Motion to approve with grammatical changes
• Adam Cormican
• Second: Jon Church
• Approved
• Treasurer’s Report: Jon Church
• Discussion on box top.
• Discretionary Spending
• Cash flow listed per month to show past history.
• Background Checks
• One more to be completed
• Money and interest from CD’s are shown on the report.
• Scholarship Committee
• 1 Family approved
• $1300
• Payment is already taken out for the year, not monthly.
• Motion: To approve
• Josh Greer
• Second: Sandy Wedemeyer
• Approved
• Principal’s Report
• Sheriff’s Office
• New inappropriate calls are coming in.
• The school was referenced in one message.
• Still working on getting a photo so the individual can be identified.
• It is recommended that we call the sheriff again and ask for a copy of the report.
• March 4^th -  Basketball tournament
• High school classes cancelled due to number of people out of school
• Teachers not teaching will not get paid for that day.
• K-8 will still be meeting.
• March 7^th – No school
• March 14^th – Parent Teacher Conference
• Family club will provide meals for the teachers and their family.
• 8^th graders will baby sit again.
• Midwest Christian School Academic, Music and Art Festival
• April 15^th
• Andrea Self will be sending out information this week.
• Talent Show
• March 26^th
• Several calendar conflicts.
• Only 1 student signed up.
• Will possibly cancel if there is no more interest.
• Teacher/Family intent results
• 5 teachers not returning.
• Charley Price has committed to fill any role needed.
• Sandy Wedemeyer: Most concerned with Kindergarten class
• 13 potential new students
• Internet Filter and other computer supplies
• $250 per 15 computers
• B Secure
• Scott Young: recommends that we need more computer funds
• Need to upgrade the operating system.
• Need to upgrade the office software.
• Need to upgrade the hardware costs.
• Computers are getting used all day
• Recommends upgrades at the end of the year
• Discussions of printers and associated costs.
• Pam Young: recommends we announce the next fund raiser funds would be used for computers
• Scott Young: We are teaching kids on equipment and software that they are not going to use outside of school
• Jennifer Boatright: Try to find a free filter and if a usable one can’t be found, use B Secure
• Senior Report
• Balance $2839.35
• Snow days have been an issue.
• Only serving 178 lunches this month
• Jennifer Boatright: Are the seniors required to participate in serving and preparing?
• It has never been required, but they always have.
• If the money doesn’t get used where does it go?
• It stays in the account
• A documented history of the senior trip was handed out and discussed.
• Various discussion on students who have chosen not to go in the past.
• Debbie Church: questions about 2007 money left over.
• Various discussion on money rolling over from year to year.
• Decided to go on a cheaper trip and money was going to be left over.
• Sandy Wedemeyer: What is done if students don’t want to go on the trip and not work the lunches?
• Paula Crosier: Juniors come up early and a sum of money is allocated for that person the next year.
• Discussions on students that have gone on a trip later.
• Was this money allocated in a fund for them, or was it given to them in cash?
• Pam Young: Discussed the value of the senior trip, for the students to bond together.
• Kids who ask to use the funds on something for themselves have been denied in the past as it doesn’t promote this type of environment.
• Jennifer Boatright: Doesn’t want to give students money who doesn’t want to go on the trip.
• Would it be appropriate to do something special with that money.
• Also wants the kids to work, even if they don’t plan on going on the trip.
• Darla Lansing: Has it been asked why the students don’t want to go?
• Yes
• Rusty Wedemeyer: Seniors are told what the purpose is for at the beginning of the year.
• Jennifer Boatright: But who does this?  Asked Paula if she is the one who does this?
• Paula Crosier: No, but she can.  Asked if there is an advisor?
• Sandy Wedemeyer: The parents are the advisors
• Paula Crosier: Feels we need to setup a policy to dictate this process
• Sandy Wedemeyer: Remembers a committee meeting in 2004 based on a student not wanted to attend.  Discussions have been made to address it, but nothing has evidently been documented.
• Jennifer Boatright:  We need to establish either a procedure or policy documented in minutes.
• Terry Wassam: Asks if the process could be setup as a home economics class that they could get credit for.  Would be required whether they went to the trip or not.  Could also be graded to make sure they are pulling their weight.
• Rusty Wedemeyer: Likes the idea of the students doing it for a service, and not because they are required.
• Would be difficult to grade as a home-ec.
• Paula Crosier: Have had situations in the past with their schedule, they were not able to be there for the prep time, only the serve time.
• Jennifer Boatright:  Was their money the same?
• Paula: Yes
• Jennifer Boatright: Wants someone to write up a document that outlines the process that we will be using going forward.
• Paula Crosier: There are many things to consider because the class sizes effect the funds allocated for the chaperone.
• Michal Herrington: What if new classes want to make changes?
• Jennifer Boatright:  then they will need to petition to the board to make changes.
• Jennifer Boatright: Their needs to be a date decided (within reason) that will prevent them from making changes later in the year.
• Needs to be presented at the senior plan night.
• Sal Aquino: It looks like each year the students are trying to out do the previous year.  This makes it difficult to sustain.
• Sandy Wedemeyer: It is also bad if they have money left over.
• Sal Aquino: Last year, they chose to go somewhere they could not afford, and the families had to provide extra funds.
• (Action: Administration, Paula, and Senior parent) Write up a document to present to the board.  Preferably developed before next months board meeting.
• Athletic Report
• Jim Kjar: Doesn’t have the income figured out, there is nothing to report this month.
• Open Discussion
• Jacinda Wassam: Honor society
• Gina Kjar prepared a banquet and paid for the event out of her pocket.
• Asking for the board for money to pay for expenses.
• Jon Church: Asking where the money came from in the past?
• Jacinda Wassam: Family club paid for it 2009.
• $175 for the meal
• $93 for the awards
• 3 students
• Jon Church: Not using the MAACS money, so this could be allocated.
• Motion: reimburse Gina Kjar for money’s spent on the previous honors event.
• Jon Church
• Second: Sandy Wedemeyer
• Approved
• For the next group, we need to establish that the inductee and their parents are paid for.  Additional guest will have to be paid for by the families.
• Jon Church: Concerned about the schools funds not getting evenly distributed from K-12.
• Jacinda Wassam: But we shouldn’t punish families for their students to excel
• Josh Greer: but we could be diligent and require families to pay for various things (like chords or pins for graduation) if they choose to buy them.
• Paula Crosier: Still feels that honoring them with a dinner.
• Pam Young: Valedictorian and Salutatorian awards have always been paid for by the school
• Debbie Church: Would like to see the cords still purchased by the school.
• Motion: for the school to continue to pay for the chords for the honors graduates, but the families could pay for pins if they choose for their student to have them.
• Jon Church
• Second: Sandy Wedemeyer
• Approved
• Lunch issue: Jacinda Wassam
• Has there been a discussion of hiring someone to do lunches on Mondays and Fridays?
• Paula Crosier: Concerned about this taking cuts from the senior fund.
• Adam Cormican: The prices would be higher.
• Paula Crosier: More storage space would also be required.
• Storage Area: Rusty Wedemeyer
• Freezer is still in the area and needs to be removed
• Door will be locked going forward
• Old Business
• Nothing to report
• New Business
• Class Size 8^th & 9^th
• Prospective students for each of these classes
• Adam Cormican: Concerned that we keep adding students each year to these classes and is against it.
• Debbie Church: The reason it is being addressed because they are siblings to new students in smaller classes
• Michal Herrington: It is an issue because some of these families bring prospective teachers and we are losing 5 teachers this year.
• Carie Aquino: But are parents of existing students aware that we are losing these teachers.  Would they be willing to teach?
• Jennifer: Should we set a class maximum?
• Josh Greer: I don’t want to set a maximum, because we have a responsibility to provide teachers for all classes, but at this stage in the calendar, it would be irresponsible to increase a class to 12 to ensure a teacher now.
• Carie Aquino: by the time these large classes graduate, they won’t be able to raise enough funds to participate in the things that existing seniors do.
• 5^th grade is OK, because it would raise the level to 10
• 8^th grade no more additions due to size
• 9^th grade no more additions due to size
• Jennifer Boatright: How do we explain to the family that we are not going to make an exception?
• Jennifer Boatright: So are we setting a maximum of 10
• Carie Aquino: Had friends that were not accepted because of class size, and were upset.
• Pam Young: Asked if we are still sending out the family evaluation forms.
• Lorna should give a report of the family jobs to see if all families are doing what they signed up form.
• Michal Herrington: How effective is this process?
• Pam Young:  Feels the language on the letter needs to be strengthened to let families know that our class sizes are getting large enough that we are turning away legacy students.  Families need to be reminded that their involvement is required to continue being a part of ACS.
• Michal Herrington: What about giving the survey at the next parent teacher conference.
• Next Meeting
• March 28 @ 6:30
• Adjourn
• Motion to adjourn
• Josh Greer
• Second: Jon Church
• Approved