PTO General Meeting- 5/6/20

Thank you for joining the last Sylvan Park PTO meeting of the year! We will begin promptly at 6:05 p.m. Please send questions via the chat feature, and we will open up discussion as needed.

State of the School from Principal Goetz
Proposed amendment to PTO bylaws regarding Conflict of Interest
Proposed one-time PTO monetary donation to Sylvan Park
Proposed 2020-2021 PTO Executive Board
Proposed 2020-2021 PTO Budget 
VOTE
Special Thanks
*The PTO executive board has unanimously approved the 2020-2021 PTO executive board, budget, bylaws, and an immediate monetary donation to the school. There will be a final general body vote via at the conclusion of this meeting. 

State of the School from Principal Goetz
May 4-21 Remote Learning 2.0
3rd and 4th went to Schoology; packets for K-2 (flipgrid and zoom with teachers), internet option from MNPS, and food
IEP meetings happening
Grading-distict will either pass or fail
Retrieval Plan-May 21st Sylvan Park will have a plan for parents to pick up things left at school
School doors will open to students at 7:45 starting next year

Proposed Monetary Donation to Sylvan Park
Ms. Goetz asked about financial support to maintain the current slate of personnel, expected expenses for instructional materials and programs, etc. for the 2020-21 school year. The amount needed is $30,500.
PTO has funds available this year because of COVID/school shutdown. We will end the year with money in hand that was intended for budgeted expenses and also from other surplus money.
We have enough money to give $30,000 to the school while maintaining our required $15,000 rainy day fund as an additional $30,000 for next year’s operating budget.
Our PTO does not designate support specifically for personnel but my provide additive support to the school-based budget and give control of those dollars to the school.
This would be a one-time gift with no implication for supporting future school-based budgets.

Proposed Amendment to PTO Bylaws

Conflict of Interest Policy *PROPOSED*

  1. Whenever a member of the PTO Executive Board has a private interest in a transaction contemplated by the Board, the affected member shall 1) fully disclose the nature of the interest and 2) withdraw from discussion, lobbying, and voting on the matter, except to provide information necessary for disinterested members of the Board to determine how to handle the matter. A Board member has a private interest in a transaction if the member or the member’s close family member is a party to the contemplated transaction, or if the member has a financial or other interest in the contemplated transaction that would reasonably be expected to impair the member’s objectivity.
  1. Any vote involving a matter in which a member of the PTO Executive Board has a private interest shall be approved only when a majority of disinterested members determine that it is in the best interest of the PTO and for the PTO’s own benefit to do so. In determining whether it is in the best interest of and for the benefit of the PTO, disinterested Board members should consider: whether the PTO can obtain a more advantageous transaction or arrangement with reasonable efforts from a person or entity that would not give rise to a conflict of interest, and whether the transaction is fair and reasonable to the PTO.

Board member vendor policy *PROPOSED*

  1. To ensure that the PTO’s limited resources are used as effectively as possible, and to protect the reputation and integrity of the PTO, the PTO shall solicit quotes or bids from at least three potential vendors prior to committing to a transaction with a vendor worth more than $500. This policy does not apply in circumstances in which MNPS policies or other applicable authority require the use of a particular vendor.

Proposed 2020-2021 PTO Executive Board
President: Ruth Butler
VP/ Ex Officio: Theresa Yarber/Annette Ashley
Secretary: Casey Harvey
Treasurer: Chase Brannon/Tara McQuire
Teacher Appreciation: Natalie Goldsby/Christina Coldiron
Diversity: Kathy Hamilton/Sarah Laos
Communications: Lauren St. Marie/ Valerie Cordero
Fundraising: Jennifer Ervin
Volunteers: Sarah Grace/Whitney Denney
Community Relations: Tracy Eckert
Teacher Representatives: Jenna Myers (K-2), Amy Eberle (3-4), Lizzy Williams (Related Arts), Lisa Gorley (EE)
Principal: Elizabeth Goetz

Proposed 2020-2021 PTO Budget 
Brief presentation of proposed 2020-2021 budget by PTO treasurers, Tara McGuire and Chase Brannon.
90,100$ for operating and fundraising expenses with a 500$ surplus at the end of the year

VOTE
Please complete the Zoom poll to vote on the approval of the items presented by the board at this meeting. All amendments approved.

Special Thanks
A HUGE THANK YOU to Jamie Sisk, Spring Miller, Katharine Mosher, Amanda Sheaffer, Courtney Hobgood, Natasha Winfrey, Sarah Norberg and Russelle Bradbury for serving on the 2019-2020 PTO board. These members are rotating off the board next year, and some of these volunteers have served for years! We really appreciate all of your time, energy and care that has been shared with us to make our school a better place.