Northern Nevada Home Schools, Inc.
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
March 31, 2003
3:00 pm
The Meeting was held at Sierra View Library in Reno.
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Present: |
Carol Sherman Williams, Chair |
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Tracey Thibault, Editor Cheryl Cardoza, Secretary Gina Hawley, Director Irene Rushing, Director
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Absent |
Cyndi Earl, Treasurer Joyce Hall, Director |
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CALL TO ORDER: 3:20 pm
A call was made for Additions to the Minutes. Fundraiser for Sparks Co-op was added to New Business.
Minutes for the Febrary 24th meeting were read. Gina Hawley moved to accept the Minutes as approved. The motion was seconded by Tracey Thibault and carried unanimously.
Treasurer: Carol delivered the Treasurer’s report in Cyndi Earl’s absence. It was noted that expenses exceeded income last period, partially because we have not deposited all the checks we’ve received yet. A copy of the report is attached to these minutes.
Conference Committee: Carol announced that paying for member dues on-line is working, though the pay-pal screen needs cleaning up. This will be ready for the conference very soon. Irene mentioned that we now have secured 3 National Speakers and 15 local speakers for the conference. She announced that we will be trying to have classes for kids this year as a new feature.
NNHSAC: Irene announced a meeting on April 3rd about AB264 in Room 3133 of the Education Committee in the Assembly. Lynn sent word through Tracey about her stand on it. Irene announced that Horn is voting on AB311, that they have taken out the special education clauses because of HSLDA. It will be read April 7th at the Department of Education. Carol thanked Irene for keeping us so well posted on these bills through e-mail. Irene announced that Advisory Council Meetings are open to the public and that the next one is May 14th (not the 21st) at 4:30 in Carson City at the Department of Education Building on 5th Street, Room 101.
Activities Committee Report: Carol reported that she had sent Patty Poston a list of all the possible issues before her meeting, especially procedures and conduct. Irene reported that the meeting went well. For procedures, the committee voted to require that all field trip leaders approve their idea and date with the Activities Coordinator. In order to set up a field trip, it was decided that field trip leaders must submit all information by the 15th of the month previous to the Activities Coordinator. They voted to use the rsvp line more often, not to post field trips to the discussion board until after the newsletter is out, to send thank-you notes to hosts, to enforce field trip etiquette rules from the newsletter and website. They voted to leave the use of the response line for field trips to the field trip leader’s discretion. They discussed creating a form for people to sign stating that they understand all rules and etiquette. They voted that the Activity Coordinator should apprise all Activity Committee members of proposed field trips every month. They agreed to raise the fee from $2 to $5/family to encourage NNHS membership. They decided to let the field trip leader decide whether to apply the fee or waive it.
Newsletter: Tracey announced that production in color is too much and that the newsletter will be going back to black and white photocopies. Irene offered to look into what it would cost for Econoprint to do the newsletter. We also discussed offering to e-mail pdf files instead of sending printed copies. Gina Hawley moved that Tracey have the authority to decide which company to go with for the black and white copies after looking over Irene’s bid. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. It was suggested that Tracey could send pdf’s to board for approval so we can see it and comment on it before it goes to press. No action was taken on this suggestion.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Activities Fee for Non-Members: Response to the Activities Committee Report came down to two issues: Board Members agree with the new rate for participation of non-members, but do not think it should be left to the field trip leader’s discretion. All agreed that only under dire circumstances or in instances when a new member’s check has not yet been processed should there be a waiver of the fee. Gina moved that we should accept the change of rate from $2 to $5 but insist that this policy be applied consistently, waived only for scholarship situations and pending memberships. Tracey seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.
Newsletter Ad Rates: This item was postponed for a future meeting.
Membership Directory Policy: This item was postponed for a future meeting.
NEW BUSINESS:
Consultant Referral System: The consultant referral list currently distributed to schools is outdated and we need a new list. Gina and Carol also felt that publishing consultants’ phone numbers could pose problems and that we might want to refer people when they call in to limit how much any one consultant gets called. There was some discussion about the legality of this. The main issue, however is a lack of consultants. There are currently only two: Lynn Chapman and Gina Hawley. Several suggestions were made for getting new consultants for NNHS. They included: A consultant breakfast at the conference, and a workshop run by Lynn.
Themes for the Newsletter: Carol suggested that we might want to gear some of the articles in each newsletter toward a theme. All thought that as long as all articles didn’t have to comply, that this could be a great idea. Carol offered to e-mail theme ideas for discussion.
Resource Center Proposal: Carol found a great site for the resource center. She talked to the owner about terms and he offered a space at the end of the hall by the bathroom. It’s a smaller space than we wanted, but there’s an option for using a big classroom 4 times a month. The leasing is flexible and would include utilities and janitor. Cheryl moved that Carol go ahead and sign the lease according to these provisions. Gina seconded. Discussion about how the resource center would operate ensued. A proposal of the policies would have to be submitted for discussion. The benefits were weighed. Gina moved that we vote on the motion. Tracey seconded and the motion passed unanimously.
Sparks Co-op Fundraising: Tracey relayed a request from the Sparks Co-op to use the NNHS tax id number to set up. Carol went over what that would mean for the co-op, that they would have to function as an NNHS program. Tracey offered to present this information to them.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
April Meeting: April 28th, 3pm at Sierra View Library
HSLDA: Announcements include incorrect information.
MEETING ADJOURNED: 5:10 pm
Submitted by Cheryl Cardoza 4/28/03