Hoff Barthelson Music School

“The director of finance and executive director conducted a full review of the form 990 after its completion by independent tax accountants. One week prior to filing the form 990, it was e-mailed to the board of directors to review and comment upon.”

“The board of trustees (the "board") of hoff-barthelson music school (the "school") has adopted the following policy designed to avoid any possible conflict between the personal interests of board members or key staff members and the interests of the school. The purpose of this policy is to ensure that decisions about school operations and the use and disposition of school assets are made solely in terms of benefits to the school and are not influenced by personal profit or other personal benefit to individuals affiliated with the school who take part in the decision. In addition to actual conflicts of interest, this policy also covers actions that could potentially be perceived as in conflict with the school's interests. For purposes of this policy, (i) the term "key staff member" means the executive director, the dean, the director of finance and the director of development and (ii) a "conflict of interest" is a situation when a person in a position of authority over the school, such as an officer or trustee, may benefit financially from a decision he or she could make in such capacity, including indirect benefits such as to family members or businesses with which the person is closely associated. Trustees; any member of the board of trustees who may be involved in a school business transaction in which there is an actual or potential conflict of interest shall promptly notify the chair of the board of trustees. The affected board member will refrain from participating in deliberations or voting on approval of such transaction. In addition, the board member's presence will not be counted in determining the quorum for any vote with respect to a school business transaction in which he or she has an actual or potential conflict of interest. Furthermore, the board member, or the chair, shall disclose the actual or potential conflict of interest to the other trustees before any vote on such business transaction, and such disclosure shall be recorded in the minutes of the meeting at which it is made. Key staff; any key staff member who may be involved in a school business transaction in which there is an actual or potential conflict of interest shall promptly notify the executive director. If the conflict involves the executive director, it shall be reported to the chair of the board of trustees. The executive director (or, if applicable, the chair), after receiving such information, shall take such action as necessary to ensure that the determination whether to proceed with the transaction is made without substantive involvement of the person who has the potential conflict of interest. The existence of an actual or potential conflict of interest involving a board member or a key staff member with respect to a particular transaction does not mean that the school must abstain from or modify the terms of such transaction, or that the affected individual cannot provide information or respond to questions about the proposed transaction, as long as (i) the conflict of interest is clearly disclosed and (ii) non-involved individuals affiliated with the school make any necessary decisions and judgments with respect to the transaction. A written record of any report of possible conflicts of interest shall be kept by the executive director or, where applicable, the chair of the board of trustees. The organization has all board members sign a conflict-of-interest statement annually as part of their ongoing procedures. Additionally all employees are notified of the policy as part of their hiring practices and efforts to ensure best practices”

“The chairman of the board and the chairman of the finance committee conducted a study of similar institutions, in size and budget, of the compensation of comparative positions to the school's executive director, in order to determine an appropriate compensation level for the executive director. The study was undertaken before the most recent renewal of the executive director's contract.”

“These documents are made available upon request.”

“The process has not changed from the prior year.”