Chesapeake Chapter
National School Public Relations Association
Minutes from the CHESPRA Executive Board Meeting
July 20, 2009, Arlington, VA
Call to Order
President Meg Carnes called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. As it was the newly elected Board’s first meeting, those present introduced themselves:
President Meg Carnes (DC)
President-Elect Ken Blackstone (Prince William Co., VA),
Treasurer Frank Bellavia (Arlington., VA),
Vice President for Public Relations Shelley Buter (Charles Co., MD)
Vice President for Membership Teri Kranefeld (Harford Co., MD)
Past President Sara Branner (Spotsylvania Co., VA) was unable to attend.
Secretary Dian Nelson (Frederick Co., MD) was absent due to illness; Meg Carnes took notes.
Treasurer’s Report
Treasurer Frank Bellavia reported that CHESPRA has $3,400 in checking and $12,000 in savings.
OLD BUSINESS
Publications Contest: Shelley Buter reported that to accommodate the September 30 entry deadline, she will post information online by August 3. She will write text for the CHESPRA Compass newsletter and send email notice to all members.
The Board clarified (and Shelley agreed to emphasize in contest communication) entry eligibility to read that “Entries must have been produced by your school division no later than April 30, 2009 for use in the 2008-09 school year.”
Shelley will revise the entry form to indicate that “letterhead, logos, bumper stickers, et. al” are allowed; a new category from last year may include those sorts of collateral materials.
Shelley will determine the judging committee, based on the Board’s desire to use a combination of school communication professionals and business/nonprofit professionals. $300 remains the total budget out of which judging stipends will come.
Shelley and Frank Bellavia will see that entries that don’t comply with the deadline are returned with refund.
Membership Update: The Board reviewed the membership list and responsibilities. Teri Kranefeld will retrieve membership information and related documents from Faye Wilson, past Vice President for Membership.
The Board agreed to revise the membership form as follows:
add space for districts applying for group membership to list individual member names
provide a list of topics (e.g. transitioning new superintendent, bond campaign, TV programming, FOIA, social media) that members with significant experience in particular areas can mark (then post the list in the Members Only section of the Web)
The Board voted to keep dues at the current rate.
Increasing Membership: The Board voted to offer the conference free to members and prospective members.
Teri will use the existing service-area database to send letters announcing conference and membership opportunities. She will ask members to contact nonmembers and will create a sample email notice they can use.
The Board wishes to develop relationships with other state educational-leader organizations, possibly including area colleges and private schools. Teri will work to get CHESPRA represented on the Council of Educational Administrative and Supervisory Organizations of Maryland (Ceasom) site, Ken will work to create ties with Virginia associations, and Meg will compile a list of private schools to add to the service-area database.
Frank Bellavia will create a discussion board for colleague-to-colleague support, which Meg will publicize via the August Compass.
Bylaw Review: The Board reviewed bylaws and made the following recommendations that Meg Carnes will present at the fall conference for general membership discussion:
add VPs to the Executive Board to help bridge the gap among member states and act as liaisons between state education officials and CHESPRA (Meg will draft job descriptions)
expand term limits for all officers except President and President-Elect
Officer Notebooks: The Board wishes to start a Web section for replacing/ supplementing Executive Board notebooks, housing critical forms for each officer’s position and bridging communication between past and new Board members. Frank Bellavia will create the Web section, and Board members (past and current) will upload materials.
CHESPRA Vision and Goals for 2009-10: Board members reviewed results of a member survey and, using member input, decided the following:
The Board voted to publish the Compassthe first Friday each month: August 7, September 4, October 2, November 6, December 4, January 8, February 5, March 5, April 2, May 7 and June 3
Board members will provide content to Meg Carnes and/or Compass editor Kristin Stemhagen, with each Board member recommending 2 CHESPRA members for the personal profiles section
The Board discussed adding to the Compass content: tip of the issue, personal news, APR tips
Web Review:
Shelley Buter will see that the home page always has a listing under upcoming events
Meg Carnes will write a Compass article encouraging members to post other events
Frank Bellavia and Meg will create and feature a discussion board
Ken Blackstone will add CHESPRA sponsor logos
Frank will add a Become a Member link
Frank and Meg will add an About Usnavigation button and include a list of past presidents and winners of Mariner and Gilligan awards
Sara will oversee the 2009 Mariner award call for nominations, writing a notice for the August Compass
Frank will add officers and committee chairs to the membership pages dropdown menu
Frank and Dian Nelson will add Treasurer’s Report and Executive Board minutes to the Members Only section
Frank will hide NSPRA-tion 2008 and see that the membership area is protected
Shelley, Ken and Meg will check info on the NCLB page
At the next Board meeting, Meg will discuss the need to identify relevant topics for Chesapeake Views and the possibility of adding links to FOIA and other topics of interest
Conferences: The Board selected Frederick, MD as the fall conference location and the dates November 12-13, 2009. With Executive Board support, Ken Blackstone will look into speakers, theme, hotel, sponsors (and sponsor guidelines) and publicity.
The Board will discuss the spring conference dates at the August 21 meeting.
APR Chair Appointment: As Meg Carnes now holds another office, the Board will appoint a new APR chair. Meg will invite Carol Mowen and will prepare a related Compass article.
Future Executive Board Meetings: The Board agreed to meet monthly via conference calls, which Ken Blackstone will generate (supplying instructions to Board members). Meetings are slated for 30 minutes, Fridays at 9 a.m.: August 21, September 18, October 16, December 18, January 22, February 19, March 19, April 16, May 21 and June 18.
Respectfully submitted,
Dian Nelson, Secretary
Transcribed from notes taken by Meg Carnes, President