EBradley: Question about the School Climate and Family Engagement Survey clarity in one sentence. WIll be edited before posting.

As of right now, tuition revenue is higher than expected, but nothing to be excited about. It will likely be a wash in the end. 

KKuse gave a more detailed overview of the Grounds Redesign. 

The project is going to permitting (for the whole thing) in a few weeks. The amount that RVCS able to do depends on how much we get from the Community Preservation Committee. KKuse is presenting on Feb 6 to the committee asking for support for 4 potential scenarios, the full package and 3 options. There are currently 11 or 12 applications for funds which don't add up to the full amount the CPC has available to allocate. KKuse thinks we'd find out in March.

Currently, the school has raised $405K+. 

DMitchell: When we put this out to bid, will we put it out for the full project? KKuse: It will be separate for demo and install.

DMitchell: Will there be an overall general contractor? This feels like it will be a lot more than just demo and install? No, the school will hire contractors and Karen and Dave will oversee it. RVCS wIll pay Hancock to help oversee the bidding process. 

Going for a natural playground design. 

The city wanted us to have more parking. Lisa Mead says we don't need more parking because it's a school and a large amount of parking isn't necessary for school business.

Met with Chief Deputy Fire Marshal and he was very positive about the plan.

Information sessions went really well. 23 people attended the first session and 19 people attended the second. A few people who planned to attend and couldn't, came in for tours with JPatterson. We now have 200 people in the lottery. 

EIrose: DEI related, do we also have paper application along with online? KKuse: Will look into that.

DHerrera: We should start tracking how many applications come from each district.

The primary topic of discussion was survey Climate/Caregiver survey.

A big tip of hat to JPatterson and KKuse for taking a long, redundant survey and shrinking it down to a few questions. It is now 12 questions with a few additional questions with open ended answers. Hopefully, this will increase response rate.

We promise results back to the community in March with a student improvement plan along with a link to schedule appointments with KKuse or JPatterson.

The survey is emailed out to all parent/caregiver emails and should go out after MLK Day.

How do you capture the data if children are having different experiences? Parents could fill it out twice. 

Next meeting will be focused on Program Delivery. 

Fall Board Assessment: The Committee has been reviewing it. At the next board meeting, the COT will provide a narrative of the results of the assessment. It is available for review now. The director will be filling it out soon.

This will be useful for board recruitment and retreat education.

Board Profiles: There will likely be two open roles. Vice Chair and Secretary. Trustees can also throw their hat in for any of the roles. There are new board positions opening up. If you have people who are interested, the COT would love to have conversations with them. Candidates might also like to serve on a committee for a smaller time commitment. 

The Committee provided a review of how the annual fund is going. A personal outreach approach was used this year.

The takeway is that it has been a positive experience. The letters started going out just before holiday break. The complexity of the project demanded a lot of time. About $3000 has been raised so far. Kinks will be worked out next year.

The Commitee is looking ahead to march when the Readathon starts. Communication is written. It will be advertised in the Current along with individual emails.

Looking for sponsorships for the Readathon. Fees are between $200-$1500.

When DHerrera reached out to the legal team she discovered they no longer do employment contract law. She was introduced to a new law firm. 

DHerrera reviewed the engagement letter with the board. The rate is standard to the charter schools. There is no retainer or minimum hours.  Please review and return feedback within one week.

Policy work and prior planning will be discussed in next meeting to set up for the next school year. This is particularly important for the health office.

The Committee reviewed the Onsight Insite analysis and discussed what projects in the analysis had already been completed.  There were multiple items that related to grounds redesign and the Committee discussed recommending an amount that could be used from the Capital Reserve account for the Ground Redesign project.  Based on the current position, and the Onsight Analysis, the recommendation is $175,000.

Greenlit $175K towards Grounds Redesign from the Capital Reserve account.

Don't see any immediate large capital needs in the next 3-5 years.

Upcoming workshops:

Strategic Planning, if anyone can attend, please do. Our strategic plan is coming to fruition.

Committee goals check ins: at your meetings, please check how you're working towards your committee's goals.

Has anyone used the Board on Track AI feature for Minute Note Taking? No, but there are other apps to take notes during a meeting that would be helpful.