Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Library 7:04

Attendees: Anna Marburg, Sam Fogg, Elida Moran, Ann Sonnen Shelley Prosise, Jason Smith, Tiffany Morgan, Whitney Griesbach, Julie Ohrazda, Meghan Delaney, Katie Speizer, Mary-Britt Love, Patricia Parker, Michelle Ireton, Heidi Hager, Joan Crooks, Dan Sanger, Amy Shanafelt, Carleen Confer, Nelly Goodnoe, Don Davies, Luke Campagnola, Sara Fenzl, Natalya Yudovsky

Welcome and Introduction, Leeann Huntington

April Board Meeting Minutes – Approved         

Officer/Standing Committee Reports

• Treasurer’s Report, Lauren Abraham & Jennifer Mahlum
• Bell Times Task Force update, Whitney Griesbach
  • Survey went out to parents who generally note a preference to childcare over ASE and clubs. Enough families expressed interest in ASE that PTSA is prioritizing LASER and ASE for after school usage. ASE program will likely be reduced to 3 to 4 ASE classes, LASER would be kept to 120 spots, Chess would be able to keep 5 classrooms. Length of ASE classes is still being researched and negotiated, will need to be worked out with providers.
• Legislative update with Jessyn Farrell, Joan Crooks
  • WA is the only state that expressly supports education in its constitution with its Paramount Duty language, but the state isn’t adequately funding ed.
  • In the 2017 legislative session (Jan-Apirl) they need to come up with the funding plan for education as mandated by the state supreme court. The funding basis comes from property and sales taxes which puts unfair burden on poorer families and makes funding education in less affluent parts of the state extremely difficult. Legislature is tasked with finding a more equitable funding model.
  • Ask your legislators to make education the priority for “just this one year.” Ask your friends across the state to press their legislators to do the same.
  • Discussion of ways to make funding more equitable, including the idea of a levy swap.
  • Legislators keep track of emails, so do write them with your concerns about funding education
  • Looking for opportunities and connections to make capital improvements and additions to education, quickly and efficiently
  • Talk to city administration, city council, legislators, and school board members
  • Democrat-led legislator looking into different tax sources to fund education: capital gains, income, closing tax excmptions/loopholes.
• Blast update, Julie Ohrazda
  • Auction and Raffle basket presales are doing very well, thanks to increased teacher and family involvement
  • Event still needs a couple dozen volunteers, including about 6 critical roles that need to be filled.
• Nominating committee announces the slate for the 2016-17 Bryant PTSA Board, which will be up for General Membership approval in June, Meghan Delaney
  • Slate for Executive Committee for 2016-17
    Co-Presidents: Amy Shanafelt and Julie Ohrazda
    Vice President: Kim Love
    Co-Treasurers: Nelly Goodnoe, and Jennifer Mahlum
    Co-Secretary: Rachel Schaw and Whitney Griesbach
  • Slate for the rest of the PTSA Board
    Co-Fundraising Chairs: Kim Larsen and Rachel Gleeson
    Co-Volunteer Coordinators: Janie Booth & Kate Speizer
    Co-Membership Chairs (position is new to the Board): Ann Sonnen and Mary-Britt Love
    Co-Legislative Chair: Shelley Prosise and Jean Charette
    Members at Large: Lauren Abraham and Michelle Ireton
    Teacher Representatives: Kate Salisbury and Anne Aliverti

Special Orders
None

New Business

1. Discussion and vote on whether to approve an upgrade to our gambling license if the raffle baskets take in more money, Lauren Abraham
   • The current class of gambling license which we need to operate the raffle baskets is good for raffle revenue up to $10,000. The next level up would cost $236 more. We may not need it, but the motion is to cover the possibility that the raffle baskets take in more than $10,000
2. Budget Committee presents the proposed budget to the Board. If the Board accepts it, the budget will be presented for a General Membership vote in June, Budget Committee
   • PTSA committees were surveyed to anticipate next year’s funding needs. All their funding requests were met in the proposed budget. Blast revenue (yet to come in) is still uncertain, and budgeting for that line item may change once we have final numbers.
   • Additions in Teacher Support to give supply budgets to PCP staff.
   • Tech lab manager funding by PTSA to decrease to the .5 FTE (down from .8) that was originally envisioned when the position was created. The curriculum is going to be maintained by the classroom teachers. Tech manager position will be largely to manage the machines and coordination of the time and resources.
   • Science Fair will only be 5th Grade. No plans as of yet to include 4th Grade in Science Night. This was a decision made by teachers and science fair coordinators.
   • Math Champs program for 5th Grade will move to a club model without PTSA funding. Funding change came as teacher request.
   •  Some staffing budgeting (tutors, playground supervision) goes up for minimum wage and cost of living increases
   • Emergency Preparedness item was up in the last budget to help them bring up the supplies up to standards.
   • Bryant Forums a new line item to bring in general interest speakers to meetings
   • Sumac, database and credit processing program, line item goes up, because we’ve used up the credit we had with them
   • $500 for legislative advocacy
3. Discussion of whether next year’s board meetings should be moved earlier in the day to accommodate the earlier bell times. The current 7pm standing meeting time is particularly difficult for the teacher reps who are in some cases on site from the beginning of the school day through the end of the meetings. (Update: Board decision was made over email to keep meeting times to 7pm)

Motions

1. Motion to allocate $236 to upgrade our gambling license to the next highest class. Motion by Lauren Abraham, seconded by Patricia Parker
2. Motion to forward the proposed budget to a general membership vote in June. Motion by Joan Crooks, seconded by Julie Ohrazda
3. Motion (over email 5/31-6/1) to amend the proposed budget to include funding an additional .1 FTE for the Tech Coordinator position, and to change the estimated revenue for Blast and Online Auction to reflect this year’s revenue (which came in after the May Board meeting)