Cincinnati Waldorf School Minutes of a Meeting of the Board of ...

Cincinnati Waldorf School
Minutes of a Meeting of the Board of Trustees
April 9, 2012
In attendance: Fred Annexstein, Bill Cordray, Jack Michael, Pete Kennedy, Tammy Duvall, Art
Mergner, Sarah Singer-Nourie, Colleen St. John, Christine Masur, Maria Schade, Jenna
Sizemore, Nicole Gunderman, Melanie Meyers
Absent: Chelsea Green, Chris Evans, Dick Alexander
Guests: None
Board Study: In lieu of continuing the ongoing book study, the board was led by Connie
Michael through a series of eurythmy exercises.
Secretary Resigning: Chelsea Green will be resigning from the board; Evonne Morales
volunteered to take over the duties of Secretary through the end of the calendar year.
Board Term Expiring: Today will be the last board meeting for Melanie Myers. The board
thanked her for her contributions, particularly to the nominating committee.
Call to order: Sarah Singer-Nourie called the meeting to order. The board approved the minutes
for the March meeting, but the February minutes are yet to be approved.
Gala Report: Sarah Singer-Nourie reported on the total funds raised by the gala. The net gala
income totaled $45,615.26, which was down slightly from last year’s total of approximately
$48,000. The number was short of the budgeted amount of $55,000, but when combined with the
funds raised by the Children’s Campaign, the total amount of fundraising this year has exceeded
the projected budget amounts.
Comments regarding the gala were solicited from the board. Below is a summary of the
comments offered:
• The publicity and branding of the gala could have been more consistent with the branding
of the school
• The dance floor at the venue was too small and did not encourage interaction
• Some thought the live auction would have been better with a professional auctioneer,
while others thought having a volunteer projected more “warmth”
• The downstairs space was not ideal; the L-shaped configuration meant that some were
unable to see the video screen
• Most board members agreed that using the paddle numbers to purchase (almost)
everything was a great innovation
• The line for the buffet was uncomfortably long due to the buffet being one-sided; In
previous years buffet “stations” helped alleviate the formation of a single long line
• Some noticed a lack of participation in the live auction

Finance Committee Report:
1. Maria Schade distributed the draft budget (the final version will be voted upon in May),
and reported on behalf of the Finance Committee. She explained the implementation cost
of the tiered salary structure, and any costs for the expansion of Meshewa programming
are not yet in the budget. They can be folded-in to the budget as they are analyzed. Peter
Kennedy will be meeting with the Finance Committee to answer any Meshewa budget
questions. Resolution on this is needed by next month, so an extra Finance Committee
will have to be scheduled for this purpose.
2. On behalf of the Finance Committee, Maria Schade asked for approval to use this year’s
contingency to pay-off the remaining Meshewa renovation loan ($25,000). This will
reduce next year’s expenses by approximately $7,000. This is the only short-term debt
the school currently holds. Some board members thought it might be good to keep the
cash from the contingency since we are considering several new ventures (development
director, tiered salary structure, Meshewa expansion, possibly purchasing a new
building). The issue remained open for discussion and was not approved. Maria did
explain that although this year there was a lot of contingency remaining, we should not
reduce the contingency for the upcoming year precisely because of all the new
expenditures that may be encountered next year.
3. Maria then opened the budget discussion to questions from the board. A board member
asked if the projected amounts for the gala and children’s campaign should be “flipped,”
since the past few years have shown that the children’s campaign can be expected to raise
more than the gala. All agreed this small change to the budget made sense.
4. A question arose as to what the $15,750 listed under “faculty development” is earmarked
for, and if this amount goes toward the yearly faculty fundsharing Maria explained that
the fundsharing amount is a separate account. The amount listed in the budget is meant to
be used for a one-week summer intensive training session for each teacher
(approximately $850 per teacher). Some teachers may select to do a webinar instead,
which would cost less.
5. A board member asked how the 1% increase in teacher salaries listed in the budget was
determined. It was explained that early in the budgeting process the board decided that
salary increases were a priority. Because work on the tiered salary structure was just
beginning, a 1% increase was put in the budget as a placeholder. This amount was
planned to be revisited later in the budgeting process.
6. Maria Schade distributed the document “Draft Salary Structure Analysis.”
Sarah Singer-Nourie read a letter from the college to the board. The college feels very
strongly that a 3% cost-of-living increase is a must. The letter reminded the board that the
AWSNA review of the school called for a significant increase in teacher salaries.
Implementing the tiered salary structure would raise teacher salaries by 4.2%, but the
distribution would not be equal among all teachers. The phase-in approach to the new

salary structure is thought to be the best way to implement it. However, questions as to
how to find the money for the phase-in in next year’s budget are still unanswered. The
next Finance Committee meeting is not until May, but a supplemental meeting aiming to
resolve these questions can be scheduled before then.
Fund and Resource Development Committee: Nicole Gunderman reported on behalf of the
committee. She distributed the document “Meshewa as an Event Rental Space” which outlines
data and options regarding the rental of the Meshewa property for private parties.
1. The prime indoor spaces for parties are the rooms adjacent to the existing kitchen: the
foyer, dining room and living room. Current plans for the renovation of Meshewa show
these spaces dedicated as classroom space. Party rental could not occur if these spaces do
become classrooms. The facilities committee needs to determine if another space in the
building could be used for a kindergarten classroom, preserving the central area as
rentable space for events.
2. Part-time employee(s) would be required to handle the booking of the space and to be onsite
for events. Both jobs would be hourly and “on-call.”
Facilities Committee: Pete Kennedy reported on behalf of the facilities committee.
1. The school is still considering the Melrose property. The Walnut Hills Redevelopment
Foundation would love for the school to be in the neighborhood. They are willing to help
CWS in resolving the need for green space. Several options for potential green space
have been identified.
2. Crime statistics for Walnut Hills will be reviewed and considered.
3. An additional faculty visit will be scheduled in the near future.
Nominating Committee: Melanie Myers reported that three more parents are schedule to
complete their board terms by next December. The list of nominees to consider includes:
Yvonne Keller, Susan Gray, Dawn Spillane, Janelle JohnsonGrove, Greg Kirkland, John
Biederman, and Mazie Booth
Respectfully submitted, Evonne Morales, Interim Secretary