Tom deMeo asked for this to be distributed. It should also have been on the
News list.

Lynda

DRAFT

This is a draft document. Service requirements will not be in effect unless so
voted by the general membership in May.

Options to meet the volunteer needs of Shu Ren for school year 2009-2010 and
beyond

When circumstances change, I change my opinions. What do you do?
--John Maynard
Keynes

Purpose

The Mandarin Immersion Program of Portland Public Schools is successful and
growing. Beginning in the 2006-2007 school year, the entry kindergarten class
was doubled from 30 to 60 students. This will have repercussions in future
years, as the larger class moves through the system.

In 2008 the program sponsored its first Chinese Research Residency (CRR)—a
two-week trip to China for the eighth graders, where they put their skills to
the test in a structured learning experience. All indications are this trip was
a solid success.

Shu Ren supports the Mandarin Immersion Program through classroom and field trip
support, providing extra opportunities for students and parents (e.g., homework
club, language classes for parents, school tours), and serving in an advocacy
role (such as testifying in Salem in support of all-day kindergarten in 2008).
Financially, Shu Ren's largest contribution is to the CRR, covering
approximately 85% of the trip's cost for all students who participate.

By many measures, Shu Ren is a successful volunteer organization. There are a
number and variety of dedicated, creative, hard-working volunteers. Finances to
meet the group's mission of classroom support and funding the CRR are more than
adequate at present. The finances are well managed and transparent. Shu Ren
holds an annual dinner/auction that has matured and provides a high-quality
experience for those attending, as well as substantial income to support the
CRR. The group functions well with Portland Public Schools, the PTA, and its
sister school (LiDa middle school) in Suzhou, China.

But there are concerns on the horizon. Eventually, the 60-student cohort will
hit the 8th grade, doubling the cost of the CRR. The economic downturn
affecting every facet of our lives is also impacting our fund-raising. As the
MIP grows, Shu Ren grows also—generating more demands for volunteer help. As
with many organizations, Shu Ren at times has been characterized as "STP" ("Same
Ten Parents") volunteering. A relatively small group of parents has at time
shouldered the work load.

It is in this context that some parents began raising concerns about equity of
effort at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. In the fall of 2008, we began a
discussion on this issue, and continued it at the January Shu Ren general
meeting.

This document is written in preparation for the Shu Ren general meeting to be
held March 31, 2009. It is for discussion and review by the membership. Based
on this feedback, the draft will be further edited and presented as a final
proposal at the general meeting in May 2009. It will be voted on at that time,
and either accepted or rejected as Shu Ren policy.

Options for meeting volunteer needs:

1.Status quo. Parents volunteer to meet group goals without any mandatory
requirement for their time.

How it would work: We would continue as we have in the past, relying on the
good will of parents to make the Gala, etc. work.

Benefits: Some parents favor this approach. There would be no need to track
the number of hours. Some also feel this maintains a more grass-roots, less
bureaucratic organization.

Problems: Some parents may feel they will continue to carry a heavy load, and
resentment could grow. Burnout could accelerate. There is also a practical
concern that the workload will grow with no way to meet it.

2.Mandatory time service requirement. Each family with a child in the MIP is
required to serve a certain number of hours per year. Winterhaven Middle
School, for example, has a 50-hour-per-year requirement.

How it would work: Each family would need to contribute a certain number of
hours (let's say 50) per year on Shu Ren work. The hours would need to be
regulated in order to make sure they are useful. For example, a parent could
earn hours for attending meetings, but perhaps only 2 hrs would count in order
to focus work on where it is needed.

Hours could be tracked by each parent by entering them on the computer in the
Woodstock office. Random audits from the Shu Ren membership coordinator would
ensure honesty and a fairness in how hours are tallied for a given task. This
is already set up for the PTA, and would not require much modification to work
for a Shu Ren time requirement system. Presumably the same system could be set
up for Hosford and Cleveland.

Benefits: Ensures all parents contribute time. Presumably this means more help
would be available for projects. The concept is simpler than a point system.

Problems: It would probably still need regulation to be useful. Parents could
potentially rack up easy hours on light tasks of lesser utility. An hour spent
attending a meeting is not the same as an hour organizing donated items the day
before the gala.

3.Service point system. Each family is required to earn a certain number of
points in order for their child/children to qualify for the highly-subsidized
CRR trip price.

How it would work. This could work in many ways. I'll present a scenario I
think is most likely to work, and others can make alterations to it:

Each family would be required to earn 800 points per child in order for the
family to qualify for the subsidized CRR price. The 800 points could be earned
over the eight years from grade K to grade 8. In this way a family could plan
to earn more points in a year more feasible to them, or take turns between
parents. Children could also contribute to the points, such as when the 8th
graders babysit for a ShuRen meeting, or they work as helpers at the Gala.

Shu Ren leadership would direct the tasks to where they were needed. One way
might be to offer incentives. For example, serve as Gala procurement chair—an
enormous task—for one gala and you earn the 800 points. This is how members
could also be "grandfathered" in—if they contributed significantly in the past
they could probably show how they had already earned 800 points, or get credit
for past years if, say, their child is in 6th grade.

Allowing eight years to earn points also gives a family time to plan, to learn
the ropes, and to catch up. Members who were falling behind could be reminded
of the service requirement before it hit them in eighth grade.

Here is a draft list of points. This could of course be expanded substantially.
The list would need to be edited over time to face changing circumstances and
redress mistakes. Rather than going back to the membership each time the list
needs to be changed, I suggest this be a Shu Ren board decision.

Attend a Shu Ren general meeting 2 points

Actively serve on the Shu ren board for 100 points
a year. This means attending at least
75% of board meetings, and contributing
to Shu Ren tasks outside the meetings

Serve on the gala procurement team 50 points
in good standing

Gala procurement team leader 800 points

Gala coordinator 800 points

Sell 10 raffle tickets 10 points

Lead the raffle team 50 points

Serve as website manager for a year 100 points

Serve as membership coordinator 50 points
for a year

Purchase pizza and drinks for a Shu Ren 10 points
General meeting (be reimbursed, of course).
Pick up and deliver all items

Donate an item to the gala 1 point for
each $10 of FMV

Serve on a team to select the Gala venue 10 points

Volunteer at a dumpling festival 15 points

Coordinate the entire dumpling festival 75 points

Run the homework club 20 points
per month

Coordinate the visit of LiDa students 75 points

There will be an emphasis on transparency—the rules for the point system will be
clearly stated and made available at all times. There would also be due process
for those who felt they were being treated unfairly.

Contributions could still be tracked in the computer—although the tracking
software might need some modification.

Benefits: There would be a sense of fairness, of everyone contributing. Work
could be more easily directed toward where it was needed with a point system
(compared to hours). Parents would have incentives to contribute. It would
bring parents with talents and insights into Shu Ren, who might not have
otherwise contributed.

Problems: This is the most bureaucratic option. It would need a person or
small team to administer. It could get cumbersome. Fairness issues could still
erupt, particularly if loopholes form. If it is too confusing, parents might
just ignore it.







Where we go from here:

March 31 meeting. Further discussion on the point system. Based on this,
edits are made. Edits can also be submitted outside the meeting.

May Shu Ren general meeting. The options are voted on by the general meeting.
The option selected goes into effect at the start of the 2009-2010 school year.
Reminder: You must be a shu ren member to vote.

A final note

I believe Shu Ren should be committed to a policy, regardless of what option is
selected, that each student who wants to go on the CRR will go. We will work
with them to find a way.