Northwood Academy Charter School
Minutes
Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 19, 2020 at 5:30 PM
Location
Northwood Academy Charter School (4621 Castor Avenue)
A public meeting of the Board of Trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School that was properly advertised pursuant to the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act was held on February 19, 2020 at 4621 Castor Avenue.
Trustees Present
D. Madison, J. Marshall, J. Williams, K. Maddox, K. Spraga, M. Bly, V. Jefferson
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
A. Hollister, C. Carey, K. Dugan, T. Hunt, T. Taylor
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
J. Williams called a meeting of the board of trustees of Northwood Academy Charter School to order on Wednesday Feb 19, 2020 at 5:58 PM.
B.
Record Attendance and Guests
C.
Resolution 021920.001: Approval of Agenda
D. Madison made a motion to approve the amended February 19, 2020 agenda.
V. Jefferson seconded the motion.
Resolution 021920.009 will be added to New Business.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Resolution 021920.002: Approval of January 15, 2020 Board Meeting Minutes
D. Madison made a motion to approve the minutes from Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting on 01-15-20.
K. Maddox seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Community Comment
No Community Comment
II. Finance
A.
Resolution 021920.003: Approval of Financials
J. Marshall made a motion to approve the Financial Report and all supporting documents submitted by the Business Manager.
M. Bly seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Committee Reports
A.
Finance Committee
J. Marshall (Committee Chair) reviewed the original budget assumptions (Version 0) for the proposed 2020-2021 Fiscal Budget. As a result of the proposed Special Education funding cuts by the Governor, worst case and best-case scenario budgets will be developed simultaneously. In the event a worst-case scenario budget is adopted, our debt service ratio will be met. The committee will meet every month to work through the budget process. Any items for purchase should be submitted to the Finance Committee with a Cost Benefit Analysis. The final budget version will only include items approved on the committee level.
T. Taylor left early.
B.
Governance Committee
No Committee Report.
C.
Human Resource Committee
J. Williams (Committee Chair) stated the staff survey/focus group action plans are being developed by administration. Next committee meeting is scheduled for March 4th @ 6:00pm.
D.
Recruitment Committee
D. Madison (Committee Chair) discussed the recent interview of Paul Kleschick as a potential board member; five (5) Trustees participated in the interview and evaluation. Committee presented official recommendation to accept Paul Kleschick as a new board member. Additional discussion and next steps regarding recruitment of a new parent board member. Committee will accept a resume or letter of intent form parents as a first step in expressing interest. Any questions regarding the process should be directed back to the committee.
E.
Strategic Planning Committee
No Committee Report.
F.
Student Achievement Committee
K. Maddox (Committee Chair) stated the next committee is scheduled for March 4th @ 5:30pm.
IV. Staff Reports
A.
CEO
Board reviewed the February 2020 CEO report, previously submitted by A. Hollister.
Discussion included:
Discussion included:
- Phase1 : Stakeholder Engagement is complete of our Goal Setting Initiatives. Next steps include, Goal and Dashboard development.
- Legal Requirements associated with the Charter Renewal will be uploaded into Epicenter by 3/13/20. Board approval needed on:
● Attestation regarding employee clearances
● Authorization of execution and delivery of charter
● Compliance with Ethics Act/Conflict of interest
● Execution and Request Payments - SPR and ACE reports have been preliminarily shared. Once made public, those will be analyzed
and shared with our community and posted. Reports will be shared at our March board meeting.
B.
Principal
Board reviewed the February 2020 Principal report, previously submitted by C. Carey.
Discussion included:
Discussion included:
- Math Curriculum Committee Update: Eleven teachers met on January 22nd to review samples from three different companies. The following took place:
○ Teachers reviewed our current program and answered the following questions:
■ What does our current program do well in terms of student acquisition and implementation of mathematical practices?
■ Where does our program fall short? What gaps are evident?
■ What would be present in our ideal program?
■ What instructional practices need to be consistent from grade to grade (thinking ahead for PD)? - Levels of Violations Document for Discipline: A meeting took place with all of the teachers, including specialists teachers the week of January 13th for more feedback.
C.
Student Services
Board reviewed the February 2020 Student Services report, previously submitted by P. Freidman.
No further discussion.
No further discussion.
D.
Operations
Board reviewed the February 2020 Operations report, previously submitted by K. Dugan.
Discussion included:
Discussion included:
- EMCO has split into two (2) entities. Northwood will continue with our current contract within the education division.
E.
Human Resources
Board reviewed the February 2020 Human Resources report, previously submitted by Total HR Solutions. No further discusssion.
V. Unfinished Business
A.
Non-Instructional Performance Evaluation Update
Board reviewed Non-Instructional Performance Evaluation templates. No further discussion.
B.
New Position (Executive Administrative Assistant)
Resolution tabled from January 15, 2020 Board of Trustees Meeting. Administration will present new position packet during March 18, 2020 Board of Trustees Meeting.
VI. New Business
A.
Resolution 021920.004: Personnel (Key Performance Indicator)
M. Bly made a motion to accept the personnel changes, modifications and additions as presented in the attached Key Performance Indicator (KPI).
J. Marshall seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Resolution 021920.005: Board of Trustees Execution and Payment Requests
J. Marshall made a motion to authorize the Officers of the Board of Trustees as such persons who are authorized to execute and request payments under the Charter for Northwood Academy Charter School.
V. Jefferson seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Resolution 021920.006: Board of Trustees Attestation Re: State/Federal Employment Requirements
D. Madison made a motion to ratify the attest by signature of Board President and Board Secretary that staff hired as of the date of this resolution and all staff hired thereafter are/will be compliant with state and federal requirements sufficient to support the Charter School’s educational program and that such employees have or will provide(d) complete and appropriate criminal and child abuse records checks and all necessary certifications as required by the Charter and applicable law. All employees will receive training as Mandatory Reporters as required by law.
K. Maddox seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Resolution 021920.007: Board of Trustees Conflict of Interest Policy and Code of Ethics
M. Bly made a motion to adopt a Conflicts of Interest Policy and Code of Ethics for Trustees and Officers.
J. Marshall seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Resolution 021920.008: Execution of Charter Renewal Agreement
K. Maddox made a motion to authorize the execution of the Charter by the President of the Board of Trustees and the delivery of the performance of the Charter.
M. Bly seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Madison |
Aye
|
| M. Bly |
Aye
|
| K. Spraga |
Aye
|
| J. Williams |
Aye
|
| K. Maddox |
Aye
|
| V. Jefferson |
Aye
|
| J. Marshall |
Aye
|
F.
Resolution 021920.009: Appointment of Paul Kleschick, Trustee
J. Marshall made a motion to appoint Paul Kleschick to serve as a Trustee effective March 18, 2020.
M. Bly seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| V. Jefferson |
Abstain
|
| K. Maddox |
Aye
|
| J. Marshall |
Aye
|
| J. Williams |
Aye
|
| D. Madison |
Aye
|
| M. Bly |
Aye
|
| K. Spraga |
Aye
|
C. Carey left early.
K. Dugan left early.
T. Hunt left early.
K. Dugan left early.
T. Hunt left early.
VII. EXECUTIVE SESSION
A.
Legal
Upon motion by D. Madison and seconded by M. Bly the Board unanimously ENTERED into executive session.
B.
Personnel
Upon motion by J. Marshall and seconded by K. Spraga the Board unanimously ENTERED into open session.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
J. Marshall made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
K. Spraga 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 9:16 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
M. Bly