Mrs. DeWilde introduced herself, thanked the public, and provided an overview of the public comment process and guidelines.  Mrs. DeWilde then invited public comment; no comment was made.

Mrs. DeWilde presented the Consent Agenda and asked the Board if any member wanted to remove any item from the Consent Agenda in order to further discuss and/or solely vote on that item; no member did.

Mrs. DeWilde shared that she attended the Skate Party in January and reflected on the fun, relational evening.  

Dr. Miles previewed the school events coming up, including:  Student-Led Conferences (Feb. 27-28), and First Friday (Mar. 6).  Mrs. DeWilde reminded the Board that if they were planning to attend, to let Dr. Miles know so she could send a calendar invite.

Dr. Miles presented an update to the Homeless Students Policy.  She provided context that the current policy is a combined "Homeless and Foster Care" policy and DESE has asked for them to be separated.

Therefore, the first policy reflects the current policy, just updated to "homeless only."  The second reflects a separate foster care policy.  No content is changing.

Dr. Miles reported that the school made an offer to an Elementary Principal candidate, and the candidate accepted.  She looks forward to introducing the Principal to the Board and community soon!

The Board shared enthusiasm and looks forward to meeting the new Principal!

Dr. Miles reported that the consultant group, Magnetize, completed a thorough review via stakeholder meetings, surveys, and research.  Magnetize presented the task force team with proposed mission, vision, and values.

Regarding the Mission, Magnetize stated that the Mission should clearly articulate who the school serves and how students are supported; use accessible, human language; reflect the lived experience described in the surveys; and it should feel true to daily life at the school.

Regarding the Vision, it should be forward-looking without losing warmth; reflect a school that grows with its students and prepares them for the future; balance imagination with purpose; and should inspire confidence and possibility.

Additionally, Values of belonging, safety, and respect for individuality are affirmed; they are already lived, not aspirational; and language should reinforce how values show up in action.

Lastly, they previewed the work they are doing on an overall name, saying a Name should feel warm, welcoming, and accessible to children; meaningful to adults and allow room for growth; symbolic/metaphorical names may resonate more than literal ones; and should feel imaginative to children and intentional to adults.  

Before landing on the specific Mission-Vision-Values, Magnetize proposed "Narratives" that are  truths about our school that separate us from everyone else.  These included:
 

• Commitment:  We believe that together, we are doing something bigger, but we each play an important role.  We are committed to academic excellence, but we do it differently.  We nurture our own and each other's safety, well-being, and success.
• Wholeness:  We help students develop strong social, emotional, and academic skills to become capable, adaptable individuals.  We position students for success here and in life beyond school.

Overall, they suggested a brand voice and tone that was:  accessible, authentic, caring, concise, confident, friendly, human, and warm. 

Dr. Miles presented their new proposed Mission:  "We foster a culture of belonging and academic excellence to support the development of well-rounded individuals."

And the proposed Vision:  "To be the leader for diverse, inclusive, whole-child education where every student thrives."

And the new proposed Core Values:  

• Belonging:  We make everyone feel included and important
• Growth:  We are always learning, changing, and getting better
• Wholeness:  We help students feel ready for anything in life
• Community:  We take care of ourselves and each other

Dr. Miles asked for questions/comments/pushes/feedback.  Mr. MacDonald gave feedback on a few word combinations.  

Ms. Bond asked if consideration was given to federally-sensitive wording; Dr. Miles replied that initial conversations were held about that.  The feeling was that we are not using those words in the way the law prohibited.  She's happy to ask Magnetize to wordsmith further, but "diversity" was by far the singular most important aspect across all stakeholder groups.

Mrs. DeWilde asked what the next steps are?  Dr. Miles replied that the Board will discuss name possibilities in closed session, then she'll compile Board feedback to Magnetize to finalize.  

Dr. Miles reminded the Board that, during the January meeting, Ms. Rios framed a needed decision on what sponsor the school should partner with for the upcoming charter renewal cycle:  continue with MCPSC or change to KCPS.  

She shared that MCPSC will be focusing their entire portfolio of schools on:

1.  Accountability (School Quality Review, and Performance Goals [specifically the charter goals]).
2.  Creating Spaces for Innovation (Convening, and Innovation Exchange)

If the Board decides to renew with the Commission, they will hold a public hearing on March 19th (530p-730p, with the regular Board meeting held afterward) to move forward.  Then the State Board of Education will give final approval at their meeting on May 10th.

If the Board decides to change to KCPS to renew, KCPS will not hold a public hearing.  She shared KCPS' priority of establishing a collaborative partnership and continuous improvement.  KCPS has outlined benefits they believe they can provide, including:

• Expanded student opportunities
• Professional learning & networks for staff (ELL, SpEd, etc.)
• Operational efficiencies and cost savings (discounts on KCPS facility rental)

The KCPS option would also result in the same timeline of the State Board of Education giving final approval at their meeting on May 10th.  

Mrs. DeWilde asked how many other charters does KCPS sponsor at this time?  Dr. Miles replied two - Crossroads and Gordon Parks.

Mrs. DeWilde asked what the timeline for this change is?  Dr. Miles replied the time is right now.

Dr. Miles reviewed the information requested from the Commission for the renewal, including referencing the draft narratives she created.  

Ms. Bond asked if the "working draft" that is tailored to the Commission the same draft that would potentially used for KCPS as well?  Dr. Miles said she would need to confirm, but she believes the content would be the same, perhaps just presented/ordered differently.  

Ms. Bond clarified if Dr. Miles is asking if the Board needs to make a sponsorship decision tonight? Dr. Miles replied that if the Board is not going with the Commission, yes, that needs to be decided tonight.  If the Board does not decide anything tonight, the decision would default to the Commission because the Board would not have any other scheduled opportunity to change before MCPSC's necessary public hearing.

Mrs. Herman asked for Board discussion.

Ms. Rios shared her preference to move to KCPS, both due to Dr. Miles' shift (reduces the work that is needed) as well as the school's rebranding would align with "new energy" at KCPS.  She believes there are strong collaborative opportunities with KCPS.  Overall, she does not have significant pros/cons in her opinion, but longer-term, she believes that there would be less logistical hurdles with KCPS.  

Mrs. DeWilde acknowledged Rios' perspective.  She shared a wondering in that KCPS' proposal is very "overview" and not as tangible as she would like.  She acknowledged that the current leadership at KCPS is collaborative and strong, but she stated there would be a risk if KCPS' leadership turns over.  

Mr. MacDonald acknowledged there is an inherent conflict of interest when you have a district sponsoring charters when the charters are their competition for students and directly impacting their funding.  However, he shared support and appreciation for both Dr. Hile and Dr. Collier.  He shared that he would vote for a KCPS renewal to align the school with Crossroads, but would prefer some protection built in.

Dr. Miles shared that she believes that Crossroads has a clause in their sponsorship that if there are leadership changes at KCPS, Crossroads has the ability to decide to go to MCPSC.    

Mrs. DeWilde clarified again if a Board vote is needed tonight?  Ms. Rios answered that, regardless of necessity, she would like to hold a vote.  Ms. Rios asked for any Board member that would be in support of staying with MCSPC to share.  Mrs. Butler and Mrs. Herman shared their perspectives.  

Mrs. Butler presented the January 2026 financials.  She shared that the school is projecting a strong year-end position with $1.8m of cash (76 days of cash on hand).

Forecast Improvement: Cash outlook improved by $118k since last month. Key drivers include:
 

• Revenue Increase (+$136k) Driven by updated State funding projections following higher FRL count and the receipt of special additional funding.
• Expense Adjustments (+$17k): Modest increase to account for grant-related expense and occupancy costs.

FY27 Planning: Budget process for the upcoming fiscal year is officially underway and on schedule.  

Turning to the monthly financials, Mrs. Butler presented Page 13’s Balance Sheet, showing a current Cash Balance of over $2.1m, and a projected year-end balance of over $2.1m.

She presented Page 11’s Income Statement, highlighting:

• Year-to-date revenue of over $5m, against a budget of $4.8m.
• Year-to-date expenses of $5m, against a budget of $5m.
• Net Income of $71k, against a budget of (-$374k).
• Forecasted year-end revenue of $8.83m, against a budget of $8.58m.
• Forecasted year-end expenses of $8.76m, against a budget of $8.49m.
• Forecasted year-end Net Income of $66k against a budget of $92k.
• A projected 76 days of cash on hand position, increasing by 5 days from last month.

Lastly, Mrs. Butler stated that the Finance Committee did not note anything as out of order on the Check Register or Accounts Payable.

Mrs. Butler shared that the EdOps team, led by Ms. Nichols, and Mr. Brennan will work together in February and March; the Finance Committee expects to review further in April and present to the Board in May.  

Mrs. Lineberry shared an up-to-date Lottery Report, which reflects slower-than-expected new applications and shared the current re-enrollment rate of 54%.  She expects both numbers to increase before the lottery in early March.  

She did flag that she is hearing an increasing number of our Operation Breakthrough elementary students are communicating they are choosing to stay at Operation Breakthrough with their new LEA partnership, so that re-enrollment percentage will most likely be lower than in previous years.

She gave a high-level overview of recruitment efforts and shared enthusiasm for the lottery in early March!

Dr. Miles reminded the Board about NCSC26.  She confirmed she is aware that two board members have registered, with another three expressing interest.  She directed the Board to register themselves (NCSC will not allow school staff to do that for them) and let her and Mr. Brennan know.  Once confirmed, Mr. Brennan will coordinate flight and hotel information.  

Mrs. DeWilde invited Dr. Miles and Mr. Brennan (Citizens staff) as well as Ms. Holliday-Scott (Guin Mundorf) to Closed Session.

Mrs. DeWilde welcomed members of the public back into Open Session and reported that discussion related to (1) Legal Discussion. There were no actions taken that require reporting.