Meeting called by: Ann Walton at 5:10 p.m.
Meeting type: Regular
Board Attendees: Michel de Knoop, Anne Williams, Ingrid Wilbom Tracey Koehlmoos, Sonia Kabir, Diane Lindsey, Michelle Bowen, Eileen Devitt (Interim Ambassador’s Representative)
Absentees:
Others present: Walter Plotkin, Brian Brumsickle, Tom Pado, Ian Hogg, Carolyn Jacobs and Keith Cundale (Consultant)
Scribe: Diane Lindsey (Board Secretary) |
Opening
Meeting called to order at 5:10pm. Agenda and minutes were motioned for review and approval and approved with the following corrections:
- Under policy revision the following corrections should be made: A school procedural manual (as opposed to handbook), a board handbook and a policy statement (and not policy manual).
Action items – principles of formulating the schools mission, vision and beliefs
- Ann Walton outlined the process for taking the strategic plan forward. The first step is to ensure the board agrees on the meaning of key terms for the mission statement.
- The process being proposed is to deconstruct the mission statement using the handouts: the handouts consisted of key elements, example of mission statement from the Prem School in Chang Mai, Philip, Sonia and Walter’s notes.
Who do we serve? Discussion held around the principles on who we serve. Are they international, expatriate, or national or all? We have general consensus on expatriate community as a guiding principle.
What are we going to do? Ann asked for clarification on what is meant by an American style education. This area of the mission statement stimulated much discussion. No final agreement was made, but a lot of discussion on operations: such as having American teachers and American culture. We need to accept that the phrase should be there. Is the staffing policy consistent with delivering the education and the principles? Gary clarified that the word American needs to be in the mission statement and that would be fine with the embassy.
Best practice/and excellent - Some people think the phrase needs to stay and others think they are redundant. Some say to keep them in the mission statement as they are both in important. Do we need best practice in the mission? Does it belong in the mission statement? Can it go somewhere else? Some say we need to include ‘to striving’. We want to keep excellence as a descriptor for outcomes as opposed to a referent to the institution. We like excel in something. We need to leave the word ‘excellent’ education in the parking lot or something that captures the idea that the school provides an education that is outstanding. We need to make sure the school is a leading institution.
What is the outcome? Lots of words/concepts need to be included. Check flip chart with Keith.
Partnership is fine.
Caring and supportive were thought to be important.
Keith suggested that he write up the high level concepts and then meet with Ann and Walter. They will develop a model that we can email and chat about through email or some other mechanism.
Philip would like to take the principles and put a score of 1-10. We need a guided discussion. However now is a time to reduce the complexity and develop a short sharp sexy mission statement.
After about two and a half hours the topic on mission statement closed. We took a short break and went to the budget.
Action item –proposed budget 2008-09
- Michel, the Treasurer, presented the budget.
- Discussion on projects or capital expenditures which included improving the canteen and the kitchen fixing the toilets and the air conditioners as well as all the school materials.
- New positions included language teachers and special needs teachers.
- How did the increase in staff salaries take place? It is just enough to cover inflation at 10%.
- Discussion on local staff salary and where it is in the market.
- Proposing that there be an additional 33 students, that is what is projected. Do operational costs go up 2 million for 33 students? Is that the capital level? Something is not right about how we hold costs down.
- We have made a request to add staff positions. The increases are no new positions from 08-09, there are only incremental costs.
- There will be a 4% increase every year over time. If you give a 2% and a step increase every year that covers 4% increase.
- There was an analysis of costs over the years. There will be costs for an early childhood center in the future. It will be about 2 million dollars. Should we start saving now? Why not stay at 4%? The strategic plan will be about new initiatives.
- Is 2 million in three years jump in operational expenses really necessary?
- Reserve fund? Is it enough? If we maintain a 4% increase we will keep pace with our salaries this bottom line of the reserve fund would go up to a million dollars a year.
- We need a board decision on the budget for next year. And not the projected budgets.
- There are no budget notes, although verbal explanations were given.
- Admin to think about reserve fund.
- Admin to do budget notes to share information.
Board Decision: The motion was made by Michel and seconded by Sonia for the 08-09 budget to be approved. The budget was passed unanimously.
There is a perceived need for a new position by the administration, a part-time, assistant elementary school principal.
The elementary school is approximately 45-50% of the school. There are 60 people who are supervised by one person (the elementary school principal). All the parents and students go to one person. Very few schools do not have the position for over 300 students.
Board Decision: The motion was made by Sonia to approve the position and seconded by Anne that a new position for vice principle for elementary school be created. It was unanimous.
Diane will sit on the panel, as the board representative, for selecting the new high school principal.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm |
