Attendance:
Ann McCamant, Tracie Pierce, Valerie Marks, Alicia de la Cruz, Wendy Feuer, Jenny Redick, Colleen Leibert, Sven Gustafson

Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 8:15 a.m.

Approval of Minutes:
Minutes from the meeting on March 20, 2008, were approved.

Treasurer's Report:
IRS Form 990 will be filed in August of 2008. PTSA currently has $9,995 in checking. The bank charged $278 for the use of the credit card machine at the music department cake auction. Alicia will inquire about this charge, after which, if necessary, Valerie will call Sushil (the credit card vendor) to clarify our agreement with him. PTSA is still awaiting the matching funds from Alyeska for the cake auction.

eScrip Update:
PTSA has received no new eScrip deposits. An eScrip representative clarified that Safeway has reached its donation cap, and although Romig has the most eScrip members of all the middle schools, our eScrip revenue will continue to drop. Members will be asked to re-enroll on a yearly basis in the future, and we need to ask for member email addresses at the time of registration so that we can enter them in the eScrip database. Current eScrip members' email addresses need to be entered over the summer.

Principal's Report:
o Romig 6th grade orientation/educational fair is scheduled for April 17 at 6:30. There will be a gifted meeting at 6:00 preceded by a math placement test from 5:30-6:00 for students interested in taking algebra. The educational fair will consist of approximately thirty tables in the gym and the multipurpose room featuring different programs at Romig. Valerie will address the assembled parents, and PTSA will staff a table.
o April 29 at 7:30 a.m. is the volunteer recognition breakfast.
o April 25 at 6:30 is "Puerto Rico Night," featuring food and music from Puerto Rico, dancing, and a presentation by the students who recently returned from their trip to this country. These students will also make a presentation to the Anchorage School Board on April 28.
o Romig anticipates losing four staff positions due to current overstaffing. 790 students are predicted to attend Romig next year.
o School-wide finals are scheduled for two days before summer break, as Romig staff wants students to maintain an academic focus until the end of the year. These finals will take different forms, such as exams, presentations, and projects. No field trips are planned for the last week of school. Locker clean-out will take place on Monday of the last week.
o Romig yearbooks will be sold on Monday and Tuesday of the last week of school, and volunteers are needed to assist with these sales.
o On the last day of school, there are separate 7th and 8th grade award ceremonies planned. Seventh graders will have field day in the afternoon, and eight graders will have a dance. Lots of volunteers are needed for that day.
o National Junior Honor Society induction will take place on April 23 at 7:00 p.m.
o Romig has been chosen as a pilot school for the use of EEE computers, and the school has received 50 of these computers for student use.

Old Business:
1) Teacher appreciation lunch is scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, beginning at 10:45 a.m. Wendy will send an email to the PTSA membership and submit an item for the Romig newsletter with a request for food donations and a reminder to parents to express their appreciation to teachers individually. PTSA voted to appropriate up to $400 to fill in any gaps in food requirements for this lunch.
2) Teacher certificates and letters will not be given by PTSA this year as they have in the past.

Grant Applications:
1) Cascade team requested $240 in student scholarships for the upcoming Kenai Fjord Marine Science Field Trip.
2) Mr. Gustafson requested $250 for end-of-year and retirement staff recognition awards/gifts.
3) Ben Walker, Catherine Taylor, and Mark Johannes requested $1500 to fund their dues and travel for the ACTS/NACL summer science program.
4) Mr. Gustafson requested $500 for end-of-year student awards.

All of these grants were approved unanimously.

New Business:
1) PTSA needs to consider fundraising options to eliminate the need for student sales and to compensate for reduced income from eScrip. Some ideas include "Super PTSA Memberships" (increased membership fees) and letter solicitations. Jenny agreed to contact Charles Wohlforth about the letter solicitations that he has organized in the past.
2) Elections for the PTSA board for 2008-2009 need to take place at the final meeting of the year on May 19. Alicia, Valerie, and Jenny agreed to continue on the board next year.
3) PTSA agreed to write a letter in support of the request for funds for West/Romig remodel. Valerie agreed to sign the letter that Wendy will draft.

The meeting adjourned at 9:30 a.m.

Submitted by: Jenny Redick, PTSA Secretary