Eagle Newsletter - July 7, 2010

Eagle PTE to meet tomorrow, Thursday, July 8, 2010 for a special meeting in the Library at Eagle Elementary at 5:30pm.

Letter from the current and past PTE presidents:

Hello Everyone,

We certainly hope you and your family were able to enjoy some quality time for the 4th of July! FREEDOM what a wonderful thing to celebrate!

As promised we are providing extensive detail on the current situation with the PTE and the School District. Please take the time to read not only this portion of the e-mail but also the 4 attachments.
This e-mail is intended to be a proactive, factual communication to update you on these latest developments. We would like to prevent misinformation from disseminating and ask that if you have questions not answered by this e-mail; contact your PTE officers as they will have the most up to date and accurate information.

Tracy Christianson, Past President TracyC@futuretk.com, 202-7438
DeeAnn Retzlaff, President DeeAnn_Retzlaff@yahoo.com, 781-9383
Michelle St. Clair, Vice President MichelleStClair@gpcom.net, 890-2113

Please be assured, no one has made any decisions on behalf of the PTE. We have been gathering the information you need to make an educated decision on behalf of the PTE. At this time, we would like to meet as a group on July 8th to discuss this information and potentially vote again. Please review the factual timeline below.

Over a year ago the PTE voted in favor of pursuing 501(c)3 status in order to more effectively fundraise on behalf of Eagle Elementary students.
Out of respect for the transition in district leadership happening at that time, we also agreed to hold this action until our new superintendent was settled as it was the PTE's desire to continue to work closely with the school district.The PTE has researched best practices for Parent-Teacher groups regarding operation as a separate 501(c)3 entity, as well as options for continuing to work as a direct arm of the school district. We worked with Superintendent Heimann, followed the chain of command laid out by the school district and made professional appeals to the school board regarding the PTE's working relationship with the district.

In review, some of the major benefits the PTE seeks by incorporating and applying for 501(c)3 status include:

Tax exempt status
For fundraising
For purchasing power
Tax ID number
Some grants and special postal rates are only available to 501(c)3's
Improves Organization credibility
Legal protection of our officers from litigation through incorporation

TIMELINE
In early fall of 2009, the PTE's President and President Elect met with Principal Heusman and Superintendent Heimann regarding the PTE, our organizations goals and ultimately how we can work together to best benefit our students.

A formal request was made by letter to Superintendent Heimann for 501(c)3 status for our organization on September 23, 2009. Shortly there after we were informed that two school board policies would need to change in order for the district to recognize the PTE as a separate entity and enable the school board to accept our donations.

We worked closely with Superintendent Heimann to gather the necessary background information needed to take our request for policy changes to the school board. This research included the operation and policies of other school districts in our conference regarding non-profit status in relationship to their booster organizations. Prototypes for the relationship we seek with School District 145 do exist and are quite common. The School District itself already has set precedence in policy #3030 to allow a 501(c)3 to function within the school district and fundraise on its behalf, we simply want to be able to do the same.

Tracy Christianson, PTE President at the time, met with Superintendent Heimann again in February of 2010 after ruling out the Foundation for Education as an option for surrogate non-profit status.

The PTE President and Treasurer went before the school board in April of 2010 to formally present the idea of the PTE working as a separate entity with our own non-profit status. At that time the School Board listened to our request; then sent it to their Policy Committee to evaluate our request and subsequently provide a recommendation.

In early May 2010, Superintendent Heimann informed the PTE of the School Board Policy Committee's recommendation against our request for 501(c)3 status and any change to policy. We were also informed that the School Board intended to vote to approve Eagle State Bank as an official depository for the District.

The PTE held a final meeting for the 2009-10 school-year in May. We evaluated and discussed the situation; then decided to address the School Board again in June provided we could get on the agenda. We wanted to offer the School Board an opportunity to ask questions of the PTE, before they made a final decision, as the Policy Committee had not asked for our input.

The PTE held a special meeting in early June (see Meeting Minutes attached) to prepare for this school board meeting. At that meeting, we voted to change the PTE By-Laws to include only PTE officers as signers on the PTE's account, which meant removing Principal Heusman from our signature card at the bank. Our intention was to preserve the community's relationship with our principal, and protect our donors. We were not comfortable with the District placing Principal Heusman in this position of conflict under the current state of differing opinions on how the PTE should function, but we were still hopeful that continued communication with the school district would provide the group's desired outcome.

At the June 7th 2010 School Board Meeting, Tracy Christianson provided a detailed presentation to the entire board (see attached), but the Board decided to take the Policy Committee's recommendation and our request was denied. They did however approve Eagle State Bank as an official depository for School District 145.

As a result of our request to gain 501(c)3 status and be more effective in fundraising for the PTE, the School Board became aware of the fact that we have not been acting under the current board policy and they felt compelled to enforce their policy. On Thursday, June 10th 2010 Superintendent Heimann sent a letter addressed to the PTE President and cc'd past and present PTE officers and school board President, Dennis Francke (see attached page 1 & 2 are separate attachments) indicating that the PTE's account was to be run under School District 145's Policy, and the only authorized signers on the account would be Dr. Heimann and Robin Hofmann, and somehow Eagle State Bank allowed for this change.

Based on the new awareness by all parties regarding board policy and PTE structure, in addition to the fact the board has so far been unwilling to change policy, they are requesting changes to how the PTE functions. It is unfortunate that this went unnoticed for so long. We understand that change and especially the unknown can be unsettling and we want to ensure you have all the facts and that all your questions get answered. Please also be assured that your elected officers have been working to gather information about our options as a group moving forward, but we have not implemented any change.

We recently met with Superintendent Heimann and Principal Heusman on Monday, June 28th in attempt to gather detailed information regarding any procedures the PTE will need to follow so we can fully understand the impact to our organization. At this meeting Superintendent Heimann and Principal Heusman assured us that no funds from the bank accounts at Eagle State Bank would be spent without a PTE Officer's signature and that the change to the signers on our account was necessary in order to be in compliance with current School Board Policy. We just received the written procedures from Superintendent Heimann on July 3rd, (see attached) and have attached them as well so you can be processing this information at the same time as we are in preparations for our discussions on July 8th.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE JOIN US AND BRING A PTE FRIEND!
Thursday, July 8th 2010, 5:30pm-7pm at the Eagle Elementary Media Center

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy summer schedule to meet with us, and ensure the PTE continue to operate as you see fit.

DeeAnn, Michelle, and Tracy

Letter To The Editor:

Some of our readers have been sending in letters to the editor regarding the PTE situation. I will begin posting them on each weeks newsletters.

If you would like to send in a letter, please send it to:

editor@eaglenebraska.com

The 4th has come and gone. I hope you all had a good time with friends and family remembering and honoring those that serve and give us the Freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis.

Now time for the clean up! Please make sure you pick up what is left from your celebration!

Letters to the Editor

In response to the article on Eagle Elementary PTE funds:

Letter #1

Wow! This is amazing and wrong.

The money raised by the Eagle PTE was done by them and is earmarked solely for Eagle Elementary School, its teachers and students. When my wife and I have donated our money and time we did so knowing the money is going to the Eagle PTE and would be solely controlled by the Eagle PTE.

The argument that the Eagle PTE is doing such a great job to where Eagle Elementary is getting more items than other schools just doesn't wash. If the District is concerned that Eagle Elementary is getting more than others through the hard work of the PTE, they should tell the others schools to get busy and form their own PTE and fund raising activities.

Just as any organization that receives money from fund raising, those funds are controlled solely by that fund raising organization (see The Gates Foundation). The Superintendent and other District officials have no position to control the money raised by the PTE or demand where and when it used.

Reading your piece on eaglenebraska.com simply confirmed there are sour grapes on the part of Superintendent, the District Officials, and the other schools in the District. Because of these sour grapes the District Officials have taken a simple situation have messed it up. The only solid solution to this matter is to give the money and sole control back to the Eagle PTE as they raised it, and earmarked it one entity - Eagle Elementary school.

If this money is not given back to the Eagle PTE to be used solely for Eagle Elementary School, I want my donations back. Furthermore, anybody that contributed to the PTE should be given their money back. This is a simple micro-economic situation that is trying be incorrectly expanded into a macro-economic endeavor. It's too bad these shots are being called by non-business people that are making a simple situation into a difficult one.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 781-9309.

Thank You,

Ken Peterson

Letter #2

Classic Styles

In need of some pampering? Classic Styles located at 48th & Calvert in Lincoln does it all! Stop in for a Mani/Pedi, Cut, Trim, Style...you name it! Local resident and co-owner Kelley Peterson does a great job and clients leave feeling great!

Eagle resident and co-owner Kelley Peterson of Classic Styles (48th & Calvert) shown here giving a trim to Riley Westerholt for her summer do!

Claire shown here at Classic Styles with the hair she had cut off and is donating to Locks of Love. This is Claire's 2nd time donating to this cause.

The Rumors have been flying......

As many of you know, the Eagle Elementary PTE has been working to obtain a 501c3 status. This staus would do a couple things. First, it would allow the PTE to have their own tax exempt number. Secondly, it would benefit the school district as a whole because the money raised would not be counted against the district when looking at the federal funding. Finally, we would not be limited to monitary donations and we would be able to apply for grants only PTE's are eligable for.

The Eagle Elementary PTE has close to a $65,000 a year budget right now which they raise themselves through various fundraising events. This is a very large budget compaired to most PTE/PTA/PTO's. This money is used to benefit our teachers, staff and most of all our children. The PTE has always been in charge of raising this money and then in return controlling how it is spent.

The PTE is able to achieve the 501c3 status without approval of the school board but the officers of the PTE wanted to work with School District 145 their policies and procedures. So they went though the School Board to get permission to apply for the 501c3 status. This took several weeks of meetings to answer all the questions as to why the PTE wanted to move in this direction. After doing this however, the School Board left the decision up to a committee headed by the one member who was against the PTE moving in this direction. After this committee made it's recommendation the School Board voted to deny the Eagle Elementary PTE permission to apply for the 501c3 status. No PTE members were invited to the committee meeting to answer any questions that should have been raised.

School district 145's Central Office has now taken control over the Eagle Elementary PTE bank account at Eagle State Bank cutting off account access to the Eagle PTE. The elected PTE officers are meeting with Superintendant Bill and Eagle Elementary Principal Dottie Heusmann on Monday, June 28th to discuss the policies and procedures that were followed and where that leaves the Eagle Elementary PTE.

The PTE will hold a special summer meeting at Eagle Elementary, Thursday, July 8th at 5:30 to discuss these events. Please plan on attending. As always, if you have further questions, you are always welcome to contact a School District 145 Board Member or an officer of the Eagle Elementary PTE, they would be happy to assist you.

If you would like to write a letter to the editor, please send it to:

editor@eaglenebraska.com

Applewood Drive Annual 4th of July Block Party!

The clouds parted and then the rain finally stopped! We didn't have all day but we fit as much fun as we could in the time we had!

Some Views around Eagle on the 4th!

One last call out for volunteers to help out with the kids games during Eagle Days on Saturday, July 10th!

I am still in need of volunteers to help out with the kids games during Eagle Fun Day, July 10, 2010. We will have several stations set up for the kids to have fun from 10am - 5pm. The shifts are 10am - 12pm, 12pm - 2pm and 3pm - 5pm. If you are available for one or more shifts, please contact me!

Thank you for helping make this community celebration a success!!

Terra Westerholt

terrawesterholt@yahoo.com