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Board/Governance
News and updates |
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2009-2010 school year ends
Friday, June 11 The Board held its final monthly meeting of the school year. Teachers and TAs raised contract issues, and the finance committee reported on their meeting with auditors to review recent audit findings. We bid a fond farewell to outgoing members and representatives including, Laura Jane Pinder, Nora Dempsey, Moira Grant, Christine Dhane, and Patrick Meyer. We also welcomed new teacher representative Wallace Green, new PTO president Arlene Coghill, and new board members Monika Schneider and Delenia McIver, who assume full voting rights this week. Next school year, David Santiago will continue to serve as administrative representative and Rafael Jabba will be the new Board president.
Take note¾your Board remains in service over the summer! Please email board@acst.net or submit a comment to the Board suggestion box.
All invited to AGM on June 1
Friday, May 21 On Thursday, May 20, the ACST Board of Governors welcomed new members Monika
Schneider, Delenia McIver, and Felicia Detchou to their monthly proceedings where the Elementary and Upper School Principals offered an informative presentation on ACST's student assessment process. The principals explained how classroom observations and various standardized testing are used to gauge individual student learning and ACST's overall academic achievement. The Strategic Planning Committee also presented on the school's efforts to plan for different scenarios based on student population growth and decline. The Board thanked the PTO for all their efforts on behalf of the school community this school year.
All parents, teachers, and staff members are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting
on Tuesday, June 1 to learn more about the financial and academic health of ACST. The Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy will discuss the bilateral agreement signed by the governments of the U.S. and Tunisia on the legal status of ACST. We will celebrate this major achievement, as well as the accomplishments of our outgoing Director, Patrick Meyer. Please join us for this special occasion.
Questions? Please email board@acst.net or submit a comment to the Board suggestion box.
McIver, Detchou, and Schneider elected to 2010-11 Board of Governors
Friday, May 14 We are pleased to announce the results of the 2010 ACST Board of Governors Election. Thank you to the 396 individuals who voted. We had sufficient participation, and are thus able to validate the election. ACST's e-voting system has been monitored and controlled by the Election Committee (two Board members, one teacher representative, and one administrative assistant). The computer system tabulated votes as they were received, and the committee cross-checked email addresses to verify final results. Complete result information is available at board@acst.net.
Congratulations to Delenia McIver, Felicia Avwontom Detchou, and Monika Schneider for being elected to the Board of Governors with the highest number of votes of all eight candidates:
236 Delenia McIver
228 Felicia Avwontom Detchou
216 Monika Schneider
Thank you to all our candidates for your willingness to serve the ACST community. We hope others will be inspired by your example to take part in the governance of ACST. Opportunities abound, including participating in a committee or attending the next Board meeting on Thursday, May 20 at 6pm. Please email board@acst.net if you have any questions about the election or feel free to contact a member of the Board directly.
ACST's legal status confirmed in US-TUN bilateral agreement
April 23, 2010 At its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 20, the ACST Board of Governors officially thanked the U.S. Embassy for their dedication to ACST. Over the past year, negotiators from the embassy and Washington, D.C. have worked tirelessly with the Tunisian government to develop and approve a bilateral agreement that recognizes the legal status of ACST. As Marc Desjardins, the U.S. Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission, explained, the agreement legalizes all the practices of the school; it affirms the nature, purpose, and autonomy of ACST in very clear terms.
Board President, Laura Pinder, also thanked ACST administrators, last year's school board, as well teachers, staff, and parents who "had to ride out the storm frustrated with the lack of information due to the delicacy of diplomatic negotiations."
In other news, the Board wished a fond farewell to member Stefan Richter who had to resign his position early. His vacancy will be filled by one of the three candidates elected to the Board in the upcoming election. Election planning is underway, and more details on candidates and voting will follow soon.
The next Board of Governors meeting will take place on Thursday, May 20 at 6pm in the US Library. All are welcome. In the meantime, feel free to contact a member of the Board directly.
Wanted: YOU for the ACST Board of Governors
Learn more about how you can become a board member.
Board approves capital expenditure and other initiatives
February 24, 2010 On Tuesday, February 23, the ACST Board of Governors had its monthly meeting where members voted on a number of initiatives. The senior class trip to Jerba was approved with the provision that a certain portion of the cost be covered by parents. Additionally, the board discussed and then approved the final draft of the Academic Policy. The board was also briefed on the need to reconfigure the front entrance of the school to ensure ACST buses can pass once GP9 construction is complete. Board members approved funds to carry out the project, as well as funds to conduct the school's annual audit. Finally, car rentals for teachers were approved through the end of March, but ACST is hopeful that the bilateral agreement with the government of Tunisia will be finalized in the coming weeks.
The latest approved board meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board by the big blue doors. A file of all approved board meeting minutes is also available in the US Library.
The next board meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 23 at 6pm in the US library. All are welcome. In the meantime, feel free to contact a member of the Board directly.
Academic Policy draft being reviewed
January 22, 2010 On Wednesday, January 20, the ACST Board of Governors held its monthly meeting during which it voted to accept the Finance Committee's recommendation to open a convertible dinar account for increased banking flexibility. The board also approved the hiring of eight new teachers for the next school year. A draft of the proposed Academic Policy was circulated, and is making its way to all teachers and parents for wider review and feedback.
Mr. Sayed Ali, new Teacher Representative, was welcomed to the proceedings. He and fellow teacher and administration representatives reported on their progress completing background checks. The U.S. Embassy representative expressed his confidence that the bilateral agreement with the Government of Tunisia will be finalized soon. Finally, the Finance Department was happy to report that most of the outstanding tuition payments were made over the winter holiday. Current school enrollment is 562.
The latest approved board meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board by the big blue doors. A file of all approved board meeting minutes is also available in the US Library.
As always, your participation is welcome in any committee meeting and at the monthly Board meeting. See the ACST calendar for the next meetings or contact a member of the Board directly.
Board gears up for 2010
Dec.11, 2009 On Wednesday, December 9, the ACST Board of Governors held its monthly meeting during which board members expressed their gratitude to the cleaning staff and especially the nurse's office for their diligence in handling H1N1 communications and keeping ACST a clean, healthy environment. The Music Department also received thanks for a great holiday concert, and new TA representatives, Donna Nott and Arthur Mandjek, were welcomed to the proceedings.
The board voted to extend car rental service through February 2010 to support teachers who are unable to drive their own vehicles. The calendar for the 2010-11 school year was discussed but not yet approved. In addition to policy issues, board sub-committees will partner with administration to address improvements suggested in the CIS accreditation report.
Want to know more? The latest approved board meeting minutes are posted on the bulletin board by the big blue doors. A file of all approved board meeting minutes is also available in the US Library.
As always, your participation is welcome in any committee and at the monthly board meeting. See the ACST calendar for the next meetings or contact a member of the Board directly.
Board focuses on strategic planning
Nov. 13, 2009 On Tuesday, November 10, the ACST Board of Governors held its monthly meeting during which sub-committees reported on their recent activity. Of note is the Communication Committee's work to pilot SMS texting as a new mode of communication and the Personnel Committee's preparations to support upcoming teacher recruitment and a smooth directorship transition. The Strategic Planning Committee is also gearing up to conduct scenario planning to better prepare ACST for the future.
Based on recommendations of the Finance Committee, the Board voted against the request to rebate enrollment fees for K students who attended PreK last year. The Policy Committee, however, is to review ACST's policy on the matter and suggest amendments.
Want to know more? The latest approved board meeting minutes are on the bulletin board by the big blue doors. A file of all approved board meeting minutes is also available in the Upper School Library.
As always, your participation is welcome in any committee and at the monthly Board meeting. See the ACST calendar for the next meetings or contact a member of the Board directly.
ACST names new director beginning 2010-11 school year
Nov. 2, 2009 The ACST Board of Governors is pleased to announce that Mr. Allan Bredy will be the next ACST Director beginning in the 2010-11 school year. The decision to offer the position to Mr. Bredy was based upon extensive research, spirited debate, and community input. On October 23, 2009, Mr. Bredy visited ACST where he was interviewed separately by groups representing parents, students, administrative staff, faculty, and the school board. Mr. Bredy was universally praised for his warmth, enthusiasm, and proven leadership in financial and strategic planning, community building, and teacher recruitment.
A great deal of time and thought has gone into the search for the next ACST director. We thank you all for your questions, comments, logisitcal support, and of course, your patience throughout this long process. We look forward to continuing this school year under the leadership of Mr. Patrick Meyer, who will begin working closely with Mr. Bredy to ensure that the transition from one excellent director to the next is as smooth as possible.
As always, we want to hear from you. Send your comments to the Board here.
