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One City Schools

Minutes

One City Regular Board Meeting

Date and Time

Tuesday January 26, 2021 at 4:00 PM

Location

Normally, we will meet at One City Schools, 2012 Fisher Street, Madison, WI 53713. However, due to COVID-19, we will meet by Zoom conferencing for this meeting.
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Directors Present

C. Gaines (remote), C. Zdeblick (remote), G. Derzon (remote), G. Ladson-Billings (remote), J. Krupp (remote), J. Lee (remote), J. Pope-Williams (remote), L. McDonald (remote), N. Wray (remote), S. Martyniak (remote), T. Balsiger (remote), T. Jaeckle (remote), T. Pedracine (remote), W. Akhtar (remote)

Directors Absent

None

Ex Officio Members Present

K. Caire (remote)

Non Voting Members Present

K. Caire (remote)

Guests Present

A. Gelbach (remote), B. Pickett (remote), C. Hodge (remote), D. Davis (remote), D. Stephan (remote), Dana Scheckel (remote), G. Wiseman (remote), Greg Richmond (remote), Kristin Greimel (remote), L. Allen (remote), L. Lange (remote), Latisha White (remote), M. Ruffin (remote), Pamela Ferrill (remote), Scott Haumersen (remote), V. Ramakrishnan (remote), X. Zupan (remote)

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

N. Wray called a meeting of the board of directors of One City Schools to order on Tuesday Jan 26, 2021 at 4:07 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes from October 27, 2020 Regular Board Meeting

J. Krupp made a motion to approve the minutes from One City Monthly Board Meeting Agenda on 11-17-20.
G. Ladson-Billings seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.

II. New Business: Appointment of Treasurer/Finance Committee Chair

A.

Appointment of Torrey Jaeckle as Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair

Chair N.Wray announced the appointment of Board member Torrey Jaeckle as Treasurer of the Board of One City Schools and as Finance Committee Chair. T Jaeckle will serve the rest of Bob Beckman's term, to expire in May 2021. Chair Wray expressed appreciation to Salli Martyniak for serving as interim Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair.

III. Guest Presentation

A.

Report on One City's 2019-2020 Financial Audit by Wegner CPAs

Scott Haumersen, Partner at Wegner CPAs of Madison, gave a thorough report of the results of the  2019-20 financial audit conducted for One City Schools.

 

Mr. Haumersen reported that there were no proposed audit adjustments, no material weaknesses or significant deficiencies, and that net assets without donor restrictions were at $65,310 as compared with the previous year of $104,775.

 

 

 

IV. Finance and Facilities Committee: Discussion and Actions

A.

Presentation of the Mid-Year Budget for One City Schools

  • K. Caire and Leah Lange of Numbers4Nonprofits reviewed the December 2020 financial report.
  • J. Krupp pointed out that FCI facility notes payable are in the amount of $642,542.
  • J. Lee requested clarification around donor restrictions. S. Martyniak explained that organizations need to hold funds until the purpose of the loan has been met for a set amount of time. Ms. Martyniak further explained that there are no standards for the next year. Leases would have to be shown as an asset or related debt.
  • T. Jaeckle asked if the CBG loan is forgivable. No, however, the loan does not have to be repaid so long as One City does not change the use of its preschool facility from a preschool/educational facility and does not sell or lease the property to someone else.
  • G. Derzon asked if the Rowland Foundation grant is the original grant. The grant was recorded in this past fiscal year.
  • K. Caire explained that if there is a promise to give, funds are always recorded in the year the promise is made. If funds are not to be made available right away, the pledge amount stays in the 'assets with donor restrictions section' until the gift is made. 
J. Krupp made a motion to approve the December 2020 financials.
G. Derzon seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

B.

Presentation of One City's 2020-21 Mid-Year Budget

  • L. Lange pointed out that there are two separate budgets, one for the preschool and one for the charter school, and one combined budget.
  • One City enjoyed strong fundraising during the second quarter. The original intent to raise $371,000 for the year was increased due to Covid-19, first to $570,000, and then to just over $600,000.
  • Charter school payments are reduced due to the number of actual students (131) vs, the number of projected students (140). The current budget does not reflect the 4th payment from the state, but will be updated shortly to include that amount.
  • One City is in the 3rd year of a 5-year implementation grant awarded for the development of the charter school. 
  • Covid-19 temporarily closed the preschool. When it reopened, there were only 11 students enrolled and only 7 attending on a regular basis. 
  • When the school officially reopened in September, there was some lost income because of staff turnover and disruption to processes in collecting tuition, in the amount of $32,000.  This loss is absorbed in our scholarship fund, which totals $80,000. 
  • There are currently 3 students unable to attend because the paperwork needed from families is not complete. There may be ~4 weeks of lost income from those families.
  • The state will be billed by February for Title I, II and III.
  • Wisconsin Shares funds are down by $120,000. Data on families eligible for the Shares program is being collected and updated. Other government funding, such as the food program, is also down because of the disparity between projected and actual enrollment numbers.
  • Personnel salaries are up because the new preschool director was hired after the start of the fiscal year. It was also necessary to hire additional staff to avoid bringing in substitute teachers, which would have violated protocols put in place to allow us to open and remain open during the pandemic.
  • Other direct costs centered around technology. Thanks to a generous donation by Catherine Zdeblick and funding through the Charter School Growth Fund, One City was able to provide iPads for all scholars and other necessary technology, such as SMART boards for each classroom.  There were also expenses incurred setting up classrooms at the Coyier location.
  • While the net income is currently negative, funds will become available in the next 6 months of our fiscal year, and there is every expectation that the PPP loan will be forgiven

C.

One City Facility Search

  • Annette Gelbach and Aimee Bauman of Key Commercial Real Estate of Madison, the firm One City has retained to help us identify, negotiate and acquire a facility for our school(s), were introduced and stated that they were prepared to answer any questions from Board members about the search.
  • D. Stephan provided an update on the search for a facility for the elementary school. The Facilities Committee reviewed a proposal from Urban Land Interest, the Coyier Lane landlord, outlining costs for remaining in the building and possibly expanding in the future. Committee members agreed that the proposal was impossible to accept, as costs would be double the current lease, which is already unsustainable.
  • The search for a facility led to 1707 West Broadway, the current WPS building. The building is over 150,000 square feet, which is enough space for K-12 and is competitively priced. 
  • W. Akhtar-Khaleel asked whether the building is in Madison or Monona. The building is at the edge of Madison/Monona and either address can be used.
  • Parents expressed concern that One City has built a community in South Madison that may be disrupted by locating closer to, or in, Monona.
  • C. Zdeblick asked what the average size of other area schools is and how the size of the W Broadway location compares, if the plan is to have K-12 in one building.  D. Stephan responded that small high schools are about this size and sometimes larger. One City K-12 will be smaller than most other area schools and will therefore easily fit into the space at 1707 W. Broadway. 
  • J. Krupp pointed out that the purchase price is a great opportunity. In fact, the cost of building a parking structure such as the one on site would exceed the cost of the entire purchase price of the building. In addition, the building is in great shape and has been meticulously maintained.
  • W. Akhtar-Khaleel stated that 4 moves in 4 years is a lot for One City families and students. She further wondered how One City will address the gentrification and racial tension that exists in the area. 
  • T. Jaeckle asked if there is a safe spot for students to be dropped off and picked up. D. Stephan responded that there is a safe area in the front lot, and plenty of parking space as well.
  • J. Pope asked if One City staff have mapped out where current One city families reside and how the move might affect the bus routes that families would take. 
  • K. Caire noted that both the Facilities Committee and the Finance Committee voted unanimously at their recent meetings to allow One City staff to explore the acquisition of the property for One City Schools.
  • The Board was asked to consider a similar motion.
T. Jaeckle made a motion to give Board approval to the CEO and Facilities Committee to move forward with discussions with WPS and its broker(s) about acquiring WPS property located at 1707 West Broadway. However, One City's Board of Directors will not commit to approving the acquisition of this facility until there is a solid budget and plan for renovating, financing and utilizing this facility moving forward. All of these activities will happen concurrently.
G. Derzon seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

V. One City Parent Board Member Input

A.

One City Parent Update by Parent-members of One City's Board of Directors

  • T. Pedracine thanked One City staff for the transparency around the hiring process and for the security measures taken during inauguration week. 
  • J. Pope suggested that the hiring net should be expanded to include Board members reaching out to share job postings in their circles. 

 

 

VI. CEO Report for January 2021

A.

CEO Report; Key Topics and School Highlights

  • M. Ruffin reported that enrollment begins in March.
  • F. D'Abell reported that all staff are learning the Teach Like a Champion program.
  • K. Ryan and F. D'Abell have also taken the Rage to Reason behavioral training course. 
  • Pick up and drop off have been moved indoors during the winter season.
  • F. D'Abell hands out mints to scholars who are wearing masks properly. Principal D'Abell told Therabreath about the program and they supplied One City with 3 cases of mints which will allow us to continue the program at no cost through May. 
  • To improve the quality of remote learning, provide adequate differentiation for in-person and remote learners, and allow for a better mix of male and female students, the two 5K classes have been combined.  The change will allow 3 teachers to be in a classroom with 27 students, while 1 teacher can focus on guided remote learning. 
  • To keep Covid-19 protocols in place, students will break into 2 mini cohorts during meals and recess, in keeping with extra precautions during times when masks will be removed. 

B.

Improving Staff Retention at One City Schools

  • K. Caire discussed measures being taken to improve staff retention. There was a high percentage of turnover last year. The entire leadership team spent weeks earlier this year mapping out a strong onboarding plan for new hires. Currently, staff is engaged in working on mid-year performance reviews highlighting team members strengths. Team members have all been asked to complete 360 reviews of various colleagues. Each member of staff will then have a review with their immediate supervisor. 
  • The position of HR Manager has been posted and the interview process will begin soon, with a plan to fill the position in late March/early April. A main function of the HR Manager will be to establish systems to improve hiring and retention efforts. 
  • One City will also post the position for a VP of Government Relations to help with advocacy efforts around policy changes that will affect the sustainability of One City Schools. 

C.

Discuss and Vote on the Submission of One City's Applications to UWSA and Wisconsin's DPI

  • D. Davis provided an overview of the proposed plans for One City Preparatory Academy (OCPA) and the timeline for developing and opening a grade 6 through 12 school in the fall of 2022. Ms. Davis reported on deadlines and explained the need to apply for a charter school implementation grant. The grant will allow us to bill up to $900,000 in operations and planning for a new facility. 
  • New School Venture Funds has several grants available for assistance developing new public schools, some of which will be applied for if the Board gives its' approval.  
  • One City already enjoys strong support from the Charter School Growth Fund. 

 

J. Krupp made a motion to give permission for One City staff to submit our final Phase 2 application to the UW System for One City Preparatory Academy (OCPA), and to apply for grants and fundraising to support the planning and development of the schools.
S. Martyniak seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

VII. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 6:00 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
N. Wray
S. Martyniak made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
T. Pedracine seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
For more information, please contact Gail Wiseman, Vice President of External Relations at gwiseman@onecityschools.org or (608) 514-6119.