Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. PT Held at the following location and via teleconference: Via Teleconference due to State Precautions regarding Public Health and Safety During COVID-19 Pandemic
1(800) 504-8071; 143-8598# _____________________________________________________________________________________________ I.
Call to Order
Mr. Kropf called the meeting to order at 12:35 p.m. II.
Roll Call
Board Members Present: Jeff Kropf, Joe Brown and Bobbie Jaegar (via phone); Board Members Joined During Meeting: Kim Thatcher (via phone); Board Members Absent: Becky Badger; Guests Present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, Laura Dillon, Laura Howard, John Meyer, Christian Olson, Todd Schweitzer and Mary Ellen Mansfield, School Staff; Tim Batiuk, Member of the Public; Zeke Rash, Jarrod Hogue, Emily Lee, Megann Arthur and Gary Corkran, Pearson Online and Blended Learning (OBL) staff (all via phone).
III.
Public Comment
There were no comments at this time. [Mr. Hogue joined the meeting at 12:36 p.m.] IV.
Routine Business a.
Approval of Agenda
Mr. Kropf asked if Board members would like to request any changes be made to the Agenda. At the request of the Executive Director, the following item was added under Strategic Planning: Temporary Enrollment Policy for the Remainder of the 2019-2020 School Year. There being no further changes noted, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that the Agenda for the April 22, 2020 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Connections Academy, as amended, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously.
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V.
Oral Reports School Leader’s Report
a. i.
COVID-19 Response Update Ms. Galvin updated the Board that in line with state guidance, all high school students will receive a grade of either pass or incomplete for the 2019-2020 year in lieu of letter grades. Ms. Galvin further provided the Board with an update in relation to state guidance on funding due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. She advised the Board that she expects further discussion with the state on the plan for funding. The Board held extensive discussion on the topic of funding during the COVID-19 public health crisis. 1.
State Testing Update
Ms. Galvin did not provide an update on this item at this time, except to remind the Board that testing had been suspended for the school year. 2.
Graduation Plans and End of Year Activities Update
Ms. Galvin advised the Board of the school’s plan to conduct a virtual prom and virtual graduation ceremony. She updated the Board that additional information on both activities will be forthcoming. ii.
Enrollment and Staffing Update Ms. Galvin advised the Board of the school’s current enrollment and of the positive intent to return response rate from current students.
iii.
Annual Performance Audit Update Ms. Galvin updated the Board on the upcoming annual performance audit with a virtual site visit slated for May.
b.
Financial Report
Mr. Corkran reviewed the financial information contained in the Board materials with the Board, providing specific information on the income statements, budget and forecast for the school year. Mr. Corkran discussed with the Board the changes in the forecast in line with the current state guidance on funding. The Board held discussion on the new forecast. Mr. Corkran then reviewed the balance sheet, revenue, and expense statements detailing specific expenses. Mr. Corkran noted changes in anticipated expenses due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. [Ms. Thatcher joined the meeting at 12:54 p.m.] Additionally, Mr. Corkran discussed the school’s projected fund balance with the Board, as included in the Board materials. [Ms. Thatcher left the meeting at 1:00 p.m.]
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VI.
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.
Approval of Minutes from the March 11, 2020 Board Meeting; Approval of Staffing Report; Approval of School Invoice(s); Approval of Legal Invoice(s); Approval of Bank Reconciliation; Approval of OBL Invoices for February and March; and Approval of Staff Compensation Plan for the 2020- 2021 School Year; are hereby approved.
The motion passed unanimously. VII.
Strategic Planning a.
Approval of Canvas/Instructure Attendance Book
Ms. Galvin advised the Board of the cost associated with the creation of the Attendance Book custom program as part of the Canvas platform. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the Canvas/Instructure Attendance Book, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. [Mr. Batiuk left the meeting at 1:03 p.m.] b.
Approval of Special Education Related Services for 2020-2021 School Year
Ms. Galvin and Mr. Olson presented this item to the Board. Ms. Galvin discussed with the Board the thorough review of potential programs for special education related services that the school undertook and advised of the superior benefits of the E-Therapy program recommendation for the school. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that Special Education related services for 2020-2021 school year, as discussed, are hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. c.
Approval of Board Per Diem
Mr. Kropf presented this item to the Board. Mr. Kropf advised the Board of the recommendation to create a policy for Board Per Diem for Board meeting attendance. The Board held discussion on this and decided to table this item until all Board Members are present to discuss. There being no further discussion, this item was tabled.
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Approval of Legal Name Change
d.
Ms. Galvin reminded the Board of the previous discussion held on the school’s new legal name and the desired effective date of July 1, 2020. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that the legal name change, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. e. Approval of Temporary Enrollment Policy for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year Ms. Galvin presented this item to the Board. Ms. Galvin advised the Board of the recommendation to create a policy in line with guidance from Board Counsel to suspend enrollment for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, that the approval of the Board President and School Executive Director to work with Board Counsel to review, finalize and execute a Temporary Enrollment Policy for the Remainder of the 2019-2020 School Year, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. VIII.
Information Items State Client Relations (STAR) Update
a.
Mr. Hogue provided an update on recent legislative activities which may impact the school, specifically discussing updates related to the COVID-19 public health crisis. Outreach Update
b.
Ms. Dillon provided the Board with an update on ongoing outreach activities for prospective families, highlighting planned virtual sessions as well as other outreach methods including social media, audio and video outreach. She further updated the Board on outreach related to the COVID-19 public health crisis. School Leadership Team (PSLT) Update
c.
Mr. Rash presented to the Board on behalf of OBL’s Partner School Leadership Team. i.
School Operations Metrics Mr. Rash presented this item to the Board. He reviewed the data included in the Board materials, highlighting the school’s performance as compared with other OBL partnering schools of similar size and years in operation. Board members discussed the metrics data with Mr. Rash.
d.
Board Relations Update
Ms. Arthur discussed the planning for the 2020-2021 school year that OBL has been working on with the school. 33
i.
Board Meetings Schedule for the 2020-2021 School Year The Board held discussion on the optimal timing for Board meetings and advised of their desire to discuss the meeting schedule for the upcoming school year at the next Board meeting.
ii.
Board Composition Ms. Arthur discussed with the Board the current composition, including Board member terms that would be up at this year’s Annual Meeting, and encouraged Board members to discuss their intentions regarding terms and renewal with the Board President.
IX.
Adjournment and Confirmation of Next Regular Meeting Date – May 27, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. PT
The next meeting is scheduled for May 27, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:01 p.m.
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