Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 12:30 p.m. PT Held at the following location and via teleconference: 833 NW Santiam Boulevard Mill City, OR 97360 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ I.
Call to Order
Mr. Kropf called the meeting to order at 12:35 p.m. II.
Roll Call
Board Members Present: Jeff Kropf, Joseph Brown, and Becky Badger (via phone); Board Members Absent: Kim Thatcher and Bobbie Jager; Guests Present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director; Laura Dillon, School staff; Jarrod Hogue, Pearson Online & Blended Learning (POBL) staff (in person at the meeting location, which was open to the public); Nicole Hamilton, School staff; Kelly Gatzke, Ben Petersen, Nicole Anderson, Kristin DeGroff, Dion Golatt, Megann Arthur, Brian Rosta, Josh Daniels and Tanya Lee (POBL) staff (via phone). III.
Public Comment
There were no comments at this time. IV.
Audit Committee, Committee of the Entire Board a. Review and Acceptance of the 2017-2018 School Year Financial Audit Report The Board indicated their intent to discuss this item later in the meeting.
V.
Routine Business a.
Approval of Agenda
Mr. Kropf asked if Board members would like to request any changes be made to the Agenda. There being no changes noted, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that the Agenda for the October 24, 2018 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Connections Academy, as presented, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously.
VI.
Oral Reports a. Facilities Update Mr. Golatt provided an update on this item. He reviewed the mandatory on-site walkthrough that took place the week prior to the Board meeting, and advised that he expected to receive proposals from two (2) vendors. Additionally, Mr. Golatt provided an update on the timeline for all proposal documentation.
[Mr. Golatt left the meeting at 12:41 p.m.] Audit Committee, Committee of the Entire Board Board members advised of their intent to discuss the Audit Report at this time. Review and Acceptance of the 2017-2018 School Year Financial Audit Report Ms. Lee presented this item to the Board. She discussed the audit field work recently completed, as well as the audit firm representation draft letter and report, as included in the Board materials. She highlighted key aspects of the report, and related to the Board that the audit firm expected to issue an unqualified opinion; Ms. Lee advised that the report was the best result the school can achieve. Board members discussed the audit report, and expressed their satisfaction with the school and POBL for the results. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that the 2017-2018 fiscal year Draft Audit Report, is hereby accepted. The motion passed unanimously. b. School Leader’s Report Ms. Galvin reviewed current enrollment levels at the school, including students in all stages of the enrollment process. i.
AVID Report
Ms. Hamilton reviewed the availability of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) elective for students at the school. She provided an in-depth review of AVID’s mission to increase schoolwide learning and performance, through the use of higher level thinking skills and student collaboration. [Ms. Hamilton left the meeting at 1:03 p.m.] ii.
Final Results on 2017-2018 Goals, State Testing Results and State of the School Report
Ms. Galvin discussed last year’s target enrollment goals as well as final enrollment numbers by grade level with the Board and reviewed the current enrollment and school goals. She reminded Board members that the staff worked closely with POBL staff on establishing this year’s school goals, and reiterated that the school goals represent the major driver for the staff incentive plan. Ms. Galvin related that the goals are created with the intention of improving school outcomes, the student and family experience, and to foster student achievements school-wide. Ms. Galvin also reviewed with the Board the recent state testing data. The Board had discussion on the staff and student accomplishments over the past year, and thanked Ms. Galvin for her thoroughness and partnership in the educational process.
iii.
Annual Report
Ms. Galvin provided a brief review of the school’s Annual Report, as included in the Board materials. c.
Financial Report
Ms. Lee reviewed the financial information contained in the Board materials with the Board, providing specific information on the budget and forecast for the school year. Ms. Lee further reviewed the balance sheet, revenue, and expense statements. VII.
Consent Agenda
Mr. Kropf asked the Board members whether there were any items from the Consent Items that they wanted moved to Action Items for discussion. There being no changes noted, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the Consent Items: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h.
Approval of Minutes from the September 26, 2018 Board Meeting; Approval of Staffing Report; Approval of School Invoice(s); Approval of Legal Invoice(s); Approval of Bank Reconciliation; Approval of Connections Academy of Oregon, LLC Invoices for September; Approval of LiveSpeech Invoice; and Approval of Revision(s) to the Employee Handbook: Updates to Short Term Disability Language for Maternity Leave, are hereby approved.
The motion passed unanimously. VIII.
Action Items a. Approval of School Focus Goals for the 2018-2019 School Year Ms. Galvin reviewed the school focus goals for the 2018-2019 school year included in the Board package with the Board. She advised that the staff worked closely with school leadership and POBL on establishing the school goals. She further advised the Board that the school goals represent the major driver for the staff incentive plan. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that the school focus goals for the 2018-2019 school year for ORCA, as presented, are hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously.
[Ms. Gatzke, Mr. Petersen, and Ms. Anderson joined the meeting at 1:46 p.m.] IX.
Information Items a.
State and Strategic Client Relations (SSCR) Update
Mr. Daniels provided an update on recent legislative activities which may impact the school.
i. Operational Update 1. Marketing and Enrollment Process Ms. Gatzke introduced herself as a representative of POBL’s Marketing Team, and reviewed her work with the school in regards to marketing and outreach efforts. The Board had extensive discussion with school leadership and POBL staff regarding the school’s enrollment process, and student retention efforts. Dr. Rosta provided the Board with detailed process and procedural information, and related the positive impacts he has seen in the ongoing partnership between ORCA staff and POBL in improving the process. [Ms. DeGroff and Ms. Lee left the meeting at 1:58 p.m.] 2. Attendance, Communication Tools/ Chronic Absenteeism Dr. Rosta reviewed with all in attendance the efforts being made by POBL to support the school in tracking attendance and aiding in improving the number of issues with chronic absenteeism. Ms. Galvin further discussed all efforts of ORCA staff with regards to enrollment and attendance recording, and specific initiatives being utilized. ii. Board Support Update Mr. Daniels began by introducing Mr. Hogue to the Board, and advised that he would be assuming the role of SSCR rep to the school and Board moving forward. Mr. Hogue briefly discussed his experiences working with schools at the post-secondary level with the Board. b.
Outreach Update
Ms. Dillon provided the Board with an update on ongoing outreach activities, including SmartStart sessions, and virtual information sessions. Board members had discussion with school leadership and OBL support staff regarding specific outreach activities, including opportunities for outreach within the state’s Native American population. [Mr. Peterson and Ms. Gatzke left the meeting at 2:20 p.m.] c.
School Leadership Team (PSLT) Update
Dr. Rosta presented to the Board on behalf of POBL’s Partner School Leadership Team. i.
School Operations Metrics
Dr. Rosta reviewed the first quarter school operations metrics for ORCA as included in the Board materials, highlighting the school’s performance as compared with other POBL partnering schools of similar size and years in operation. X.
Strategic Planning
The Board indicated their intent to discuss items related to the Strategic Plan at the next meeting. XI.
Adjournment and Confirmation of Next Meeting Date on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 12:30 p.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, November 28, 2018 at 12:30 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:50 p.m.