LTEF BOARD MEETING
Monday, May 10, 2010
Attendees
Jessica Avallone
Collette Evanko
Elyse Fiers
Anne Mankiewich
John Roncoroni
Mike Walsh
George Wilhelms
•I. Treasurer’s Report - George Wilhelms
- George distributed the financial reports. Page1 is the Statement of Financial Position, indicating there is approximately $11K in the General Fund once the Doran family money is subtracted out. $1,800 was just paid out from the Playground Fund for the 2 handicapped bucket swings and other money that was held back, leaving $3,400 in the Playground Account. Money will need to be moved over from the General to the Playground Fund to bring it back to $5K, which was the amount contributed by the Avallone family to be held for purchase of the final piece of equipment.
- Page 2 is the Statement of Financial Income and Expense from April 13 - May 10, 2010. This shows the fees paid out for the Art Class, the $1,800 paid for the bucket swings, the first Ralph Bleck scholarship awarded, as well as the money taken in from the Valley View bake sale.
- Page 3 shows the Financial Income and Expense year-to-date.
- Page 4 reflects every financial transaction since the last LTEF meeting.
•II. Blues Fest - Mike Walsh
- Jessica Avallone reported that she still needs volunteers to cover the 5:30-7:30 p.m. time-slot.
- The gates will open at 11:00 a.m., so the first volunteers should be there by 10:30 a.m.
- Mike will be scheduling a meeting to coordinate all the volunteers. We should have volunteer T-shirts ready to distribute by that time.
- We discussed the fact that the liquor license is not valid until 12 noon. We should be alert to problems this might cause at the VIP tent.
- All sponsors who want their names on the banner must get their information in by Friday, May 14th, the deadline for printing.
- There have been very few pre-sales of tickets, but Mike commented that this is not unusual.
•III. Enrichment Grant Program - Mike Walsh
- All the previous grant requests have been fulfilled. We received a thank you note from the Board of Education as a result.
- There is now a new list of requests on the web-site totaling about $15K. Realistically, we do not expect these requests to be fully funded until the new school year.
- Mike and Anne had met with Julianne Targan to discuss ways in which the program can be promoted. It was agreed that even though we don’t expect these requests to be fully funded before September, we should still work to get the word out before the end of this school year, starting by distributing another flyer. Julianne also asked about having a table at the Blues Fest, where she could distribute information and accept donations. Mike said she would need to address this request to the Blues Fest Board.
- We will need to focus renewed attention on the program in the fall, starting by including an article in the new LTEF newsletter. It was also agreed to start working on the idea of an open-house evening at the schools, to showcase the various pieces of equipment and technology that have been funded through the grant program. We believe children would enjoy demonstrating these new technologies for their parents.
- Jessica raised the idea that certain grant requests are for pieces of equipment that are long-term investments benefiting the entire school. These might be the types of requests the LTEF should be fully funding through General Funds. Others, such as the SPARK! Literary magazine, represent a short-term project that is for a specific grade, and should perhaps be funded each year by those specific parents.
- Elyse suggested that we consider having a waiting period before we decide to fulfill requests directly through LTEF funds. We also discussed how to encourage parents to donate, while also making sure they know all requests will eventually be filled. Collette suggested we use wording such as: “Working together with parent donations, we have been able to make this program successful”.
- We discussed the fact that if the schools continue to make greater use of the program as they have this school-year, we might need to set some additional guidelines to keep the program under control. First, we might consider setting a maximum dollar limit on yearly requests; $15K, for example. In addition, we might want to set a schedule for the submission of requests. Jessica suggested that twice per year might be a reasonable interval for requests to be posted.
- We should also consider promoting the program at Back-to-School Night. The earlier in the year we can start to encourage donations, the more successful the program can be.
•IV. LTEF Newsletter - George Wilhelms
- We are shooting for distribution of the newsletter in September-October. We should find out when other community newsletters come out (such as the PTA and township newsletters) so that we can appear as a stand-alone publication.
- George contacted the township tax department, which will be able to give us a list of all township residents sorted by zip-code.
- The next hurdle is the bulk mailing permit. The post office suggested we borrow a bulk permit from another organization in the area. However, the cost is only about $185, and the permit can be renewed yearly for about $100. George will look into the application process.
- Some of the articles for the newsletter have been completed. The rest can be e-mailed to George. All the articles should be submitted by the next meeting in June.
•V. Playground - Collette Evanko
- An article about the playground was submitted to the township newsletter, which will be coming out in June. In addition, there will be a full-page ad thanking everyone involved in the playground, which Karen Newman is very kindly printing at no charge to the LTEF.
- Collette suggested that the playground article for the upcoming LTEF newsletter should be more focused on our plans for Woodglen recreational facilities.
- The Playground Committee was invited by the school to go see the playground “in action.”
- Mrs. Maxwell, who supervises the children on the playground, reported that there was a crack in the wood support on the gazebo. Joe Albore checked it and felt it wasn’t a safety concern. However, he has filled the cracks and the Playground Committee will seal and stain the area.
- There is an issue with the seatbelts for the handicap bucket swings. The manufacturer has determined the seatbelts are not safe in an unsupervised situation, since children can get tangled in them. The representative won’t order them, due to the liability issues. We can order them ourselves, and have them installed during supervised play time, then removed. Collette will look into the cost of the seatbelts.
- It was agreed that the donors’ sign should be in place for the playground dedication. Collette received two proposals for the sign. One was from Pendergast Signs for $1,320 for a cedar or redwood sign, plus $240 for posts and $220-300 for installation. The second was from Wayne Wojcik for a metal and foam sign at $1,800, plus $600 installation. It was agreed that the cedar/redwood sign would have the greater durability and the best appearance.
- A vote was taken to purchase the cedar/redwood sign through Pendergast Signs.
- Jessica commented that when she was at the playground outside school hours, she saw a girl going down the slide with her dog. This raises the question of whether we need to install a sign stating playground rules. We can consider this after the main sign is completed and in place.
•VI. New Business - Mike Walsh
- Mike received an e-mail from Liz Burns, informing him that she plans to discontinue the Ralph Bleck Scholarship. The committee does not want to continue fundraising. Jessica Miller reported that interest in the scholarship amongst 8th graders is dwindling.
- Mike suggested that we continue to award the $500 annually, until the Ralph Bleck Scholarship fund is depleted. The funds will be exhausted in 3 years. The Ralph Bleck Scholarship Committee agrees with the continued distribution as suggested.
Prepared by Anne Mankiewich
5/18/10
