Pinnacles Prep Charter School
Minutes
Monthly Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday July 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM
In Person: Pinnacles Prep Campus - Great Hall Classroom (504 S. Chelan Ave, Wenatchee)
Online Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81891729392
Board Members: Rick Wray, Blake Baldwin, Flora Fernandez, Rosa Pulido, Josh Castro, Nate McClennen
Contact: Blake Baldwin, Board Secretary
Email: blake@pinnaclesprep.org
Accessibility: This meeting is accessible to persons with disabilities. Special aids and services can be made available upon advance request. Advance requests for special aids and services must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting's start time.
Public Comment (In-Person): Members of the public wishing to comment in person should sign up using the provided sign-in sheet 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called on at the meeting. The Board may respond to public comment during the meeting. Members of the public wishing to provide hard copy written comments at the meeting must bring 8 copies. Ten minutes will be allocated for public comment, with the option of the Chair to allow more.
Public Comment (Virtual): Advance requests for virtual public comment or to provide written public comment electronically must be made no later than 48 hours in advance of the meeting's start time. To make this request or provide a written public comment, please email Blake Baldwin at blake@pinnaclesprep.org. If you would prefer to provide oral public comment, you will be called on at the meeting. The Board may respond to public comment during the meeting. A maximum of ten minutes will be allocated for public comment, with the option of the Chair to allow more.
Small School. Big Ideas.
Pinnacles Prep Mission: We exist to cultivate curious, confident, and self-directed
students who lead and succeed in college, their careers, and their communities.
BOARD MEETING NORMS
Procedural: Follow Through on all Agreements | Be Fully Present Physically and Mentally | Start and End on Time
Behavioral: Keep Students at the Center of Our Work | Be Bold and Optimistic | Advance Justice | Put Relationships First | Assume Positive Intent
Trustees Present
Josh Castro (remote), Nate McClennen (remote), Rick Wray, Rosa Pulido (remote)
Trustees Absent
Blake Baldwin, Flora Fernandez
Guests Present
Jill Fineis, Matt Paolini, Sara Rolfs
I. Opening Items
A.
Welcome and Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Consent Agenda Approval
II. Know Our Programs, Know Our People
A.
Staff Guest
III. Critical Issue Discussion
A.
26/27 Draft Budget Presentation
We have reached steady state. Expenses are baked in.
Focus on material changes
Boards role in the budget is not to get into the weeds too much but to inspect for long and short term sustainability.
Once its passed, you hold the mgnt accountable to the budget by receiving the dashboard monthly.
Matt reviewed the Revenues and Enrollments, staffing, contractors and overall.
Matt reviewed key data points
Key Revenues and expenditures
Matt warned to not have the budget too close to 60 days cash, because everything is a tradeoff for the future.
Rick asked Matt to discuss our debt.-- Matt said we will be debt free in 2030 paying 35K a year until then, mostly a facility.
Rick: We currently have a non-ideal highschool facility, and we wanted to build a high school in our parking lot. We will need to disucss a new facility into the future, whether we build or rent elsewhere.
We will vote in August.
Rick: There has been large administrative leadership cuts. The board needs to be able to look at leadership staffing in the future.
Rick: remind the board that we don't own this facility, but lease from the City of Wenatchee. We are on the hook for basic maintenance and ops, but for a major failure, it would require the City to step in to support replacement or repairs.
B.
2026/2027 School Year Planning
Sara discussed projected enrollment for the 26-27 SY
- 6th: 25
- 7th: 36
- 8th: 29
- 9th: 30
- 10th: 27
- 11th: 20
- 12th: 24
- Sum: 191 (target is 196)
We had a flurry of apps come in last year in August.
We currently have warm leads and an open house coming up next week. Tabling events coming up as well. Directing social media adds at 6th grade.
Our new enrollment and recruitment person Luis will be back in town and will be able hit the pavement.
Staffing updates:
Still looking for an art teacher
Curriculum- jill disucssed new geometry and SEL curriculum
C.
School Leader Annual Performance Review and Goal Setting
Nate suggested changes to the VOE: adding high expectations for learning and behavior
IV. Committee Reports
A.
Finance
Josh presented the financial data dashboard for the month.
Even though we ended below 60 days cash in June, we are on track to finish 60days cash by end of year.
B.
Development Committee
next year we will have a 25 K fundraising budget.
C.
Academic Excellence
Nate: Original core curriculum selected for Pinnacles is solid, but focuse needs to be on improving instruction and delivery of curriculum, leadership plans to invest heaviliy in additional teacher coaching this year.
Nate discussed launching a school wide AI Policy for next year. Goal for August is to come with a draft framework.
D.
Governance
All current board members are coming back next year with the same officer structure.
Three new board prospects discussed. Next step is to have them come and observe in August.
Rosa: 2 of the three she knows, and they would be great additions to the board.
Rick: If all three prospects accept positions, this will grow us to 9 members on the board.
V. Executive Session
A.
Staffing Discussion
Adjourned at 7:25 to enter Executive Session.
VI. Additional Business
A.
Additional Business and Important Upcoming Dates
Returned from Executive Session to resume additional business at 7:50pm
Propose doing a retreat on October 10th- Saturday AM 8:00am-1:00pm
Jill will look at having lunch with all board members
Erin presented high level status of where are food service program stands after five years of operation.
State subsidy is $4.78 is what you have to purchase the food, make the food, pay the staff, serve food, clean it up, all that. So less than a cup of coffee is kind of the tagline.
Last year revenue was down and costs went up.
Erin did a deep dive on how to save costs.
Increasing participation drives revenue. We never will break even, but we can get close.
Recommendations:
Took data during summer camp and got some good ideas.
Our average meal price is $2.50 that leaves about $2.00 for labor.
Erin can bring in local food.
Staff meals are a great source of revenue.
Culturally relevant/ inclusive meals are really important and we received an award for culturally inclusive meals
Benefits of coop membership is menu planning software.
Nate: How can students help with the food service program to increase meal participation since they are the primary users.