Real School Gardens

“Changes to bylaws: the bylaws were updated effective 10/31/2017. They established a 1 year term for new board members, and board positions and staff positions were more clearly defined. It also established additional officer positions to include the chief executive officer, chief financial officer or most senior position in finance, and the chief operating officer or most senior position in operations. There were other language updates made.”

“Review of form 990: the form 990 is initially reviewed by the vice president of finance and the chief executive officer. The document is refined then distributed to the finance committee for review and comment. After the finance committee is satisfied, the full board of directors is provided a copy to review and comment on if needed. 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 fall. 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 vice president of finance 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. Possible corrective actions include formally ending external relationships that present a conflict of interest or voluntarily exiting from the board or company.”

“Compensation review: the board of directors, led by the board chair, establishes compensation and benefits for the chief executive officer. A compensation survey or study is used during this process to determine a market range, as in benchmarking with select education non-profits. Compensation is finalized within the market rate range based on experience, and results the selected candidate demonstrated in recent roles. The board of directors approves the compensation and benefits package for the chief executive officer. The chief executive officer and vice president of finance establishes compensation and benefits for other employees in the organization, based on market rate range, experience, and results demonstrated by the candidate. The chief executive officer presents employee promotion and compensation recommendations to the board of directors for their input. Reviews are conducted by the board chair, julie neimat, and documented in the board's meeting minutes. The compensation of the vice president of finance is established using this same criteria by the chief executive officer.”

“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.”