Members in attendance: Bob Brick, Stoney Cantler, Beth Graham, Sarah Sansom,
Dorie Shallcross, Paul Weinberg, Lisha Brooks, Bailey Jackson, Mary Clare Powell,
Paul Wright, Leslie Fisher-Katz, Lisa Kowalski, Austin Joseph, Molly Welch

Members not in attendance: Deirdre Arthen, Jean Baxter, Frank Sansom, Aaron Graham-Horowitz, Benny Docter

Others in attendance: Anna Rossi, Robert Brainin, Mary Cantler

Summary of Votes Taken:
The minutes of the November 4, 2008 meeting were unanimously approved.

The Board unanimously approved the revised bylaws.

The Board unanimously voted to authorize Dorie Shallcross as President to sign the Board’s acceptance of the audit report.

The Board unanimously approved up to $13,500 in expenditures for the purchase and installation of theatrical lighting equipment and the related upgrade of electrical capacity in the theater.
Summary of Meeting

The meeting convened at 6:05 PM.

There was no public comment.

The minutes of the November 4, 2008 meeting were unanimously approved.

The Board unanimously approved the revised bylaws.


Paul Wright read aloud the Mission Statement.

President’s Business
Governance Committee: Dorie Shallcross reported moving ahead with the formation of a Governance Committee with Mary Clare Powell as Chair. Paul Wright has agreed to serve on this Committee. Other interested members are welcome to also join.

By-laws Committee – Mary Clare Powell, Deirdre Arthen, and Dorie Shallcross have worked on bylaw changes that Jean had been unable to complete due to illness. Jean is satisfied with their work. Tony Ashton at the Charter School Office had made some suggestions that they followed.  Mary Clare reviewed the changes at this meeting. She will e-mail the revised bylaws to members. Any additional suggestions should be sent to Dorie and Bob Brick. Bob will send the final revision to DESE.

The Board unanimously approved the revised bylaws.

Financial Report:  Sarah Sansom reported that the auditor issued an unqualified opinion on the financial statements as a result of the audit. There were no management letter findings. The entire audit report including the Board’s acceptance letter needs to be signed by Dorie and mailed by December 31.  

The Board unanimously voted to authorize Dorie Shallcross as President to sign the Board’s acceptance of the audit report.

Robert Brainin reported that the lighting system in the theatre has been problematic. Production Manager Heather Hershey and Maintenance Supervisor John Kulas have been working with Theatrix and electricians. It has been proposed that $13,500 be added to the budget to purchase new dimmer packs and pay for their installation.

The Board unanimously approved up to $13,500 in expenditures for the purchase and installation of theatrical lighting equipment and the related upgrade of electrical capacity in the theater.  

Student Representatives: Austin Joseph reported that there is a need for a room to store students’ musical instruments.  Bob Brick offered to work with students on this.

Teacher/Staff Representatives: Molly Welch described this as “crunch time” in the fall semester.

Management Team Board Report: Bob Brick distributed Executive, Finance, and Curriculum and Instruction reports. These had been previously e-mailed to members as a way to save time for items that need discussion.

Development:   
•    Mary Cantler reported on the Annual Appeal.  A week before Thanksgiving there was a mailing to alumni families.  Within the first few days, $500 was received.  The average donation was $25.   She sees this as an indication that people want to hear from PVPA.
•    Mary and Bob will be working with Heather Hershey on an appeal to our business partners for Community Producers’ contributions.  
•    We are among finalists for a grant from the Grammy Foundation, and a grant application has also been submitted to the Davis Foundation.
•    Mary participated in a workshop on funding through the Community Foundation.
•    She attended a development-sharing meeting at the Francis W. Parker Essential School. That school had a successful capital campaign in which Board members, families, and students worked together toward the same goal. They were able to raise a million dollars.

Retreat Discussion:
Dorie distributed some questions for small group discussion. Ideas were reported out and will be discussed at the January meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Anna Rossi