Saint Theresa Parish Board of Education Minutes

Tuesday, January 16, 2007  6:30PM

Opening

q       Prayer-6:30. Beth called the meeting to order. Molly led the Board in St. Theresa’s prayer.

q       Approval of November minutes - 6:32. Amendments: A number of typos were indicated as needing correction. Lisa would make necessary corrections and forward the amended minutes to Renee Groene to upload on the STS website. Barb moved approval of the amended November minutes, which was seconded by Molly and approved by the Board. It would be regular practice ongoing for Lisa to forward the minutes to Renee Groene to upload to the website, once the minutes are either approved or amended.

q       Changes to Agenda-6:38. None.

Open Forum- None.

ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS

o       Faith Formation – 6:38. Bob distributed the Faith Formation report in Kathy’s absence, which was due to family matters. Bob referred the Board to Kathy for questions. Kathy, Barb Woods and John Gaffney had returned that week from an out of state faith formation conference.

o       Parish – Bob – 6:39. Bob thanked everyone who made his first Christmas at St. Theresa so wonderful. He invited Board members to visit his office to see the painting that chronicles his life and was completed by the fourth-grade class. Regarding Building and Grounds, pads were reinstalled on the vertical beams in the gym. The school dishwasher had broken down and bids were being accepted for its replacement. The boilers in the school had malfunctioned that morning, causing school to be cancelled, and were fixed by 10:30 a.m. A channel 13 reporter had come out to interview Bob on the matter. Bob had been working on budget numbers with Ellen.

o       Financial – Paul – 6:43. The discussion had been lively at the Finance Council meeting with regard to the school budget. There had been discussion of what the parish was projected to contribute, and what would actually be contributed by the parish to the school budget. Paul stressed that the school was part of the parish’s mission. Historically, the school had been beyond budget. Some budget items, for example health insurance premiums, are hard to nail down. Paul had John McMichael walk him through the school committees, as variance levels were increasing. This was due in part to PTC allocations. Substitute costs, the secretary salary and teacher salaries were a little higher than expected. Paul said the Board should get look at expenses and not income in determining the coming year’s budget. The goal was to add 15 more students to the school budget. Paul had been working with John McMichael putting the budget into categories with the Parishsoft system. Varying allocations affect the budget in different timeframes throughout the year. Paul said the reviewing an update of the budget in categories each month would be a good tool for the Board to not miss anything and make better budget decisions. Paul was hopeful that the budget process would eliminate some Childcare expenses. The three-year-old program had increased to 14 children, a positive development for the budget. The Hot Lunch and Bus programs were slightly behind, and Paul said the goal for the two programs was to break even. There was discussion of bus fees and timing of receiving them. Bob said the Hot Lunch program would take a hit when the dishwasher would be replaced. There was extended discussion of how to plan for an unforeseen replacement item. Bob said that the Building and Grounds Committee was going through and assessing equipment on parish grounds for the purpose of putting an effective life on everything. Jean asked about the Bus reserve. Paul said that there was a $10K budget item each year that was allocated for setting the funds aside to purchase a new bus. This would be discussed more at a later time.

o       School – Ellen – 7:10. Ellen distributed her report. Hans Peterson and Larry Olson had come for the third year, sponsored by the PTC. Amelia Lynch had resigned effective Jan. 25. The Knights of Columbus were doing work projects around the school. Open House in conjunction with Catholic Schools Week was scheduled for Jan. 28. There was discussion of the CTO application and administration process. STS would cover the $17 application fee this first year, whether a tuition award would be made or not. There was additional discussion of the CTO. Funds that may be received from the CTO could not be budgeted for. Ellen distributed a comparison she compiled of tuition rates for each of the Des Moines-area diocesan schools. The report included current student population at STS, and a comparison of STS teachers’ salaries with the Des Moines area diocesan schools. STS has the lowest starting base pay, but is in the top three when it comes to higher seniority pay rates. Most STS teachers have long tenure. The bomb squad had been called for an unclaimed, locked suitcase found at the school. The crisis management plan had been followed successfully and law enforcement was pleased with STS’s handing of the situation. There was additional discussion of the CTO and the importance of communicating what is available from the organization to the parish community. Paul stressed the need to communicate that the school is part of the parish mission. There was discussion of open house specifics.

Budget

7:42. Paul will continue to present financials to the Board after he leaves the Board since he is on the Finance Council. Paul adjusted the model for the budget to work better with the Parishsoft system and to keep it simple with budget categories. The new model would also simplify things for John McMichael and for the Board in its budget process. Paul said the budget was complex, with moving pieces. Ellen thanked Paul and Bob for their work on the budget numbers. The Board would look at the proposed budget and the budget committee would meet to more closely look at the numbers. Bob explained the concept of market rate compensation analysis, which deals with minimum, mid-range and maximum salary levels. There was discussion of salaries. Ellen said there would be some changes in expenses with regard to classroom aides, which would be a likely result of shifting enrollment. Ellen would also like to add back in the stipend for specific teachers who complete extra duties. There was discussion of healthcare costs. Beth clarified that the Board would review the numbers before the budget committee would meet the following week. Bob said that there should be something ready for the Board at its next meeting. Some numbers would change. There was discussion of keeping the tuition rate at its current level. There was also discussion of fundraising for the school and methods to raise awareness of STS as a parish school. The budget committee would meet Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. Paul will send updated budget numbers to the Board.

Report on Action Items from November meeting:

8:34. Geri said that the PTC dinner dance was still being worked on and final plans will be announced. Steve said there was nothing to report for Marketing. The Marketing Committee was continuing to evolve. Geri said that the Wellness Committee had not met. Ellen said, regarding wellness at the school, that a “biggest loser” initiative had begun and that Gwen Lister was teaching Pilates for the teachers two times a week. Jean said that regarding Policies, things were continually being reviewed. There was some question as to who was to sit on which committee. Steve had held some informal conversations with teachers about Staff Needs. Barb was putting an email out to teachers offering for them to contact her if they need anything. Teachers had expressed the desire to have a pop machine back in the teachers’ lounge. There was discussion of the pop machine’s removal, and its result. It was determined that staff would need to contact Ellen regarding the pop machine. Jim is assigned to attend meetings of the Parish Council. Molly went to the Parent Advisory Committee, which no parents attended. Susan reported on her meeting at Dowling Catholic regarding advanced Algebra. It had been determined in a later conversation with Ellen that waiting one year was necessary to drop out of the common agreement for advanced Algebra. Susan had drafted a letter to Dr. Tom Budnik at the diocese inquiring about the possibility of offering algebra at STS. The Board will read her letter and forward any suggestions for it. Steve asked Veronica Degen about entrance policies at Dowling Catholic. Veronica said that all prospective students take an entrance exam. There was discussion of the cooperative algebra agreement. Veronica told the Board that it should consult with Dr. Budnik and Dr. Dowdle at Dowling Catholic about the specifics of setting up an algebra program at STS. Discussion of the issue continued. Beth said the Board should take care in any approach to the matter. More investigation of the specifics will take place.

o       January ACTION ITEM - Geri will do the prayer at the February meeting.

Executive Session

8:54. Paul moved to adjourn to Executive Session and Geri seconded the motion, which was carried by the Board.

                                          Next Meeting- February 13, 2007