PTA Meeting Minutes 7.12.16

Campbell PTA Meeting
July 12, 2016
6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Approximate # of Attendees:   24

I.     Review and Vote on 2015-2016 Financial Audit (this includes the annual Treasurer’s Report)

·         Nathan Zee, President—Thank you to Financial Audit Committee (Jenny Morris, Kimberley Marchant, and Erin Clougherty)

o   Opened floor to questions; no questions

o   Motion to approve 2015-2016 Financial Audit, Seconded, Motion Approved

o   Jenny Morris (PTA Treasurer) will send into VA PTA within 15 days

II.    Review and Vote on Bylaws; Nathan Zee, President  

·         Bylaws presented at June PTA meeting

o   new bylaws call for the nominations to be held in April (rather than May), and election of PTA officers to be held in May (rather than June)

o   Executive Board Position being added: VP Of Communications and Outreach

o   Nathan double checking possible incorrect date noted in footer of new bylaws

o   Chandi Krohl: what committees are we required to have?

o   Nathan: Zee: there is no formal structure mandated by the VA PTA beyond what is in the bylaws, so we can decide what committees we want/need

·         Motion to approve bylaws, Seconded, Motion Approved unanimously by24 members

·         Chandi Krohl is chair of nominating committee to fill new executive board position of VP of Communications and Outreach; Stacey Zee and Kelly Krug members of the committee

·         If interested in position of VP of Communications and Outreach, please let Chandi Krohl know by contacting her at chandikrohl@hotmail.com  prior to the September PTA meeting (to be held on 9/20/16)

III.   Review and Vote on Pond Proposals, Maureen Nesselrode, Principal

·         Context: Glen Carlyn Elementary School originally constructed a Koi pond, Campbell inherited the pond when we moved into the building 15 years ago; Koi became too large for the pond and were removed but one turtle remained (same turtle still lives in the pond today); more turtles were added subsequently ; Boy Scout troop added waterfall feature about 10 years ago; Genny Petro monitors pond on an ongoing basis, feeds turtles, cleans filters, etc.; in past 5-7 years  pumps have broken and been replaced, but now the water is still and not moving at all

·         Reasons to repair pond: parents and teachers feel pond is important (according to surveys, pond was rated “very important” by 74% of teachers, and was ranked as second-most critical area by parent survey); part of school culture; direct and indirect instructional connections (Tammy Hill, Pamela Clark, Kristin Drabyk, and Maureen Nesselrode discussed specific examples of the ways in which students are utilizing and enjoying this unique feature through expeditions, indirect instructional connections, social-emotional uses, etc.); pond has not incurred major cost for approx. 15 years; PTA has had a number of good years of fundraising (per Beth Cavey) and has been saving up in case of need for larger capital project

·         Potential reasons not to repair pond: cost, managing project, disruption in courtyard, could potentially wait

·         Other considerations: mosquitos (turtles eat up to 99% of mosquito larvae in habitat); APS will not fill in pond; not classified a safety hazard by APS; work needs to be completed  prior to time when turtles hibernate (in October), scope of work too large for volunteer (such as an Eagle Scout) to complete

·         Pond Renewal Committee (Christy Przystawik, Beth Cavey, Amanda Morisseau, Kathy Evans) sought out five quotes @ two tiers of work

·         Two Tiers of Pond Renewal Project

o   Tier 1: Clean and replace filters/pumps

o   Tier 2: Demolish and Replace

·         Open floor to Q & A:

o   Q: Who is responsible for ongoing maintenance (cost and labor)? A: Monthly cleaning of filters could become a job for students; annual clean-out once per year would cost approx. $800 if done by professional; any work that requires a contractor would be PTA responsibility; APS budget could be used for items such as replacement filters; APS will not incur cost for maintenance of structure

o   Q: Are current filters inadequate? A: Yes, we need to use a commercial-grade filter moving forward.

o   Q: If approved, when would work be completed? A: Contractors would prefer to complete over weekdays during the month of August; Maureen Nesselrode and Genny Petro will be their point of contact during project

·         Nathan Zee, President, described a proposal to authorize up to $12,000 for renewal project; Motion was made, Seconded, and Approved Unanimously

IV.  Reauthorization of Turtle Tank, Nathan Zee, President

·         Unable to complete project previously approved at June PTA meeting prior to the end of Fiscal Year 2015-2016; therefore need to vote to reapprove funds to complete project in 2016-2017 year

·         Motion to authorize up to $1,200 for replacement of front office turtle tank; Motion Approved, Unanimously

V.    Closing, Nathan Zee, President

·         Executive Board will meet in August prior to next PTA Meeting to review draft budget; budget will be presented at September meeting

·         Due to holidays, days off, and breaks, PTA meetings will be moved to the third Tuesday of the month, with the exception of the June PTA meeting