Final

Living School

Living School Board Meeting

Date and Time

Tuesday January 11, 2022 at 7:00 PM CST

Location

Living School Board meetings will be occurring on Zoom until further notice.
All are welcome at Living School Board Meetings.  Translation is available with 24 hours notice.

Public comment is welcome on any item on the agenda.  At the end of each agenda item, there will be a time for public comment.  Members of the public wishing to comment on any agenda item, may raise their hand at this designated time and be recognized by the Chair to speak for up to 2 minutes per person, per agenda item.  On any matter up for a vote, public comment must be heard prior to taking the Board's vote.

For members of the public wishing to address the Board for longer than 2 minutes on any given agenda item, please give the Chair at least 24 hours notice to be added to the agenda.  We will strive to accommodate longer items but cannot guarantee room on a given meeting's agenda.

Agenda

     
I. Opening Items
 
Opening Items
  A. Record Attendance and Guests
  B. Call the Meeting to Order
  C. Approve Minutes from previous Board Meeting
    Approve minutes for Living School Board Meeting on December 14, 2021
II. Governance & Evaluation Committee
  A. Review FY22 Goals & Committee Description
   

FY22 Goals:
  1. Regularly use "OnTrack Score" Report & Board Assessment to improve Board effectiveness (monthly & Assessment by 6/30/22)
  2. Complete CEO Evaluation Process (6/1/22)
  3. Manage Board election cycle to maintain expertise, diversity, and a talent pipeline on the Board including strong parent representation
  B. CEO Report
   
  C. Board Officer Elections
   
  1. Danneka Mitchell for her 3rd 1-year term as Board Chair
  2. Vice-Chair discussion
  3. Secretary discussion
  4. Traci Simon for her 3rd 1-year term as Board Treasurer
  5. Academic & Culture Sub-Committee Chair
  D. Board Training
   

 

Legal requirements of Louisiana & OPSB charter schools & boards:
  • Ethics
  • Conflict of interest & financial disclosures
  • Open meeting law
  • Governance vs. management
  • Review LAPCS Legal Handbook annual updates
  • Review Louisiana Legislative Auditor guidelines
  • Review Louisiana Open Meeting Law
  E. Approve updated PTO Policy
   
Update the PTO in the Staff Handbook (approved by Staff Council):

 

Recouping PTO with Overtime
We recognize that Living School staff regularly go above & beyond the call of duty and the required work hours in a day.  To honor this, in the event that a staff member exhausts their PTO allowance, staff members can submit a written request to their Coach & the School Director to recoup up to a total of 40 PTO hours over the course of the year based on overtime hours worked.  This written request must include an hourly accounting of the overtime worked and must be approved by both the Coach & School Director.  Once approved by the Coach & School Director, the recouped PTO will be added to the staff member's PTO account.  For example, if an employee exhausts their 80 hours of PTO, they may document up to 40 hours of overtime worked and request that 40 more hours be added to their PTO total.  Recouped PTO hours are not eligible to be paid out at the end of the year.

 

Donating PTO to Colleagues
In the event that a staff member has exhausted their PTO allowance and needs more because of an emergency, other colleagues may choose to voluntarily donate their PTO to the affected staff member.  A single staff member can receive a maximum of 40 total PTO hours of donation in a single year.
 
If a staff member is in need of a donation, they may request said donation in writing from the School Director.  If approved, the School Director will then publish the request anonymously to the Staff Council to be fulfilled.  Once fulfilled, any donated PTO will be added to the affected staff member's PTO account and the affected staff member will be notified in writing.
 
Staff members willing to voluntarily donate their PTO hours may do so with an email stating their intent and the # of hours to be donated.  Once confirmed, they will be notified in writing of the donation being processed and their PTO account will be reduced accordingly.  A staff member may donate up to a maximum of half of their allotted PTO hours in a single year.
  F. Approve update to Staff Relationship Policy
   
Intimate Relationships Between Employees
We always honor all employee's right to make decisions about their personal lives, and we establish this policy to ensure that intimate relationships between staff don't inadvertently negatively impact our school or students.  Intimate Relationships between employees (including dating & sexual relations) has the potential of harm to one another and the school.

 

If an Intimate Relationship between any employees develops, it is the responsibility and mandatory obligation of each employee to disclose the existence of the developing relationship to the CEO in writing within a week. If one of the involved parties is the CEO, the Board Chair must be notified in writing.

 

All employees involved will be asked to Circle Up and co-sign a Commitment to Right Relationship Letter that includes agreements about how all parties will and will not interact on school property and during work hours throughout the duration of the relationship and how all employees will coexist peacefully if the relationship ends.
 
Intimate Relationships Between Supervisor and Employee
Employees are not permitted to supervise/coach other employees with whom they have an Intimate or Familial (whether through blood, marriage, or domestic partnership) Relationship. Employees who are in supervisory roles are not permitted to pursue or enter into Intimate Relationships with those whom they supervise or coach.

 

Further, any Intimate Relations between any supervisor and an employee whose terms and conditions of employment such as pay raises, promotions, and advancement are potentially affected by the supervisor is strictly prohibited. This policy will apply without regard to the gender or the sexual orientation of the participants in a relationship.

 

Living School does not permit Intimate Relationships between a supervisor and employee, due to conflict of interest in management. Therefore, if a relationship between a supervisor & employee is disclosed, the CEO will review the chain of command and make any changes necessary to protect the school including but not limited to changing the management/supervision of the employee so that it is clear no promise of employment benefit, nor threat of employment loss will be made or produced by such a relationship.

 

Violation of this policy may result in discipline up to and including termination.
III. Finance & Development Committee
  A. Review FY22 Goals & Committee Description
   

 

FY22 Goals:
  1. GOAL 1: Monitor Organizational Sustainability
  2. GOAL 2: Ensure Audit & Financial Compliance
  3. GOAL 3: Establish Fundraising Target for Future Facility Expansion or Development and Oversee Development of the Plan
  B. Meet the Dunn Financial Solutions Team
  C. Finance Dashboard & Report
   
- Review December 2021 Financials and reports.
  D. Committee Report
   
Use password below for the document
  • LivingSchool2021!
IV. Academic & Culture Committee
  A. Review FY22 Goals & Committee Description
   

FY22 GOALS:
  1. By the end of the 21-22 school year, Living School students will demonstrate academic and cultural growth such that they are on track to achieve all three graduate outcomes (college acceptance, certification and habits of a healthy life) as evidenced in monthly Data Dashboard reviews and at least a 95% student retention rate.
  2. By the end of the 21-22 school year, Living School staff members will demonstrate X amount of growth as evidenced by the Staff Development rubric and at least 90% retention rate of staff members.
  3. By the end of the 21-22 school year, Living School will meet the charter renewal requirements to receive renewal approval from the authorizing body, OPSB.
  B. Committee Report
   
Overview of the Renewal Process

 

See Fall 2021 Insight Survey (8 or 17 respondents)
  C. Round 1 NCAP Enrollment Demand
   
  D. COVID Update
   
  • PCR & Antigen tests are nearly equally as reliable, so we can accept both
  • Definition of “Fully vaccinated” now requires having received your final original dose or recovery from a positive case within 6 months or must be boosted
Positive for COVID (regardless of vaccination status)
  • Quarantine for a minimum of 10 days
  • Once 10 days have passed: Person may return once symptoms have resolved for at least 24 hours
Close-contact with COVID
Quarantine for unvaccinated individuals exposed to COVID as close contacts
  • 5 days
  • test on day 5. May be either a molecular (PCR) test or antigen. 
  • Must be completely asymptomatic in order to return to school on day 6
  • Must wear masks around others for 10 days  
Fully vaccinated students and staff who have had a close contact exposure:
  • do not need to quarantine if asymptomatic 
  • strict masking & distancing for 10 days
  • get tested 5 days after the exposure
  E. Approve updated Pupil Progression Plan
   
  1. Recommendation for updating Living School’s PPP to include portfolio-based assessment based on the precedent of Rooted School’s PPP
    1. Section I. Transfer Students: Add policy table to allow conversion of sending school’s partial-term grades into Living School grades (see p. 5 of Rooted’s PPP)
    2. Section V. Promotion & support of students in grade 8 & high school considerations: Add language about portfolio assessment & alternate pathways to earning credit
    3. Section VII. Promotion & placement of certain student populations: Add language about placement of EL students
V. Closing Items
  A. Adjourn Meeting
   
Next meeting scheduled Tue 2/8/21