Monday, November 23rd Board Meeting

Oregon Charter Academy (ORCA) APPROVED Jan 27, 2021 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL BOARD OF DIRECTOR’S MEETING Monday, November 23, 2020 at 2:00 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 2:07 pm. The meeting was open to the public and held via video conferencing due to state precautions regarding public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

II.

Roll Call Board Members Present:​ Joseph Brown, Becky Badger, Bobbie Jager.

Board Members Absent: ​Kim Thatcher Guests Present:​ Beau Neal School Staff Present: ​ Allison Galvin, Executive Director, and the following School Staff: Todd Schweitzer, Mary Ellen Mansfield, Lori Walter, Jason Horton, Laura Dillon, Marci Camman, Laura Howard, John Meyer, Dan Vasen, Kristin Alacon, Mark Cralen, Sheena Elliott, Susan Pollnow, Matt Lacy, Joe Mogford, Mary Massey, Morgan Hubbard, Tessa Ammons, Jaimee Morrison, Amy Dillahay,

III.

Public Comment No one submitted a request to be heard/read today. All written comments that have been received since the last meeting were all included in the board packet.

IV.

Routine Business A. ​Approval of Agenda Mr. Brown asked if any additions or edits should be made to the revised Agenda that was sent at 9:56 am on Sunday, November 22, 2020. When none were brought forward, 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 Revised Agenda for the November 23, 2020 Special meeting of the Board of Directors of Oregon Charter Academy is hereby approved.

The motion passed unanimously.

V.

Action Items A. Review and consideration to active staff transition stipend.

Ms. Galvin proposed offering a $500 Transition Extra Duty stipend to all staff on the December 15 paycheck. This added pay would be a small step towards compensating staff for the heavy lift in September/October related to new systems and increased enrollment all while dealing with COVID and wildfires.

The school’s focus has always been on doing the best for staff so they can do the best for our students and this initiative falls within that aim.

Mr. Brown asked board members if there were any questions or discussion needed. There being none, a motion was made and seconded as follow: RESOLVED, the Dec 15 staff transition stipend is approved for active staff.

The motion passed unanimously.

B. Review and respond to the Board resignation letter from J. Kropf.

A motion was made to accept the resignation from the board as follows: RESOLVED, the Board accepts the resignation of J. Kropf from the Oregon Charter Academy Board of Directors.

The motion passed unanimously.

C. Review and nominate Interim Board Chair.

Becky Badger nominated Joe Brown for Board Chair. Mr. Brown was honored, but wanted to ensure he had support from all members, not just those present today. After a brief discussion, a motion was made as follows: RESOLVED, Joe Brown is confirmed as Interim Board Chair, with the intent to transition to Board Chair in January when all Board members are able to vote on his confirmation.

The motion passed.

D. Discuss and take action on a plan to fill the open board position.

Ms. Galvin reminded the board that there is also now a vacancy on the Board that needs to be filled and the process that has been used in the past to fill such vacancies. Mr. Brown and Ms Badger agreed to work on this effort.

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 motion was made as follows: RESOLVED, Mr. Brown, Ms. Badger and Ms. Galvin will work as a committee to draft a position description, post the board opening, interview potential candidates and bring forth a recommendation to the full board for final approval.

The motion passed unanimously.

E. Review and consideration of response to public comment submitted since the November 18, 2020 Board Meeting.

Ms. Galvin clarified that the board packet contains all of the public comments received since the last board meeting but that only one comment, that from J. Wallace, was made after the resignation of Mr. Kropf. She then volunteered, with the board’s approval, to respond directly to J. Wallace as her submitted comment has different topics to address than the earlier comments. The Board welcomed this assistance and a motion was made as follows: RESOLVED, to allow Ms. Galvin to respond directly to J. Wallace’s public comment.

The motion passed unanimously.

The remaining comments, which all have a similar theme, are to be addressed by the board. A statement has been prepared by the special committee of Mr. Brown, Ms. Badger, Ms. Galvin and attorney Matt Lowe and was read by Mr. Brown twice. A discussion ensued and culminated with one edit to the original, read, statement.

A motion as follows: RESOLVED, the following statement is approved as the response to the public comments received after the last board meeting related to then Board Chair Jeff Kropf.

The motion passed unanimously.

To our School Community: We want to thank Jeff Kropf for his years of service and dedication to our school community over the last 15 years. We do not support the statements and events at the rally on November 14, and have received Mr. Kropf’s resignation as of November 19,2020 from the Board of Directors.

Our board will continue to be supportive of our school and our school staff and supporting what is best for student success. We stand with your 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.

Executive Director who pushes for improvement in teaching and learning focusing, but also in creating a positive and supportive working environment for the staff of Oregon Charter Academy.

We appreciate the trust you have in this Board so that we can continue to support school leadership in doing what’s best for this school community.

Thank you, Oregon Charter Academy Board of Directors VI.

Adjournment and Confirmation of Next Regular Meeting Date.

The next meeting is scheduled for January 27, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. PT in Zoom. There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 2:43 p.m.

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.