August Meeting Minutes
Location: Anna Jennett’s home and Zoom
Facilitator: Anna Jennett
Board Members Present: Anna Jennett, Michelle Marshall, Liz Mogno, Doug Lazure, Rory Salem, Dasha Hevenor, Marlon Marshall, Ryan Garrett, Sarah Szekeresh, Nivale Lightfoot
Community Members Present: Emily Clark
Next Board Meeting: Friday, September 1, 2023, 8:45am, Lincoln Elementary and Virtual
Lincoln PTSA Meeting Minutes
Call to Order: 8:05pm, Anna called the meeting to order
Ryan made a motion to approve the minutes from May 2023, all in favor, motion passed.
Agenda Items
Budget overview and discussion
External meeting on Friday 9/1 after coffee on the blacktop ~8:45am in the cafeteria for final vote on the budget (includes all PTSA members present), virtual option
Up by $13,000 currently
More money added around misc and marketing (doesn’t affect overall budget significantly)
Events-4.8%
School: Teacher grants, enrichments, scholarships
BASH overhead 16% (ended up at 20% for 2022-23)
Yearbook cost increased by ~20%,this past year; we had to have a minimum order and we didn’t end up selling all-could be an expense this coming year (there are ways to consolidate to decrease costs-decrease pages, etc).
Goal for 22-23 was $42,000, made $65,000
Enrollment currently fluid, won’t be finalized until 9/1; currently up over our projection
Internal goal vs external goal
Each para is $35,000/yr (22-23 funded 2.1)
Fundraising for 22-23 allowed for funding 3 paras for 23-24
BASH-some schools secure the same venue for 5 years
suggestion to lower the BASH number with goal being enough to fund the paras
LAPs-40k
BASH-65k
Anonymous donor-20k
22-23: direct giving was 35k with 20k from one anonymous donor
How can we maintain 3 paras
Goal for direct giving at 25k vs 35k for this coming year?
Anna Jennett, President and Doug Lazure, Treasurer
Update on PTSA-Teacher Collaboration
streamline how teachers get the grant money FT-$215, PT-$107.50;; who is eligible, 13 classrooms? Everyone on staff? Get back to them about this
Ideas for streamlining how teachers record how grant money is used; check a box for what they spent money on, all completed by one deadline, then Doug will cut checks to reimburse; one check for all lower El’s, etc.
Create/have form to request additional support like field trips, etc. Filling out a form requesting field trip financial coverage
Regular volunteers- create form teachers can use to setup request for regular classroom volunteers
Teachers on CCL’s: with communications more consistent they don’t really need someone to forward emails that are already going out; they feel a class parent is most helpful for birthday celebrations, inside the classroom events
Suggestion: Teachers make the first pass at identifying classroom parent and then if teachers are still struggling to find a class parent, ptsa can come in and help
Sign up genius for class parties, then let teachers take the lead; have a classroom parent organize a class event (like a walk to the park)
Check list for class parents; encourage folks to identify a class caregiver,, if teachers don’t have one by BTS night, let ptsa know so we can step in and help
Emily has staff birthdays and favorite things-spreadsheet
Teacher sign up for things- Ms. Rollins, Amy Jones, and Ms. Montoya, will be reps at ptsa meetings
Michelle Marshall, VP
Update on Volunteers
Delineate types of volunteer needs. Is it a PTSA led event/project or school activity? School needs?-What is needed for basic school functioning (e.g. crossing guards, kiss and go, etc.).
Possibly a volunteer lead option; want to be more specific for those who want to volunteer
Have board members “adopt” an event so questions can be directed to that person and they can help get answers/information, etc.
Re-use ledger descriptions from last year for events, blurbs, tangible items within the school to spread awareness and possibly garner more volunteers.
great photos from fundraisers throughout last year to use to show parents what it looks like, slide show for back to school night
Ryan: poster boards up of “here’s where our needs are throughout the yea”r to have people sign up on back to school night to commit to certain events
Sarah Calloway has agreed to be the point on school needs (kiss and go, marquee, crossing guards)
Volunteers for school tours, assemblies, etc.-Board members could sign up for 1-2 months or something along those lines
Make our ask for help meaningful and not like a laundry list of items
Kate-continuing to organize restaurant nights
Learn at Lincoln has been tossed around-need to make decisions so we have a finalized list; Shakespeare club will be incorporated in Drama with Ms Donnelson for 4th-6th graders and they will still go to conference
Bike Rodeo-Amy K said she will do it again
Grateful garden- need new lead
Fall Festival-Sara Rothman said she’d help plan it but cannot be present at it this year
Haunted House-Ryan?
LAPS-Jarred Pinkston lead? Dasha can help
Platform for laps for raising money-need to decide
Rory-taking a webinar re: Run-a-thon for fundraising, will share what she learns/resources
Equity in fundraising- among classroom size, raising money
Teacher co-leads on volunteer events; when teachers are in meeting with Emily, if we are short on volunteers, asking teachers to reach out to parents to help with events to reduce friction and increase participation
To teachers: We expect everything to happen within your workday but if it requires you to spend time outside those hours, we will pay you for those hours
Follow up with staff co-leads for reminders of volunteering
Do we want to set any deadlines for filling lead positions?
Marlon: goal is to have volunteer list completed by back to school night
Learn at Lincoln is school led; Ideas: literacy night (parents and 2nd star to the right), chili cook off, Math night (teachers can share how math is taught) -need people to spread the word and show up
What about grandparents day lunch, thanksgiving lunch, etc? Emily-TBD; Marlon-can direct that to Sarah Calloway
Ms Donnelson asked for help getting information out about holiday performances, tickets, etc.
If you know of people who would be interested in volunteering, please send them to Marlon!
Marlon Marshall, Volunteer Chair
Merchandise
T-shirts: Sold what we had at open house, purple shirts are well loved; new design being printed; need to work on numbers and how many needed to order. It is a lower cost to order more but then do we want that many on hand?
Iron on patches- $2.90, sell for $5; new t-shirts are coming
Rory will give the list of options to those who’ve stated interest in ordering and are waiting on a shirt
Re-ordered purple sizes we’re out of to fulfill needs now
We are using a new local company for shirts, they don’t do on demand; once we get the frontload of community’s demands for t-shirts then determine cost and price
great staff response for new t-shirt design
staff expressed interest in having zip-up hoodies -possibly gift to staff during the holidays
Should we give yard signs to the teachers, give them away to blanket the neighborhood-give away at BTS night
Rory Salem, Membership Chair
Update on spaces
A lot of new faces helping with getting the school ready to go; painting, picking up the grounds, etc.
Still have 5 5-gallon paint mixtures to use
Red paint for kiss and go lane-external line with lines down the lane
Planet walk-paint sun from kiss and go through the planets leading to pluto at montessori entrance,
Grant for ECE stabilization allowing us to purchase 2 large shade structures, one will go by current play structure and the other closer to the amphitheater
we’re slated to get a new ECE playground in the next year or so
what’s the LTG for the playground-what is the overall flow/design of our playground→CSU is taking that over this year getting community input as well as parent input
Immediate goal-shade
Laura Dresser helping with painting/visualizing playground
Bringing color/visuals in the community around the school to remind people that this is a school area
Beautifying entries to Ms. Catherine’s and Ms Anne’s entrances
95% of requested school supply items were brought in, thank you to all those who contributed; will send a feedback form to parents re: experience in purchasing school supplies more communally
Sarah Szekeresh, Communications Chair
Other Business
Anna-thanks for filling out page re: roles of PTSA, helpful for understanding the roles and connections of each PTSA member
Sounds like Friday is best time to have some collaboration time with group, potentially 2nd and 4th Friday, possibly lunch hour (12-1pm) to ask questions
Is it possible for us to use the ptsa card for expenses instead of reimbursements? That would be preferred, we could likely get multiple cards
Text or slack Doug for reimbursements when needed
Will Lara P. head the BASH committee again this year?
BASH date- many would prefer to keep it in April, talking about moving things from April earlier to offset all the events that month, need to f/u and make final decision on date
Back to school night: adults/CG’s only however childcare will be available; need to edit on the calendar listing as it says “adults only”
Fundraising Ideas from teachers/community: “Rock something”- charge $50/dollar per week to paint/decorate a large rock placed in front of the building, how you want (e.g. happy birthday, student!)-has generated good amounts of funds for other schools
A lot of the staff craft- instead of having the random goods to sell from large store, create a Lincoln craft bazaar, Lincoln Etsy
Who is the best person to contact for CSC minutes? Ms. Jen will post after the meeting
Propose Tiered pay structure for teachers and students to join ptsa ($6)-list a give option for those signing up to cover the cost of a staff/student/etc.
All Board Members; Discussion/Additions
Closing
Closing & Reminders
Anna made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:15 pm. Meeting was adjourned.
Next Board Meeting: Friday, September 1, 2023, 8:45am, Lincoln Elementary and Virtual
