The Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators

A State Unit of the Association of Teacher Educators
and The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

 

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April 15, 2010
PAC-TE Board of Directors
Minutes

Call to Order – President Kathy Ruthkosky -- 11:36 a.m.

Approval of Minutes, October 28, 2009

Reports
All reports may be accessed by consulting the PAC-TE Web site at www.pac-te.org.

  1. President’s Report
    The President’s Report was offered by President Kathy Ruthkosky, with this additional information added at the meeting:
    • The Council of Unit President’s meeting at the ATE Conference included extensive discussion on membership. Florida has been successful in attracting and recruiting PreK-12 teachers. Many units are involved in regional conferences. PAC-TE is part of a region which does not hold a regional conference. The conference general sessions were excellent.
    • Kathy has received a letter from PDE in response to PAC-TE’s letter of protest on the USC application for establishing an online teacher certification program. Several letters were received by PDE. The process is now in the hands of PDE for investigation. A hearing will be held. The Interstate Commerce laws will be examined as part of the investigation.
    • Kathy reported that Pennsylvania was not one of the two applying states funded by Race to the Top (RTTP), and is reapplying. Extensive discussion on the requirements and status of RTTP nationally and in Pennsylvania ensued at this point and later in the meeting.
    • Kathy also reported that thus far the following PAC-TE members have accepted her request to serve as members of the new Government Relations Committee – Jane Bray, Mary Dupuis, Jacqueline Edmondson, Linda Norris, and Lew Strouse. Jay Hertzog as incoming president-elect, Fred Savitz as incoming president, and herself as president will also serve on the committee.
    • Kathy continues to receive phone calls from members, most recently around the Title II application and the PIMS system.

  2. Executive Director’s Report
    The Executive Director’s Report was offered by Executive Director Linda Cook.

  3. Treasurer’s Report
    The Treasurer’s Report was offered by Treasurer Richard Fuller.
    The Association Account report was approved unanimously as presented.
           Motion – Linda Norris
           Second – Tammy Feil
    The Conference Account report was approved unanimously as presented.
           Motion – Kevin Zook
           Second – Lew Strouse

    In response to Board member requests to re-assign specific expenses to different budget categories within the Association Account and inquires on the income/expenses for the two conferences, the Treasurer and Executive Director reported their plans to meet before the June Board retreat to further format the treasurer reports, develop procedures for coding expenses, develop income/expenditures reports on the spring conference and the fall Teacher Education Assembly, and draft the 2010-2011 budget for the review of the Board at its June 2010 meeting.

  4. Additional Agenda Items
    The president added the following items to the agenda:
    • the recent PDE memo on Praxis scores and GPA
    • the appointment of a nominations/elections committee
    • a request by the Pennsylvania Professors of Middle Level Education to meet at the PAC-TE TEA.
    • policy development on inactive board members

  5. Old Business

    1. Audit Committee Recommendations –
      In response to the president’s request at the January 15, 2010, Board meeting that policies and procedures for implementing the Audit Committee’s January 15, 2010, Board-approved recommendations be brought to this meeting, Treasurer Rick Fuller led discussion on those four recommendations:
      1. Prepare a financial year end spread sheet showing all income and expenses from July 1 through June 30 – This can and will be done, beginning with the 2009-2010 year. A new set of books will be opened each year.
      2. Move some of the money currently in the conference account into an interest bearing investment – As current interest rates are so low, the Treasurer recommends that no further funds be moved to CDs at this time.
      3. Conduct an annual audit of the Association Account and the Conference Account – This will be done, most likely at or adjacent to the fall conference each year.
      4. Investigate whether the Association is in compliance with IRS’ regulations for non-profit organizations.

      Extensive discussion ensued on IRS compliance and related issues.

      Rick has determined that PAC-TE is a 501(c)(3) organization, as filed for and approved in 2006. As such PAC-TE is required to file with the IRS annually, no later than 5 months after the end of its fiscal year on June 30. Penalties are possible if a 501(c)(3) does not file for three years in a row. He requested permission to seek legal advice on this issue.

      A motion for the treasurer to seek legal assistance and be authorized to spend up to $1500 in doing so, to ascertain the requirements for PAC-TE as per IRS compliance was made.
             Motion – John Butzow
             Second – Lew Strouse

      During discussion the following issues were also discussed:

      • PAC-TE bylaws call for the Treasurer to be bonded. Sue Criswell was bonded. We do not believe that Clythera Hornung was bonded. Should the Executive Director, who signs contracts, also be bonded? At this point John Butzow amended his motion to include legal advice on bonding of the Treasurer and Executive Director.
      • Should the Board have liability insurance?
      • As a 501(c)(3) what informational, advocacy, and/or lobbying efforts on proposed legislation, policy, and regulation are allowed, and at what monetary level? Sources for information suggested were ATE, AACTE, PSEA, and Mary Dupuis. The Keystone State Reading Association has had an excellent session on this. Hopefully PAC-TE can bring an expert to the June Board Retreat, where the Government Relations Committee could join the Board in learning about this issue, leading to a set of written guidelines.
      • Will legal advice be needed from several persons as our needs are now broader? The motion as amended was approved unanimously.

    2. Spring Conference
      President-elect and Spring Conference Chair, Fred Savitz, reported on the next day’s spring conference. Board meeting packets include the final program and the template that will be used at the breakout sessions to collect information on three questions, which will then be compiled for a NewsNotes article. The secondary and post-baccalaureate breakout sessions have attracted more pre-registrants than the PreK-4/special education and the middle level sessions.

    3. Teacher Education Assembly 2010 – Linda Cook
      Executive Director Linda Cook reported on and led discussion on the October 27-29, 2010, Teacher Education Assembly to be held at the Holiday Inn Harrisburg/Hershey.

      The call for proposals was posted to the PAC-TE Web site and sent out via post card and e-mail, then emailed a second time. When we learned that we have more space available at the conference hotel this year at no additional cost, the original deadline of March 26 was extended to April 10. 56 proposals have been received and will be reviewed by the planning committee later today. These proposals include 7 workshops, 4 roundtables, 5 poster sessions, 7 panels, and 33 concurrent sessions.

      PERA has chosen not to collaborate with PAC-TE this year on the conference.

      Robert McLaughlin from the New Hampshire Department of Education, who several Board members heard speak at the recent ATE Conference, has agreed to speak at the Wednesday after-banquet general session. The committee will discuss the other two general sessions later today. Several Board members spoke to the possibility of inviting AACTE and ATE to send speakers to the TEA, especially with the many federal issues the state and our institutions are dealing with from that level.

      Linda asked the Board to consider methods of increasing attendance at the hospitality sessions. She also reviewed and received feedback on a time/space conference planning chart.

    4. Focus Groups – Kevin Zook and Linda Cook
      Kevin Zook, Chair of the PAC-TE ad-hoc committee on divisions, provided the group’s written report. Executive Director Linda Cook provided an issue paper around the policy and procedures that need to be considered as focus groups are implemented. Both documents are in Board meeting packets.

      Extensive discussion, revolving around the following issues, ensued:

      • With the importance of the group leader in such groups, should these individuals be Board or President-appointed rather than nominated and elected by the focus group membership?
      • Should there be an additional cost to be a focus group member or should only individual members be entitled to focus group membership? The consensus was that focus groups should not engender additional cost for membership and should be included with membership of institutional representatives and individual members.
      • Will focus groups engender expenses for PAC-TE? If so, should additional dues be charged for everyone to absorb those expenses? Board consensus was that focus groups will mostly function via email communication and at the conferences with minimal expenses, with any request to spend funds coming to the Board for approval.
      • Will focus groups engender much additional work for the Executive Director?
      • Could some of these activities be done without official focus groups?
      • Focus groups will provide an additional service to PAC-TE members.
      • It is important that the focus group initiative not be seen as divisive.
      • The groups must function in their first year or members will not support them.
      • The groups must not speak for PAC-TE.

      A motion that Kathy Ruthkosky, Linda Cook, and Kevin Zook bring proposed bylaws changes on focus groups and special interest groups to the June 2010 Board meeting was approved unanimously.
             Motion – Carla Claycomb
             Second – Tammy Feil

    5. Government Relations Committee
      This item was discussed under the President’s Report

    6. Corporate and Associate Membership – Tabled until the June Board meeting

  6. New Business

    1. June Board Retreat
      The June Board retreat was set for Thursday/Friday, June 24 and 25, 2010, at the Sleep Inn in State College.
    2. Tidbits and NewsNotes– Purpose, Roles -- Tabled until the June Board meeting
    3. Web Site Updates – Tabled until the June Board meeting
    4. Membership Materials and Procedures Revision – Tabled until the June Board meeting
    5. Setting dates for 2010/2011 Board Meetings, 2011 Spring Conference, 2011 and 2012 TEA, and 2011 TEA Planning Meetings
      The 2011 Spring Conference was set for Thursday, June 14, 2011, at the Penn Stater in State College.
      The April 2011 PAC-TE Board meeting was set for Friday, June 15, 2011, at the Sleep Inn, State College.

      The dates for the following meetings will be set at the June 2010 Board retreat:

      • September 2010 Board meeting
      • January 2011 Board meeting
      • June 2011 Board retreat
      • October 2011 Teacher Education Assembly
      • TEA 2011 Planning Committee Meetings
      • TEA 2012
    6. EPLC Education Advocacy Network – Tabled until the June Board meeting

  7. Additional Agenda Items
    1. Memo from Teri Barnaby on PRAXIS scores & GPAs
      President Ruthkosky has received feedback from members on these policies. She will review this issue further and may correspond with PDE on this issue.

    2. Pennsylvania Professors of Middle Level Educators Request for TEA Time
      Consensus of the Board was to approve the Pennsylvania Professors of Middle Level Educators (PA POMLE) request for two hours at the TEA 2010 to hold their association’s fall program. The Executive Director is to communicate that:

      • the PA POMLE meeting must be held adjacent to the PAC-TE conference, not at a time when PAC-TE small group or general sessions are held.
      • PA POMLE must conduct its own meeting registration.
      • PA POMLE must arrange directly with the hotel and pay for any food/beverage or other costs for their meeting.

      Board members asked that the Executive Director bring policy language on professional associations and groups meeting during and adjacent to the TEA to the June Board retreat for the Board’s consideration, to address – similar mission and goals, limited or no amount of PAC-TE conference time used, no cost to PAC-TE, separate registration process handled by the requesting association, possibly a % of the group as members of PAC-TE.

    3. Appointment of Nominations/Elections Committee – Tabled until the June Board meeting

    4. Policy Development on Inactive Board Members – Tabled until the June Board meeting

     

    Adjournment – The meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.