Oregon Connections Academy (ORCA) MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING Wednesday, August 28, 2019 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 12:36 p.m. II.
Roll Call
Board Members Present: Jeff Kropf (in person), Bobbie Jager and Becky Badger (via phone); Board Members Joined During Meeting:
Kim Thatcher (via phone);
Board Members Absent: Joe Brown; Guests Present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director; John Meyer, Todd Schweitzer, Laura Dillon, Mary Ellen Mansfield, and Matt Lacy, School Staff (in person at the meeting location, which was open to the public); Zeke Rash, Emily Lee, Megann Arthur, and Tanya Lee, POBL staff (via phone). III.
Public Comment
There were no comments at this time. IV.
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 August 28, 2019 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Connections Academy, as presented, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously.
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V.
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. i.
Approval of Minutes from the June 19, 2019 Annual 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 June; Approval of LiveSpeech Invoice(s); Approval of ASCEND (CTE) Program Student Internship Handbook; and Approval of 2018-2019 School Year Health and Safety Report; are hereby approved.
The motion passed unanimously. VI.
Action Items a.
Approval of Facilities Expenditure
Ms. Galvin presented this item to the Board, and reviewed the facilities expenditure documentation, as included in the Board materials. She advised that the actual facilities expenditure would be less than the initial anticipated total expenditure. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the Facilities Expenditure, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. b.
Review and Consideration of File Storage Options and Associated Expenditure
Ms. Galvin presented this item to the Board, proposing to change the type of file storage utilized at the school while remaining in compliance with fire safety regulations. Board members discussed the file storage options in detail, including those presented in the Board materials. Additionally, Board members discussed pursuing other options for file storage. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the file storage options and associated expenditure, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. [Ms. Thatcher joined the meeting at 12:46 pm] c.
Review and Approval of PowerSchool Contract
Ms. Galvin presented this item to the Board. She advised that PowerSchool will be the student information system used for the 2020-2021 school year, and provided the Board with the total cost for implementation planning during the 2019-2020 school year. Ms. Galvin discussed the importance of setting the system up during the current school year in preparation for use in the 2020-2021 school year. Board members 53
discussed the initial cost as well as future costs of this system. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the PowerSchool Contract, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. [Ms. Jager left the meeting at 12:52 pm] d.
Approval of Board Treasurer Advancing Payment to Pearson Online and Blended Learning
Ms. Badger reminded the Board of the prior practice of making a deposit with Pearson Online & Blended Learning (POBL) in order to reduce the treasury services expense for the school and for a deposit to be applied to future invoice payments. The Board discussed their preferred pre-payment amount, and desire to save funds for the school, while maintaining an appropriate fund balance. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the Board Treasurer advancing payment to Pearson Online and Blended Learning, in an amount not to exceed $6,000,000.00, as discussed, is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. VII.
Strategic Planning a.
Review and Approval of Revised Mission and Vision Statements, and Logo
Ms. Galvin presented this item to the Board, and reviewed the statements and logo provided in the Board meeting materials. Ms. Galvin noted that the mission and vision statements were created after seeking feedback from students and parents and that the logo was created from student input. There being no further discussion, a motion was made and seconded as follows: RESOLVED, the revised Mission and Vision Statements and Logo, as discussed, are hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. VIII.
Oral Reports a. School Leader’s Report i.
Back to School Activities, Staffing and Training Update
Ms. Galvin discussed with the Board recent and upcoming back to school activities, including successful orientations with students, families, and teachers. Ms. Galvin further made the Board aware that school staff are currently preparing for the 2019-2020 school year and that students start on September 3, 2019. Ms. Galvin introduced the new High School Principal, Mr. Lacy, to the Board and updated the Board on Mr. Meyer’s CTE internship program. Additionally, Ms. Galvin noted that the school’s annual open house is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 27, 2019, and invited Board members to attend. ii.
Enrollment Update
Ms. Galvin reviewed the school’s current enrollment numbers with the Board, as well as students in all stages of the enrollment process. 54
iii.
Facilities Update
Ms. Galvin provided the Board with an update on the school’s facilities, and thanked the Board for approving the build out of the new facility. [Ms. Jager re-joined the meeting 1:17 pm] b. 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. She further reviewed the balance sheet, as well as revenue and expense statements. i.
Unaudited 2018-2019 SY Financial Results Ms. Lee reviewed the unaudited financial statements from the previous school year with the Board, highlighting areas of savings as well as revenue received versus expected noting a rate increase. She also advised the Board as to the school’s ending fund balance. Board members requested an update on the recent audit and Ms. Lee provided the Board with an overview of the audit and noted her anticipation that the audit results will be ready for the Board to approve in September.
[Ms. Jager left the meeting at 1:29 pm] IX.
Information Items a.
State and Strategic Client Relations (SSCR) Update
In Mr. Hogue’s absence, this item was not presented. b.
Outreach Update
Ms. Dillon provided the Board with an update on ongoing outreach activities including in person and virtual outreach sessions scheduled through September and October. Ms. Dillon further updated the Board on outreach efforts in Native American tribal areas. [Ms. Jager re-joined the meeting at 1:35 pm] c.
School Leadership Team (PSLT) Update
Mr. Rash presented to the Board on behalf of POBL’s Partner School Leadership Team. Mr. Rash further discussed his recent meeting with the school staff and thanked Ms. Galvin for facilitating the visit. i.
School Operations Metrics Mr. Rash reviewed the data included in the Board materials, highlighting the school’s performance as compared with other POBL partnering schools of similar size and years in operation. Mr. Rash specifically highlighted the exemplary student retention rate of the school. Board members discussed the metrics data with Mr. Rash.
d.
Board Relations Update
Ms. Arthur provided the Board with an update on these items. 55
i.
Conflict of Interest Statements Ms. Arthur reminded Board members to complete their annual conflict of interest statements and thanked those Board members that had already completed the requirement.
ii.
Board Training and Conference Attendance Planning for the 2019-2020 School Year Ms. Arthur reviewed the upcoming trainings and conferences that have been identified that may interest members of the Board, specifically highlighting the National Charter Schools Conference. The Board discussed the advantages of attending the National Charter Schools Conference and their support of Board members making an effort to attend upcoming training opportunities. Additionally, Board members advised of their support for exploring additional training options. Ms. Arthur advised that further discussion on training options will be included in future meetings.
X.
Adjournment and Confirmation of Next Regular Meeting Date – September 25, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. PT
The next meeting is scheduled for September 25, 2019 at 12:30 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:58 p.m.
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