Approved 9.23.20 Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. PT Held at the following location: Via Zoom due to State Precautions regarding Public Health and Safety During COVID-19 Pandemic Zoom: https://oregoncharter.zoom.us/j/91035080370
I.
Call to Order – J. Kropf Mr. Kropf called the meeting to order at 12:38 p.m. when all participants were present and able to hear each other. The meeting was open to the public and held via teleconference due to state precautions regarding public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
II.
Roll Call Board Members Present: Jeff Kropf, Becky Badger, Bobbie Jager Board Members Absent: Kim Thatcher, Joseph Brown Guests Present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, Todd Schweitzer, School Staff, Mary Ellen Mansfield, School Staff, Lori Walter, School Staff, Jason Horton, School Staff, Stephanie Vitro, School Staff, Beau Neal, SYS Education, Gary Corkran, Online and Blended Learning staff, Jessica Cousineau, parent
III.
Public Comment No public comment.
IV.
Routine Business A. Approval of Agenda Mr. Kropf asked if Board members would like to request any changes be made to the Agenda. It was suggested that the reimbursement policy discussion be tabled until further notice. RESOLVED, that the Agenda for the August 26, 2020 annual meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Charter Academy, as amended, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously.
The mission of Oregon Charter Academy is to prepare all students for success in a global society through an inclusive, rigorous, academic environment where students have daily live interaction with highly qualified teachers and continuous access to curriculum. Oregon Charter Academy staff partners with families in a transparent, collaborative school environment to support all students in their academic journey.
V.
Oral Report A. Course Preview - B. Neal and S. Vitro Mr Neal described the two step curriculum building process, ideation through implementation and revision. Building in Canvas takes place in year one, beginning at the end with assessment and working backwards to the start of the course. Courses are reviewed by peers at ORCA and by a technical team at SYS Education. Ms. Vitro walked through an English 10 course from a student perspective. She noted the following advantages/improvements with the new platform: ability to include formative assessments throughout the course allowing students to practice in a low stakes environment; opportunity for teachers to provide narrative feedback along with number/scores in assessments; the variety and flexibility of activities available will encourage student engagement. [1:00 pm - Mr. Neal and Ms. Vitro left the meeting] B. School Leader Report - A. Galvin 1. Back to School Activities and Staffing Updates Ms. Galvin described the first few days of the teacher’s return this week. 2. Enrollment Ms. Galvin updated the Board on the latest enrollment numbers. As of 10:26 this morning enrollment was 4,817 with 1,203 students in the pipeline. She also noted that 33 districts have reached the 3% cap (or are presumed to have reached that mark) and can deny further student requests to enroll in out-of-district virtual charter schools. While there is some opportunity for parents to appeal after the district cap has been reached, the state has generally upheld the district’s right to deny. With the increased enrollment, new teachers have been hired and are continuing to be hired. One change that has come with statewide Comprehensive Distant Learning is the requirement to “Engage Every Day” in order to be counted as present. ORCA has embraced this motto and is using the Attendance Book built into the Canvas curriculum system to effectively monitor this engagement. C. Financial Report - M. Mansfield and G. Corkran 1. Unaudited financials SY1920 - G. Corkran Mr. Corkran gave an update on the audit, which has been going smoothly to date. He also reviewed the 6.30.2020 financial statements and pointed out the healthy year end fund balance. Please note that these are unaudited statements and while no major changes are expected, the final statements won’t be presented until October when the audit is complete.
The mission of Oregon Charter Academy is to prepare all students for success in a global society through an inclusive, rigorous, academic environment where students have daily live interaction with highly qualified teachers and continuous access to curriculum. Oregon Charter Academy staff partners with families in a transparent, collaborative school environment to support all students in their academic journey.
[1:21 pm - Mr. Corkran left the meeting] 2. July Financials​ - M. Mansfield Ms. Mansfield reminded the board that full July financial reports are traditionally presented, along with August, at the September board meeting. She also called out the new formats for bank reconciliations and monthly expenditures included in the Consent Agenda. VI.
Consent Agenda Mr. Kropf asked Board members if there were any items in the Consent Agenda that should be 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 from the minutes from the June 24, 2020 Annual Board Meeting Approval of staffing report Approval of monthly expenditures Approval of Legal Invoices Approval of bank reconciliation Approval of OBL invoices June Approval of the 2020-21 School Evaluation Handbook Approval of handbook updates in alignment with state regulations 1. Title IX updates - Staff and student handbooks 2. Attendance updates - Student handbook
The motion passed unanimously. VII.
Action Items A. Review and consideration of the 2020-21 School Improvement Plan Ms. Galvin presented the School Improvement Plan included in the Board packet. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the 2020-21 School Improvement Plan i​s hereby APPROVED. The motion passed unanimously. B. Review and consideration of Rosetta Stone expenditure Ms. Galvin spoke of the desire to offer supplemental learning to our K-8 students through Rosetta Stone. This partnership would distinguish ORCA from other virtual options in the state. An approval of up to $130,000 would yield 1,500 student licenses. Rosetta Stone was selected
The mission of Oregon Charter Academy is to prepare all students for success in a global society through an inclusive, rigorous, academic environment where students have daily live interaction with highly qualified teachers and continuous access to curriculum. Oregon Charter Academy staff partners with families in a transparent, collaborative school environment to support all students in their academic journey.
due to its reputation among language learning educators. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, $130,000 expenditure authority for Rosetta Stone licenses is hereby APPROVED. The motion passed unanimously. C. Review and consideration of Travel Expense Policy Ms. Galvin presented the Travel Policy included in the Board packet. This is not a new policy for the school, only newly written under the Oregon Charter Academy banner. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the Travel Expense Policy is hereby APPROVED. The motion passed unanimously. D. Closing current National Honor Society Account and moving to KeyBank Ms. Mansfield requested permission to move the NHS bank account from Northwest Preferred Federal Credit Union to Key Bank where the other three school accounts reside. The difference in bank fees is expected to be negligible. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, relocating the NHS bank account to Key Bank is hereby APPROVED. The motion passed unanimously.
E. Review and consideration of Lobbyist Position Description, to work as a contractor Ms. Galvin presented a draft of the lobbyist job description for the Board’s review. The Board previously approved $4,500/month to fund these duties as an outside contractor for one year. Mr. Kropf believes this is reasonable compensation for an experienced person and recommends using the Capital Club to seek interested candidates. The successful candidate would report to/receive direction from Ms Galvin and the school leadership team, but the Board would have final say on the contract implementation and termination. The Board discussed the job description and the selection process in detail. There being no further discussion a motion was made and seconded as follows. RESOLVED, the Lobbyist position description as presented AND FURTHER RESOLVED, a committee to review potential candidates including Jeff Kropf, Joe Brown (alternate, Becky Badger), and Allison Galvin are APPROVED. The mission of Oregon Charter Academy is to prepare all students for success in a global society through an inclusive, rigorous, academic environment where students have daily live interaction with highly qualified teachers and continuous access to curriculum. Oregon Charter Academy staff partners with families in a transparent, collaborative school environment to support all students in their academic journey.
The motion passed unanimously. F. TABLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE: Review and consideration of Board Per Diem Policy VIII.
Informational Items A. State Relations Update Mr. Horton discussed the recent decision by the State Legislature to approve funding to make K-12 education whole for the 2020-21 school year. B. School Outreach Update Mr Horton brought to the board’s attention two articles that were printed in the Portland Monthly recently. Future articles will highlight ORCA’S counseling program and career technical education programs. Advertising outreach continues on iHeart Media (K103 and Z100 radio stations). Virtual sessions wrapped up August 25 with a total summer attendance of 532 interested parents. Comments from participants were positive. To the extent possible, ORCA will now be looking at who enrolled from these sessions. C. Board Relations Update 1. Conflict of Interest Statements Ms. Mansfield will be sending these to all Board members via Docusign. 2. Board Bios on Website Mr. Schweitzer encouraged the Board to review the new website and information presented there including new systems/links for students to get real time assistance. Also, the Board was asked to complete their bio profile to be added to the school website. 3. Confirmation of Board contact information Ms. Galvin requested that Board members review contact information in the packet and respond with any updates needed.
IX.
Adjournment and Confirmation of Next Regular Meeting Date – September 23, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. The next meeting is scheduled for September 23, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:10 p.m.
The mission of Oregon Charter Academy is to prepare all students for success in a global society through an inclusive, rigorous, academic environment where students have daily live interaction with highly qualified teachers and continuous access to curriculum. Oregon Charter Academy staff partners with families in a transparent, collaborative school environment to support all students in their academic journey.