Pinnacles Prep Charter School
Minutes
Monthly Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday January 15, 2025 at 5:30 PM
In Person: Pinnacles Prep Campus - Two Bears Art Studio Classroom (504 S. Chelan Ave, Wenatchee)
Online Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81891729392
Board Members: Rick Wray, Blake Baldwin, Flora Fernandez, Bethany Sebastian, Tyler McGee, Josh Castro
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 Karen Rutherford at karen@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
Bethany Sebastian (remote), Flora Fernandez (remote), Josh Castro, Rick Wray, Tyler McGee
Trustees Absent
Blake Baldwin
Guests Present
Jill Fineis, Oscar Licon Eusebio
I. Opening Items
A.
Welcome and Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Policy and Procedure Discussion and Consent Agenda Approval
II. Public Comment Period
A.
Open Floor for Public Comments
No public comment
III. Know Our People, Know Our Programs
A.
Student Guest Speakers
Fours students presented, sharing their experiences about the Media Class and some of the products they've created in the class.
IV. Critical Issue Discussion
A.
Charter Commission Reauthorization Process
J. Barton shared the renewal process overview -
schools can begin application renewal.
September 2025, the commission will vote for renewal during the resolution meeting
- Based on the evidence of performance over the term of the Charter
- Based on academic, financial and operations data that are available to the school and the public
- Commission willl present initial performance report to school on April 1 and Pinnacles will required to submit their renewal application by May 1. Following the submission mt eh Charter Commission will travel to Wenatchee for a site visit the first week of May and then also issue a site visit report.
Ultimately, in making a final renewal diecsion during September board meeting the Commission looks at:
- Charter contract
- Annual performance reports
- Academic performance framework
- Organizational performance framework
- Financial performance framework
- Renewal performance report
- School renewal application
B.
Enrollment Updates and Projections
O. Licon shared updates on enrollment
- Lead Funnel Update: We had numerous leads from previous years that needed to be cleared to avoid missing new leads.
- Meta Ads Strategy: Plans are in place to begin running ads on Meta to generate leads and interest as part of the recruitment process.
- Mariposa and school operations teams are tracking applications and following up with leads within 24 hours.
- Backward Mapping: Recruitment is on track according to the backward map. January marks the start of the heavy recruitment phase. Get Families to the Table
- We will send out an "Intent to Return" survey to gauge how many seats will be available for the upcoming year.
- Launch Meta campaign
- Purchase a list of cold leads and send school print outs/flyers
- We have Established a weekly schedule for family tours
- Ground Game Expansion:
- Community Outreach Ambassadors (COAs) will be mobilized, and Meta ads will be launched to support lead generation.
- Currently looking for an English-speaking COA and expanding door-knocking efforts to a 10-mile radius.
- Data Audit Insights: The data audit revealed that previous systems were flawed, causing missed leads.
- Open House Details:
- An open house will be hosted on January 30th in partnership with school operations.
- All current families and leads will be emailed about the event.
- Board members are welcome to join and participate.
- Focus on Conversions: It’s crucial to ensure smooth conversion of interest into applications and eventually into enrollment.
- Ongoing Efforts: Recruitment efforts remain strong as we continue to backfill for this year while generating leads for the next.
School Operations Updates:
- School Ops has agreed to join future board meetings and provide updates on recruitment efforts and leads.
- Although a lottery may not be held, this approach will help enroll students more quickly, as families will not have to wait to find out if their child has been accepted.
V. Committee Reports
A.
Finance
J. Castro shared the finance dashboard update.
- shared current student recruitment count is at 95%
- Public revenue received as a % of the overall budget is at 31%
- Private revenue received as a % of the overall budget is at 147%
- Expenditures to date as % of overall budget is at 34%
There is an organizational sustainability conversations with the CFO pending
VI. Additional Business
A.
Additional Business
Reminder to sign up for advocacy day for WA charters.
create a presentation for board members to understand charter school finances
B.
Important Upcoming Dates
Mid-year MAP testing for Math and Reading is coming up
Feb 19th is the next board meeting.
High school Exhibition on January 24th, 6 - 8 pm
Jill shared amendments to the policies.
WASDA model policies that Washington state schools adopt.
The student's fines and fees policy is first read: 3250 fees, fines, and charges. This is just the policy; we will discuss the procedure.
Jill discussed a variety of the small policy edits that have been made to a list of previously adopted policies and procedures.