October Meeting Notes

Attendees: Brandy Christensen, Kate Lord, Jill Cox, Kristin Cooksey, Paul Turner, Hien Larson, Olga Keeley, Sara Fitzpatrick, Ivana Cobos
Introductions
Approval of September Meeting minutes Kate set a motion to approve September meeting minutes. Jill seconded minutes were approved.
Principal Updates

• Sixth grade camp successful at new district venue
  
  • Night hike and Lake Tahoe visit (some students’ first time seeing the lake)
    
  • Principal taking second group today
    
• First school rally went well
  
  • Student council led with new advisor Mrs. Keith
    
  • Strong student engagement and school spirit
    
• Math program showing positive results in second year
  
  • District walkthroughs revealed high student engagement across all grade levels
    
• Student conferences in 2 weeks
  
  • ELAC meeting success with ~20 parents attending
    
  • Students will ask parents about hopes/dreams during conferences
    
• District won Golden Bell award for family engagement through FELI program
  
• Increased scholarship needs for field trips
  
  • Request to reallocate $3,000 transportation budget to scholarships
    
  • Twice as many families requesting financial assistance
    

Budget Approval

• Proposed 2025-26 budget: $24,000 income vs $41,000 expenses
  
  • Intentional deficit spending to use accumulated surplus
    
  • Historical spending ~$22,000 annually vs current $40,000+ reserve
    
• Key income sources:
  
  • Grocery Outlet: $664 (5% of purchases when mentioning school)
    
  • Sponsorship donations: $10,350 (up from initial $7,950)
    
  • Anonymous trust donation: $2,000 (second year)
    
  • Open house auction: $10,000 projected (needs volunteer coordinator)
    
• Major expenses:
  
  • $9,000 for grade-level field trip transportation ($3,000 per grade)
    
  • $1,000 scholarships (increased from $200)
    
  • $2,000 conference week meals
    
  • $2,000 staff appreciation week
    
  • $3,000 SWEPT program support
    
• Kristin Cooksey set a motion to approve the budget, Jill Cox seconded. Budget approved unanimously despite deficit spending philosophy
  

Conference Week Planning

• Need coverage Monday-Friday for teacher lunches
  
• No dedicated volunteer coordinator identified
  
• Planned approach:
  
  • One day: Donner Brewing Company donation
    
  • One day: Mexican food with ELAC families (Ivana coordinating)
    
  • One day: Italian meal (PTO preparation)
    
  • Two days: Catering ($12/person for ~80 staff = ~$960/day)
    
• Parent offered to make pozole for one day
  
• Exploring Port of Subs, Rotisserie Gold for catering options
  
• Need gluten-free and dairy-free options for staff dietary restrictions
  

Fundraising Challenges

• Sponsorship donations down 30% from previous year
  
• Family financial stress increasing scholarship requests
  
• General parent engagement declining post-COVID
  
• PTO philosophy: spend current funds for current students rather than maintain large surplus
  
• No interest-bearing account available for reserves
  
• Auction success depends on finding volunteer coordinator
  

Action Items

• Katie: Call Golden Rotisserie about catering pricing
  
• Brandy: Reach out to ELAC families about conference week meal contribution
  
• Brandy: Draft communication for Cougar News about PTO support mission
  
• Follow up with parent volunteer about pozole contribution