Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) Approved November 17, 2021 MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ MEETING Wednesday, October 20, 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
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Call to Order Ms. Badger called the meeting to order at 12:35 p.m. when quorum was reached and all members who were present could hear each other.
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Roll Call Board Members present: Joseph Brown, Marsha Moyer, Bobbie Jager, Becky Badger Board Members absent: Kim Thatcher 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, John Meyer, Laura Dillon, Rachel Reid.
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Public Comment None
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Routine Business A. Approval of the Agenda Ms. Badger 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 October 20, 2021 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. Review and Acceptance of the 2020-2021 School Year Financial Audit Repor t Ms. Mansfield shared results of the 2020-21 financial audit. There were two minor suggestions for best practices. 1) The auditors recommended adding a Fidelity insurance policy to cover employee dishonesty. 2) It was noted that some staff are not aware of the process for reporting suspicious financial activity. Further communication around this issue will be sent to staff in regular updates. Ms. Mansfield further noted that the fund balances amount in the audit differs from monthly financial statements due to inclusion of the PERS liability. Ms. Badger 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 2020-21 financial audit as presented. The motion passed unanimously.
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Oral Report A. Financial Report 1. September Financials Ms. Mansfield shared the income statement and balance sheet from September pointing out that this marks the end of the fiscal quarter. The school is ahead in income as of July, however the budget is based on an Average Daily Membership (ADM) of 3,500 students. There will be upcoming reassessment of finances due to ORCA’s current low enrollment. She also spotlighted a change in fixed assets on the balance sheet due to purchase of a piece of property in Mill City adjacent to the school office. B. School Leader’s Report 1. State of the School Ms Galvin shared the annual State of the School presentation which outlines progress toward annual goals, highlights ORCA’s unique programs and curriculum, shares celebrations and achievements, and looks toward future growth and challenges facing the school.
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. Moyer asked for clarification on achievements by Career and Technical Education (CTE) students. Mr. Meyer explained the rigorous workplace certification tests available to CTE students. Of the 55 graduating ASCEND students, 23 left ORCA with at least one industry-recognized certification. 2. OAR 333-019-1030 Ms. Walter shared that ORCA has met 100% compliance with documentation required under this legislation. Ms. Galvin praised Ms. Walter for her work on meeting with staff to navigate this process. VII.
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 September 22, 2021 Board Meeting Approval of Staffing Report Resumes Approval of Expenditure Summary Report - September Approval of Legal Invoice(s) - August and September Approval of Bank Reconciliation - September
The motion passed unanimously. VIII.
Action Items A. Review and consideration of contract renewal with ORCA Lobbyist, Summit Strategies Ms. Galvin summarized the contract with Summit Strategies, the school’s lobbyist, noting that aside from dates no terms of the contract would change as part of renewal. Ms. Badger 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 President, Joe Brown, to execute contract with Kristine Everst of Summit Strategies as presented. The motion passed unanimously. [Joe Brown joined the meeting at 12:49]
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.
B. Review and consideration of developing an MOU between ORCA and Santiam Canyon School District (SCSD) to expand program offerings Ms. Galvin recapped information given at the September meeting. A need has arisen to expand ORCA’s programs, offering seat availability to students from districts across the state on a contract basis. These students would remain enrollees of their home district but complete their school program with ORCA. As ORCA’s charter district, it is necessary for Santiam Canyon School District to have an MOU on file regarding ORCA’s expansion of programs in this manner. 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 Executive Director and Board President to work with ORCA Legal Counsel to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the Santiam Canyon School District to expand offerings at ORCA to include programs for districts to access. The motion passed unanimously. C. Review and consideration of developing an MOU for ORCA to use with districts throughout the state who want to contract with ORCA for access to programs Ms. Galvin explained the development of an MOU to be used with school districts throughout the state that would allow students from a district to remain enrolled in their home district but complete their classes through ORCA. 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 Executive Director and Board President to work with ORCA Legal Counsel to develop a Memorandum of Understanding for ORCA to present to districts throughout the state to grant district students access to ORCA programs on a contracted basis. The motion passed unanimously. D. Approval of Executive Director to execute all MOUs associated with districts contracted with ORCA to access ORCA programs Ms. Galvin described the need for a designee to execute contracts for available seats with school districts throughout the state as opportunities arise. 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 Executive Director to execute all MOUs associated with districts throughout the state accessing ORCA programs on a contracted basis. The motion passed unanimously. [Bobbie Jager left the meeting at 12:58 pm] IX.
Information Items A. PERS legislation change impacting Washington residents Ms. Mansfield described new legislation that will allow Oregon teachers who live in Washington to participate in PERS with a requirement for retroactive contributions going back several years. As written, the law stipulates that ORCA will need to catch up on contributions from the employer, and employees who are in this situation will also need to make retroactive contributions. ORCA’s lobbyist is working with PERS to sort out the nuances of how this law will impact staff. Ms. Moyer asked when the law goes into effect, if there is a waiver for employees who do not wish to make retroactive contributions, and what, if any, guidance has been created for execution of this legislation? Ms. Mansfield shared that the law will be effective on January 1, 2022, and there is no opt-out option for employees. As of now, PERS has not shared guidance for execution of the law. She will work with ORCA’s lobbyist to coordinate with PERS and will encourage affected employees to share their experience with their legislators and PERS. B. Outreach and events Update Ms. Dillon shared recent press coverage featuring the school, including interviews with the school leader on radio and television and an article published in Salem Business Journal. She went on to give an update from the ORCA parent group highlighting their engagement and enthusiasm to be more involved in helping with new-family onboarding and student events. C. State relations update Mr. Schweitzer shared that he and Ms. Galvin recently attended ODE’s Community Engagement Listening session on the topic of Remote/Online Learning. During this session it was noted that the top priority in equity of access for online learning will be addressing the 3% cap. The 3% cap law has unintentionally created a geographic equity issue between students in various communities throughout the state. Meetings are ongoing with a variety of Oregon representatives, including the chair of the House Education Committee, to make this issue a priority for the upcoming legislative session.
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.
D. Board Relations Update 1. Board Recruitment Ms. Galvin noted that there is not yet a viable candidate to take the seat that is soon to be vacated by Ms. Badger. She encouraged board members to continue searching for potential candidates. 2. Board topics for next regularly scheduled meeting Ms. Galvin asked what topics the board would like to hear about at the next board meeting. Ms. Moyer asked to add information about ORCA’s upcoming ESports program to next month’s agenda. Ms. Badger asked for clarification regarding use of the full name of the school versus “ORCA” in documents. Mr. Schweitzer noted that the school chose Oregon Charter Academy as it’s new name so that the school’s acronym, ORCA, could remain consistent. In documents, the convention is to use the formal name first and then move to use of the acronym. Mr. Brown asked for an update on board policies with OSBA. Ms. Galvin shared that there was a slight delay while a Santiam Canyon District signature was secured. It is likely that formal policies will not be available for another month or two. X.
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Brown at 1:51p.m. Next regular meeting date: November 17, 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.