Ogden Preparatory Academy
Minutes
OPA Board of Directors Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday September 9, 2021 at 4:30 PM
Location
1435 Lincoln Avenue
Ogden UT 84404
Ogden UT 84404
VISION: Ogden Preparatory Academy’s vision is to create a positive, nurturing environment for students to grow and learn as they develop the skills necessary to become tomorrow’s leaders. Through high academic expectations and experiences, bilingual exposure, leadership roles and commitment to community, OPA students will gain confidence and a sense of self worth that will prepare them to face the challenges in a competitive world.
Directors Present
J. Howell (remote), M. Swenson, M. Ward, S. Mejeur, S. Zwygart (remote), T. D'Hulst (remote), W. Davis (remote)
Directors Absent
N. Bowsher
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
J. Howell
Directors who left before the meeting adjourned
J. Howell
Ex Officio Members Present
A. Perez (remote), D. Deem (remote), K. Kennington, S. Lopez (remote), S. Mathers (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
A. Perez (remote), D. Deem (remote), K. Kennington, S. Lopez (remote), S. Mathers (remote)
Guests Present
E. Callison, S. Adams, S. Wright (remote), T. Young
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
S. Zwygart called a meeting of the board of directors of Ogden Preparatory Academy to order on Thursday Sep 9, 2021 at 4:34 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
W. Davis made a motion to approve the minutes from OPA Board of Directors Meeting on 08-12-21.
T. D'Hulst seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
D.
Consent Calendar
E.
Release Nick Bowsher from the OPA Board.
S. Mejeur made a motion to Release Nick Bowsher from his board duties.
M. Ward seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
F.
New Board Member
W. Davis made a motion to nominate Mark Swenson to the board of directors.
M. Ward seconded the motion.
New board member introduction - Mark Swenson.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
J. Howell arrived at 4:40 PM.
II. Executive Session
A.
Enter Closed Session
M. Ward made a motion to Enter a closed session to protect the privacy of an individual(s).
S. Mejeur seconded the motion.
- When another law requires the board to meet in executive session, such as to protect the privacy of an individual.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Mejeur |
Aye
|
| S. Zwygart |
Aye
|
| M. Ward |
Aye
|
| T. D'Hulst |
Aye
|
| M. Swenson |
Aye
|
| J. Howell |
Aye
|
| N. Bowsher |
Absent
|
| W. Davis |
Aye
|
B.
Exit Closed Sesssion
W. Davis made a motion to end the close closed session and reopen the open session.
S. Mejeur seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Zwygart |
Aye
|
| S. Mejeur |
Aye
|
| T. D'Hulst |
Aye
|
| M. Swenson |
Aye
|
| M. Ward |
Aye
|
| J. Howell |
Aye
|
| N. Bowsher |
Absent
|
| W. Davis |
Aye
|
C.
Decision(s) made during closed session.
T. D'Hulst made a motion to approve what was discussed in closed session.
W. Davis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
III. Finance
A.
Financial Review
Everything is looking good, but will continue to monitor throughout the year and make sure we are hitting our plans. Expenses are trending a little high, but that is typical at this point in the year.
October 1 is the official count for revenue.
October 1 is the official count for revenue.
B.
Chromebook Purchase
T. D'Hulst made a motion to to approve chromebook purchases with the vendor Trox.
M. Ward seconded the motion.
Adding more touchscreen chromebooks to K2 to get inventory back to 1:1 in the Elementary. A lot of losses of devices from checking out devices during COVID.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
C.
Smoke/Vape Detection
S. Mejeur made a motion to Approve Verkada smoke/vapor detectors at the price listed for 3 years.
J. Howell seconded the motion.
Discussed the differences in the three different quotes. All would satisfy our need and can give immediate notifications/alerts. However, Verkada has advanced features and will last longer as the technology improves.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
D.
Wellness Program
J. Howell made a motion to Wellness plan to use WellSteps for the amount listed.
M. Ward seconded the motion.
Wellsteps is a platform that we would like to use for our Wellness Program. It can do a lot more than we can do on our own as we have in the past. The incentives would be what we have already allocated into our budget. We would like to try it this year and our goal is to gain more participation from staff and help with insurance premiums moving forward
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
E.
Outdoor Learning Center
Teresa Hislop applied for a grant last year to help with creating an outdoor learning center. Through much planning, we have decided to use outdoor space to build a pavilion with picnic tables that can be used by classes and the public.
This vote is just for the pavilion, not the tables. We just need to decide what we want it to look like. Everyone likes the look of the Sunshade version. But will need to follow-up with the vendor to make sure that it is structure safe.
This vote has been tabled until next time.
This vote is just for the pavilion, not the tables. We just need to decide what we want it to look like. Everyone likes the look of the Sunshade version. But will need to follow-up with the vendor to make sure that it is structure safe.
This vote has been tabled until next time.
IV. Administrative Report
A.
Administrative Board Report
After School Program - It's ready to start Monday, Sept 13.
Oregon Coast Trip
COVID
We are following guidelines from the health department. Updates on current school cases. We have the kits ready if we need to do Test to Stay. We are getting support ready if we need to move to online for students. Staff was very grateful for the approval to install air filtration in both buildings.
Enrollment
Numbers are looking good and we are continuing to add students.
We are at a 89% retention rate.
- Elementary: All students who initially signed up is enrolled (56). With a ratio about 9 children to one adult. Very excited to get it started.
- Junior High is still looking for a couple more tutors, but is excited to get started.
Oregon Coast Trip
- A big turn out of students and parents interested in going at the parent night
- Background checks and enough parent chaperones have signed up
- Mask rules and protocol if anyone gets sick have been discussed. There will be enough drivers if isolation is needed
- Discussed sharing information and details earlier to give parents more time to plan and get supplies together for the trip.
- Slowly implementing strategies into both buildings
- The plan was to move forward to push to become a Lighthouse school. That is on hold for now as we prioritize other things.
- It has begun!
COVID
We are following guidelines from the health department. Updates on current school cases. We have the kits ready if we need to do Test to Stay. We are getting support ready if we need to move to online for students. Staff was very grateful for the approval to install air filtration in both buildings.
Enrollment
Numbers are looking good and we are continuing to add students.
We are at a 89% retention rate.
B.
Spain Field Trip Approval
M. Swenson made a motion to Cancel the Spain Trip for the 21-22 school year.
T. D'Hulst seconded the motion.
Decide if we want to move forward with the Spain Trip. Preparations and fundraising will need to start now. There is a concern right now that participants will need to test positive in order to come home. This could be risky in that students/chaperones could get stuck over there. The trip occurs in April/May, which is a long way off and we don't know what is going to happen in the coming months. Would like to discuss an alternative possibly in the future.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| W. Davis |
No
|
| N. Bowsher |
Absent
|
| S. Zwygart |
Aye
|
| T. D'Hulst |
Aye
|
| M. Ward |
Aye
|
| S. Mejeur |
No
|
| J. Howell |
Aye
|
| M. Swenson |
Aye
|
C.
LEA License Approval
S. Mejeur made a motion to Approve the LEA License requests.
T. D'Hulst seconded the motion.
LEA Specific License - gives you time for the individuals to finish up their licensure. We propose 1-year for these individuals.
Camie Walker - Secondary LEA License
Bethany Lovelady - Paperwork will be done by December, but won't meet the October 1 deadline.
Hazel Christiansen - Going to start her program again, but won't meet the October 1 deadline.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Camie Walker - Secondary LEA License
Bethany Lovelady - Paperwork will be done by December, but won't meet the October 1 deadline.
Hazel Christiansen - Going to start her program again, but won't meet the October 1 deadline.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| W. Davis |
Aye
|
| S. Mejeur |
Aye
|
| S. Zwygart |
Aye
|
| N. Bowsher |
Absent
|
| M. Ward |
Aye
|
| J. Howell |
Aye
|
| M. Swenson |
No
|
| T. D'Hulst |
Aye
|
J. Howell left.
V. Policies
A.
Revised/Reviewed Policies
W. Davis made a motion to Approve the Wellness, Electronic Meetings, and Concussion & Head Injury policies.
S. Mejeur seconded the motion.
Policy updates:
Wellness Policy
Electronic Meetings Policy
Concussion & Head Injury Policy
Discussed the need to revise policies. The state gives a list of everything that needs to be updated in the Spring. Usually the policies are on a timeline of revision of about three years. They are pretty proscriptive to what we need to have in our policies.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Wellness Policy
Electronic Meetings Policy
Concussion & Head Injury Policy
Discussed the need to revise policies. The state gives a list of everything that needs to be updated in the Spring. Usually the policies are on a timeline of revision of about three years. They are pretty proscriptive to what we need to have in our policies.
B.
Special Education Policies and Procedures
Discussed the updates to Special Education policies and procedures manual.
This will be tabled for another time to make a decision.
This will be tabled for another time to make a decision.
M. Ward made a motion to Approve the Special Education Policies and Procedures.
S. Mejeur seconded the motion.
Discussed the updates to Special Education policies and procedures manual.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
C.
Harassment Policy (new)
W. Davis made a motion to Approve the Harassment Policy.
S. Mejeur seconded the motion.
This is specific to employees
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
VI. Committees
A.
Board Committee Assignments
Finished the board committee assignments.
VII. Other Business
A.
Other Discussion Items
N/A
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:17 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
S. Zwygart
Note- Elementary Sound System was previously approved, however the quote has been increased by $1,000. Will leave on consent calendar for next month.