CAC Board of Trustees

Regular Session – March 18, 2008

I. OPENING

N. Captan Amr called the meeting to order at 6:15 pm and welcomed the Community Representative candidates. Nivine announced that one candidate has dropped out, leaving a total of five.

Nivine announced the following:

B. Givich and Dr. Boutros-Ghali have given her their proxy votes for tonight’s meeting.
An Executive Session is scheduled on Tuesday, April 8th at 6:00 pm in the Boardroom.
B. Jones will be reporting for B. Givich.

R/08-3-1 Action on Agenda

No action on the agenda.

R/08-3-2 Action on the January 29, 2008 Minutes

M. Nelson made a motion to accept the minutes of the Open Session of January 29, 2008. P. Brennan seconded. Motion carried.

R/08-3-3 Superintendent’s Report

M. Greeley briefly presented her monthly report.

Health on Campus: Two cases of Typhoid were identified among our faculty. An email of awareness was sent to the community indicating that selling hamburgers on campus was stopped as it is the only uncooked meat on campus. Monica thanked NAMRU and the Embassy for testing all food service workers on campus. Monica reported that the Health and Safety Committee met on Sunday and CAC now has a very thorough food inspection process in place which has been implemented.

Enrollment: Enrollment continues to grow for next year.

Recruitment: CAC had a very successful recruitment season. Only a few positions are remaining.

Visit of U.S. State Department Regional Education Officer: Some members had the chance to meet with Dr. B. Cameron, the Regional Educational Officer from the US State Department. She is very supportive of CAC in particular and international education in general. She is also responsible for the grants given to the school as well as other activities in the region.

Development Committee: CAC received some contributions for the Master Plan building project and have identified a Development Committee. Monica thanked H. Sawiris, S. Gamal, M. Nelson, and others for serving on this committee.

2008-09 Calendar: A more detailed calendar will be posted on April 3rd.

Student Council Report

D. Elabd, the Student Council President, reported the following:
- IB Mock Exams were very successful.
- Week Without Walls was a great experience.
- Other activities planned and decisions made:

The International Day.
Sadie Hawkins Dance.
Slight change in the Tardy Procedure.
Trash cans on the HS campus.

N. Captan-Amr thanked Dina for her report.

2007-08 At-Risk Student Survey Report

S. Tennyson, the HS Counselor, presented the At-Risk Student Survey Report (copy on file). K. Nelson, S. Nehring, and F. Al-Shorbaji of the Peer Support team answered questions from the audience.

Highlights of the report include:

Overview of the survey instrument (student data and topics), administration, limitations, and response rate.
Survey results by topic (tobacoo, alcohol, controlled substances, sexual health, body image, and mental/emotional health). All these included raw data, analysis, three-year trends, and conclusions.
Summary of Responsive Programming at CAC:
Individual Counseling/Mentoring.
Health Curriculum.
Counseling Department Forums.
Peer Support Programming.
Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD).
REACH (At-Risk Student Survey Review).
Collaboration/Referral to Health Professionals.

N. Captan-Amr thanked S. Tennyson and the Peer Support students for their report.

II. COMMUNITY REPORTS:

R/08-3-4
PTO Report

E. Maurin, the PTO Chair highlighted the following:

On February 23rd, the PTO hosted the second Garage Sale at Victory College playing fields and was able to raise the same amount as last year.
The Spring Fair was cancelled due to lack of volunteers.
The PTO will hold a faculty/staff appreciation breakfast in early May.
On May 2nd, the PTO will hold their first Ball ever at the Gezira Sofitel Hotel.
The PTO will hold one more coffee morning.
The PTO will be looking for new Board members for next year.

III. ACTION ITEMS:

R/08-3-5 2008/09 Operations Budget

M. Turner moved that the Board approve the 2008-09 Operations Budget with an average tuition increase of 6%. P. Brennan seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2 absent.

R/08-3-6 Board Motion for Phase I Construction Costs

P. Brennan moved that the Board approve the Facilities Committee recommendation to increase the scope of the approved Phase I project to include all Phase I construction, soft and project management scope, and increase the Phase I budget to 17,317,305 USD (including a 664,500 USD contingency). The Phase I Project Control Budget against which the project is to be performance managed is to be set at $16,652,805m (i.e. budget less contingency), with the Facilities Committee being accountable for approving the use of the contingency funds as per the Change Order process to be agreed to by the Facilities Committee. M. Nelson seconded.

Following a discussion, the Board approved the motion as presented. (9 for, 2 absent, and 1 abstention).

R/08-3-7 Policy 2.101 – School Board By-Laws/Powers and Duties – 2nd Reading/vote

B. Jones moved that the Board accept Policy 2.101 – School Board By-Laws/Powers and Duties as presented. C. Clarke seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2 absent.

R/08-3-8 Policy 3.30 – Fees and Tuition – 2nd Reading/vote

B. Jones moved that the Board accept Policy 3.30 – Fees and Tuition as amended. M. Nelson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2 absent.

Following a discussion, the Board agreed that the admission deposit should be subject to annual review. C. Nehring moved that the Board approve setting the admission deposit for SY 2008-09 at $1000. M. Nelson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 2 absent.

IV. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS

R/08-3-9 BP Master Plan Commitment

M. Turner presented the BP Proposal (copy on file). Mark noted that BP offered an advance payment for future registration fees associated with 10 years of future BP enrollment in CAC.

N. Captan-Amr thanked C. Nehring, Dr. Boutros-Ghali, and H. Mekawi – BP Chairman - for this support.

R/08-3-10 Pre-K Registration Fee

M. Turner noted that the Finance Committee discussed the Pre-K registration fee (copy on file). The Committee agreed to let families decide if they want to pay the registration fee when their children enter Pre-K at the current rate, or pay it when they enter Kindergarten at the Kindergarten year's rate.

R/08-3-11 New Policy 3.702 – Operating Surplus

B. Jones presented the amended Policy 3.702 – Operating Surplus as a 1st reading.

R/08-3-12 Policy 8.401 – Student Due Process Rights

B. Jones presented Policy 8.401 – Student Due Process Rights as a 1st reading. Following a discussion, this policy was deferred back to the Trustee Committee for further review.

R/08-3-13 Policy 8.402 – Student Conduct and Discipline

B. Jones presented Policy 8.402 – Student Conduct and Discipline as a 1st reading.

R/08-3-14 Policy 8.50 – Student Discipline (Moving)

B. Jones recommended part of Policy 8.50 – Student Discipline to Policy 8.401 – Student Due Process Rights.

R/08-3-15 New Policy 8.50 – Academic Integrity

B. Jones presented Policy 8.50 – Academic Integrity as a 1st reading.

R/08-3-16 Policy 8.504 – Suspension and Expulsion of Students

B. Jones presented Policy 8.504 – Suspension and Expulsion of Students as a 1st reading. Following a discussion, this policy was deferred back to the Trustee Committee for further review.

R/08-3-17 Policy 8.80 – Student Employment by the School

B. Jones presented Policy 8.80 – Student Employment by the School as a 1st reading.

R/08-3-18 Policy 8.90 – Student Records

B. Jones presented the amended Policy 8.90 – Student Records as a 1st reading.

R/08-3-19 Elections Update

M. Nelson thanked the candidates for their attendance. Melanie reported that the Election Committee met with the candidates in a mini orientation last week. She announced that the Meet the Candidates is part of the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM is scheduled on Tuesday, April 15th at 7:00 in room 600. Electronic voting will start that night. Melanie wished all candidates best of luck. M. Greeley thanked Melanie for a job well done.

V. BOARD COMMITTEE REPORTS:

R/07-11-20

A. Facilities Committee Report

P. Brennan, the Facilities Committee Chair, reported that the Committee:
- Reviewed the Plant Fund Projects. There is an uncommitted fund balance of $33,377.
- Discussed the construction supervisor proposal.
- Discussed and approved approaching a third bidder.
- Reviewed the updates on the Master Plan Phase I and approved the construction costs.
- Reviewed and will continue discussing the Change Order process.

B. Finance Committee Report
M Turner, the Finance Committee Chair, reported that the Committee:
- Discussed a parent’s offer to donate a building and this was deferred to the Facilities Committee.
- Reviewed Cash Balance Report and the Operations Budget.
- Approved the final 2008-09 Operation Budget.
- Discussed the Pre-K registration fee.
- Discussed investment proposals.

C. Trustee Committee Report

B. Jones, the Trustee Committee representative, reported that the Committee:
- Met with Dr. Beatrice Cameron - Regional Educational Officer, Department of State who:

Commended the Board for moving forward with the Master Plan.
Discussed different financial aspects used by international schools to finance a project like the Master Plan.
Discussed the local bank as the best resource for loans.
Discussed trends and shifts in the international schools of the region.

- Agreed to work on the World Class standards and benchmarks.
- Received and updated the Elections process status.

VI. comments from the floor

R/08-3-21 Comments

A CAC parent commented on parental access to adult children’s school records.

VII. Adjournment

R/08-3-22 Adjournment

N. Captan-Amr thanked everyone for their attendance. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.

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