Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) Approved April 27, 2022 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING Wednesday, February 23, 2022 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
Starting at 12:41 p.m., while waiting for quorum to be reached, those board members present, Ms. Moyer and Ms. Galofteanu, heard the Oral Reports and Information Items as follows: Financial Report, School Leader’s Report, Outreach and Onboarding Update, and the Legislative Update. [Ayanna Gonzalez left the meeting at 12:50] [Summer Highfill left the meeting at 1:01] I.
Call to Order Mr. Brown called the meeting to order at 1:13 pm when quorum was reached and all members who were present could hear each other.
II.
Roll Call Board Members present: Joseph Brown, Marsha Moyer, Misty Galofteanu Board Members absent: Kim Thatcher, Bobbie Jager Members of the Public present: Ayanna Gonzalez School Staff present: Allison Galvin, Executive Director, and the following school staff; Todd Schweitzer, Lori Walter, Mary Ellen Mansfield, Laura Dillon, John Meyer, Rachel Reid, Summer Highfill
III.
Public Comment None
IV.
Routine Business
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.
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. Ms. Moyer moved to approve the agenda as presented. Ms. Galofteanu seconded the motion. RESOLVED, that the agenda for the February 23, 2022 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Charter Academy is hereby approved. The motion passed unanimously. V.
Audit Committee, Committee of the Entire Board A. Approval of Audit Firm Engagement for the 2021-22 School Year Financial Audit Ms. Galvin reminded the board that schools must have a yearly financial audit. While a contract is not yet prepared, school leadership would like to use the same company that they have used in the past. Ms. Mansfield requested approval to use Pauly, Rogers and Co. as the interim audit firm. She noted that their previous three-year contract is up for renewal. While they work on the contract for engagement, it would be beneficial to avoid any delay in beginning the audit. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. Ms. Moyer moved to approve the interim engagement of Pauly, Rogers and Co, P.C. for the annual financial audit. Ms. Galofteanu seconded the motion. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the engagement of Pauly, Rogers and Co, P.C. on an interim basis for the 2021-22 school year financial audit pending the creation of a new contract and its presentation to the Board for approval. The motion passed unanimously.
VI.
Oral Report A. Financial Report 1. January Financials
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. Mansfield shared the income statement and balance sheet for January 2022. The statement includes the approved budget from last spring, and the working budget that has been adjusted according to the current student count of 2700. The working budget’s projected net decrease is approximately $786,000. The balance sheet, however, is holding strong, as fixed assets largely haven’t changed this year. The financial statements also include a projection for expected budgets through June, including accrual for teachers who have salary changes based on completion of this year. Based on this projection, it appears that the school year will actually not end in a deficit, instead breaking even. Ms Mansfield noted that given the circumstances facing the school this year, breaking even would be a positive outcome. B. School Leader’s Report 1. School Leader’s Report a) Mill City Property Ms. Galvin shared that the sellers of 0 NW Santiam Blvd. have agreed to the school’s purchase proposal as approved in the January board meeting. Closing on the property is set to take place on Friday, February 25th. b) Intent to Return Ms. Galvin shared that student ITR is open. As of Friday, February 18, over 800 families have responded and only 28 have indicated that they will not be returning. The most recent count shows 902 yes responses, 28 no, and 40 undecided. Staff Intent To Return is opening in March. c) State testing Ms. Galvin noted that state testing is back this year. However, ODE has approved a brand new program wherein full-time virtual schools can test virtually this year. While some families have already opted out of state testing for the year, she expressed hope that virtual testing will encourage more families to participate. Ms. Galvin reminded the board that while state testing is valuable for assessing trends in student education, the best opportunities to gauge how well a student is performing continue to come through direct interaction in class with that student. Ms. Galofteanu asked what the usual opt-out rate is for state testing at ORCA.
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 noted that during the last two years there has been no state testing at ORCA due to COVID-19. Prior to that, the opt-out rate was close to 30%. d) Preparing for 2022-23 Ms. Galvin recapped the position the school is in with regards to the 3% cap on enrollment. Many districts now have their own virtual programs that are being marketed directly to their students. In addition, despite the marked differences between the two program types, some families have developed a negative perception of Virtual Education due to their experiences with Comprehensive Distance Learning. With these challenges in mind, the school will need to plan for an average enrollment of 2700 students in the coming years. While it will create a difficult budget cycle next year, the school will need to staff for this lower number as opposed to the current staffing for 3600 students. 2. Quarterly Metrics Ms. Galvin highlighted data comparing this year’s Semester One pass rates to those from last year. Progress Check 2 shows higher pass rates for all categories as compared to last year, including significant growth at the high school level. Ms. Galvin attributed this growth to the ability that teachers have had to improve lessons and adjust for the biggest impact on students in our new learning platforms. VII.
Consent Agenda A motion was made and seconded as follows. Ms. Moyer moved to approve the consent agenda as presented. Ms. Galofteanu seconded the motion. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the Consent Agenda items as presented, A. B. C. D. E.
Approval of Minutes from the January 26, 2022 Board Meeting Approval of Staffing Report Approval of Expenditure Summary Report - January Approval of Legal Invoice(s) - January Approval of Bank Reconciliation - January
The motion passed unanimously. VIII.
Action Items A. Review and approval of the 2022-23 salary schedules
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 shared the salary schedules prepared by Human Resources Director Lori Walter. The schedules remain similar to last year’s, with a 3% cost of living increase at each step. There has, however, been a change to raise the cap for staff who are currently at the very top of their schedule. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. Ms. Moyer moved to approve the salary schedules as presented. Ms. Galofteanu seconded the motion. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the 2022-23 salary schedules as presented. The motion passed unanimously. B. 2022-23 Budget Committee Ms. Galvin shared that the school needs two board members to serve on the budget committee. She explained that a committee cannot have more than two board members on it, as that would create a quorum for an official board meeting. She noted that one position on this committee typically goes to the Board President and that Ms. Moyer’s past experience could also make her a good fit for this committee. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. Ms. Galofteanu moved to approve Ms. Moyer and Mr. Brown as members of the 2022-23 Budget Committee. Ms. Moyer seconded the motion. RESOLVED, to APPROVE 2022-23 Budget Committee members as President Joe Brown, Board Member Marsha Moyer, Executive Director Allison Galvin, Finance Director Mary Ellen Mansfield, and Human Resources Director Lori Walter. The motion passed unanimously. C. Review and consideration of board composition Ms. Galvin noted the Board Bylaws state that the Secretary—currently Ms. Moyer—must take the meeting minutes or delegate those duties to another. While the minutes are currently being taken by Office Manager Rachel Reid and reviewed by the Board President, this arrangement has yet to be delegated as an official board action. Ms. Moyer expressed interest in the Board taking such action. Ms. Galvin indicated that under this arrangement, Ms. Reid would be 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.
responsible to send minutes to Ms. Moyer for review before approval by the board. Furthermore, Ms. Galvin noted that Ms. Moyer is serving as the Interim Treasurer, however the Board Bylaws do not require that the position of Treasurer be filled. Ms. Mansfield explained that when the school was contracting for accounting with Pearson OBL, there was a need for the Board Treasurer to provide accountability for that work and assume financial direction duties for the school. With the hiring of Ms. Mansfield as Finance Director, the duties of the Treasurer have become redundant. Ms. Galvin requested that the Board consider leaving the Treasurer position vacant until further notice. Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows. Ms. Moyer moved to delegate secretarial duties to Ms. Reid. Ms. Galofteanu seconded the motion. RESOLVED, to APPROVE Rachel Reid to assume delegated Board Secretary duties with final review of work to be done by the Board Secretary and Board President. The motion passed unanimously. FURTHERMORE, a second motion regarding board composition was made and seconded as follows. Ms. Galofteanu moved to approve the final composition of the board, excluding the position of Treasurer. Ms. Moyer seconded the motion. RESOLVED, to APPROVE the final composition of the Board in alignment with its bylaws to include as President, Joe Brown, as Vice President, Kim Thatcher, and, as Secretary, Marsha Moyer. The motion passed unanimously. IX.
Information Items A. Outreach and Onboarding Update Ms. Dillon shared a report from Sprout Social on the different social media channels that ORCA uses. Impressions, engagements and post clicks were all up for the last month. The most popular post on Facebook was the KOIN tv-news interview with Allion Galvin; on Instagram, it was an avid student spotlight; and on Twitter, it was a post about the school newspaper, The Current.
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. Dillon also shared a summary of plans for outreach in the upcoming months. In the spring and throughout the summer, virtual information sessions will be available weekly for prospective families. Outreach efforts will also include a weekly booth at Salem Saturday Market and booths at several county fairs and Rose City ComicCon during the summer. In recent weeks, 30 families have attended virtual orientation sessions and started the enrollment process. Ms. Dillon is in ongoing communication with new families to answer questions regarding the school. B. Legislative Update Mr. Schweitzer recapped the most recent legislative session. The school’s lobbyist, Kirstin Phillips Everts, met with several legislators regarding HB 4199 and SB 1552, both of which would have removed the cap on virtual school enrollment. While both bills died during session, getting them on the docket was a small victory for charter schools. Mr. Schweitzer went on to share that SB 1552 will have a courtesy hearing on Thursday, February 24, at 1pm. Written testimony has been submitted regarding this hearing with high representation from ORCA families speaking about how virtual education has benefited them. On the opposing side, several retired educators have sent written testimony due to their concerns about district funding. Mr. Schweitzer hopes that legislators will read written testimony and see how the cap affects real families seeking the correct educational fit for their students. Ms. Mansfield asked for information on HB 4029. Ms. Galvin noted that HB 4029 would require school superintendents and executive directors to do a COSA or OSBA training every two years. It also would require a self-assessment every two years of the board of directors. This bill is still in work session. C. Board Updates 1. Progress on OSBA board policies Ms. Galvin recapped the plan to contract with OSBA to update the board bylaws as they were found to be outdated during the Board Work Day last April. She gave an update on the ongoing review by OSBA of the board policies. The school’s Executive Team has met with a representative from OSBA and has conducted an initial review of the draft of the policies. The reviewed draft is now with OSBA for preparation of a final draft. Ms Galofteanu asked for further clarification of the work OSBA is doing. Ms. Galvin noted that OSBA was selected to update the board policies due to their experience with the most up-to-date legislation. They will also
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.
be able to provide a website wherein board members can find direct links to policies as opposed to only housing the policies in document form. 2. Topics for April Board Meeting Ms. Galvin asked if there were any topics that the board wished to hear about at the April board meeting. Ms. Galofteanu asked to hear a spotlight on the ASCEND program. Ms. Galvin also noted that as school budgets are reviewed and potential reduction in force is begun, there may be a need for a special board meeting in March for approval of the final staffing plan. X.
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Brown at 1:30 p.m. Next regular meeting date: April 27, 2022 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.