11.17 Approved Board Minutes

Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) Approved January 26, 2022 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING Wednesday, November 17, 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 12:34 when quorum was reached and all members who were present could hear each other.

II.

Roll Call Board Members present: Joseph Brown, Bobbie Jager, Becky Badger Board Members absent: Kim Thatcher, 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, Laura Dillon, John Meyer, Todd Shaffer, 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 November 17, 2021 meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Charter Academy is hereby approved.

The motion passed unanimously.

V.

Oral Report A. Financial Report 1. October Financials Ms. Mansfield summarized the financial report for the month of October.

She indicated that in the expenditure summary a few line items were higher than in the past due to inclusion of un-invoiced bills for services in some previous months.

Ms. Mansfield also shared new income projections from Linn Benton Lincoln ESD, factoring in the school’s lower enrollment. The new projection shows a $10 million decrease in income, however large school expenses are also primarily tied to enrollment and will decrease as well.

While the projection estimates a net loss of $2.5 million for the 2021-22 school year, the total fund balance is projected to end at the school’s second-highest all-time level due to high reserves. She will be bringing an updated expenditure projection in January in order to have the most accurate projections of total gains and losses.

B. School Leader’s Report 1. School Leader Report a) District Partnerships Ms. Galvin shared the progress that has been made in opening district partnership programs. This includes at-least one district that is interested in an MOU for open seats at ORCA and strides toward an alternate GED program to be available by the 2022-23 school year. b) ODE Virtual Site Visit ORCA leadership has been involved in several opportunities to give input with ODE on the topic of virtual education. Ms. Galvin shared an update from the ODE Remote Learning Advisory group of which she is a selected member. She also gave a report from a recent ODE Virtual Site visit. This visit enabled ODE to look beyond report card data to see the impact that the school has day-to-day on the lives of families and students. She expressed gratitude to all staff and families who came and shared during the visit.

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.

c) Amazon Smile Ms. Galvin noted that ORCA is now an Amazon Smile approved non-profit. The school will receive .05% of profits when customers shop with ORCA as their chosen Smile non-profit. d) School Award Ms Galvin announced that ORCA has been selected by Cognia as a recipient of the School of Distinction Award. ORCA is one of only 80 schools worldwide and across all school types to receive this award.

2. eSports Mr. Shaffer highlighted the development of ORCA’s new eSports program, a sports-style competition using video games. The search is underway for a faculty advisor for the club with a goal of beginning competition in 2022.

This program would be designed to increase students’ ability to use 21st-century skills and open new avenues of scholarships for college-bound individuals. Mr. Shaffer also noted that OSAA is seeking to certify eSports as an officially sanctioned school competitive event.

Developing this program puts ORCA ahead of the game as a school that is pioneering eSports programs in Oregon.

VI.

Consent Agenda A motion was made and seconded as follows.

RESOLVED, to APPROVE the Consent items, A. B. C. D. E.

Approval of Minutes from the October 20, 2021 Board Meeting Approval of Staffing Report Approval of Expenditure Summary Report - October Approval of Legal Invoice(s) - October Approval of Bank Reconciliation - October

The motion passed unanimously.

VII.

Action Items A. Review and approval of bids for conference room materials and set up for streaming of events and meetings Ms. Galvin explained that the existing Mill City and Wilsonville conference room equipment was the property of Pearson Onile and Blended Learning and was

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.

removed when the school’s contract with them was terminated. It has not yet been replaced.

Mr. Meyer brought forth two bids for the equipment and installation, one from Projectus and one from Lightworks. He put in a recommendation for acceptance of the bid presented by Projectus, which provides a more robust plan to update the infrastructure in the conference rooms. This infrastructure would not only return the conference rooms to functionality but expand the function of the offices for use during student events and staff meetings.

Ms. Jager asked what factors have led to the difference in cost between the two bids.

Mr. Meyer indicated that there is more equipment that would be provided through the Projectus bid while the Lightworks bid includes a higher cost for labor. He voiced concern, however, that the Lightworks site visit was not thorough enough to accurately reflect all needs for equipment in their bid.

Ms Badger asked if it is possible that costs in addition to the Projectus bid will need to be factored in.

Mr. Meyer indicated that the amount listed in the Projectus bid seems accurate.

Mr. Brown asked the Board if there were any further questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follows.

RESOLVED, to APPROVE School Leader to execute a contract with Projectus for conference room materials and installation at no more than $85,000.

The motion passed unanimously.

[Bobbie Jager left the meeting at 12:52 pm] VIII.

Information Items A. PERS legislation change impacting Washington residents Ms. Mansfield gave an update on discussion with PERS regarding Washington resident staff. ORCA’s lobbyist has met with PERS leadership to get answers to some of the biggest questions, however two remain unanswered. First, for some employees who would need to make up their retroactive employee contribution, the cost would come in at up to $20,000. What, if any, payment plan is available to those individuals? Second, how can the school secure back contributions from staff who have already left ORCA’s employment? Discussion of these issues with PERS is ongoing.

B. Outreach and events Update

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 highlighted ORCA’s social media report from Sprout Social. There has been a 50% increase in followers in all three social media channels. She noted that some of this increase can be attributed to Admin Assistant Katie Souza’s new role in assisting with social media. She also provided the board with links to some of the top social media stories over the last month.

C. State relations update Mr. Schweitzer shared updates from meetings with legislators around the topic of virtual education and geographical equity. While meetings with the education committee chair were not as productive as expected, Senate Republicans have signed a commitment to educational freedom to work on removing the 3% enrollment cap for virtual charter schools. In addition, families who have been impacted by virtual education have sent letters to local legislators regarding the equity issues created by the cap, resulting in the creation of two separate bills in the House and Senate aimed at removing the 3% cap.

D. Board Relations Update 1. Board Recruitment Ms. Galvin indicated that there has been one interest form submitted for the open board position. She has met over the phone with that candidate to give a better idea of the position. Her recommendation is to allow a few more weeks for active recruitment so that there will be a larger pool of applicants.

2. Board topics for next regularly scheduled meeting Ms. Galvin asked if there were any topics that the board would like to hear about at the next board meeting.

Ms. Badger shared interest in hearing from staff speakers who are not regular attendees of the board meetings. She requested that each board meeting include a school program highlight.

Ms. Galvin recommended Middle School Principal Susan Pollnow to bring a spotlight on the AVID program and Book Battle at the January board meeting.

IX.

The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Brown at 1:28 pm.

Next regular meeting date: January 26, 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.