August 9 School Board Minutes

Arcadia Charter School

School Board Minutes

August 9, 2012

6:30 pm

1719 Cannon Road, Northfield

 1.       Call meeting to order at 6:37 pm

 2.       Verify Quorum

            Present:  Evelyn Hoover, Laura Stelter, Tammy Prichard, Jan Rohwer, Sheri Acosta

            Additionally present:  Ryan Krominga

                                                       

 3.       Approve Agenda

      1^st:  Jan Rohwer

      2^nd:  Evelyn Hoover

      Removed items 7b, c & d; 8c & e         

      Passed unanimously

 4.       Approve minutes of June 14, 2012 and July 2, 2012.

            June 14, 2012 minutes

            1^st:  Sheri Acosta

            2^nd:  Jan Rohwer

            Passed unanimously

           

            July 2, 2012

            1^st:  Jan Rohwer

            2^nd:  Sheri Acosta

            Passed unanimously

 5.       Speaker's Corner:  None

 6.       Consent Agenda:

                  Approve contracts for:

      Lisa Malecha

      John Witt

      Dan Peace

      Gary Braun

            1^st:  Evelyn Hoover

            2^nd:  Laura Stelter

            Passed unanimously

 7.       Reports

(a)    Directors Report

Enrollment up to 121.  Some families have chosen not to come due to travel from other cities.  Students continue to tour and fill out applications.  Has placed an ad for 2 open houses.

Staffing update:  Dan Peace for Science and M.S. Advisory; Gary Braun for Special Ed.

Building:  work on storage spaces in the old art room.  A parent is currently consulting and helping with technology.

Test Scores:  Discussion of MCA scores.  Reading scores remained level but math goals were not met.  Our overall result for math was 31.9%.  GRAD tests:  100% for writing, 93.8% for reading and 46.2% for math.  Discussion of the fluctuations of test scores because of the small student population size.    This was the first year that the tests were all online.  Suggestions for a math goal:  move math to later in the day for middle school students; purchase an online practice software for students and families; utilize the practice MCA in the fall and continue to utilize the NWEA data.  Suggested reading goal:  breakdown the scores into the reading strands and base our goal on specific strands.

(b)    Financial Report

(c)    Chair Report -- none

(d)    Student Report

 8.       Discussion and Action Items:

(a)    Policy & Bylaw

            202 – School Board Election Process

            1^st:  Evelyn Hoover

            2^nd:  Jan Rohwer

            Passed unanimously

            Arcadia Bylaws

Discussion about the composition of the board.  The changes suggested in the June meeting defined the board make up as 3 teachers, 1 community member, and 5 parents.  A concern was mentioned that this would limit us to only one community member.  The suggested change is:  3 teachers, 3 parents, 1 community member, and 2 at-large members to be filled by either parents or community members.  The changes will be read at the next meeting.

(b)    Employee Handbook:  This is a new document; board members are to take them home and read.  (Include Unpaid Leave policy)

(c)    Math & Reading scores

(d)    School Goals

The school is to have at least 2 academic and 2 non-academic goals.  Another suggested ideas was to have a larger “global,” non-operational goal that might include some kind of service to the greater community.

(e)    Audit schedule

(f)     Board Survey results – presented as a handout

(g)    Board goals planning – presented as a handout to be discussed at the next meeting.

(h)    Board elections

 9.       Announcements:

(a)    Open House:  August 13 & 16

(b)    Workshops:  August 20 – 29

(c)    Next Meeting:  August 23

(d)   School Starts:  September 4

 10.   Adjourn

                  1^st:  Jan Rohwer

                  2^nd:  Laura Stelter

                  Passed unanimously

                  Meeting adjourned at 8:17 pm.