The Arbor School

“Nathan stedham kristen stedham board member board member family relationship”

“The 990 is prepared by a cpa who is familiar with non-profits and then reviewed by the organization's board and executive director. The executive director and board will address any questions with the preparer in order to better understand the reports and suggest changes as needed. Once any changes have been made and approved, the 990 will be filed. Once the 990 has been accepted by the irs, a final copy is sent to the board.”

“If the board has reasonable cause to believe that an insider of the arbor school has failed to disclose actual or possible conflicts of interest, including those arising from a transaction with a related interested person, it shall inform such insider of the basis of this belief and afford the insider an opportunity to explain the alleged failure to disclose. If, after hearing the insider's response and making further investigation as was warranted by the circumstances, the board determines that the insider has failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, the board shall take the appropriate disciplinary and corrective action. For this policy, an "insider" is a member of the board, the school director, chief financial officer, executive director, or any person with the responsibilities of these positions, or a key employee.”

“The arbor school regularly reviews salaries for its main employees against national and local averages. Merit increases are also given, taking into consideration both performance and accountability measures.”

“Governing documents are made available upon request.”

“Volunteers: in a typical year, the arbor school is grateful for the help of about 40-75 volunteers. Their volunteers help to advance their mission in a variety of ways, including community events, campus clean up/work days, and fundraising. The volunteers come from a variety of sources such as local schools, companies, and families. During 2021, allowed outside (non-staff) volunteers was greatly reduced due to covid-19 precautions. In addition, all of the members of the board are volunteers who assist with the oversight of the school's financial and business operations.”

“Continued from part iii, page 2, 4a: as a result of this commitment to their students, the arbor's student body is extremely neurologically diverse and physically involved. Children at the arbor present a wide range of disabilities including autistic-spectrum disorders, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and a variety of other neurological and seizure disorders. The arbor works to assist these students in developing their motor, social, communication and problem-solving skills. They aim to enable each child to reach their highest level of personal success. The arbor uses carolina, ablls, and oateca curriculums to assess and set goals for each of their students, tailoring them specifically to each student's abilities. The intensive program offered by the arbor requires a strict student-to-teacher ratio and as a result, the classrooms never exceed a 2:1 ratio. All student goals are very detailed and concrete so that progress can be measured daily, providing teachers and parents with a clear understanding of the child's progress. Parents are provided with copies of these goals on a regular basis; as quickly as a new goal is mastered, another is added. Each student's definition of success will look drastically different from that of his or her peers. For one student it may be crawling, where another will be self-feeding so successfully that they no longer remain dependent on a feeding tube. No matter the milestone achieved, each mastered goal is worthy of celebration and creates a huge difference in the lives of the student and their family. During their 2021-2022 year, the arbor held its first event since covid-19, the arbor fun walk. The arbor community was thrilled to be reunited and raise much needed operating dollars for the school. In addition, the arbor was very grateful for the outstanding support received from foundations, corporations, and donors. This support made it possible to award much needed scholarship support to their families in need.”