MOANALUA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA INC.
PTA BOARD MEETING
April 22, 2009
CALL TO ORDER: President Lori Shimoda called the meeting to order at 6:22 p.m. in the MES library.
VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: Lori Shimoda, Mary Ann Reed, Lei Fukumura and Maddie Ledda.
NON-VOTING MEMBERS PRESENT: Denise Arai, Carol Mann-Molay, Tamara Ochoa, Terri Kimura, Lisa Lee, Elaine Abe, Jeffery Tsuda, Sharon Toyomura, Adrian Lee and Susie Okumura.
MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING: The March 11, 2009 Meeting Minutes were distributed but not approved due to a lack of quorum. An e-mail will be sent to voting members requesting that they review and approve the minutes. Principal Arai commented that references to the abbreviation “HAS” need to be changed to “HSA” since this error frequently occurs when the automatic grammar/spelling check on the computer incorrectly converts the abbreviation “HSA” to “HAS”.
L. Shimoda requested that L. Fukumura make a list of all minutes needing approval then send an email to all voting members requesting that they vote on whether to approve the minutes.
TREASURER’S REPORT: R. Taone was not present. L. Shimoda reported that she received the budget from Principal Arai. She will meet with R. Taone. The Board must approve the budget and then take it to the general membership during the Starlight Concert. Since the budget involves financials we cannot post it on the PTA website. They need to determine how to let members know where they can obtain the information. L. Shimoda, R. Taone, L. Fukumura and T. Hirashima will help to craft the budget. The budget needs to be balanced and put into a spreadsheet before it is presented. L. Shimoda must also send it to S. Toyomura because she will also be voting on it. Principal Arai will also be provided with a copy.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
RAP – W. Hadano and Lisa Lee. L. Lee reported (start) Coupons on bulletin board. Last RAP coupons went out May 12 the last RAP will be posted. They take down all coupons on May 27th. Christine Enrico will be a co-chair for RAP. L. Lee will remain on for only one more year.
ARTS & CULTURE – Michelle Gandee. L. Lee asked if M. Gandee had gotten in touch with Principal Arai to schedule Reflections. “Principal Arai responded that she had not. Principal Arai further reported that the awards for the Reflection program had just come in. L. Shimoda offered to let M. Gandee know.
HOSPITALITY-Maddie Ledda. No report by M. Ledda.
MILITARY LIAISON- Tamara Ochoa. They will attempt to put on a contest. She asked if the schedule was too busy for them to do something this late in the year. Principal Arai replied that with May Day and assessments it is a busy time. They will have awards for the military children. T. Ochoa will be leaving the committee this year. She felt they didn’t do as much as she hoped. On last count there were 88 military children in the school. Principal Arai would like to do something for the military children.
PORTFOLIOS-Terri Kimura. The portfolios have been ordered and are scheduled to arrive in July. They will be stuffing the portfolios on July 28th (Tuesday). They will start at 4:30pm. It will take place in the library. It was discussed that t-shirt folding will take place at same time as E-Books.
UPCOMING EVENTS-L. Shimoda reported that the Starlight concert is scheduled for May 13th. The General Membership meeting prior to the Starlight concert will not include elections since the PTA officers were elected to 2 year terms. However, they plan to recognize the PTA officers so that parents will be aware of who the officers are.
Regarding the formation of a PTO, L. Shimoda reported that T. Hirashima spoke to attorney Danny Taira who has expertise with PTOs. D. Taira explained that the PTA can’t dissolve without an organization in place with a 5O13C non profit status. We can form a PTO at anytime. We could be in existence within 2-3 days but the 5013C application must be submitted to the IRS. The application process could take one week, a month or years. We need to retain attorney to assist us.
L. Shimoda further reported that the PTO will be in existence at the same time as the PTA. If everything works out the PTO will be in place before the start of next year so that we don’t need to recruit members for the PTA. The PTA dues would have to be sent to the national PTA organization. However, if by the start of next year there is no 5013C organization in place we will charge membership to the PTO. We may be delinquent by January and then we will need to have the 5013C organization in place. Instead of taking such a risk L. Shimoda plans to keep the PTA in place. If there is no 5013C organization in place we will charge family membership dues. This process is outlined in the letter distributed by L. Shimoda.
L. Shimoda is seeking the Board’s approval to retain attorney D. Taira. The starting fee will be $5,000 and another $1,000 will be required to dissolve the PTA. These expenses are equivalent to the entire amount of money that the PTA will lose to the national PTA organization. L. Shimoda reported that Rae Tom voiced concerns about the fees. L. Shimoda reassured everyone that the fees are associated with establishing the PTO. After the PTO is established we will no longer require the services of D. Taira. We are not retaining D. Taira as the PTO’s attorney.
L. Shimoda pointed out that we would lose the Reflections Program under the PTO but noted that we could create our own art program, under the PTO, with the savings. We could also lose the insurance coverage which we purchase through the PTA but can still obtain insurance if we are a PTO. T. Ochoa commented that if the PTO does not end up like the PTA, it’s a good move since dues won’t be lost to the national PTA organization.
L. Shimoda reassured everyone that our mission won’t change and that we will continue to raise funds for the school. She acknowledged that we are weakening the PTA’s ability to advocate for the students. However, we work with the administration and our representatives and will deal with our problems locally. L.Shimoda asked if there were any questions. No questions were asked. The Board voted on L. Shimoda’s motion to retain attorney D. Taira.
T. Hirashima voted by proxy to approve
R. Taone – approve
R. Tom – would approve with a response from the attorney regarding her concerns. L. Shimoda will seek clarification from Darryl Taira, Esq.
M. Reed-
L. Fukumura – approve
L. Shimoda – approve
Mrs. Toyamura – approve
Maddy Ledda – Approve
The Board approved the request to retain D. Taira, Esq. L. Shimoda will sign the agreement so that D. Taira can start the process.
TEACHER APPRECIATION-Lisa Lee, Kirsten Kajiwara. L. Shimoda reported that this event is scheduled for May 6, 2009. Flyers will go out to students tomorrow requesting donations of food for the potluck. The committee is seeking massage therapy volunteers. Flyers will be distributed next Wednesday or Thursday.
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS-L. Shimoda requested that members talk to friends and other individuals to find out if they would like to get involved with the PTA. The PTA will be sending out questions to parents in order to find out how the PTA is doing. This may be one way to request that they get involved.
ADMINISTRATION REPORT-Principal Arai reported that the HSA testing took place from April 7 to April 15 and that there will not be any school on Friday since a professional development session would be taking place. Principal Arai also reported that next week Wednesday the Moanalua Complex meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in the MHS library. The meeting will be open to all parents in the Moanalua Complex. Principal Arai also requested that parents donate plants or greens for the upcoming May 8, 2009 celebration.
SUZIE OKUMURA’S REPORT
S. Okumura reported that the collection period is April 20-30 for Operation School supplies. Soldiers will be distributing school supplies to the Iraqi children. They are running short on supplies and thus are requesting donations. S. Okumura further reported that so far four parents confirmed that they will be attending the Moanalua Complex meeting which will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on April 29, 2009 in the MHS library.
The deadline for the pre-order forms for the yearbook is May 1, 2009. The deadline to order the Summer Skills Sharpening Workbook and Summer Language Arts Review Workbook is May 1, 2009.
A movie night is planned for May 28, 2009. Friday is a professional development day.
Principal Arai commended S. Okumura for keeping parents informed and for promoting Rigor Relevance at our schools.
Principal Arai inquired if members had heard about Learning Points. Under this program if a consumer shows a card to a business they will earn a discount and credit will be awarded to a school on the program’s list. The DOE has approved the Learning Points program. MES is on the program’s list. Principal Arai would like S. Okumura to be in charge. In May they will take a closer look at this program as more information comes in. She does not believe that there is a sign up but cards are distributed to all students and staff. This will be another way to earn funds for MES.
It was further noted that the Principal’s Update will be sent out on Monday. L. Shimoda may email Principal Arai until Sunday night.
L. Shimoda reported that R. Tom looked into the Target program and determined that the school registers for the program and receives a discount for purchasing items at Target.
TERRI KIMURA
T. Kimura reported on Keiki Kits. This year three schools will be participating. They need a supply list by May 1, 2009 and then they will issue their estimates. Principal Arai commented that they are still making decisions on some items. She further inquired about how members feel about requiring students to purchase a ream of paper. Based on the responses it appears that those in attendance felt that the requirement was reasonable. T. Kimura is working with Making the Grade. It is a free quote. Principal Arai stated that there may be other vendors interested in providing the service and wants to give others a fair shake at being MES’s source. Principal Arai said other companies are circulating information. T. Kimura is willing to look into all of the other vendors. Principal Arai forwarded the information to S. Okumura and will be sending the information to T. Kimura so that she can compare vendors or publish the information for all parents to make the decision.
Lisa Lee asked if there is a rule against creating a wish-list if, during the year, additional supplies are required. Principal Arai said that there are no restrictions.
Principal Arai inquired about a USB being on the school supply list for first and/or second grade students. T. Ochoa suggested that the price for the 1 Gig be put on the lst. L. Shimoda inquired if the USB could be kept in the classroom so the students won’t lose it. Principal Arai responded that these are the types of issues that they are considering. L. Shimoda commented that since we are heading towards increased use of technology it makes sense to have the USB on the list. Principal Arai said that they are reviewing the list again to determine if all of the supplies are actually being used or if the list can be cut back.
ORCHESTRA
L. Shimoda reported that an additional $1,955.07 was added to the Orchestra budget from a donation made in 2007. The money was thought to be gone but it is now in the account. L. Shimoda reported that Mr. Keating submits bills directly to the PTA. He is now having instruments repaired so the extra funds will be helpful. The PTA made a $5,000 donation at the time that the Orchestra Program was in danger of being lost. Salary for the Orchestra Program was paid from the $5,000 donation. Supplies were also supposed to be paid from the $5,000 donation but somehow it went haywire.
ADJOURNMENT: President Lori Shimoda adjourned the meeting at 6:20 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: The next PTA Board Meeting has not been scheduled. The Board will need to work during the summer vacation; especially because of the PTO issue.
Lei Fukumura
MES PTA Secretary