Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) Approved October 23, 2024
MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING
Wednesday, September 25, 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
Mr Brown called the meeting to order at 12:01 p m when quorum was reached and all members who were present could hear each other
II. Roll Call
Board Members present: Joseph Brown, Misty Galofteanu, Jennifer Brady
Board Members absent: Kim Thatcher, Marsha Moyer
Members of the Public present:
School Staff present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, and the following school staff; Todd Schweitzer, Steve Nielsen, John Meyer, Laura Dillon, Rachel Reid.
III. Public Comment
None
IV Routine Business
A Approval of the Agenda
Mr Brown 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 September 25, 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 August 28, 2024 Board Meeting
B Approval of September Staffing report
C. Approval of Expenditure Summary Report - August
D Approval of Legal Invoice(s) - September
E Approval of Bank Reconciliation - August
The motion passed unanimously
VI Action Items
A Review and
consideration
of the proposed Staff Retirement Incentive
Ms Galvin shared a proposal for a new staff retirement incentive For staff who have worked at ORCA for 7 years and are retiring from both ORCA and PERS, the incentive would provide an ORCA contribution toward the retiree’s health insurance for 7 years or until the retiree reaches age 65 The ORCA contribution would be capped at $1000 per month Failure to pay their portion of insurance premiums or securing insurance coverage through another OEBB employer would forfeit the retiree’s benefit with ORCA
Ms. Galvin noted that this incentive could lead to higher staff retention and serve as a great recruiting tool alongside ORCA’s other benefits. She also noted that through voluntary retirement of staff at the top end of the salary schedule, this proposal may result in overall payroll savings.
Ms. Galofteanu asked about which parts of the proposal would be mandatory for staff.
Ms. Galvin clarified that OEBB is the required insurance provider for schools in Oregon. Whereas participation in the retirement incentive would be optional for staff who are retiring from ORCA. Staff who did not wish to use OEBB after retirement would not be compelled to do so but would forfeit the ORCA benefit.
Mr Brown affirmed that this plan could provide some savings for the school, and noted that the proposal seems to reflect a good path forward
Mr Brown 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 staff retirement incentive plan as proposed
Ms Brady seconded the motion
RESOLVED, to APPROVE the staff retirement incentive plan as proposed, and give the executive director discretion in the implementation of the plan
The motion passed unanimously
VII. Oral Report
A. Financial Report
1. Financials - August Financials
Mr. Nielsen shared financial statements from the month of August. The school is quickly approaching the budgeted ADM level of enrollment. At present, revenue exceeds expenditures by 2.5 million due to the double payment from the state school fund in July. Mr. Nielsen noted that this is typical for most schools as they have now received 25% of the revenue from the state school fund for the year.
B School Leader’s Report
1 Enrollment
Ms Galvin shared that enrollment is currently at 2357 students
2 School events
Ms Galvin shared that school year kick off events have gone well There were 671 students and family members at Open House, higher than both of the last two years Regional Meet and Greets are coming up this Friday for students to meet peers and staff in their area
3 Procurement update
Ms Galvin gave an update on the Boone building procurement process There will be a Special Board Meeting on Wednesday, October 2nd There were no bids submitted on time in response to the RFP, but one fantastic bid was received 19 minutes late The special meeting will allow
the school to be exempt from the bidding deadline for this RFP so that they can move forward with the renovations
Ms Galvin also noted that the Virtual Charter Services RFP is open, with bids due October 14th
VIII Information Items
A Outreach Update
Ms Dillon shared an update on outreach efforts over the last month Rose City Comic Con was the big event in September with ORCA hosting a booth in the kids’ zone School representatives talked to many families about the school and were able to highlight what sets ORCA apart from other virtual charter schools.
Ms. Dillon also gave a preview of upcoming events. Next week there is a homeschool resources fair in Newport that will be attended by representatives from ORCA. Virtual Info sessions are scheduled through the end of the year.
Ms. Dillon concluded with an update on social media and ORCA in the news. Social media engagement continues to increase monthly. The parent Facebook group is active and recently featured parents sharing why they chose ORCA and how the school is helping them. In the news, teacher Amy Lee and student Grace Choi appeared on Hello Rose City to talk about the ASCEND program. There is also a new back-to-school commercial on KOIN.
B. Facilities Update
Mr Meyer shared that Mill City had its last land use hearing on September 13th At the hearing, the city resolved issues and the land use proposal was approved The new tenant is working to get set up and moved in by October 1st In both facilities, the fall cleanup is underway to prepare for upcoming rains
C Legislative Update
Dr Schweitzer shared that legislative days are ongoing, with the legislature getting ready for the upcoming long session There are three main bills that are relevant for ORCA One bill proposes to continue the work group that explores increasing educator pay along a statewide salary schedule Small districts and charter schools are watching this bill closely due to financial ramifications for small schools Another bill would continue a work group around statewide school funding to adjust the funding formula Finally, Representative Kramer is willing to sponsor a bill that would allow non-EMO virtual charter schools to be included in full state SIA funding
D Board Updates
Ms Galvin reminded members of the special meeting on October 2nd
IX Adjournment
Ms Galofteanu moved to adjourn the meeting
Ms Brady seconded the motion
The meeting was adjourned by Mr Brown at 12:27 p m
Special meeting date: October 2, 2024 at 12:00 p m PT in Zoom
Next regular meeting date: October 23, 2024 at 12:00 p m PT in Zoom