Pat Cassella Debbie Kibler Robin Thompson Deborah Ludwig Kathy Patreka Amy Ananicz

Transcription

1 Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting of The Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County, Inc. held a Board of Directors meeting on at 11:00 AM at th Avenue West, Palmetto, Florida. Board Members Present: Howard Veltz, Chair Rachel Kendzior Kathy Stuckey Tim Pye Linda Guritz Pat Cassella Debbie Kibler Robin Thompson Deborah Ludwig Kathy Patreka Amy Ananicz Board Members Absent: Angela Gilmore Sandra Edmoundson Mary Beth Wehnes Caroline Halfacre Dennis Jagdmann Joe Miller Madison Wells White Beverly Williams ELC Staff Present: Paul Sharff Sharon Oakes Marie O Connell Karen Holman Board Members Present by Phone: Rob Bell Jennifer Passmore Melanie Shackelford Andrew Minor James Chatham These minutes are a summary of the discussion and action items of the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County Board of Directors meeting of. Welcome and Roll Call Howard Veltz, Chair, called the meeting to order at 10:58 AM. Paul Sharff conducted roll call, and determined a quorum was present. Citizen Comments Finance Committee, Rob Bell, Chair Ms. Holman, CFO, presented the financial reports for period ending June 30, Childcare direct payments for the School Readiness program for FY 14/15, July through March 2015, totaled $9, This includes $7,554,036 of federal funding from the Office of Early Learning, $1,229,921 from Manatee County, $81,685 from United Way, and $118,416 from the Teenage Parent Program. Direct services from the Office of Early Learning are 80.05% of total School Readiness expenditures.

2 SR administrative and quality expenditures totaled $2,149,318, which includes administrative funds of $266,549 from Manatee County Government. The strict administrative percentage for SR is 4.41%. Non-direct administrative expenses are at 15.54% for a combined percentage of 19.95%, staying under the maximum allowed of 22%. Administrative and non-direct expenditures together are about 11% in the Manatee County Grant. Total direct payments for children served for the nine months ended June 30, 2015 were $6,266,212. Combined VPK administrative, enrollment, and monitoring expenses are limited to 4% of total program expenditures. Our VPK expenditures for the twelve months ended June 30, 2015 were $282,811, representing 4.57% of VPK direct services. Ms. Holman pointed out that the ELC received an additional $900,000 in CCEP funding and that the year end School Readiness Direct Services expenditures exceed 80%. Moss Krusik & Associates has begun their audit process. Ms. Holman advised that the new budget presented to the Board was revised to reflect the actual amount of the NOA (Notice of Award) from OEL. The budget has been set up with more detail to provide information that is more specific to the Board. Ms. Holman indicated that both NextGen and Shared Services are contributing to program expenses. This type of program income must be spent before we request additional funds from state sources. Rob Bell, Treasurer, presented the recommendation of the Compensation Review Committee, which is to grant Chief Executive Officer Paul Sharff a 9% raise retroactive to July 1, The Committee also recommended adding one year to Mr. Sharff s contract. Howard Veltz called for a motion for approval of the Financial Reports as presented. Upon motion duly made by Dr. Kathy Stuckey, and seconded by Mrs. Linda Guritz, the Financial Reports were unanimously approved as presented. Governance Committee, Linda Guritz, Chair Ms. Holman presented the Fiscal Policy and changes that were made to satisfy both OMB/OEL requirements and those required for the Accreditation process, as well as a few updates to processes, such as how monthly statements are currently distributed by banks. The check signing policy has been changed, upon approval, to raise the check signing authority of the CEO in order to simplify paying recurring monthly expenses, such as rent. Ms. Holman will also be adding another signer to the account so that a second signer will be more readily available in times when Board Members may be out of the area. The Coalition will continue to follow all standing control processes. Paul Sharff pointed out that ELC has now added an Audit Committee to work directly with the external auditors, which is also required for the Accreditation process. Ms. Guritz explained that the policies presented under ELC Plan, Policy and Procedures are to bring the Coalition s policies in line with OEL s requirements per Statute. Ms. Guritz indicated that the policies presented under COA Policies and Procedures are being implemented as part of the Council on Accreditation application. Ms. O Connell explained that changes to the Employee Handbook as required to meet Florida Statue establishing pregnancy as a protected class. Ms. Guritz presented the Governance Committee s recommendation that all policy changes be accepted and implemented as shown. Ms. Ludwig asked what the purpose of the accreditation was for the Coalition, and Mr. Sharff responded that it would provide credibility when seeking grants and that it may set us apart from others seeking the same funding. Page 2 of 5

3 Chief Executive Officer s Report Video and Website Presentation Kelly Harbour demonstrate the AELC website, which was paid for with Cradle to College Funds, as well as the AELC website to promote the Association of Early Learning Coalitions. She also played a sample video, TJ Martell, which will be a model for the ELC video being filmed by and aired on Bright House. The upcoming video will mention our Non-Profit of the Year status and will be shown around the Tampa Bay area in hopes of engaging new donors for reading programs as well as encouraging reading to children in general. Ms. Harbour also displayed a photo of the Bookmobile that the Coalition will be sharing with Manatee Sunrise Kiwanis. This vehicle will hold 6000 books and will go to low income areas to provide books to children in their own neighborhoods Legislative Report Mr. Sharff indicated that nothing of interest is occurring in Washington at this time. Manatee County Funding Mr. Sharff reported that he met with Lynnette Edwards to discuss CSAB providing $100,000 in funding for local licensing, but that the topic was tabled at the CSAB meeting, so we are not anticipating much to happen now. The Coalition received approval for the additional requested funding of approximately $450,000 for the new Nemours program and to remove children from the waitlist. The Nemours program implementation is beginning now. CCEP Funds Report Mr. Sharff reported that fortunately the Coalition did not need to utilize the credit line to meet its obligations while waiting for CCEP funding to come through. CCEP funding was increased slightly for this fiscal year. NextGen Magazine Mr. Sharff reported that advertising is approaching $40,000 per month in advertising. Our next issue will feature the new Superintendent of Manatee County Schools. The other coalitions that have expressed interest in publishing their own magazine have run into issues with their School Boards wanting editorial control, so at this time it does not appear feasible to produce the magazine for other counties. Mr. Sharff has met with Dr. Greene to discuss the possibility of expanding distribution into middle schools. This topic will be discussed with school principals, and then Mr. Sharff and Dr, Greene will revisit. The Coalition will begin using bulk mail for distributing the magazine in the near future. The cost will be approximately $.50 each magazine, which will represent a substantial savings over the current cost of mailing. Our advertising representative resigned to take another position, but we have hired a replacement. Non-Profit of the Year The Coalition won the Non-Profit of the Year in Education awarded by Tampa Bay Business Journal. Over 100 applications were submitted from agencies across 10 counties, ranging from above Hillsborough to Polk to Collier. The Coalition is very proud of this honor, and recognizes that our staff and Board are the reason we are succeeding in providing quality services to our county. Florida Magazine Association NextGen magazine won the Silver Charlie Award for Best New Magazine in Florida. The first place award went to a quarterly magazine published by the Miami Herald. NextGen is being published with a 2 ½ person staff and the Coalition is extremely proud of the recognition. Barry Jones Business Partner Empowerment Award The Coalition received the Barry Jones Business Partner Empowerment Award for its collaboration with the Manatee County Chamber and the Manatee County School Board. The Coalition was recognized for going above and beyond in our efforts to serve the community. Page 3 of 5

4 Save the Children Mr. Sharff reported that the Coalition hopes to implement the Save the Children programs throughout the state in There is a possibility of a 4-1 match in the future. Shared Services Shared Services continues to be active, including graphics services and VPK payments. Broward, Palm Beach and Sarasota Counties are currently using our services. AELC Leadership Symposium Manatee will be well represented amongst presenters at the upcoming AELC Leadership Symposium, presenting on topics such as Child Development, Eligibility and TSG. Partnership FL Prepaid College Fund Manatee is conducting a press conference, with Senator Galvano and Florida Prepaid present, at the OEL/ELAC meetings in Orlando this month. Provider Update Ms. Oakes is currently working with OEL to determine the appropriate course of action to be followed for provider Little Seahorse. Council on Accreditation Application Mr. Sharff explained that ELC is currently processing through the application, with the intent of submitting in December and being accredited by July. Golf Tournament December 4, 2015 Autoway is sponsoring a hole-in-one contest with a Mustang as the prize. Capt. Cassella pointed out that Hilarie and the committee are working to raise more money this year with the tournament, but that Board participation is key in building this event. He asked the board to approach businesses for hole sponsorships, write a check themselves, collect raffle prizes, or support in any way possible. Volunteers are needed for the actual day as well, and greater board participation will make this event more successful than ever. Meeting Schedule/Holiday Schedule Mr. Sharff presented the schedules for 2016 for Board review. Committee Appointments Mr. Sharff presented the Committee Appointments for 2015/16, which includes the newly formed Audit Committee. Kibler Donation/Giving Challenge The Kibler Family has graciously given $5,000 to the Early Learning Coalition, and the coalition is grateful for their very generous support for the 3 rd consecutive year. The Giving Challenge is geared toward new donors this year, providing a match for donations from individuals that have not given in the past. Kiwanis Bookmobile / Open Trailer Donation The Kiwanis Bookmobile will be used throughout the community to distribute books to children and promote reading. The Sharff family donated a trailer that will be used to haul books or magazines. Page 4 of 5

5 Princeton Review Management has decided that this type of program does not fit into our mission and vision at this time. The coalition may look at changes to the mission and vision in the future. Mr. Sharff indicated that the coalition may want to embrace other concepts and will bring those to the board for consideration if determined appropriate. The coalition is open to accept funds and spend where needed to improve the lives of children in our area. Guidestar Mr. Sharff reported that he had updated our profile on GuideStar, and consequently ELC Manatee was ranked in the top.5% of the country by GuideStar, earning Gold Status under their ranking system. Items for Approval on Consent Agenda Policies 2016 Meeting Schedule 2016 Holiday Schedule Finance Compensation Review Committee Recommendation Upon motion duly made by Ms. Kathy Patreka, and seconded by Ms. Linda Guritz, the Consent Agenda items were unanimously approved as presented. Items for Approval on the Non-Consent Agenda Revised Budget Upon motion duly made by Dr. Kathy Stuckey and seconded by Ms. Amy Ananicz, the Revised Budget was approved unanimously as presented. Agenda Items for Approval Mr. Veltz called for a motion for approval of the Minutes of the June 3, 2015 Board of Directors Meeting. Upon motion duly made by Ms. Debbie Kibler, and seconded by Ms. Rachel Kendzior, the minutes for the Board of Directors meeting of June, 2015 were unanimously approved as presented. Old Business Mr. Sharff reported that the 403b distribution was approved via vote and distributed to ELC staff accounts. New Business Public Comments Adjournment There being no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Pat Cassella moved to adjourn and Ms. Linda Guritz seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 12:15 PM. Minutes prepared by: Minutes approved by: Marie O Connell Howard Veltz, Chair Page 5 of 5