Real School Gardens

“Authority to act on behalf of governing body: there are no committees with authority to act on behalf of the governing body.”

“Review of form 990: the form 990 is initially reviewed by the director of finance and operations and the chief executive officer. The document is refined, if necessary, and then provided to the treasurer for review and comment. The document is refined, if necessary, and then distributed to the full board of directors for review and comment. The form 990 is then finalized and submitted to the internal revenue service.”

“Conflict of interest: all new employees are briefed about the conflict of interest policy as part of an orientation about standards of professional conduct for the organization. The conflict of interest policy is reviewed with all employees and the board of directors each october. At this time, each director, officer, and employee is asked to acknowledge in writing their understanding of the policy. In addition, each director, officer and employee is asked to complete a disclosure form that identifies any relationships, positions, or circumstances that might represent a conflict of interest. The director of finance and operations serves as the compliance officer for the organization, investigating any reported violations to the conflict of interest policy. Findings are presented to the board of directors, including the chief executive officer, and appropriate corrective actions are determined.”

“Compensation review: the board of directors, led by the board co-chairs, establishes compensation and benefits for the chief executive officer and director of finance and operations at real school gardens. A compensation survey or study is used during this process (i.e., philanthropy roundtable's compensation report) to determine a market range, as in benchmarking with select education non-profits. Compensation is finalized within the market rate range based on experience, earnings history, and results the selected candidate demonstrated in recent roles. The board of directors approves the compensation and benefits package for the chief executive officer and director of finance and operations. The chief executive officer and director of finance and operations establishes compensation and benefits for other key employees in the organization, based on market rate range, experience, earnings history, and results demonstrated by the candidate. The chief executive officer presents employee promotion and compensation recommendations to the board of directors for their input. A review was conducted in 2015 by the board co-chair, julie neimat.”

“Availability of documents: the organization's governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are made available to the public upon request. These documents are provided either electronically or via us mail, based on the preference of the requestor.”

“Delegation of control over management duties: the daily management of the accounting and finances of real school gardens is performed by the staff of new leaf change management under the supervision of namrata maguire. Per irs guidance, no compensation is shown on the form 990, part vii for the calendar year for this individual: namrata maguire $ none”

“Oversight committee: the board of directors assumes responsibility for oversight of the audit and selection of the independent accountant. This process has not changed from the prior year.”