The Cooperative and Me

MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES AND WORK DUTIES

BFS is a member-run cooperative preschool. Its members are the school's main support system on a daily, ongoing basis. Member families' participation is part of what makes our school special. We work together as a community to ensure that our highly skilled and valued classroom staff, and our own children as students in BFS classrooms, receive the support they need. It is up to us to keep the school running smoothly, and it is we who get the deep satisfaction of working together to run the school. Coop work is best done with a spirit of flexibility and willingness. Members commit their time and energies to the cooperative, and are encouraged to participate in classroom, community, and business activities.

COOP MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

All BFS member families are full voting members of the cooperative, and all share certain common responsibilities. At least one adult from each member family must:

Attend each General Membership Meeting.
Be part of the BFS community email list.

These are universal basic requirements of membership in the school and coop.

Membership Meetings: Four to six (usually five) General Membership meetings ("General Meetings") are held per year, usually scheduled at six to ten week intervals. A General Meeting typically includes classroom reports from the Educational Director and teachers, a President's report, committee reports, a financial update, and membership votes to decide various important issues as a group. Notice of meeting dates and times is distributed at the beginning of each school year and is available on the BFS website, and reminders are sent and posted in advance of each meeting. A financial penalty is imposed for repeat absences. Please plan ahead to be there. The BFS Annual Meeting is held in May. At this meeting, the Steering Committee for the following school year is elected.

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

In addition to the basic membership requirements above, each member family chooses between Participating Membership and Buyout Membership. We recognize constraints on some members' time and ability to contribute actively to the functioning of the cooperative. Therefore, we have created these two ways in which member families can contribute to the school. Each member family decides whether to join as Participating Members or Buyout Members for the year; both the tuition rate and the duties expected of the family are determined by this distinction. Whichever option you choose, you are a full and important member of the cooperative, helping to realize the goals of our school.

Participating Membership: Families who elect to be Participating Members commit to contribute their time and energies to working in the cooperative each month. This includes each of the following responsibilities:

Dragonfly, Sunshine, Rainbow Families: Contribute a minimum of four hours per family every month. Your obligations can be fulfilled either by working on one of the school's committees (such as Maintenance, New Members, or Fundraising), by serving in one of BFS's individual work roles (Legal Resource or UPK Grant Coordinator), by serving as an elected member of the Steering Committee, or by serving as an elected current-member positions on the BFS Board of Trustees. Please note that your monthly hours of contribution may be higher at times, depending on your duties and responsibilities. Each BFS committee takes on a function vital to the school, and the members of each committee collectively perform that function on behalf of the rest of the membership. (* This is the one requirement that does not apply to Jitterbug families; see below.)
All Classes: "Satellite membership" in one of the committees most vital to the continued viability of BFS: Fundraising or New Members. Satellite members help from time to time with fundraising or member-recruitment efforts that require the participation of the larger school community for success. Duties may include hanging flyers, selling raffle tickets, and the like. NOTE: Jitterbug families may serve as satellites to other committees if arranged with the Steering Committee.
All Classes: Participate at two annual cleanup events, in fall and spring, averaging 2-4 hours per event. We work together to do a thorough cleaning of BFS Rooms and contents, and to do small repairs. The cleanups are scheduled in advance, and members sign up for shifts. Equivalent makeup opportunities will be available for anyone who cannot attend due to an unavoidable scheduling conflict.
All Classes: Volunteer whenever possible to chaperone class trips and assist with classroom parties or activities, as requested by classroom staff.

Dragonfly, Sunshine, Rainbow Buyout Option: This option is available to BFS members who choose not to or cannot participate actively in the four ways described above. Buyout Members pay a monthly buyout fee; this tuition surcharge is specified in the BFS Financial Policies. Buyout members are not required to contribute any time to the school other than attending General Meetings and participating in the member email list.

Jitterbug Participating Membership Terms: For the 2008-2009 school year and possibly going forward, Participating Member families of students in our Jitterbug Class are exempt from the work requirements specifically outlined in item 1 * above. All other duties and responsibilities, as outlined in items 2 to 4, do apply to Jitterbug members.

Jitterbug Buyout Option: Because of the smaller set of duties and responsibilities associated with Jitterbug Participating Membership, Jitterbug families who choose buyout status pay a lower monthly fee, as specified in the BFS Financial Policies.

Coop Job Descriptions

This page was last modified June, 2008.
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