Research Triangle High School
Minutes
Annual Retreat incl. minimal monthly meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday November 14, 2018 at 4:00 PM
Location
Page Road Grill - Private Room
- What’s worked, what hasn’t – Please use Assessment Results from Board on Track as an input
- Key challenges
- Goals – 1 year and longer
In addition, we would like input from each committee on their view of the 1 or 2 recommended Board Priorities for the year.
Directors Present
A. Quigley, C. Mugge, C. Rao, G. Rodgers, R. Cohn, S. Mcmullan, S. Rivers-Kobler, T. Medhin, T. Vaidhyan, V. Vojnovich
Directors Absent
E. Cunningham
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
A. Quigley, S. Rivers-Kobler
Guests Present
E. Grunden, P. Blizzard
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C. Mugge called a meeting of the board of directors of Research Triangle High School to order on Wednesday Nov 14, 2018 at 4:00 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
R. Cohn made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 10-17-18 Board Meeting on 10-17-18.
V. Vojnovich seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Overview and Icebreaker
A.
Introduction and Ice Breaker Exercise
S. Rivers-Kobler arrived.
A. Quigley arrived.
III. CEO Update
A.
CEO Update
IV. Committee Updates
A.
Finance Update
Levers for Success
- Look into preparing an Annual Report - high level information - to share with parents to bring awareness on School budget/expense and revenue. Will help facilitate better understanding of how the school is being run. Will also help in the Development process
Future Conversation: 4 things to prioritize
- Teachers salaries, masters category
- Replication and Scaling - funding salaries for that
- Gym, soccer field, solar energy
- Buy back bonds in yr 10+ - free up future cash flow
Committee Goals:
- Educate board members on charter school finances (reading and interpreting FS)
- Complete policies and procedures and circulate among BOD for review
- Educate and make Board comfortable with Audit process
- Make BOD aware of compliance requirements undertaken by Staff
- Develop a long-term process for cash assets; Close on establishment of the Foundation
- Look into preparing an Annual Report - high level information - to share with parents to bring awareness on School budget/expense and revenue. Will help facilitate better understanding of how the school is being run. Will also help in the Development process
Future Conversation: 4 things to prioritize
- Teachers salaries, masters category
- Replication and Scaling - funding salaries for that
- Gym, soccer field, solar energy
- Buy back bonds in yr 10+ - free up future cash flow
Committee Goals:
- Educate board members on charter school finances (reading and interpreting FS)
- Complete policies and procedures and circulate among BOD for review
- Educate and make Board comfortable with Audit process
- Make BOD aware of compliance requirements undertaken by Staff
- Develop a long-term process for cash assets; Close on establishment of the Foundation
B.
Academic Excellence Update
Actions for consideration - Long and Short Term
- Enhance sharing of data and committee activities with full board
- Improve on our ability to gauge student growth while obtaining valid comparison data
- Improve on our ability to measure results associated with instructional decisions and curricula
- Leverage individual level data (within RTHS or elsewhere) to gauge student growth, moving away from measures of proficiency and toward raw score to better characterize performance
- Characterize student body diversity (socioeconomically, demographically) and investigate associated academic performance measures
- Pursue options for an alumni survey, e.g. to investigate 2- or 4-year college experiences and other post-graduation outcomes
- Investigate faculty professional development beyond high-level summary measures
- Develop RTHS staff expertise to gather and analyze academic data
C.
Working Dinner
D.
Development Update
Actions/Goals - Short term (1 year)
- Annual Fundraising event
- RTP Rotary Initiative. Annual Event?
- Development Training for all Board Members
- "Giving" by all parents (all-parent canvass - by framing a story and making a case for "giving); Finalize in December 2018?
- Work on specific grants in 2018-19; Future grant strategy
- Update Parent and Corporate Partners database
Development efforts:
- $10k funding by Credit Suisse in 2018-2019 for "Girls Who Code"
- Credit Suisse has replicated this funding for next school year also
- Annual Fundraising event
- RTP Rotary Initiative. Annual Event?
- Development Training for all Board Members
- "Giving" by all parents (all-parent canvass - by framing a story and making a case for "giving); Finalize in December 2018?
- Work on specific grants in 2018-19; Future grant strategy
- Update Parent and Corporate Partners database
Development efforts:
- $10k funding by Credit Suisse in 2018-2019 for "Girls Who Code"
- Credit Suisse has replicated this funding for next school year also
E.
Governance Update
Board on Track Assessments:
- Discuss recommendations among Governance Committee members and get back to the Board on the following:
- Board Accountability
- Board Recruitment
- Discuss recommendations among Governance Committee members and get back to the Board on the following:
- Board Accountability
- Board Recruitment
V. Work Session
A.
Develop Unified Set of Actions
Consensus on items to prioritize:
- Long term strategy to prioritize capital assets
- Ensure pipeline; Long term recruitment planning
- Strategic development plan
- Statistics on Teacher/Performance attrition; Measure results on Curricula; Succession Plan; Add the Future of Work analysis;
Projection on success with Alumni
- Messaging - Who we are; What's next for RTHS; Re-establish this work - Marketing & Branding; Awareness of local partnering opportunities; Presentation by brand folks to BOD; Work in partnership with Development; Review OCS grant opportunity
- Long term strategy to prioritize capital assets
- Ensure pipeline; Long term recruitment planning
- Strategic development plan
- Statistics on Teacher/Performance attrition; Measure results on Curricula; Succession Plan; Add the Future of Work analysis;
Projection on success with Alumni
- Messaging - Who we are; What's next for RTHS; Re-establish this work - Marketing & Branding; Awareness of local partnering opportunities; Presentation by brand folks to BOD; Work in partnership with Development; Review OCS grant opportunity
VI. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
V. Vojnovich made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
C. Rao seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
C. Rao
- New Development: Robotics team to partner with four other teams, through FIRST Robotics management, and collaborate on a shared space across the street in one of the new Frontier buildings.
- Potential conversation with RTP leadership about partnering on a possible gym with an emerging tenant
Strategic Initiatives/Goals under Consideration
- Get more clarity on the type of school RTHS is. STEM School or more? Be more definitive; Bring more clarity
- Revisioning faculty/parent/student
- Focus on messaging and communication with stakeholders/media/community
- Changing now teachers assess/evaluate themselves; how do they view themselves. Change it - An exercise under consideration