Whatcom Intergenerational High School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday December 1, 2021 at 6:00 PM
Directors Present
C. Espina (remote), J. McGill (remote), K. Lieberman (remote), L. Robinson (remote), N. Mughal-Barrows (remote), T. Pyscher (remote)
Directors Absent
None
Ex Officio Members Present
C. Reuther (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
C. Reuther (remote)
Guests Present
C. Geis-Poage (remote)
I. Land Acknowledgement/Mission/Vision
A.
Land Acknowledgement
L. Robinson read the WIHS land acknowledgement.
B.
Mission and Vision
T. Pyscher read the WIHS mission and vision.
II. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
Guests in attendance: Kumbi Ajiboye, Diane Childs, Dawn Krenz, Bethany Hipple, Cam Kolk, Kesia Micheletti
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
N. Mughal-Barrows called a meeting of the board of directors of Whatcom Intergenerational High School to order on Wednesday Dec 1, 2021 at 6:08 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
T. Pyscher made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 10-27-21.
J. McGill seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Board Resolutions
Social Security Benefits as approved by Board in August was formalized in November.
III. New Business
A.
Staff proposal
WIHS teachers proposed to change the school schedule.
Survey data on needs was collected on students, staff, parents, and allies for the past 3 months. Seventeen responses were received from parents, and 23 responses from students. Data revealed that student needs include mental and emotional health challenges especially with the pandemic. How might WIHS staff better support students?
Allies indicated they wanted to spend longer time with students during the PhBL experiences. Teachers identified a need for more time to collaborate with each other to coordinate supports for students and professional development.
Based on assessment data, staff propose:
- Bigger chunks of time with PhBL time
- Learning time is best in afternoons
- Planning time for supporting students (academic interventions)
- More time with allies for school connections
Action Steps:
1. C. Reuther will reach out to Commission this week to find out the request process.
2. The WIHS Board Academic Committee, teachers, and principal will meet in December to begin working on the proposal.
- C. Geis-Poage will send out a doodle poll this week to schedule an Academic Committee working group to include staff.
- K. Micheletti will setup a Google doc to begin working on the proposal for the Commission.
3. Board members on the Academic Committee will bring this proposal to the Board for review at January meeting. If approved, the Board will move the proposal forward to the Commission.
IV. Anti-Racism and Transformative Justice Work
A.
Update on action items toward Board Equity work
T. Pyscher gave an overview of critical auto-ethnography.
Action item: Board members will review the Google doc on auto-ethnography over the winter break and plan for a mini-retreat on a weekend in January to share time and space together.
V. Committees
A.
Governance
B.
Governance Committee Discussion
C.
Fundraising and Development Committee
Payroll Checks Summary and Accounts Payable Report reviewed.
High costs for food and transportation expenses.
- Recently contracted with Common Threads, an OSPI authorized food contractor.
- Exploring grants for transportation options.
Fundraising materials: photography and video contractors were secured. Video will likely be ready around February 2022.
Action items:
- C. Reuther will edit the draft letter for end-of-the-year giving ask to include 501c3 info and tracker, and send to Board members.
- Board members will share letter with at least 5-10 people in their network for end-of-year giving during week of December 6th, and send out reminder emails in throughout December.
K. Lieberman made a motion to approve Payroll Checks Summary and Accounts Payable Report for October 2021.
J. McGill seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
L. Robinson made a motion to pass the October 2021 financial report.
C. Espina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Update on grants. We have received a few new grants and are investigating new grants.
Action item: Board members will add $55 to cover background checks to their individual end-of-the-year donation.
D.
Academics
E.
CEO Evaluation and Support
VI. Closing Items
A.
Board De-Brief and Evaluation
B.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:20 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
C. Espina