Minutes of 8/17/06 CORE meeting

The CORE Advisory Board met at STRS on Thursday, August 17th, 2006 at 10:00 a.m. Present were Ryan Holderman substituting for Nancy Hamant, Lloyd Knudsen substituting for Nancy Boomhower, Mary Ellen Angeletti, Betty Bell, Chuck Chapman, and Chuck Angeletti. We had a better attendance at this meeting than we had last month. Guests were Ann Hanning, Don Bright, Mark Meuser, and Lou DiOrio. Mary Ellen Angeletti served as scribe for the meeting.

Dave Parshall reported on the balance of the CORE financial fund. He also shared that he had approached Damon Asbury concerning setting a date for the CORE/Damon meeting and that Dr. Asbury said he would get back to Dave on a date.

Dave Parshall also gave CORE an update on the CORE website. The webmaster has returned from his travels and has made the changes to the website. The proposed CORE constitution & by laws are now posted there for all to copy and review. Dave then clarified that CORE is a 501corporation which is somewhere between a C4 & C5 which means that we can accept donations from groups (such as Retired Teachers Associations), we are non-profit, we are not a charitable group, we can legally raise money, and we can participate in things political.

The proposed CORE constitution and by laws which underwent a revision at the CORE July meeting were then presented and explained by Ryan Holderman. More revisions were offered at today's meeting which is the last meeting for soliciting input from members. This final document will be presented to the membership for ratification at next month's CORE Annual Membership & Election Meeting on September 14th at STRS in the Sublett Room beginning at 10:00 a.m. Applause of appreciation awaited Ryan Holderman when he finished his presentation of the Constitution and By Laws.

A conversation followed concerning enlarging the CORE Advisory Board members from seven to nine. It was decided that the number of Advisory Board members would remain the same as it is now. . . seven.

In planning for the September CORE Annual Membership Meeting next month, Ryan Holderman moved and Dave Parshall seconded that if the proposed constitution and by laws are ratified at the Sept. 14th meeting, then the CORE Advisory Board will issue a call for nominations for officers to be sent to the CORE scribe by October 1st. The scribe was instructed to post the nominations on the CORE website, via the CORE Email Alert , and via other CORE email chains as soon as possible but no later than October 5th. Voting would then occur at the CORE October 19th meeting with installation of officers immediately following the count and those elected would assume the duties of their office. From this point on, the Constitution would dictate the schedule of elections. As part of this motion, it was also suggested that the current CORE Advisory Board should be grandfathered to serve until the CORE Annual Membership Meeting in September 2007. The thinking was that this would give a degree of continuity to CORE's leadership and a smoother transition to the constitutional rule. This motion passed unanimously.

Suggestions sent in by CORE folks to the Advisory Board regarding the planning for the Annual Meeting were discussed. All of the ideas would be permissible for CORE to do but it was the consensus of the group that we would not have time since Tom Mooney will be speaking to CORE at 11:45 that day. As it was decided today, we will be starting the Annual Meeting early at 10:00 just to have time to present the constitution and by laws. It was decided that we would have two long tables set up outside the entrance to the Sublett Room to accommodate the signing in process. Molly Ganz and Ryan Holderman volunteered to take charge of the sign-in table. They will prepare a form for CORE folks to use to update their personal information. They will also divide the CORE member data lists so that each of them has half of the alphabet in an effort to expedite the signing in process. Dave Parshall volunteered to take charge of the other table which will hold a very large DONATION BOX. Dave will be able to give receipts to any CORE member who requests such. Pam Jones volunteered to make the DONATION BOX for us.

The issue of dues was discussed but no decision was made. Further discussion will take place at the September meeting. A motion was made by Chuck Angeletti and seconded by Regina Swisshelm that he and Dave Parshall would compose copy to be placed on the CORE website and sent to the CORE Alert Email and other CORE email chains as soon as possible. This copy would emphasize the need for CORE to receive additional funds by generous donations and would give notice that the DONATION BOX would be in place at the Sept. Annual Membership Meeting. This motion passed unanimously.

The time line for the September Annual Membership Meeting was determined today. Registration will be from 9:30 to 10:00, the official meeting will begin then at 10:00 with the usual CORE agenda plus a set time for discussion of the constitution and bylaws, a break to get our lunches in the cafeteria at 11:15 (we will request that STRS set tables at the back of the Sublett Room for eating), and Dave Parshall will introduce Tom Mooney, President of the OFT at 11:45. This should leave plenty of time for the membership to ask questions and then attend the STRS meeting at 1:00.

CORE folks in attendance today were encouraged to call and to send letters of recommendation for Professor Tom Hall who is on Governor's Taft list of three possible candidates to be his appointee for the STRS Board to replace Judith Fisher who resigned. His address his: Governor Robert Taft, Vern Riffe Center, 77 South High Street, 30th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215-6117 or call 614-466-3555 or email at governor.taft@gov.state.oh.us THIS IS SO VERY IMPORTANT! Please flood the Governor with requests to appoint our candidate in the last STRS Board election: Dr. Tom Hall. He came in third in the election with a good show of support. WE NEED ANOTHER VOICE ON THE STRS BOARD to help John Lazares and Dennis Leone represent US.

Whether CORE should make endorsements for political offices was debated at today's meeting. It was decided that CORE would NOT endorse candidates. Instead it was suggested that the CORE Advisory Board form a committee to study and recommend the educational issues which CORE feels are worthy of promotion.

The next CORE meeting will be our Annual Membership Meeting at STRS in the Sublett Room with registration beginning at 9:30 and the official program beginning at 10:00. Please plan on attending to hear Tom Mooney speak and to hear about our new proposed CORE constitution & by laws and to VOTE.

From Mary Ellen Angeletti, Aug. 21, 2006