FRONTIER CHARTER ACADEMY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Meeting minutes of the Regular Board Meeting on August 19, 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 6:11 p.m.
B. Roll Call
Directors Englehart, Winning, and Wolfer were present at the meeting.
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 Englehart seconded, that the Frontier Charter Academy Board of Directors approve the minutes of the May 20, 2024 meeting as presented. The motion passed unanimously, 3-0 (Director Hardesty 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 school does not have firm enrollment numbers yet but expects up to 120 new students based on historical trends. He mentioned that the administration is holding weekly information sessions, typically attended by 2-5 families, many of whom often enroll their children afterward. Additionally, FCA continues to collaborate with Charter Connect on marketing efforts.
Beau clarified that Charter Connect manages the school’s Google Ad account, display ads, and Facebook account. Their management has been successful, allowing them to optimize search engine results by fine-tuning traffic to the academy’s webpages.
There was further discussion about enrollment, during which Director Winning noted that public schools are not making themselves attractive to families, which benefits FCA. FRONTIERCHARTERACADEMY
2. Financial/Business
Melissa reviewed the financial report, noting that cash on hand is comparable to last year at this time. She highlighted that there was unspent budget in all areas and that the ending fund balance is projected to be $677,591. Additionally, Melissa mentioned that the 23/24 revenue was very close to the budgeted amount, despite the school not receiving the anticipated grant money for summer school from the State of Oregon.
Director Wolfer expressed frustration that the State of Oregon did not allow virtual schools to qualify for the summer school grant.
Melissa also mentioned that the business office is exploring changes to the controls on business banking accounts to reduce the risk of fraud.
3. Principal Update
Katie reported that the school held a face-to-face staff meeting last week, providing updates from HR and the Business Office, as well as First Aid training. Since all the staff members are returning, no new academic information was covered.
She also mentioned that the first parent meeting wasn’t held in August due to typically low attendance. Instead, the school plans to welcome parents and students during the Frontier Day activities in September.
Katie noted some staffing changes from last year: an elementary teacher decided to stay home with family, with another teacher stepping in to cover that grade. Additionally, one of the Special Education teachers moved out of state, and their caseload will now be managed by another current teacher, resulting in payroll savings for the school. Students will start after Labor Day, and the staff is enthusiastic about the new year.
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.
None
IV. SCHEDULED FOR ACTION
A. Personnel
Action Item 2024.08.19 - 01: Executive Director 23/24 Evaluation
Motion: Director Wolfer moved and Director Englehart seconded that the Frontier Charter Academy Board of Directors approves the 23/24 Executive Director Evaluation as presented. Motion passed 3-0, Director Hardesty absent.
B. Business
Action Item 2024.08.19 - 02: Annual extension of the E-Therapy Contract
Motion: Director Wolfer moved, and Director Englehart seconded, that the Frontier Charter Academy Board of Directors approve the continued use of E-Therapy to provide special services for students. The motion passed unanimously, 3-0, with Director Hardesty absent.
Katie explained that E-Therapy offers a range of specialized services, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, among others. Given FCA's smaller size, it’s more efficient for the school to contract these services rather than employing full-time staff for each area. She emphasized that E-Therapy has been highly responsive to our families and has built strong, personalized relationships with them.
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
● AC Nondiscrimination - Designates a Civil Rights Coordinator
● BBF Board Members Standards of Conduct - Board members are mandatory reporters of child abuse
● BBFC Reporting of Suspected Abuse of a Child and GBNAB & JHFE Reports of Suspected Child Abuse - are made to local law enforcement or the DHS central system and what elements are needed in a report
● CCG Evaluation of Administrators - requires annual evaluations
● GBN/JBA Sexual Harassment - defines sexual contact and that reports are to be made to the superintendent
● IGBAF Special Education IEP, IGBAG Special Education Procedural Safeguards, and JBAA Section 504 - references to specific laws, updates to FABE and definition of FAPE.
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
3. 24/25 Handbooks (no major changes)
● Student (draft)
● Staff (draft)
4. 24/25 Per Diem Rates
Information on per diem rates for staff (No changes from previous year practices unless Gervais SD makes changes later in the year.)
● Lodging limit, unless booked by the school: $96
● Meals: $59 per day (guidelines are $13 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, and $26 for dinner with $5 allowed for incidentals) and gratuity must not exceed 20%
● Allowable limits listed may change based on location of the charge and would be based on the IRS per diem guidance
Melissa explained that the items in this section were presented for the Board’s review, highlighting that the policies reflect recent changes in the law. She mentioned that additional details about the changes to School Board members' responsibilities, specifically regarding training and mandatory reporting, would be provided at a future meeting. Melissa also noted that while there were no major revisions to either the student or staff handbooks, drafts were available for the Board to review, with updates to Oregon's leave laws included in the Staff Handbook. Additionally, she confirmed that the per diem rates for staff reimbursements will remain unchanged for the 24/25 school year.
Todd added that the Business Office has been working on streamlining the staff reimbursement process to both reduce costs and simplify the procedure.
Director Winning commented that it will be interesting to observe the enrollment trends at the next Board meeting, noting that private schools are seeing an influx of students.
VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION
None scheduled
VII.
Director Englehart moved and Director Wolfer seconded to adjourn the meeting at 6:32. Motion passed 3-0, Director Hardesty absent.