Trustees OPEN Meeting INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF KRAKOW 5:30p.m. May 15, 2012
Present: Chairman Allen Greenberg, Max Dudhia, John Lynch, Elysa Sicard, Joerg von Weiler, Allen Haberberg, Jeff Gaskill (future ISK Board Chairman representative). Ex Officio: Mamie Heard, Piotr Buczkowicz, and Barbara Kotarba (note taker), Brett Elkei, Katarzyna Kuźniar, Magda Brzeska, Małgorzata Gonet Mroczka. Absent: Anne Braghetta, Barbara Myrczek, Eric van der Steen, Erik Lutley. Visitors: parents (Ms. Mróz, Mr. Sierek, Ms. Smolarski, Ms.Solik) The Chairman made a motion to approve April Board session minutes as written, Elysa Sicard seconded the motion, all were in favor; motion passes unanimously. The Board started with the discussion of the loyalty program presented by ISK parents. Not all community was notified of the program and the way it was distributed to the Administration and the community was viewed by the Board as not appropriate. PTA representative said that PTA is not the body to handle the loyalty program. PTA is not supposed to be treated as a union, its role is to prepare social events and therefore it will not partake in the discussion of the program. The problems it tackles can be discussed at PTA sessions but that is all. Mr. Sierek said that the loyalty program authors did not intend the program to be divisive and there is no feeling of separation among the group at all. Allen Haberberg said that the way of handling delivery of the loyalty program was inappropriate and expat parents were not addressed at all. It was delivered to the School Offoce approximately one hour before the Board session with instructions to be given to the Director and then was emailed to some Board members once the Board was in session, which was very unusual. The Director stated her office is always open and asked parents to talk to her. John Lynch commented that the style of communication was not appropriate and in spite of this, stated a constructive dialogue should begin. Meetings with the Board Chairman and the Director should be held and then with a wider audience. Piotr Buczkowicz spoke of a calculation of tuition reduction done per loyalty program. Finance Committee has not discussed it yet and its possible impact on school’s financial future.
The Director explained the IB program is very expensive, one of the most costly programs in the schooland even offering a slight discount in tuition for those students remaining at ISK through grade 12 could have a significant impact on revenue. Joerg von Weiler spoke of the school’s situation three years ago and now. In the past the school was unstable, there was no communication, no transparency. The situation has changed but the school cannot rest on laurels. Parents and staff and administration need to learn how to talk to each other. John Lynch assured parents present that the Board is taking their program very seriously. No answer will be given right away but the Board will try to see if something can be done to benefit parents paying and the school. He spoke of good insights from parents. Also the decision of IB program was made upon parents’ request. ISK is not located in a capital city andthere are two competing schools here for price, quality, atmosphere, etc. Joerg von Weiler spoke of the work done by the Finance Committee. There are tough issues faced by the FC. If the Board decides to go for the loyalty program then the Finance Committee will invite parent representatives to discuss finances at length. The Chairman noted that this is also about fairness. School does not want to know parents’ income or if they can afford to pay more or less. Some schools in Krakow have differential amounts. At ISK everybody pays the same school fees, the school is as fair as it can be. John Lynch noted that comparison with other international schools will be done to seek best practice. Max Dudhia underlined that the school is not a profit center, it has its standard and this standard makes parents interested in the school. Thinking in this way us vs them is wrong. The school cannot afford to the loss of income of over a million Euros over a period of time. Loyalty program is a very serious issue to be discussed very carefully DIRECTOR’S REPORT TO THE BOARD The end of the school year is fast approaching and even with Easter and Spring breaks, so much has happened: celebrations, scholarship acceptances, externally administered exams, and preparations for graduation. The ISK Spring Gala was hugely successful with over 100 tickets sold and a total of $15,000 USD raised for library resources and playground equipment for Elementary. A special thank you goes to the members of our School Board who attended and/or supported the tickets for the faculty table. The Scholarship Committee is appreciative of the School Board’s decision to offer four scholarships (1 in grade 9 and 3 in grade 10). All students have accepted. Meeting with parents involved in ISK Loyalty Group was held from 8:45 to 10:30 this past Friday, May 11th. Nine parent families were represented with a total of 13 parents attending. Allen Haberberg and Elysa Sicard represented the Board. Two members of PTA Steering Committee also came. Piotr, Malgosia and I represented ISK. Barbara Kotarba provided complete translation with head phone equipment provided by the US Consulate. The presentation
addressed the points requested in the Loyalty Program letter to the Board on April 10th and from the notes from Allen Greenberg’s meeting with parents at the US Consulate on April 25th: 1. Budget (costs and incomes), more information on finances 2. Breakdown by individual and corporate/consulate payers 3. information on efforts of marketing for this year (see attachment # 3) The presentation was 30 minutes. Open forum discussion from 9:15 until 10:15. Points brought up in the open discussion included: 1. request for actual figures on cost of proposed loyalty discount (Piotr and Malgosia prepared this info for this Board meeting) 2. specific numbers on tuition waivers for faculty children; how many faculty children receive this benefit? 3. Director's responsibility to distribute Loyalty Program email/information to ISK families 4. past discounts offered to local families 5. number of families who leave school due to high school fees Director emphasized only the School Board could make a decision on their proposal. Thus, parents were invited and encouraged to attend the School Board meeting on Tuesday, May 15th. Graduation Committee has been formed including Director, Admissions Director, parents, faculty, and students to plan graduation on June 6th. Many guests have been invited including faculty, family, friends, and members from our community to celebrate our four graduates: Sonya Mookerjee, Kanisk Chakraborty, Rafael Skrzeta and Ashley Porowski. We would be honored if all Board members were able to attend this event. Guest speaker for graduation has not been finalized. Students Parent teacher conferences and Portfolio Evening: Students in Grades Nursery through grade 12 were invited to ISK for this event. Approximately 50% attended. A review of ways to increase parental involvement in this event is being planned. 3rd Quarter Reports: Students in Grades 0-12 received 3rd Quarter Reports on April 20th. SAT I and II: ISK administered a total of 21 SAT I and 8 SAT II exams on Saturday, May 5th. This is the largest number given at ISK during one exam session. MAP Testing: Students in Grades 3-9 have completed MAP testing. Results to be emailed home next week. Brief report will be given to the School Board during the June meeting. AP Exams: total of 15 AP exams were given in seven subject areas including: AP Physics, Calculus, Studio Art, German, English Literature,World History and Biology. Enrollment: Malgosia Gonet-Mroczka, Director of Admissions, prepared the attached up-todate admissions information. (See Attachment # 4 – Admissions). An Exit Interview Form has been prepared and Malgosia will schedule individual exit interviews with all families leaving ISK at the end of this year. Facilities: Mr. Charles Stukes, Assistant Superintendent for Facilities and Operations for Arlington Public Schools, Virginia, USA emailed a preliminary draft late last week. This draft has been reviewed and returned with comments; a final report will be sent within the next two weeks.
Faculty: Staffing has been completed for next year. As soon as all contracts are returned, brief biographies will be emailed to faculty and School Board. With complete staffing, substantial work has been completed on schedule for next year. All international orders have been placed. Upcoming Events for May and June: It's a busy time at ISK these days, with every corner of the school a hub of activity as we move into the last six weeks of our school year. Here is the update you on some of the events taking place from now until our last day of school, June 21st. May 9-17 May 8-18 May 24-27 May 26 May 29-31 & June 5-6 June 3
June 6 June 10-15 June 14-16 June 19 June 21
AP Exams (grades 11 & 12)
MAP tests (grades 3-9) Middle school track and field competition Jamboree Final exams (grades 6-12) Philharmonic concert (with accompanying rehearsals the week leading up to the event) Graduation at 6:00 pm Trip to Spain (grades 8-12) Spring camps for Middle and Elementary students Sports Day Last day of school - moving up ceremonies (grades 5 & 8); Awards
FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT TO THE BOARD Joerg von Weiler spoke of the importance to build reserves and professionalize the accounting. The FC will be able to provide a full picture of the accounting soon. The first time ever inventory will be done at the school
TEACHER REPORT TO THE BOARD Teachers would like to express their gratitude for the ISK Spring Gala tickets donated by ISK Board members. Those who attended Gala had a wonderful time. A big THANK YOU to our Board! Teachers are concerned to hear about a petition from some parents, who apparently want to introduce some changes concerning staff members' children who attend ISK. The news about the petition has stirred some commotion among staff members, and not only those whose families might be affected. This is a potentially divisive move which would not help to promote the community feel for which our school is known. The Director is aware of the situation and is working to find a solution.
The Chairman administered second reading of the Board by-laws and moved to consider second reading of the by-laws as done, Joerg von Weiler supported the motion, all were in favor; motion passed The Chairman thanked all participants and parents who attended open session. He stressed the importance of parent and their input. The meeting adjourned at 18:50.