Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) Approved - November 20, 2024
MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 at 12:00 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 Joe Brown, Ms Thatcher called the meeting to order at 12:06 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, Jennifer Brady
Board Members absent: Marsha Moyer, Joseph Brown
Members of the Public present: None
School Staff present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, and the following school staff; Steve Nielsen, John Meyer, Laura Dillon, Rachel Reid.
III Public Comment
None
IV Routine Business
A Approval of the Agenda
Ms Thatcher asked if any changes needed to be made to the agenda
There being no changes to the proposed agenda, a motion was made and seconded as follows
Ms Galofteanu moved to approve the agenda as presented Ms Brady seconded the motion
RESOLVED, that the agenda for the October 23, 2024 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Charter Academy is hereby approved
The motion passed unanimously
V Consent Agenda
A motion was made and seconded as follows
Ms Galofteanu moved to approve the consent agenda as presented Ms Brady seconded the motion
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the Consent items,
A. Approval of Minutes from the September 25, 2024 Board Meeting
B Approval of Minutes from the October 2, 2024 Special Board Meeting
C. Approval of October Staffing report
D Approval of Expenditure Summary Report – September
E Approval of Legal Invoice(s) – October
F Approval of Bank Reconciliation – September
The motion passed unanimously.
VI. Action Items
A. Review and consideration of contract renewal with ORCA Lobbyist, Summit Strategies
Ms Galvin explained that the contract with ORCA’s lobbyist at Summit Strategies is up for its annual renewal She commended the work that the lobbyist has done on behalf of the school and noted that there will be a fee increase this year While the school has been working with this lobbyist since 2020, this will be the first fee increase, moving from $3500 to $4000 monthly
Ms Thatcher asked if the new contract covers the same scope of work as past years Ms Galvin confirmed that it does
Ms Thatcher asked the Board if there were any further questions or discussion needed There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows
Ms Galofteanu moved to approve the contract as presented Ms Brady seconded the motion
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the contract with Summit Strategies as presented
The motion passed unanimously
B
Review and consideration of investing savings into the Oregon State Treasury’s Local Government Investment Pool
Mr Nielsen brought forth a proposal to begin investing with the Local Government Investment Pool (LGIP) that is overseen by the Oregon State Treasury He noted that the Board packet included a narrative description of the plan and a link to its website The LGIP would provide ORCA the opportunity to increase revenue by approximately $500,000 per year using the current rate of 5 15% growth He noted, however, that rates fluctuate due to market changes and can be as low as 0 5% The LGIP is structured as a short term investment program with invested funds remaining completely liquid
Mr Nielsen shared that as revenue continues to exceed expenses, there are now excess funds in the school’s bank account that do not grow much at their current rate of .01%. While maintaining its savings safety net, the school has capacity to invest up to $10 million, for a monthly return of approximately $43,000 if rates continue to be above 5%.
Ms. Galofteanu asked about the risks involved in investing with LGIP.
Mr. Nielsen noted that the state treasury would be the custodian of the funds. The pool is insured by the state government with a mandate to invest funds wisely on behalf of the school and other public entities.
Ms. Thatcher asked if there is a minimum investment or other parameters on the money.
Mr Nielsen stated that there is no minimum investment Same-day and two-day transfers are available with the ability to move money freely back and forth as needed
Ms Thatcher asked the Board if there were any further questions or discussion needed There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows
Ms Galofteanu moved to approve participation in Oregon’s LGIP Ms Brady seconded the motion
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the participation in Oregon’s Local Government Investment Pool to invest excess cash and increase interest earnings
The motion passed unanimously
C Review and consideration of the Intent to Award for the Virtual Charter School Services RFP
Ms. Galvin gave an update from the Virtual Charter Services RFP Committee. Bids were due on Monday, October 14th, and scoring was completed the
following Monday SYS Education had the highest scoring bid There is now a published intent to award the contract to SYS Education that must remain open for 7 days to allow protest from the public After the 7-day period closes, the school may begin to work with SYS Education on determining contract terms Ms Galvin noted she will be drafting those terms with legal counsel if the intent to award is approved today
Ms Thatcher asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows
Ms Galofteanu approved the intent to award as presented Ms Brady seconded the motion
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the intent to award the Virtual Charter School Services contract to SYS Education subject to finalizing terms through the Executive Director and Legal Counsel.
The motion passed unanimously.
VII. Oral Report
A. Financial Report
1. September Financials
Mr. Nielsen shared year-to-date financials through September 30, 2024. This is the close of the first quarter of the fiscal year, and the school has received 30% of state school fund payments while only being 20% through the school year Enrollment is just above budgeted level, allowing both revenue and expenses to be on target for the year
B School Leader’s Report
1 Enrollment
Ms Galvin shared that enrollment is at 2464 students Outreach efforts are paying off as the school continues to grow, and she commended Laura Dillon for her work in this area She noted that budgeting for a larger enrollment has been successful, and the school may be able to budget even higher next year
2 September and October Student Events
Ms Galvin shared an update on school events and student activities She noted that school clubs are getting started Popular clubs back this year include NASA Club, ORCA Cares Club, and Bakers Club
October virtual events include October student assemblies highlighting leading with kindness and school-wide participation in the Great Oregon Shakeout In-person events have also been well received The Wilsonville facility was full on Friday, October 18, with the first Hangouts of the year and a Catapult-building field trip This coming Friday is an ORCA Regional Event Day celebrating fall at various pumpkin patches around the state
3 Annual Report
Ms Galvin shared the Annual Report from the 2023-24 school year This is a charter-school specific report that covers goals, the School Improvement Plan and other progress metrics Areas for growth continue to be grad rate, test scores, and attendance These have, however, shown growth over the last year. The financial element of the report is still pending preparation by the auditors.
Ms. Thatcher asked how many students were unable to enroll in the 2023-24 school year due to the 3% law.
Ms. Galvin noted that the shortened timelines and requirement that districts be accountable for their data led to significant improvements. The number is estimated at only 5-10 denied students.
Ms. Thatcher also asked about how charter schools define and advertise improvement on a student-by-student basis given that they serve a unique population.
Ms Galvin noted that she has nearly completed her doctoral thesis that focuses on the success rate of students relative to when they transfer to a virtual charter school She expects that this data will illuminate the impact of enrollment date on performance outcomes such as credit deficiency
Ms Thatcher shared her hopes that this data will help charter schools defend their existence when criticized regarding school-to-school metrics such as grad rate
Ms Galvin noted that she works with legislators to explain that ORCA serves a specific set of students and to encourage them to look at the value provided by charter schools The school is also working with lobbyists on a legislative concept that would include locally-managed virtual charter schools in the school investment account (SIA) funds
VIII Information Items
Outreach Update
Ms Dillon shared an update on outreach efforts throughout the state October is typically when outreach begins to slow down, but this year she is seeing prospective families remain interested and engaged at a higher level Weekly info sessions continue on Wednesdays with 9 families signed up for today Since September 1st, there have been 234 families who have used the “Request Info” button on the website to receive info about the school and contact Ms Dillon
In upcoming outreach, the school is partnering with iHeart Radio for the Oaks Park Scare Grounds event iHeart Radio will hand out 500 ORCA-branded glow-in-the-dark slap bracelets to attendees
Finally, top social media posts in September include Open House, Celebrating 20 Years of ORCA, and the Monthly Blog Post This month’s blog post is The 2023-24 School Year in Review, highlighting teacher and student accomplishments last school year.
B. Facilities Update
Mr. Meyer shared an update on the school’s facilities. In Mill City, fall clean up has included clearing drainage to improve storm runoff channels and cutting back blackberries and brush to maintain safety corridors in case of wildfire. Leasing a lot from ORCA in Mill City, Mountain Grounds coffee opened this month with highly positive reception from the community. Next steps will include ODOT approval to widen the driveway for this drive-through business.
At the Wilsonville facility, annual backflow device testing is finished. Repair on backflow devices that need it will be completed in the next 15 days. Suite 101 is in the design phase with hopes to wrap up the project by January.
C Board Updates
Ms Galvin asked if there were any topics for the next meeting None were requested at this time
IX Adjournment
Ms Galfteanu moved to adjourn the meeting
Ms Brady seconded the motion
The meeting was adjourned by Ms Thatcher at 12:41 p m
Next regular meeting date: November 20, 2024 at 12:00 p m PT in Zoom