Timeline of events leading up to Christine's termination [with references]
1983 Christine and Morgan founded the school. Christine is a full-time teacher for about 10 years, then continues to consult and assist at the school on both a formal and informal basis for the next 20 years.
2014 Christine is contacted by Basia Countway, a member of the ACGS board and a previous faculty member of the school. *(The school was suffering a crisis with extremely low enrollment and parent complaints). Christine was put in touch with Kristen Knauf, the president of the Board. The Board requested Christine to guide a year long school self-study for the 2014-2015 year. [1]
June 2014 Christine is hired as a consultant to guide the self-study. She meets weekly with acting President of the Board. [2]
Over the course of the year, the Board of Directors decides to consolidate tuition and fees. Tuition was raised. The fundraising fee was eliminated. The mission statement was rewritten. Teachers were offered contracts for the first time in several years. Broken toys were discarded.
March 2015 Parents pull their child from the school mid-semester and are given full tuition refund.*(There was a serious complaint about the treatment of a special needs student). [3] Acting board President calls meeting with Executive Director and staff. Christine is invited to sit it on personnel committee. [4]
August 2015 Christine begins work as executive director.
2015-2017 New elements to the school were added: website, facebook page, blocks, piano, shelving, rabbit hutch, carpeting, meeting room and song, and opening and closing meetings, creation station and food table. Parents are invited into the classroom. License was renewed to allow children to stay until first grade. Milestones was created. Bridge ceremony was created.
During this time, faculty was primarily dedicated to working toward the development of the school’s signature pedagogy. Staff was offered journals for open communication with Christine. Speakers were invited and came to talk with community and staff about progressive education, practice, and approach.
June 2017 Board discusses budget with Acting Board Treasurer. Acting Board Treasurer informs the board of significant loss in revenue, but reports that budget is on the right path with solutions being to charge new families enrollment fees and raise tuition, decision made that Spanish camp is not happening in August due to low enrollment. Treasurer suggests sharing budget at general membership meeting. [5]
Acting Board President, Executive Director, Board Treasurer, and Bookkeeper discuss opening a line a credit to support the schools cash flow issues and protect reserve. [6]
Aug 31 2017 Active Board President and Christine discuss taking out line of credit to protect bank reserves, to be used as cash flow support. [7]
Sept 6 2017 Board meeting Director’s report states Topher, Christine and Mary have been talking and researching about taking a line of credit out, resources are depleted, need help with cash flow, will approve unsecured line of credit in Christine’s name, need $8K for September. Christine also states that fundraising needs to be embraced. [8]
Board discusses bringing on a new Treasurer
Board approved adult fundraiser at the Oxford House on November 11, 2017 via email. Board President suggest using line of credit to pay for fundraiser on November 11, 2017. [9]
Sept 2017 Line of credit taken out in Christine’s name. [10]
Oct 2017 Board reschedules fundraiser for March 3, 2018
Nov 2017 New Treasurer appointed. Discovers errors in Quickbooks. [11]
Dec 4 2017 Christine requests to cut salary in half to keep school’s doors open and pay staff salary. [12]
Jan 2 2018 Christine was asked to resign in a private meeting by Board President and Treasurer and ask to announce resignation at the January Mandatory Membership Meeting. Christine refuses resignation.
Jan 4 2018 Board votes on changing Adult Fundraiser to child party. [13]
Jan 9 2018 $5K donation offered to school by founding parent with stipulation that money is used for adult themed fundraiser. Fundraising chair accepts stipulation and announces acceptance at general membership meeting.
Jan 5 2018 Christine requests to stop taking salary.
Feb 2018 $30K donation offered by founder to school with confidential stipulations.
Anonymous email from board member sent to staff about donation, breaking confidentiality rules of board.
Board meets with $30K donor who removes stipulation, board accepts offer. [14]
March 3 2018 Fundraiser
March 7 2018 Board votes to terminate Christine from Executive Board position
________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Various email exchanges throughout 2014.
[2] Email exchanges dated June 4,5,6 2014 between acting board members, Tim Yoon, Kristin Knauff, Basia Countway and Consultant Christine Lonergan.
[3] Official record documented (full report) by Acting President of the Board.
[4] Email exchange dated March 26, 2015 between Acting Board President Tim Yoon and Consultant Christine Lonergan.
[5] Board Meeting held June 14, 2017 (in Board Minutes) attended by Christine Lonergan, Topher Daly, Lyn Daly, Kahilianna Calderon, Shannon Reed, Mickie Vasquez-Hahn, Aubrey LaMonica, Brett Dalton, Kristine Delicana, Jody Valentine, Cindy Hayden and Meagan Hollingshead.
[6] Email Exchange dated June 24, 2017 between Christine Lonergan, Topher Daly, Lyn Daly, and Mary Cota.
[7] Email exchange on August 31st and September 1, 2017 between Acting President of the Board Topher Daly and Executive Director Christine Lonergan.
[8] Board Meeting on September 6, 2017 (Board Minutes), in attendance Christine Lonergan, Jody Valentine, Meagan Hollingshead, Mickie Vazquez-Hahn, Aubrey Lamonica, Kristine Delicana, and Laurel McBride.
[9] Email exchange between September 21-22, 2017 between Christine Lonergan, Jody Valentine, Kahilianna Calderon, Adela Lemus, Douglas McBride, John Dusenberry, Katie O’Donnell, Kristine Delicana, Meagan Hollingshead, Topher Daly, Vivan Belmont, Yolanda Ruiz and Mickie Vasquez-Hahn.
[10] Statements available upon request.
[11] Board meeting held - 11/01/17
[12] Email exchange on December 4, 2017 between Executive Director Christine Lonergan and School’s Bookkeeper Mary Cota.
[13] Board meeting held 01/04/2018
[14] Board meeting held February 2018
1983 Christine and Morgan founded the school. Christine is a full-time teacher for about 10 years, then continues to consult and assist at the school on both a formal and informal basis for the next 20 years.
2014 Christine is contacted by Basia Countway, a member of the ACGS board and a previous faculty member of the school. *(The school was suffering a crisis with extremely low enrollment and parent complaints). Christine was put in touch with Kristen Knauf, the president of the Board. The Board requested Christine to guide a year long school self-study for the 2014-2015 year. [1]
June 2014 Christine is hired as a consultant to guide the self-study. She meets weekly with acting President of the Board. [2]
Over the course of the year, the Board of Directors decides to consolidate tuition and fees. Tuition was raised. The fundraising fee was eliminated. The mission statement was rewritten. Teachers were offered contracts for the first time in several years. Broken toys were discarded.
March 2015 Parents pull their child from the school mid-semester and are given full tuition refund.*(There was a serious complaint about the treatment of a special needs student). [3] Acting board President calls meeting with Executive Director and staff. Christine is invited to sit it on personnel committee. [4]
August 2015 Christine begins work as executive director.
2015-2017 New elements to the school were added: website, facebook page, blocks, piano, shelving, rabbit hutch, carpeting, meeting room and song, and opening and closing meetings, creation station and food table. Parents are invited into the classroom. License was renewed to allow children to stay until first grade. Milestones was created. Bridge ceremony was created.
During this time, faculty was primarily dedicated to working toward the development of the school’s signature pedagogy. Staff was offered journals for open communication with Christine. Speakers were invited and came to talk with community and staff about progressive education, practice, and approach.
June 2017 Board discusses budget with Acting Board Treasurer. Acting Board Treasurer informs the board of significant loss in revenue, but reports that budget is on the right path with solutions being to charge new families enrollment fees and raise tuition, decision made that Spanish camp is not happening in August due to low enrollment. Treasurer suggests sharing budget at general membership meeting. [5]
Acting Board President, Executive Director, Board Treasurer, and Bookkeeper discuss opening a line a credit to support the schools cash flow issues and protect reserve. [6]
Aug 31 2017 Active Board President and Christine discuss taking out line of credit to protect bank reserves, to be used as cash flow support. [7]
Sept 6 2017 Board meeting Director’s report states Topher, Christine and Mary have been talking and researching about taking a line of credit out, resources are depleted, need help with cash flow, will approve unsecured line of credit in Christine’s name, need $8K for September. Christine also states that fundraising needs to be embraced. [8]
Board discusses bringing on a new Treasurer
Board approved adult fundraiser at the Oxford House on November 11, 2017 via email. Board President suggest using line of credit to pay for fundraiser on November 11, 2017. [9]
Sept 2017 Line of credit taken out in Christine’s name. [10]
Oct 2017 Board reschedules fundraiser for March 3, 2018
Nov 2017 New Treasurer appointed. Discovers errors in Quickbooks. [11]
Dec 4 2017 Christine requests to cut salary in half to keep school’s doors open and pay staff salary. [12]
Jan 2 2018 Christine was asked to resign in a private meeting by Board President and Treasurer and ask to announce resignation at the January Mandatory Membership Meeting. Christine refuses resignation.
Jan 4 2018 Board votes on changing Adult Fundraiser to child party. [13]
Jan 9 2018 $5K donation offered to school by founding parent with stipulation that money is used for adult themed fundraiser. Fundraising chair accepts stipulation and announces acceptance at general membership meeting.
Jan 5 2018 Christine requests to stop taking salary.
Feb 2018 $30K donation offered by founder to school with confidential stipulations.
Anonymous email from board member sent to staff about donation, breaking confidentiality rules of board.
Board meets with $30K donor who removes stipulation, board accepts offer. [14]
March 3 2018 Fundraiser
March 7 2018 Board votes to terminate Christine from Executive Board position
________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] Various email exchanges throughout 2014.
[2] Email exchanges dated June 4,5,6 2014 between acting board members, Tim Yoon, Kristin Knauff, Basia Countway and Consultant Christine Lonergan.
[3] Official record documented (full report) by Acting President of the Board.
[4] Email exchange dated March 26, 2015 between Acting Board President Tim Yoon and Consultant Christine Lonergan.
[5] Board Meeting held June 14, 2017 (in Board Minutes) attended by Christine Lonergan, Topher Daly, Lyn Daly, Kahilianna Calderon, Shannon Reed, Mickie Vasquez-Hahn, Aubrey LaMonica, Brett Dalton, Kristine Delicana, Jody Valentine, Cindy Hayden and Meagan Hollingshead.
[6] Email Exchange dated June 24, 2017 between Christine Lonergan, Topher Daly, Lyn Daly, and Mary Cota.
[7] Email exchange on August 31st and September 1, 2017 between Acting President of the Board Topher Daly and Executive Director Christine Lonergan.
[8] Board Meeting on September 6, 2017 (Board Minutes), in attendance Christine Lonergan, Jody Valentine, Meagan Hollingshead, Mickie Vazquez-Hahn, Aubrey Lamonica, Kristine Delicana, and Laurel McBride.
[9] Email exchange between September 21-22, 2017 between Christine Lonergan, Jody Valentine, Kahilianna Calderon, Adela Lemus, Douglas McBride, John Dusenberry, Katie O’Donnell, Kristine Delicana, Meagan Hollingshead, Topher Daly, Vivan Belmont, Yolanda Ruiz and Mickie Vasquez-Hahn.
[10] Statements available upon request.
[11] Board meeting held - 11/01/17
[12] Email exchange on December 4, 2017 between Executive Director Christine Lonergan and School’s Bookkeeper Mary Cota.
[13] Board meeting held 01/04/2018
[14] Board meeting held February 2018
