Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) APPROVED September 22, 2021 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING Wednesday, August 25, 2021 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 Mr. Brown called the meeting to order at 12:35pm when quorum was reached and present members could hear each other.
II.
Roll Call Board Members present: Joseph Brown, Kim Thatcher, Rebecca Badger Board Members absent: Bobbie Jager, Marsha Moyer Members of the Public present: None School Staff present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, and the following school staff; Todd Schweitzer, Lori Walter, Mary Ellen Mansfield, Jason Horton, John Meyer, 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.
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.
RESOLVED, that the agenda for the August 25, 2021 meeting of the Board of Directors’ of Oregon Charter Academy is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. V.
Executive Session The board moved into EXECUTIVE SESSION at 12:38 pm in order to review the real estate contract for the purchase of 909 NW Santiam Blvd, Mill City, OR 97360 - pursuant to ORS § 192.660 (1) and (2) (e) Board members present: Joseph Brown, Kim Thatcher, and Rebecca Badger School Staff present: Allison Galvin, Mary Ellen Mansfield, John Meyer, and Rachel Reid The board returned from Executive Session at 12:47 pm.
VI.
Oral Report A. Financial Report 1. June and July financials Ms. Mansfield shared the June and July financial statements. She brought attention to a new row on the report capturing prior year funds. There is also a new line item under purchased services to capture the money that is paid back to Santiam Canyon School District as part of ORCA’s charter contract. Big ticket items for June and July included curriculum purchases for the 2021-22 school year. 2. Unaudited financials SY 2020-21 Ms. Mansfield shared the draft financial reports for fiscal year 2020-21. She described the ending fund and cash fund balances for the year highlighting a continuing strong fund balance. She projected that by October, a finalized financial report for 2020-21 should be available. B. School Leader’s Report 1. Looking ahead to 2021-22 Ms. Galvin shared that staff are excited about starting a second school year as Oregon Charter Academy and building on progress made last year. This year’s professional development theme is Community Counts. Staff will encourage student engagement as a foundational building block for academics.
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.
2. Start of the school year events Ms. Galvin noted that staff members returned to work on Monday, August 23rd. The All-staff meeting was hosted virtually due to Covid restrictions, and a welcome back picnic was held in-person at Wilsonville Memorial Park. ORCA staff are looking ahead to the first all-school in-person event of the year: Open House, scheduled for September 24th, 2021. This will be held outdoors on the grounds of Santiam Elementary. 3. Enrollment Report Ms. Galvin referenced the virtual charter school 3% cap. This cap allows school districts to deny transfer to a virtual school if 3% or more of their students already attend an out-of-district virtual school. As a result of how this calculation is made, our school enrollment, and that of virtual schools across the state, is low this year. We have prepared for this financially and been mindful of our enrollment numbers during summer hiring. VII.
Consent Agenda A motion was made and seconded as follows. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the Consent items, A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H.
Approval of Minutes from the June 23, 2021 Annual Board Meeting (attached) Approval of Staffing Report (attached) Resumes Approval of Expenditure Summary Report - June (attached) Approval of Expenditure Summary Report - July (attached) Approval of Legal Invoice(s) - July (sent under separate cover) Approval of Legal Invoice(s) - August (sent under separate cover) Approval of Bank Reconciliation - June (attached) Approval of Bank Reconciliation - July (attached)
The motion passed unanimously. VIII.
Action Items A. 2021-22 Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan Ms. Galvin explained ORCA’s responsibility with the Oregon Department of Education to fill out a Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan. This plan is due by the end of August.
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.
Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the “Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan” required by the Oregon Department of Education as presented. The motion passed unanimously. B. Approval of Land Purchase Adjacent to Mill City Office Ms. Galvin summarized the discussion from executive session regarding approval to purchase the property at 909 NW Santiam Blvd, Mill City, OR, 97360. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the sales agreement as discussed during executive session. The motion passed unanimously. C. Approval of Board Chair and Executive Director to Execute Contracts Related to Land Purchase Ms. Galvin stated the need for Board Chair, Joseph Brown, and Executive Director, Allison Galin to have approval to sign and execute contracts related to the sale of 909 NW Santiam Blvd, Mill City, OR 97360. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. RESOLVED, to APPROVE Board Chair, Joseph Brown, and Executive Director, Allison Galvin, to sign and execute all contracts on behalf of the Board for all items related to the sale of 909 NW Santiam Blvd, Mill City, OR 97360. The motion passed unanimously. D. Resignation of Board Member Rebecca Badger Ms. Galvin brought attention to a resignation letter submitted by Ms. Badger. She described the years of service and experience Ms. Badger has contributed to the board and thanked her for her contributions. Mr. Brown expressed gratitude for the leadership and sharing of experience that Ms. Badger has brought to the board, noting that she will be hard to replace. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. 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.
RESOLVED, to APPROVE resignation of board member Rebecca Badger once a replacement board member can be secured. The motion passed unanimously. E. Action Plan to Fill Open Board Position Ms. Galvin shared the process for accepting applications and reviewing a new board member. In the past, the selection committee has comprised two board members and staff members Allison Galvin and Todd Schweitzer. On ORCA’s website there is currently posted an open position for a board member. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. RESOLVED, to APPROVE board review committee to include two board members, Joseph Brown and Rebecca Badger, as well as Executive Director Allison Galvin and Operations Director Dr. Todd Schweitzer to review and conduct first round interviews of board applicants. The motion passed unanimously. [1:03 pm - Kim Thatcher left the meeting] IX.
Information Items A. Outreach and events Update Mr. Horton spotlighted outreach events that have taken place over the summer. These included a booth at multiple county fairs, a booth at Salem Saturday Marked, and several in-person Smart Starts held throughout the state. B. State relations update Mr. Schweitzer brought attention to this year’s lobbyist report. There were five bills this session that were slated to adjust the 3% cap. A few legislators have committed to addressing needed changes to the cap in coming sessions. Ms. Galvin and Mr. Schweitzer will be meeting with ORCA’s lobbyist to strategize on how best to target efforts to adjust the cap. In the meantime we are focusing outreach efforts on districts that are not yet at the 3% cap. C. Board Relations Update 1. Conflict of Interest Statements
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.
Ms. Galvin reminded board members of the conflict of interest statements that must be signed yearly. Board members should expect those via Docusign within the next month. 2. OSBA Policies Ms. Galvin noted that OSBA Policies have been updated. 3. Website Update Ms. Galvin described an upcoming update to the school website’s Charter Board section to include board member bios. On the school’s website, the public can currently sign up for public comment, review past minutes and see upcoming agendas. X.
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Brown at 1:24. Next regular meeting date: September 22, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. PT in Zoom
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.