Pinnacles Prep Charter School
Minutes
Monthly Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 19, 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), Blake Baldwin (remote), Flora Fernandez (remote), Josh Castro (remote), Rick Wray
Trustees Absent
Tyler McGee
Guests Present
Amanda Peaslee (remote), Anders Lindgren (remote), Halma Abubakar (remote), Jill Fineis, Julia Fochtman, Tina Nicpan-Brown (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Welcome and Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Policy and Procedure Discussion and Consent Agenda Approval
II. Know our People
A.
Operations
Oscar Licon Esuebio, Director of Operations, and Ignacio "Nacho" Fausto, Operations Manager, provided an overview of the Operations team's roles at Pinnacles Prep.
The Operations team is responsible for various functions, including technical support, facilities management, transportation, and other essential services.
Note: This item was added to the agenda after its publication.
III. Public Comment Period
A.
Open Floor for Public Comments
There were no requests for public comment.
IV. Critical Issue Discussion
A.
Student Enrollment Update
SchoolOps provided an update on student enrollment progress, highlighting several recruitment challenges. These include lower enrollment for incoming 7th graders, larger mid-year exit cohorts compared to previous years, geographic saturation, and broader national trends such as declining birth rates and increased homeschooling, online schooling, and religious schooling.
SchoolOps noted that these patterns have been disproportionately higher in 6th grade compared to other grades.
Rick inquired about the ability to track local homeschooling and private school enrollment rates. SchoolOps will conduct research and follow up with the board on any trends they identify.
To support recruitment efforts, SchoolOps has developed a dashboard to serve as both a playbook and a tool for tracking progress. Rick requested that SchoolOps provide monthly enrollment projections for the board.
Blake suggested that the Governance Committee's community engagement goals align well with recruitment efforts. He has reached out to all Rotary clubs in the Wenatchee Valley and has received responses offering opportunities to present. Blake will connect Rick with each club’s program coordinator to schedule presentations about Pinnacles Prep. Julia from SchoolOps will assist presenters in preparing for these engagements.
B.
Charter Contract Renewal Process Update
Jill shared that a public comment period for Pinnacles Prep's charter contract renewal will begin on April 1.
Several items are due by May 1, and Jill, Sara, and Rick are collaborating to complete and submit them.
On May 6, the Washington State Charter School Commission will conduct a site visit, followed by a "renewal inspection visit report."
Pinnacles Prep is working with a third party to assist with strategic planning and drafting the renewal application.
C.
Legislative Session Update
Jill provided the board with an update on the legislative session. She is closely tracking three bills related to waivers, local education agencies, and dormant charters.
She will present a more detailed update on the waiver bill at the March board meeting.
D.
Mid Year Academic Growth and Achievement Report
Jill reminded the board of Pinnacles Prep’s 100% student achievement goal:
- 50% of high school students are fully on track.
- 44% are off track in one or two classes and will be encouraged to enroll in credit recovery courses.
- 6% are significantly off track, and parent meetings are being scheduled to discuss pathways to success.
Jill also shared the student academic growth summary report with the board.
E.
Leadership Staff Transition
Oscar announced that he will be stepping down as Director of Operations due to his relocation. He will transition out of his role in March.
Sean Koester will return as Interim Director of Operations until the position is filled. The goal is to hire a new Director of Operations by early summer.
V. Committee Reports
A.
Finance
Josh presented the monthly financial dashboard, highlighting the following:
- Student recruitment count: Yellow status
- Public revenue: Yellow status
- Private revenue: On track (Green status)
- Expenditures to date: On track (Green status)
- Cash on hand: Expected to be above 60 days by year-end but currently below (Yellow status)
B.
Governance Committee
Rick announced that Tyler McGee will step down from the board on March 1, 2025.
The Governance Committee will discuss strategy and timing for recruiting new board members.
Rick reminded board members to complete their F-1 Financial Filings by April 15, 2025.
VI. Additional Business
A.
Additional Business
Rick proposed the following changes to the board meeting schedule:
- Move the March board meeting to April 3rd.
- Move the April 16th board meeting to April 23rd.
The board agreed to these scheduling changes.
Rick and Jill reviewed the consent agenda after calling the meeting to order.