August Board Highlights
KCC BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
August 15, 2021
Dear Sangha,
KCC’s August Board meeting was packed with important issues in addition to our regular business of keeping an eye on our finances and operations.
We approved two crucial policies:
- Children’s Program Safety Policies. These comprehensive policies are based on a helpful template provided by our insurance company, Church Mutual, and they leave no stone unturned. Thank you to Mary Woods, Zopa, Linda Besant, and KCC’s Attorney Bruce Howell for the months of work on these policies.
- Inclusivity Policy. The Board and Lama Eric and the Program Council have been striving for some time to articulate the commitment of KCC’s leadership to inclusivity. We approved this policy, written with crucial assistance from Zopa and Rosemarie Sweet. Please note that the policy includes that “KCC Leadership commits to doing the internal and external work of creating” a safe and welcoming sangha for all. In addition, we commit to developing ways for the entire sangha to address diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility together.
We moved forward with the Administrative Reorganization Proposal we’ve been working on for several months.
The committee that has been advancing the proposal (Linda Besant, Ryan Fitz, Rosemarie Sweet, Linda Grove) presented the proposal as it has been revised according to input from the meetings of Subject Matter Experts. After careful discussion, the Board voted to send the proposal in this revised form by the end of August to the sangha for input.
We considered a proposal from the Trauma Response Task Force that KCC form a Community Wellbeing Council.
Following up on their initial proposal last month, this Task Force (Lama Eric, John Jennings, Erik Fromme, Linda Grove, Rosemarie Sweet, Doug Dunlap, Joe Bertagnolli) recommended that KCC form an on-going oversight body to provide a forum and mechanism where individuals will feel safe to voice concerns and the sangha can address difficult issues. It would represent a significant culture change for KCC to formalize dealing directly with difficult communications. This body could replace or expand the existing Harmony Council. The Board will continue to work with this proposal, especially in light of the next topic we discussed.
Recommendations on Addressing Fundamental Issues
Linda Grove summarized recommendations presented by the Sangha advisory committee that was originally formed by Lama Eric around communicating about the allegations against HH Karmapa to the Sangha. The committee recommends that KCC:
- Establish an on-going integrated organization-wide focus on
- Preventing and responding to institutionalized forms of oppression that may show up in our dharma teaching, our operation, and among the sangha: e.g. sexism, racism, classism, etc.
- Addressing the patriarchy and hierarchy in our lineage.
- Responding to related questions raised by a women’s group in the sangha.
- Define the leadership commitment.
- Dissolve the current committee and create a new permanent committee.
- Seek help from an outside facilitator/consultant.
The Board felt that we need a deep exploration of these issues among the sangha, perhaps through the body being considered for the earlier Community Wellbeing topic. Also, these issues could be a key part of the exploration of fundamental issues being considered for the first phase of our strategic planning process.
The Board is forming a committee to develop the upcoming Strategic Planning Process that will generate KCC’s Strategic Plan for the next three to five years.
Those on the committee so far are John Jennings, Linda Besant, Linda Grove, Ryan Fitz, Linda Logan, Willa Rabinovitch, and Peter Wood. The Board asked that by the October Board meeting, this committee propose an effective and timely process that identifies the responsible coordinators and an advisory group, and ensures that the plan has input from the sangha and leadership early in the development process.
Gratitude to Phil Wallin—Phil has completed his term of service on KCC’s Board of Directors. The Board thanked Phil for his stellar efforts as Director of Development; for his leadership in shaping several initiatives to improve Board functioning; and for his thoughtful and well-focused participation over the years,
Please remember that all Board meetings are open to all sangha members. We meet by Zoom, from 1:30 to 4:30pm on the third Sunday of each month.
Linda Besant, Board Secretary
John Jennings, Board President