Adelante Schools
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday November 19, 2020 at 6:00 PM
Goals:
- Approve organizational foundational tools and policies to govern our school and operate effectively.
- Deepen our understanding of Adelante’s Emma Donnan operational state and provide any necessary support and guidance.
Directors Present
A. Impink (remote), B. Burcope (remote), J. Garcia (remote), K. Branson-Hutchison (remote), M. Staten (remote), M. Whitley (remote)
Directors Absent
K. Kainrath
Guests Present
E. Rangel (remote), M. Rooney (remote), adouglas@adelanteschools.org (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
A. Impink called a meeting of the board of directors of Adelante Schools to order on Thursday Nov 19, 2020 at 6:01 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
B. Burcope made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 10-29-20.
M. Whitley seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Academic Excellence
A.
Academic Update
- Whitley presented the Adelante Schools Dashboard. He reminded that more detailed data is still needed as current academic data is reflective of only in-person students who were able to preserve testing integrity and take the assessments in the building (prior to the switch to virtual).
- Whitley went over targets & current data: 80% DIBELS goal (current BOY 22%), 30% Gr2-8 Math goal (current BOY 1%), 32% Gr2-8 ELA goal (current BOY 5%)
- Whitley reflected that there is a great deal of work to do in order to reach this year's academic goals. He discussed the school's efforts to (1) ground staff in the goals (2) clearly identify individual students who are at/near proficiency and determine which students are closest to attaining proficiency (3) determining specific next steps for both students who were significantly below grade level, as well as those at/near (4) spiraling content through daily mini-lessons with bi-weekly "checkpoint" assessments to track progress through Clearsight platform (5) adjusting that plan in light of the sudden switch to virtual.
- Branson-Hutchison asked if the numbers for BOY are the final count. Rangel confirmed.
- Branson-Hutchison asked what some of the most important causes for the data being so low might be. Rangel reflected on the past learning environment, level of instruction, amount of coaching/development for teachers, insufficient misaligned curricula given to students, the high volume of staff attrition in the past few years, and lack of past consistent communication regarding expectations with families.
- Branson-Hutchison asked if the staff is onboard with the academic expectations. Rangel reflected that the staff is supportive of this goal, but it can be a challenge in practice.
- Branson-Hutchison asked what the school needs from the board in order to meet the academic goals. Rangel stated that (1) the board needs to keep the high level of academic expectations for the school and continue to ask hard questions (2) supporting the school financially when budget needs to support a particular academic/curricular initiative (3) thinking creatively to action plan around satisfying basic needs of students so they aren't a barrier to academic progress.
- Whitley asked about the timeline for getting the data. Rangel discussed that the data would typically be taken earlier, but due to the pandemic, was delayed. Formative assessments will be administered every two weeks and are checkpoints to track progress. Summative assessments will be administered Beginning of Year (BOY), Mid-Year (MOY), and End of Year (EOY) to measure progress. Rangel talked through next steps for completing missed learning including (1) deep-dive instructional planning through curricular studies so teachers know the content cold (2) identifying specific learning gaps where the standards where scholars struggle are addressed through full-group unfinished learning steps, as well as individualized breakout rooms to support more individualized needs (3) utilizing entire staff to address learning gaps.
- Douglas shared the lens from a parent/guardian where academic efforts are supporting both scholar mastery and confidence.
- Staten asked where the goal targets are coming from. Rangel explained that the average 2018 state-wide pass rate on ILEARN was around 50%. The goals were based on (1) other schools that matched the demographic of Emma Donnan (2) other schools that were experiencing transition of leadership. After that analysis, the leadership team determined the goals of 30/32%.
- Staten asked for a breakdown of the Formative Assessment data to be more specific. Rangel offered to bring more detailed data breakdowns to the next board meeting.
- Impink asked about 1 school suspension and a staff member resignation. Rangel explained that the IPS school code of conduct was followed in the student situation.
III. Development
A.
Development Update
- Garcia spoke about the need for additional support from the Development committee from the last board meeting. The recommendation is to explore an accredited fundraising platform that is secure and log donors in a database platform where the organization can send information out. It would also provide professional development for staff to further push development goals. Garcia's organization used Bloomerang, a local group that has institutional knowledge of Indianapolis. Have a movable system that accommodate as needs/organization grows. Their data systems are compatible with Salesforce and other platforms. Garcia recommends that the specific monitoring of the platform would remain with the staff and not the business of the board.
- Douglas talked about her conversation with Bloomerang yesterday and presented information from that call. Douglas talked about the benefits of fundraising using this platform in light of Emma Donnan's status as a non-profit (compared to prior operators). She discussed her interest in the professional development opportunities that come with a membership in Bloomerang. The total cost would be approximately $2,000 annually which includes data stewardship, unlimited users, personal support, Donor Search, professional development, and up to 2,000 donors (with an additional $10 per month for every 250 donors exceeding 2,000).
- Impink asked about the plan for Giving Tuesday. Douglas talked about getting a story together, along with photos of students, and use the Bloomerang platform. Garcia explained more about Giving Tuesday (December 1st).
- Branson-Hutchison talked about hearing strong things about the platform. Inquired about the level of user support after purchasing, as well as asked about the Give Butter platform. She wants us to make sure to emphasize that we will qualify for the non-profit discount and that we are a 501c3.
- Garcia spoke about how Bloomerang protects the donation of the donor by allowing them to cover the bank fees by putting it front and center on the website. It also doesn't take a cut of the individual donations. The platform also does receipts automatically.
- Branson-Hutchison wants us to reiterate that companies can match the receipts automatically.
M. Whitley made a motion to move forward with approving a partnership with Boomerang.
K. Branson-Hutchison seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Impink asked about whether board members are expected to make donations to the platform. This could be a topic for a future board meeting.
IV. Finance
A.
Financials
- Branson-Hutchison stated that nothing from the most recent financial reports were immediately concerning. Asked that the board look through the monthly transaction list for any purchases that jump out as a potential red flag. She gave a notice that Proliant tax fee was filed, as well as an outside contractor was compensated for being a consultant.
- Branson-Hutchison pointed out the line item from IPS due to enrollment and went through the remainder of the financial statements with the lens of what is necessary to incur during a "start-up".
- Rangel added about the variance technology line. There was a significant increase from September to October due to (1) the SchoolPass app to support with in-person transportation (2) marketing because the cell phones purchased for staff came out of the account during October (3) Chameleon marketing for purchasing additional uniforms for students.
M. Whitley made a motion to approve November financial reports.
J. Garcia seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Executive Director's Report
A.
Executive Director Update
- Rangel stated enrollment increased slightly to 355.
- Rangel discussed our transition back to remote learning this week. He stated that the school is continuing to work out services, including McKinney-Vento hubs (centers of learning for students in transitional housing) that would include transportation to/from community locations. Meal service provided by the school was also able to be started.
VI. Other Business
A.
Executive Session
- OSHA officially dismissed the claim. There is a 15-day response limit, but have not been notified if any response was filed.
- Staten asked when the new Technology Coordinator would begin. Rangel said asap, but that the role will shift to include a data background in order to support with information systems development.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
A. Impink