Whatcom Intergenerational High School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday February 23, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Location
In-person or via Zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82854048341?pwd=K0o1bnA2eElvUEszSmhvMXNJa0xlQT09
Meeting ID: 828 5404 8341
Passcode: 367367
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 (remote), J. McGill, N. Mughal-Barrows
Directors Absent
K. Lieberman
Ex Officio Members Present
D. Walker
Non Voting Members Present
D. Walker
Guests Present
C. Baron (remote), M. Mendenhall, M. Torron-Gomez, R. Rodriguez
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Land Acknowledgement
C.
Record Attendance
Guests present in-person:
- Bill John, Lummi elder
- Kusemaat (Shirley Williams), WIHS co-founder
- Suhunep Husmeen (Troy Olsen), WIHS co-founder
- Amber Porter, community member
- Eric Zamora, WIHS Operations Coordinator
Guests present on Zoom:
- Jessica de Barros, CSC
- Renee Bergeron, WIHS parent and community member
- Rekha Bhatt, WA Charters
- Matt Durkee, community member
- Italiana Hughes, CSC
- Mitch Price, WA Charters
- Matt Smith, Greenwood Ohlund Accounting
- Lisa Taft, community member
D.
Approve Minutes
II. Public Comment
A.
Public comment policy discussion
- Is it feasible for board members to be expected to be on campus each month?
- We have postponed the vote on our public comment policy as the Board has more to discuss.
B.
Public Comment
- Bill John, Lummi elder, shared his testimony
- Shirley Williams, Whiteswan Environmental Executive Director and WIHS co-founder, shared her testimony
- Mary Mendenhall, RN school nurse shared that Covid testing remains high. Low incidence of covid this year at the school. Mary requests improved communication with fellow school staff members so she can provide safe clinical nursing care.
III. Finance/Fundraising
A.
WIHS Independent Auditor Report
Matt Smith, CPA at Greenwood Ohlund shared his financial audit report.
- The audit was completed in January, and the report was issued at end of January.
- The outcome is a clean audit report
- Form 990 is due July 15, 2023
Other notes on upcoming audits:
- First audit was independent audit
- Week after next: state audit begins (reviews Matt's work + auditing compliance to public law)
Jason McGill made a motion to approve the independent audit report for FY 2022 as presented. Christine Espina second the FY 2022 independent audit report as presented.
Motion passed unanimously.
B.
Notification to review 2022 990
Board members will review the 990 and if there are any concerns/questions, board members will reach out to Corey Baron and Dawn Walker.
C.
January 2023 Financials
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 February 23, 2023, the Board, by a unanimous vote, approves payments totaling $53,364.24.
aoorove Jan 2023 payroll checks summary, accounts payable and non-accounts payable cash disbursement register for Jan 2023
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 February 23, 2023, the Board, by a unanimous vote, approves payments totaling
$115,783.28
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 February 23, 2023, the Board, by a unanimous vote, approves payments totaling $14,709.53
The January 2023 financial dashboard was presented.
Action item: For the March 2023 board meeting, Corey Baron will present budget priorities and projections for next year.
IV. Academic Excellence & School Updates
A.
School Specific Goals 2022-2023
D. Walker reviewed the School Specific Goals 2022-23.
Goal #1: IXL online module purchased to support for math.
Growth target was added to new SSGs, and last year's SSGs were for the full academic year.
Goal #2: PhBL inquiry cycle: students will develop something they want to work on. Students will walk through steps of developing the project, all classrooms and teachers will provide the same information on structures for PhBL projects. Students will choose how they want to disseminate the findings of their project.
B.
Academic Excellence
Academic dashboard
- 74 students enrolled, average daily attendance 74% from 1/21-2/17, enrollment by ethnicity (based on Dec 2022 enrollment data).
- SBA Interim Assessment Data was presented
- Teacher evaluations will take place soon
C.
Teacher share out
Maria Torron-Gomez shared about her collaboration with art instructor, Maia Reader, in her Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 classes. Students are learning about Afro Latino culture and art, and the African diaspora.
V. Governance
A.
Charter Commission Update
Dawn is scheduled to meet with J. DeBarros and J. Savon regarding the Notice of Perceived Problem pertaining to Physical Education requirements and Health and Wellness Wednesdays.
Board recruitment: Our charter states that our board will include members with K-12 expertise. An area of concern was identified, and N. Mughal-Barrows, C. Espina, and D. Walker met with the Performance Committee who set the deadline for board recruitment.
Wednesday Wellness block: Block schedule structured as an opportunity for athletics and sports and PE, health, emotional support (whole child, whole person approach) to meet requirements for PE and health. Credits are divided up (half a credit per semester); health curriculums co-taught by Mary Mendenhall, RN and Dawn Krenz, instructor.
B.
WIHS by-laws and articles
C.
WIHS Letter of Support: Partnership building
The draft letter of partnership with WIHS and Whiteswan Environmental was presented and discussed. We will continue this discussion at the March board meeting.
VI. Anti-Racism and Transformative Justice Work
A.
Anti-racism and Transformative Justice Work
A rich discussion on the importance of cultural pluralism was shared.
VII. Other Business
A.
Upcoming events
- Winter Formal is Friday, February 24th from 6:00-9:00 pm at Bellingham Yacht Club
Upcoming Showcases
- Student Showcase will be April 21st
- Final Student Showcase will be June 9th
VIII. 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
C. Espina read the land acknowledgment.
J. McGill read the WIHS mission and vision.