Restore the Brook

Timeline of Significant Events1

1922 - The Presbyterian Church gives The Stony Brook Assembly (the Assembly) the property upon which The Stony Brook School is established.  The Assembly adopts the Platform of Principles (POP) which are adopted for the School.  The agreement between the Presbyterian Church and the Assembly provides that 100% of the assets of the School would revert to the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions (PBFM) should the POP be amended (the Reverter Clause).

1970's - The PBFM is dissolved; the Reverter Clause is renegotiated by the Presbyterian Church and the School, to provide that 10% of the assets of the School would revert to the Presbyterian Church, should the POP be amended. 

The Platform of Principles 

January 2010 - Daniel Yates, friend of board member Rev. Norman Koop '65, who is neither SBS alumnus nor an SBS parent, attends his first Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting.  The BOT votes to amend the School's Platform of Principles (POP) to include sola scriptura verbiage (thereby excluding most non-Protestant Christians from eligibility for service to the School as faculty or trustee, e.g., Roman and Orthodox Catholics), subject to legal review.  

April 2010 - A number of SBS faculty and staff sign the April Declaration.  A large number of faculty resign by the end of the School year.

April 25, 2010 - Thad Gaebelein writes to Rob Gustafson, stating: "My Grandfather and founding colleagues were brilliant theological scholars intimately familiar with sola scriptura and all its implications. Though Protestant in tradition, the school’s founding fathers intentionally left out sola scriptura wording, so the school officially could always be inclusive and embracing of the rich traditions of all Christian denominations. The ability to find common ground in Jesus Christ rather than draw narrowing, exclusionary sectarian, denominational lines and definitions is the genius of Stony Brook."

A brief discussion of the impact of sola scriptura in the context of the School can be read here.

Last Weekend of April 2010 - Last BOT meeting of the 2009/2010 School year.  The BOT holds an early morning meeting with faculty and staff concerning the POP and the April Declaration. Alumni Leadership Team (ALT) President Dana makes a statement to the BOT and departs. Numerous individual meetings between BOT members and faculty and staff members take place that weekend, to express concerns and to serve as exit interviews.  A large number of faculty leave the School's employ by the end of the School year, including Keith Singer (Assistant Headmaster), Kevin Kunst (Athletic Director and alumnus), Joe Austin, Jr., and Judy Oulund (History Department Chair). 

May-June 2010 - BOT's response to ALT President's statement at the April 2010 BOT meeting is censure; ALT President responds by letter.

The ALT By-Laws

September 2010 - The ALT completes a thorough revision of the ALT By-Laws, which are submitted to Assistant Headmaster Jane Taylor in advance of the deadline for inclusion in the BOT package of materials for the September BOT meeting.  The ALT By-laws need to be approved by the BOT to become effective.

Late September 2010 - BOT meeting. ALT By-Laws are not included in the Board package; BOT does not discuss or consider ALT By-laws.

Late January 2011 - BOT meeting:  ALT By-laws are not discussed or considered; ALT Vice Presidents are not permitted to attend BOT meeting in President's absence, despite requests and a memorandum.

April 2011 - BOT meeting.  ALT By-Laws are not discussed or considered despite another memorandum. ALT President Dana completes term; Vice President Diego Vega assumes ALT presidency.

September 2011 - First BOT meeting of the 2011/2012 School year.

"Restore The Stony Brook School" on Facebook

October 2011 - A Facebook page called "Restore The Stony Brook School" ("Old Restore") is created (removed from public view Spring, 2012); an internet petition 2 to Restore The Stony Brook School is created, which states, "We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the current direction of The Stony Brook School under the current leadership and ask that the headmaster be held accountable for his governance decisions. We request a leadership team that will promote respect and collaboration among all members of the School’s community, operate with transparency and objectivity, and protect the unique values upon which the School was founded" and garners 500 signatures.3  Subsequently, a pledge feature was added to the petition, which pledges would have become active should the Headmaster's departure have been announced prior to year-end 2011.

     - Homecoming at the Brook: Headmaster Robert E. Gustafson, Jr. participates in a several hour long Question and Answer session in Carson, addressing the POP amendment; the ban on day students from serving as prefects (subsequently reversed, although the School will "strongly encourage" day students to board for certain prefect positions), and related matters.  You can listen to a recording of 47 minutes of the Q&A here.  You can watch a video of some of the Q&A with respect to the RC and the POP here.

Fall 2011 -  Diego Vega attends one BOT meeting in September, and subsequently resigns as ALT president; Dirk Friedkin assumes ALT presidency. Friedkin works to confirm with the BOT that he is an ex officio member, during which time he is not included in numerous BOT conference calls concerning the deepening crisis at the School.

Promise of Retiree Health Benefits

      - Through the Old Restore Facebook page, the SBS Community learns that the BOT had reneged on the promise to provide health benefits for retirees.  The BOT issues an explanatory statement, which points to a more detailed explanation (linked in 3 parts: Part I, Part II and Part III), which raises even more questions about this important issue, e.g., how adopting a new accounting method for setting a reserve for these benefits actually could have affected the School's fiscal bottom line; and shedding no light on causality.  

Alumni have offered to bridge this retiree health benefits gap by paying directly to the School the amount of the retiree health premiums, and failing that, by making payments directly to the retirees to cover this cost.  The BOT has refused to allow the School to accept payments from alumni to fund the retiree health benefits; or to facilitate the making of these payments by alumni (bookkeeping); or to reconsider its decision to cease paying for the promised retiree health benefits.

November 2011 - Headmaster Gustafson emails the BOT.  This leaked email was immediately posted on Scribd.com.

Headmaster's Academic Credentials

Fall/Winter 2011 - Questions arise with respect to the Headmaster's academic credentials.  He is represented in graduation programs (dating back to at least 2001) and yearbooks (dating back to his first year as Headmaster, 1998) as having an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, whereas Gordon-Conwell states that he does not have an M.Div. but rather a M.T.S., which at the time his degree was granted, was stated by Gordon-Conwell to be a less rigorous program and not an ordination-track degree, as is an M.Div.  There has been no independent Chaplain at the School for a number of years; the Headmaster had been serving in that role.

January 2, 2012 - The BOT announces the Headmaster's resignation effective June 30, 2012; internet petition pledges are voided.

January 12, 2012 - A proposal for the School is conveyed to the BOT.

Until late July, the now-former Headmaster was still residing at Grosvenor House, while the new Interim Head of School (Announcement links - Part I, Part II) was residing in faculty housing.

ALT Board Seat Eliminated

Late January, 2012 - Friedkin is not included in any BOT deliberations which occurred subsequent to Vega's resignation from the ALT presidency (throughout the late Fall 2011/Early Winter 2012).  He is invited to make a statement to the BOT at their January 2012 meeting, concerning the continued existence of the ALT president's ex officio seat. At the BOT meeting, he is informed that the BOT has already voted (without inviting his participation) to eliminate the ALT seat on the Board.  

The BOT releases an announcement (Announcement links - Part I, Part II) concerning the creation of a new Alumni Affairs Committee (AAC), which involves the elimination of the ALT president's ex officio BOT seat. The BOT selects all parties participating in the discussions concerning the creation of a revamped Alumni Association.

January 20, 2012 - Despite having voted to amend the POP in January 2010 subject to legal review, the BOT announces its reaffirmation of the POP (Announcement links - Part I, Part II), although it includes additional language obscuring that simple message. 

SBS By-Laws

The SBS By-laws provide for a self-selecting, self-perpetuating BOT.  

The BOT has kept a schedule of Board Retirement Dates, two versions of which have been previously posted on the internet: the January 2011 version and a later version.  While these two documents differ somewhat, they indicate that: 1) the pattern of rotation on and off the BOT is planned well in advance; and 2) Norm Koop is reflected in both versions as being given in April 2010 a "4 year pastoral extension" when he has served continuously on the BOT since the 2000/2001 School year.  

January 31, 2012 - The School announces the elimination of the ALT President's ex officio BOT seat. (Announcement links - Part I, Part II) 

June 5, 2012 - The School announces changes in BOT membership.

Formation of Independent Alumni Association

The membership of the committee forming the Independent Alumni Association for The Stony Brook School (email: [email protected]) is as follows:

Dirk Friedkin '84
Maggie Giles '82
Melissa Gunzberg (former faculty)
Charles Hanchett '97
Mark Hanchett '62
David Metz '96
Tracy Schlachter '84
Dave Seyfert '76
Joshua Shteierman '01
Harold Spooner '70 

August 31, 2012 - A page is created on Facebook, for the Independent Alumni Association for The Stony Brook School4.  

September 12, 2012 - An announcement is made on a new Facebook group page, that the Independent Alumni Association for The Stony Brook School (IAA) is forming5.  The announcement reads as follows:

"We are pleased to inform you that a group of alumni has formed a committee to put into place an Independent Alumni Association for The Stony Brook School.  

"Membership in the IAA will be open to all alumni and former faculty of SBS.  We believe that at this critical time in the school's history it is essential for the SBS community to take advantage of the recently increased level of alumni involvement and harness that energy for the good of the school.

"We have examined the previous SBS Alumni Association and looked at other private school and college alumni associaitons for best practices in order to develop an outline for a robust alumni organization.  We are very excited about the opportunities and potential for the IAA to support both the alumni and the school.

"This committee is composed of the following members:

"Adam De Chiara '83
Dirk Friedkin '84
Maggie Giles '82
Melissa Gunzberg (former faculty)
Charles Hanchett '97
Mark Hanchett '62
David Metz '96
Tracy Schlachter '84
Dave Seyfert '76
Harold Spooner '70"

The following is a recent update from the IAA Facebook page:

"IAA UPDATE: September 2012

"The Independent Alumni Association is off to a great start. Our rapidly growing membership includes distinguished former SBS faculty and a broad cross section of alumni representing many decades of the School’s history. We are moving ahead with plans to formalize our association into a charitable organization which will allow us to fulfill our Mission for decades to come:

Important Links

Analysis of Annual Giving 1999-2010 (compiled from Annual Reports mailed by the School to alumni)

BOT Membership 1998-2011 (compiled from Annual Reports mailed by the School to alumni)

Evolution of the Statement of Educational Philosophy  (compiled from Annual Reports mailed by the School to alumni; also contained in the School's hard-copy Alumni Directory)

Form 990 June 30, 2012 (for 2011)

Form 990 June 30, 2011 (for 2010)

Form 990 June 30, 2010 (for 2009)

Form 990 June 30, 2009 (for 2008)

Form 990 June 30, 2008 (for 2007) 

Form 990 June 30, 2007 (for 2006)

Form 990 June 30, 2006 (for 2005)

The Office of the Attorney General is charged with oversight of all NYS non-profits. NYS Attorney General's Charities Bureau is linked here.

The New York State Board of Regents charters and regulates all NYS educational institutions, including independent schools. The Board of Regents' Statement on the Governance Role of a Trustee or Board member is linked here. 

Informative links from the NYS AG's Office.

Informative links from the National Association of Independent Schools.

Informative links from the New York State Association of Independent Schools.

Article in independentsector.org on Sarbanes-Oxley and non-profits.

______________________

1     All linked materials, with the exception of the first two Important Links, are either publicly available or have been previously published or linked elsewhere on the internet: several Facebook pages, iPetitions.com or Scribd.com.  The first two Important Links are the work product of Restore The Brook (compiled from Annual Reports mailed by the School to all alumni) all rights reserved. The audio and video were recorded by persons who attended the Homecoming 2011 Carson Q&A session: the audio was previously uploaded to the internet, and both the audio and video were uploaded with permission of the persons who recorded them. 

2   If the petition link is no longer available, you can view the petition home page here.  

3  If the petition signatures link is no longer available, you can see them and read the hundreds of comments by clicking these page numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

4  This link is to the IAA Facebook page.  When an IAA website is created, it will be linked here.

5 This link is to the IAA Facebook group.  When an IAA website is created, it will be linked here.