Northwood Academy Charter School
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday April 15, 2020 at 5:30 PM EDT
Location
Northwood Academy Charter School (via Zoom))
This is a public meeting of the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School that was properly advertised pursuant to the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act. The public meeting schedule is posted at the school and on the website.
Please Note: In the interest of the health of our staff, board members and public and in alignment with public health guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board will adjust the way in which it holds its meetings. The meetings will be accessible to the public via Zoom.
Members of the public are invited to participate by submitting written comments via email (board@northwoodcs.org). All written testimony should include the individual’s name, home address and topic. During the public comment section of the meeting, board members will read into the record short summaries of comments, grouped by topic, and will note the number of individuals submitting comments.
Because this is a rapidly evolving situation, the Board of Trustees may have to change the format of the meeting to comply with the latest public health guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The public will be notified of any changes to the meeting.
Please Note: In the interest of the health of our staff, board members and public and in alignment with public health guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board will adjust the way in which it holds its meetings. The meetings will be accessible to the public via Zoom.
Members of the public are invited to participate by submitting written comments via email (board@northwoodcs.org). All written testimony should include the individual’s name, home address and topic. During the public comment section of the meeting, board members will read into the record short summaries of comments, grouped by topic, and will note the number of individuals submitting comments.
Because this is a rapidly evolving situation, the Board of Trustees may have to change the format of the meeting to comply with the latest public health guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The public will be notified of any changes to the meeting.
Agenda
| Purpose | Presenter | Time | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | Opening Items | 5:30 PM | |||
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Opening Items
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| A. | Call the Meeting to Order | Jacqueline Williams | 1 m | ||
| B. | Record Attendance and Guests | Kristie Dugan | 1 m | ||
| C. | Resolution 041520.001: Approval of Agenda | Vote | Jacqueline Williams | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School hereby approves the April 15, 2020 Agenda.
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| D. | Reading of Mission Statement | 1 m | |||
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Northwood Academy Charter School is a comprehensive learning sanctuary that educates and supports the whole child. We achieve this by working as a highly qualified team, that delivers collective knowledge, creativity, and real-world learning experiences needed for students to become successful individuals.
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| E. | Resolution 041520.002: Approval of March 18, 2020 Board Meeting Minutes | Approve Minutes | Jacqueline Williams | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School hereby approves the Minutes of the March 18, 2020 meeting of the Northwood Academy Charter School Board of Trustees.
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| F. | Community Comment | 30 m | |||
| II. | Finance | 6:13 PM | |||
| A. | Resolution 041520.003: Approval of Financials | Vote | Tom Taylor | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School hereby approves the Financial Report and all supporting documents submitted by the Business Manager, which shall be incorporated in the record of this meeting.
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| III. | Committee Reports | 6:18 PM | |||
| A. | Finance Committee | Discuss | Jim Marshall | 5 m | |
| B. | Governance Committee | Discuss | Michael Bly | 5 m | |
| C. | Human Resource Committee | Discuss | Jacqueline Williams | 5 m | |
| D. | Recruitment Committee | Discuss | Jacqueline Williams | 5 m | |
| E. | Strategic Planning Committee | Discuss | Amy Hollister | 5 m | |
| F. | Student Achievement Committee | Discuss | Katrina Maddox | 5 m | |
| IV. | Staff Reports | 6:48 PM | |||
| A. | CEO | Discuss | Amy Hollister | 3 m | |
| B. | Principal | Discuss | Cindy Carey | 3 m | |
| C. | Student Services | Discuss | Amy Hollister | 3 m | |
| D. | Operations | Discuss | Kristie Dugan | 3 m | |
| E. | Human Resources | Discuss | Tracee Hunt | 3 m | |
| V. | Unfinished Business | 7:03 PM | |||
| A. | 12 Month Employee Schedule/Calendar | Discuss | Amy Hollister | 5 m | |
| VI. | New Business | 7:08 PM | |||
| A. | Resolution 041520.004: Personnel (Key Performance Indicator) | Vote | Tracee Hunt | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School hereby accepts the personnel changes, modifications and additions, as presented in the attached Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
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| B. | Resolution 041520.005: Continuity of Education Plan | Vote | Amy Hollister | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School hereby adopts the Continuity of Education Plan submitted to PDE, as presented.
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| C. | Resolution 041520.006: REVISED Academic Calendar 2020-21 School Year | Vote | Amy Hollister | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School hereby adopts the REVISED Academic Calendar for the 2020-21 school year, as presented.
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| D. | Resolution 041520.007: Confidential Settlement Agreement In Re: Student AP | Vote | Amy Hollister | 5 m | |
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RESOLVED, the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School ratifies the Confidential Settlement Agreement In Re: Student AP, as presented.
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| E. | Board Survey Action Plan | Discuss | Jacqueline Williams | 15 m | |
| F. | Resolution 041520.008: Northwood Academy CS Opposition to Proposed Charter School Funding Cuts | Vote | Amy Hollister | 5 m | |
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WHEREAS the right of parents to choose the best school for their children is an urgent civil right;
WHEREAS, all over this Commonwealth, as in every state in the United States, parents of 143,000 students have selected charter schools as the best educational fit for their children; with thousands more on waiting lists;
WHEREAS the vast majority of brick and mortar charter schools are located in underserved areas with a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students;
WHEREAS charter schools receive 25% less funding per student than traditional public schools yet continue to offer superior choice for students; for example, brick and mortar charter schools do not receive per pupil revenue relating to facilities;
WHEREAS, Charter Schools are required by law to operate as public non- profit corporations and are directly accountable to the local authorizing school board and to the Pennsylvania Department of Education;
WHEREAS, the boards of trustees of charter schools are public officials and operate their meetings in public and are required, like school district board members, to file annual ethics statements of financial interest;
WHEREAS, charter schools do not “take” money from school districts, rather school funding follows the student and the family who has made a conscious choice to enroll in a charter school;
WHEREAS the legislative intent of the charter school law is to promote innovative education and increased opportunities for students;
WHEREAS the Pennsylvania Department of Education already authorizes deductions to charter school funding beyond what is provided for in the Charter School Law;
WHEREAS, parents often select charter schools because their students have special education needs;
WHEREAS, while the Governor, through his supporters, has introduced House Bill 2261 and Senate Bill 1064 which will greatly cut funding for charter schools;
WHEREAS the Governor claims he seeks to “level the playing field” in charter funding, with charters already receiving 25% less than school districts, any funding cuts, leveled at special education students would jeopardize the existence of charter schools and therefore limit or eliminate choices for families, especially racial minorities and impoverished students;
WHEREAS, 150 school districts in the Commonwealth fail to make legally required monthly payments to charter schools, thus creating cash flow problems and requiring charter schools to expend time and effort seeking redirection from the Department of Education;
WHEREAS, Governor Wolf displayed his unfair bias against charter schools and their families when he issued an executive requiring charter schools to pay a fee each time a school district violated the law by not making legally required charter school tuition reimbursements and thus forcing charter school to assert a redirection claim;
WHEREAS, charter school students and their families pay tax dollars to fund schools and charter schools are public schools; and
WHEREAS, regardless of what public school a child attends, school district, brick and mortar charter or cyber charter, they are all public-school children and deserve the same financial support.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT NORTHWOOD ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL hereby strongly opposes and condemns Governor Wolf’s charter school funding cut proposals which are embodied in House Bill 2261 and Senate Bill 1024 and urges the Pennsylvania General Assembly to reject these dangerous and destructive cuts. A copy of this Resolution shall be publicized to the Governor, Pennsylvania General Assembly, media outlets and social media as well as other relevant sources.
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| VII. | Closing Items | 7:48 PM | |||
| A. | Adjourn Meeting | Vote | Jacqueline Williams | 1 m | |