Whatcom Intergenerational High School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday January 25, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Location
In-person or via Zoom
WIHS Mission: WIHS envisions learning designed with students and supported by elders generating deep inquiry skills, thoughtful interactions, and critical consciousness, ensuring every young person can contribute to a more just and sustainable world.
Vision: WIHS will ensure that Whatcom County high school students-regardless of their life circumstances-develop the competencies and agency for success in college, career, and life.
Directors Present
C. Espina, J. McGill, K. Lieberman, N. Mughal-Barrows
Directors Absent
None
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
J. McGill
Ex Officio Members Present
D. Walker
Non Voting Members Present
D. Walker
Guests Present
B. Luu (remote), C. Baron, D. Krenz (remote), R. Rodriguez
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Land Acknowledgement
C.
Record Attendance
Guests:
- Halma Abubakar, Commission
- Sara Airoldi, community member
- Jess Saven Barton, Commission
- Gail Goulet, community member
- Italiana Hughes, Commission
- Kesia Mitchell, community member
- Mitch Price, WA Charters Association
- Oliver Trulock, community member
Students:
- Winter
- Tehya
D.
Approve Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| N. Mughal-Barrows |
Aye
|
| K. Lieberman |
Aye
|
| C. Espina |
Aye
|
| J. McGill |
Absent
|
II. Academic Excellence & School Updates
A.
Academic Excellence
D. Walker, Director of Education, presented the academic overview report for Jan 2023
- WIHS has 69 students in attendance on a daily basis, enrollment has increased by 19 students since September 2022.
- Action item: Request to display unenrollment numbers on future monthly reports moving forward
- Areas for improvement include grade 9 math scores. The IXL program which are online modules for math, ELA, and science, have been purchased for students.
R. Rodriguez, Director of Equity and Community Engagement, shared updates on the ASB Club. All are invited to attend the next student showcase scheduled for February 3rd from 2:10-3:30 pm.
Winter formal is scheduled for February 24th, 2023 at Bellingham Yacht Club.
B.
Teacher share out
D. Krenz, the instructor for social studies, shared about recent Phenomenon Based Learning and place-based lessons and activities. She reports high levels of student engagement and interest in the lessons.
III. Finance/Fundraising
A.
Fundraising event
Grants received:
- A computer science grant
- An outdoor learning grant
Fundraiser Event for 2023
- Discussed possible ideas for fundraising events. A student talent show or concert was discussed.
B.
November & December 2022 Financials
BOARD CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
Payments have been audited and certified by the Auditing Officer as required by RCW 42.24.080, and
those expense reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090. Those payments have
been recorded on a listing which has been made available to the board.
As of January 25, 2023, the Board, by a UNANIMOUS vote, approves payments totaling
$120,049.93.
BOARD CERTIFICATION STATEMENT
Payments have been audited and certified by the Auditing Officer as required by RCW 42.24.080, and
those expense reimbursement claims certified as required by RCW 42.24.090. Those payments have
been recorded on a listing which has been made available to the board.
As of January 25, 2023, the Board, by a UNANIMOUS vote, approves payments totaling
$137,614.83.
Finance Dashboard
- WIHS's FY 2022 CPA audit is currently underway
C.
Monthly Utilities Payment Approval
IV. Anti-Racism and Transformative Justice Work
A.
Anti-racism and Transformative Justice Work
- Recent community events were reported on (ex. The Unity Ball during MLK weekend)
- Upcoming community events were shared (ex. Juneteenth project)
- NWYS Healing Pages Book Club takes place every third Thursday of the month from 6:00-7:30 pm. The book is The Four Pivots by Dr. Shawn Ginwright.
V. Governance
A.
Board Recruitment
- C. Espina gave an update on efforts to recruit new board members. We are in need of board members with expertise in K-12 administration and in finance. C. Espina has reached out to several community members who have expressed interest in learning more about joining the board.
- We had questions about having a dedicated student position on the board:
- Would the student rep be a voting member?
- What are the implications for a student to be on the board, given the fiduciary responsibilities of board members to uphold the Charter?
- Action items:
- J. Saven Barton with the Commission will follow up with us about fiduciary responsibility for student board members.
- Investigate how other school districts have student representatives on their boards. For example, the Ferndale School District has student members on their board.
- Reach out to Board on Track staff to ask if there are some guidance/resources on student representatives on boards.
B.
Monthly board meeting dates
To accommodate a current board member's schedule, we will move our monthly board meetings to the last Thursday of each month.
Action item: Upload the updated 2023 board calendar to Epicenter.
C.
Charter Commission Update
Performance Committee update was discussed regarding student attendance and board recruitment. We have a set date to approve a new board member by January 31st. We are in need of a board member with knowledge and experience in K-12 administration.
To accommodate a student who is present for public comment, the board amended the agenda to move the public comment portion of the meeting before the public comment policy discussion.
VI. Public Comment
A.
Public comment
Tehya (she/they) brought concerns regarding the current practices of animals in the school, specifically regarding service animals and emotional support pets, and general safety concerns.
Action items:
- D. Walker will forward the current animal plan contract/policy in place to the board for review. The board recommended some investigation of available resources to develop a clear policy that upholds safety for the community and supports individual students' unique needs.
- D. Walker will reach out to a certified service animal trainer about services offered to assess animals' suitability to be in a school setting, and provide an update to the Board at the next board meeting.
B.
Public comment policy discussion
Action item:
The Governance Committee will recommend a public comment policy to the board at February's meeting.
VII. Board Goals
A.
Board Debrief and Evaluation
At the conclusion of each meeting, the board will evaluate its success against its norms.
Norms
(Y) or (N) Board members should understand the Mission and Vision of the school
(Y) or (N) Board Agenda should be sent out 24hours to the board.
(Y) or (N) Responding to emails in a 24hr time span
(Y) or (N) All board members should RSVP to meetings through Board on Track
K. Lieberman read the WIHS Land Acknowledgement.