Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) Approved - April 23, 2025
MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 12:15 p.m. PT
Held at the following location: Via Zoom
Zoom: https://oregoncharter.zoom.us/j/91035080370
I Call to Order
In the absence of Board President Joseph Brown, Ms Brady called the meeting to order at 12:23 p m when quorum was reached and all members who were present could hear each other
II Roll Call
Board Members present: Kim Thatcher, Misty Galofteanu [left meeting at 12:30 p m ], Jennifer Brady
Board Members absent: Joseph Brown, Marsha Moyer
Members of the Public present: None
School Staff present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, and the following school staff; Steve Nielsen, John Meyer [left meeting at 12:45 p.m.], Laura Dillon, Rachel Reid.
III. Public Comment
None
IV. Routine Business
A. Approval of the Agenda
Ms. Brady asked if any changes needed to be made to the agenda.
Dr. Galvin requested to remove three items from the agenda. First, she asked to postpone the School Spotlight, Item V-A , until the April meeting She also requested the removal of Action Item VII-C Approval of Talent Management RFP
intent to award, and Information Item IX-A, RFP Update
There being no other changes to the proposed agenda, a motion was made and seconded as follows
Ms Galofteanu moved to approve the agenda as amended
Ms Thatcher seconded the motion
RESOLVED, that the agenda for the February 26, 2025 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Charter Academy is hereby approved as amended
The motion passed unanimously
V. Consent Agenda
A motion was made and seconded as follows.
Ms. Galofteanu moved to approve the consent items.
Ms. Thatcher seconded the motion.
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the Consent items,
A. Approval of Minutes from the January 22, 2025 Board Meeting
B Approval of February Staffing report
C Second reading and approval of the annual updates to board policies as presented by the Oregon School Boards Association (OSBA)
1 AC – Nondiscrimination and Civil Rights, Required
2
GCBDA/GDBDA – Family and Medical Leave * (Version 1), Delete previous policy in lieu of adopting new policy
3 GCBDA/GDBDA-AR(1) – Family and Medical Leave * (Version 1), Delete previous policy in lieu of adopting new policy
4 GCBDC/GDBDC – Domestic Violence, Harassment, Sexual Assault, Bias, or Stalking Leave (Safe Leave) * , Highly Recommended
5. GCBDC/GDBDC-AR – Request for Domestic Violence, Harassment, Sexual Assault, Bias,or Stalking Leave, Highly Recommended
6. GCBDD/GDBDD – Sick Time * , Highly Recommended
7. IKF - Graduation Requirements**, Conditionally Required
8. IKFB - Graduation Exercises, Optional
9. IL – Assessment Program**, Required
10.JHCD - Medications**/*, Required, New
11. JHCD-AR - Medications**/*, Required, New
12.JHCD/JHCDA - Medications**/*, Delete
13.JHCD/JHCDA-AR - Medications**/*, Delete
14.GBNAA/JHFF - Suspected Sexual Conduct with Students and Reporting Requirements * , (Versions 2) Required
15.JHFF/GBNAA - Suspected Sexual Conduct with Students and Reporting Requirements * , (Versions 2) Required
D Approval of Expenditure Summary Report – January
E. Approval of Legal Invoice(s) – February
F. Approval of Bank Reconciliation – January
The motion passed unanimously
VI Action Items
A. Review and consideration of up to $10,000 toward May student regional event day
Dr. Galvin shared that on Friday, May 30th, the school will have regional student bowling events all around the state. In order to encourage attendance and celebrate the work students have done throughout the year, she asked that the board approve funds to cover the student fee for the event in full.
Ms. Brady asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows.
Ms. Brady moved to approve the allocation of up to $10,000 toward the May regional event day.
Ms Thatcher seconded the motion
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the allocation of up to $10,000 toward the May student regional event day as presented
The motion passed unanimously
B Review and consideration of Intent to Award for the Payroll and HR Services RFP
Dr Galvin brought a summary of the RFP committee’s work and a recommendation for larger board approval The school issued two RFPs, one for Comprehensive Payroll and HR Services, and one for Talent Management After review of the options, the school chose not to move forward with the RFP for Talent Management The Payroll and HR RFP received four bids, of which two were non-responsive Of the two remaining vendors, one was a new bid and one was from the current vendor, ADP The bid from ADP had the option to include the performance evaluation service that the school was looking for in the final contract As a result of the scores from the RFP committee, Dr Galvin recommended that the board move forward with ADP
Ms. Brady asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows.
Ms. Galofteanu moved to approve the intent to award to ADP as presented. Ms. Thatcher seconded the motion.
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the intent to award the Payroll and HR Services RFP contract to ADP subject to finalizing terms through the Executive Director and Legal Counsel
The motion passed unanimously
[Ms Galofteanu left the meeting at 12:30 p m ]
VII Oral Report
A Financial Report
1 School Financials - Year to date through January 2025
Mr. Nielsen shared an update on school finances through the month of January. Both revenue and expenses are on track and matching the initial budget for the year. He noted that enrollment has grown to above 2800 students, and this may result in more 2024-25 revenue being given to the school when it settles up this year’s ADM with ODE next year.
Work on the proposed budget for the 2025-26 financial year is ongoing. The budget is almost complete with the exception of the per-pupil funding amount from the state school fund. ODE should make the first official state school fund estimate by the first business day of March, at which point this number will be included in a proposed budget to be approved at the April meeting.
B. School Leader’s Report
1 School Leader Report
a) School year events
Dr Galvin shared an update on enrollment, ITR, and satisfaction surveys As of today, enrollment is at 2877 students Intent to return and 2025-26 school year enrollment have opened, and there are already several students enrolling for the coming year The annual parent and student satisfaction survey is available to families through the end of this week Student participation has gone up but parent participation is down this year
b) Graduation rate
Dr Galvin shared metrics around the school’s graduation rate While the school is just below the state average, grad rate has gone up almost 24% in the last 2 years This is a positive sign of being on track as an independent charter school Dr Galvin shared how proud she is of teachers and staff who have positively impacted the graduation rate
c) Semester 1 metrics
Finally, Dr Galvin shared metrics from the first semester Most metrics are positive, however, there is room for growth in math Regular Attendance and 9th-Grade On Track are both improving overall She also noted that, while the progress check box has numbers that don’t look great, this is a result of how K-8th grade students are measured, not a deficiency in their education The metric measures how many students have met their end-of-year milestones Therefore it is not expected that 100% of students would have met this milestone when the school year is only half-way through
VIII Information Items
A. Outreach Update
Ms. Dillon shared a report on social media metrics from February. The top 5 engagement cities for ORCA include Salem, Portland, Beaverton, Hillsboro, and Eugene. Across the state, the school ranks far above other competitors in the number of posts, engagements, and engagements per post. Ms. Dillon expressed gratitude for Katie Souza’s work on the social media team and noted that a new member will join the team when she retires in April.
Ms. Dillon went on to share about upcoming outreach events, including the NASA Education Link event, and Salem Saturday Market in March. The Best of the Midvalley awards are also upcoming, and ORCA will be posting and encouraging engagement. In past years, ORCA has won a variety of awards from Best School to Best Leadership
B Facilities Update
Mr Meyer shared the facilities report from ORCA’s properties Updates underway in Mill City today include lighting, security cameras installation, and asphalt being laid in the driveway In Wilsonville, the remodel of Suite 101 is ongoing with drywall going up this week In the parking lot, monitoring and maintenance to avoid ice has been a regular occurrence this winter
C Legislative Update
Dr Galvin shared a legislative update from her visit to the State Capitol last week She and Operations Director Todd Schweitzer had productive meetings with members of the House Education Committee They were able to have conversations across both sides of the aisle with HB 2583 getting support from both Republicans and Democrats The head of the education committee has noted that, while this bill is not her top priority, it is listed as an item for a public hearing if time allows Dr Galvin reminded the board that HB 2583, if approved, would allow non-EMO-managed virtual schools to access SIA funds
[John Meyer left the meeting at 12:45 p m ]
D Board Updates
Dr Galvin shared that Ms Dillon has volunteered to be the board speaker at Graduation this year
IX Adjournment
Ms Brady moved to adjourn the meeting Ms Thatcher seconded the motion
The meeting was adjourned by Ms Brady at 12:46 p m
Next regular meeting date: April 23, 2025 at 12:15 p.m. PT in Zoom