11.18.2024 Approved Board Meeting Minutes

FRONTIER CHARTER ACADEMY

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Meeting minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on November 18, 2024 @ 6:00 p.m.

A Regular Meeting of the Board was held at the FCA office at 10653 NE 71st St Brooks, Oregon and via videoconference

I. PRELIMINARY

A. Call To Order and Pledge of Allegiance

The meeting was called to order by Director Winning at 6:08 p.m.

B. Roll Call

Directors Hardesty, Winning, and Wolfer were present at the meeting. Director Englehart was absent.

Others Present: Joanne Johnson, Beau Neal, Katie Schweitzer, Todd Schweitzer, and Melissa Wolfer

C. Approval of Previous Board Minutes (Action)

Motion: Director Wolfer moved, and Director Hardesty seconded, that the Frontier Charter Academy Board of Directors approve the minutes of the August 19, 2024 meeting as presented. The motion passed unanimously, 3-0 (Director Englehart was absent).

II. COMMUNICATIONS

A PUBLIC COMMENTS: No individual comment shall be for more than three (3) minutes and the total time for this purpose shall not exceed fifteen (15) minutes Board Members may respond to comments however no action can be taken The Board may give direction to staff following the comment

None

B PRESENTATIONS:

None

C. BOARD CHAIR DISCUSSION AND RECOGNITION

None

D. BOARD/STAFF DISCUSSION: Reports

1. Executive Director

Todd reported that the current enrollment stands at 364 students, which is an improvement and indicates progress in the right direction. Additionally, more students are scheduled to start after Thanksgiving, which is expected to further boost enrollment numbers. Retention remains a key focus, and we have been actively emphasizing its importance with the staff to ensure stability and growth in our student body Despite the positive momentum, we remain well under budgeted projections for enrollment This requires us to be prudent and strategic in managing resources moving forward

FRONTIERCHARTERACADEMY

2. Financial/Business

Melissa noted that the linked written report provided was an earlier version and stated she would send Board Members the corrected document. She also reported that the transition to a new banking account has been completed. This account offers enhanced fraud controls to better safeguard the academy’s finances.

Melissa informed the Board that the audited financial statements and Board letter for the 2023/24 fiscal year have been received from the auditing firm She requested that Board Members review these documents in preparation for the February meeting, where they will be included as action items Additionally, a member of the audit team will attend the meeting to address any questions

During the discussion:

● Director Wolfer inquired if the new banking accounts incur fees. Melissa clarified that while there are fees associated with this account type, they are waived as long as the academy maintains a specific balance.

● Director Winning noted a general increase in fraud incidents affecting schools, highlighting the importance of enhanced fraud controls.

3. Principal Update

Frontier Days:

Katie reported that Frontier Days have been well-attended this year She stated that there will not be an event in November due to historically low attendance during that time

AI (artificial intelligence) Professional Development (PD):

Beau reported that teachers are engaging in professional development centered around AI, using a course from Auburn University. The training focuses not only on detecting AI usage but also on how to effectively integrate AI tools into classroom instruction. Staff have shown significant interest and excitement about this initiative.

● Director Wolfer noted the increasing attention AI is receiving in the education sector.

● Beau mentioned that the school has implemented a detection tool to help teachers identify AI-generated homework.

● Director Winning highlighted the challenge of AI as a potential temptation for students.

Informal Observations:

Beau said that half of the staff is being reviewed this year Informal observations are being conducted in the fall, with formal observations scheduled for the spring These sessions focus on observing teaching practices and providing feedback Formal observations will reflect any suggested improvements and will be added to the teacher's file

● Director Winningl supported this approach, commenting that it is a good way to conduct evaluations.

III. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS

All items listed under the consent agenda are considered routine by the Board and will be approved or enacted in one motion, as presented below. Unless a Board member specifically requests an item for further discussion or removal from the agenda, these items will not be discussed prior to the Board's vote.

Information: There were updates to the stipend agreements that needed to be brought to the Board's attention. All other employee stipends were awarded similarly to previous years.

1. New Employees:

● Long Term Sub - Jordan Griffin

2. Resignations / Terminations:

3 Employment Changes: Club Stipends for:

● C Safley - PE (Renewal)

● M Nordstrom - Junior National Honor Society / Outdoor School (Renewal)

● M Redelfs - Inklings (New)

● S Gelfand - Crochet (New)

● R Leighton - National Honor Society (Different Employee)

Motion: Director Hardesty moved and Director Wolfer seconded that the Frontier Charter Academy Board of Directors approves the consent items en mass. Motion passed 3-0 (Director Englehart absent).

IV. SCHEDULED FOR ACTION

A. Personnel

None

B. Business

None

C. Instruction and Curriculum

None

V. ITEMS SCHEDULED FOR INFORMATION

1 Notable Gervais policy updates that applied to FCA for review Gervais School District Board packets and versions of the policies for consideration can be found here

● DJC - Bidding Requirements - Grants staff authority for small ($25,000) and intermediate ($250,000) procurement. All other expenses must be approved by the School Board.

● EBBB - Injury or Illness Reports - Revised to include reports for self administered first aid and other updates to the law. FCA has an incident form and the anticipated use is minimal.

● EBC - Emergency Plan and First Aid - Requires an emergency plan. FCA meets these requirements.

● GCDA/GDDA - Criminal Records Checks and Fingerprinting - Includes requirements from the latest laws regarding background checks for staff and volunteers.

FRONTIERCHARTERACADEMY

● JEA - Compulsory Attendance Notices and Citations - Updated language for notices going to students that miss school.

Melissa provided an overview of each policy, detailing its impact on the school, including effects on processes and staffing.

2. Board Training Reminder

OSBA Material (not all items apply to a virtual charter Board)

Training coming from OSBA and the Ethics Commission July 17, 2024 OSBA Training

Additional training based on the Ethics Commission guidelines will be available in February. This training will include pre-recorded, self-paced modules. Melissa will share the links to these resources at the next meeting

3 24/25 Handbooks (updates)

● Student (final)

● Staff (final)

● Process and Procedures Manual (final)

● Parent Notification Handbook (final)

● Emergency Protocol (final)

Melissa provided updated links to the 2024/2025 handbooks, noting that these are the final versions of the documents.

Other Discussion:

Director Wolfer inquired about the number of new students expected to enroll after Thanksgiving.

● Todd responded that 5-8 additional students are anticipated.

Director Hardesty asked how the academy could further promote the school and increase visibility to attract more families

● Todd suggested that sharing the school’s social media posts is an effective way to spread the word and reach a broader audience

Todd also highlighted that the academy has adopted a streamlined enrollment process. This improvement was made possible by investing in system upgrades through Charter Connect, the firm used by FCA for marketing. The enhancements aim to simplify and expedite enrollment for families. Todd suggested that additional details about this new process could be shared at the next board meeting.

VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION

None scheduled VII.

Director Hardesty moved and Director Wolfer seconded to adjourn the meeting at 6:30. Motion passed 3-0, Director Englehart absent.