Monday, September 11, 2006 7:00 pm

Welcome and Introductions (Kristin Cleveland)

Minutes from the June 5, 2006 PTO Meeting were approved with minor corrections.

Election of Chair-elect: Darlene Haecker was elected.

Overview of PTO projects underway (Kristin Cleveland):  The curbcut for the crosswalk at Carroll and MacKubin should be poured in late October.  We may need some sort of crossing help at the corner of Mackubin and Marshall.

Spanish Club is now through community education and enrollment is going well.

Directory forms are flowing in.  We may need volunteers to enter forms online. Carnival is April 20, 2007.  Laura Park will coordinate.  The third Grade Welcome dinner is October 6.  Jenna Klein Brown is coordinating.

Web site updates: Julie Taylor worked on the web site at Nokomis and is willing to work on this. Julie Woodman will post things for the school, but it is time consuming.  It would be good to have a parent volunteer for each grade who can post a syllabus, information on what is happening, teacher biographies, and other information. Julie will work on getting a template for grade information. Randi will set up passwords.  Site Council secretary will try to post minutes more frequently. 

Overview of 2006-2007 Capitol Hill budget: Our funding is based on a population of 1033 students.  That is 55 more than the 2005-2006 school year.  Currently, we are 4 students ahead of projected enrollment.  Referendum funds for this year are $247,214.  If the referendum does not pass in November, we would lose that money.  We would lose almost all support staff, such as teacher aides, librarian, tech support, curriculum coordinator, cultural specialists, attendance liasons, and more.  (Many of these positions are part-time.) The other big factor for funding next year is the legislature, because this is the year they will pass an education funding bill.

2006-2007 PTO Proposed Budget (Anne Hartnett and Julie Taylor): We raised $35,344, which was more than we budgeted.  There are several new proposed expenses.  One is $5,000 for a new playground at the location that the 5th and 6th grade uses near Benjamin Mays Magnet.  The third grade has a puppeteering proposal to work with Puppeteer Margo McCreary for $1,500.  Capitol Hill was the top fundraising school in the Walk for Diabetes, so they won a rock climbing wall as a prize.  But the company that provided the rock wall is in Texas, and the wall still needs to be installed for $750.  Chess Club is requesting money to cover the entrance fees for 10 students to go to the National Chess Tournament at about $1250, but we need a formula to make support for different groups equitable.  This may need to be a special request rather than a fixed line item in the budget.  Writers Workshop is funded at $3,500.

A finalized budget will be approved at the October meeting.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Randi Madisen, PTO Secretary