WAEYC Governing Board Meeting
November 12, 2014 Minutes
Attendees: Tracy Ulrich, Michael Koetje, Greg Brazell, Jennifer White, Nancy Handy,
Wendy Newby, Kristie Brame, Brenda Boyd, John Naegele, Cindy Ashworth, Nancy
Spurgeon, and Chris Booth
Michael called the meeting to order at 7:40.
Tracy opened the reports with a conference update. Registration will include name
badge, brochure, tickets and instructions. The record of participation is a selfcompleted document. There were several last minute registrations so there will not
be extra brochures. Board members will be volunteers at registration and greeters.
The answer the “Can I switch sessions?” Answer: Yes if the brochure indicates that
the session is ‘open,’ and they need to write their name on the class roster for STARS
credit or clock hours credit. The atrium area will offer coffee and tea. There will not
be breakfast foods. Tracy reviewed the process for introductions of key note
speakers and encouraged the board member to mention WAEYC membership at the
WAEYC information table where there will be a laptop with internet access so
people can sign up for membership. There are 300 people registered for Thursday,
420 for Friday and 220 on Saturday. Friday evening is the annual membership
meeting followed by a reception for meeting and mingling in the Snoqualmie. The
registration is up by about 20. Looking ahead, the Lynnwood Convention Center
near Everett and is very nice facility and is available in October 2015. There was
interest in having an October conference again and would like to hear about the
options. There will be breakfast for the volunteer board members each morning
from 7 to 8. There are some books to give away from Community Play Things.
John moved that the minutes be approved with the correction to Kristie’s name and
Brenda seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Nancy presented the balance sheet and the treasurer’s report. The balance is
$73,12.10 in the checking account, and the scholarship fund, which is DEL money
balance is $15,681.39. There is a deposit for the on-line shopping rebate of $7.39.
October’s net balance is <$581.03> and may be a result of having not received the
NAEYC membership check. Michael was able to negotiate with Wells Fargo to have
the banking fees removed. We now have free checking, which is a savings of $80 per
month. There needs to be an adjustment in our policy and procedures now that the
statement is electronic instead of a paper statement. Michael recommended, based
on a meeting with Jill Brenner, Nancy Handy, John Naegele and Michael Koetje a new
process.
“1. Upon arrival, the WAEYC Treasurer will review and print the electronic,
online Wells Fargo Bank Statement based on the list of checks in the register
and debit card receipts.
2. After review by the Treasurer, the statement will be forwarded
electronically to bookkeeper for entry and reconciliation to the registration.
3. Once reconciled, the Treasurer will review the reconciliation for accuracy.
4. Monthly reports can then be generated.”
The next step is a review of the process by the “finance committee” and then Nancy
Handy will report back to the board for approval.
Michael provided a review on our insurance policy with Propel Insurance. There
seems to be charges we no longer need; such as car insurance, property insurance,
and some questionable item that covers counselors. There was a recommendation
to get the policy reviewed by our attorney and make a recommendation for
modifications to the insurance policy.
Brenda Boyd and Jamie Ashton attended the NAEYC conference in Dallas, Texas.
They learned about using technology to reach a younger generation #wsuhdbrenda
and #waeyc2014. The presenter thinks that ‘apps’ may be a way to reach them.
“Knowing ‘Y’” is the name of the book. NAEYC has lost 11,000 members and
younger generations need to feel belonging and that what they do makes a
difference. The strategic direction for NAEYC includes a new mission and vision
statement that grew out of the national dialogue. The national dialogue is in its
third and final phase, which is examining the structure of the organization with the
affiliates at various levels or organization. Please make sure your membership is
current on December 1 so that you can vote on the new governing board members.
Michael announced that the WAEYC website is up and functioning and there is a
waeyc@waeyc.org email address, a Facebook link, and the WAEYC phone number.
There is a newsletter deadline coming up December 5, 2014 for the next newsletter,
which will go out on December 12th. We are also looking for storage space on the
cloud for the association documents. Amanda is looking for feedback on the
website. Please provide feedback on ideas about blogging, questions for
provocation and ways to stimulate traffic on the website. Nancy Spurgeon
requested that NAEYC Accredited centers be listed on the WAEYC website.
Upcoming conferences: February 21, 2015 is the EWAEYC conference, February 7,
2015 is NWAEYC conference, March 7, 2015 is the PCAEYC conference.
John gave a legislative report. November 4 only 36% of eligible voters turned out.
The state legislature will be creating a two-year budget this session. McCrery
requires a $3 billion increase in K-12 funding and $5 billion increase in the second
year with the threat of contempt of court charges of the legislature. The class size
initiative 1351 is currently passing. ELAA has presented a legislative agenda for
2015. John handed out the messages and reviewed the items being recommended.
It is going to be a difficult session to balance budgets and revenue generation. We
enjoyed a spontaneous discussion about preserving the quality of early learning
programs.
Michael reminded committee members about their commitments to the “work
plan.” Michael summarized the meeting and the meeting closed at 9:30 p.m.