Board Members:

Adrienne Mason: Board Chairperson

Sheila Davis: Board Secretary

Denise Grant: Board Member

Tyrone Foster - Board Member 

Lisa White - Board Member

Ashley Duncan - Board Member

Nikki Chen - Board Member

Rhianna Johnson - Board Member

Rooted School Foundation/School Officials:

Steven Carney: Executive Director & School Leader - RSV
 

BOARD SECRETARY TO READ PRIOR TO ALL PUBLIC COMMENT:

Our Public Comment period is for members of the public to address the board. Each member of the public may sign up to comment at the meeting and will be allotted three - five minutes. The board will listen, but may not directly respond to any comments. Please do not use specific student, teacher or administrator names in your comments as our meetings are open to the public and public record, and we must adhere to FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. As such, if your comment is about a private matter, please contact the board via email, or speak to the board chair privately.

Purpose:
To formally notify the Board of Steven Carney’s transition from the Executive Director role, affirm Adrienne Lee-Kernell’s appointment as School Leader, and initiate the search process for Rooted School Vancouver’s next Executive Director.

Background:
Steven Carney has accepted a network-level position as Senior Director of Growth and Innovation at Rooted School Foundation. He will remain actively involved in supporting Rooted School Vancouver to ensure fidelity to the model and continuity in leadership. Adrienne Lee-Kernell, who has served as Assistant School Leader and played a key role in the school’s launch, will step into the role of School Leader effective July 1, 2025.

This change creates the need to launch a thoughtful, equity-centered search process for a new Executive Director who will focus on external relations, fundraising, organizational growth, and board engagement — ensuring alignment with the broader Rooted mission.

Objectives for This Item:

Acknowledge and formally accept Steven’s resignation as Executive Director

Affirm Adrienne’s appointment as permanent School Leader

Launch Executive Director search process in collaboration with Rooted School Foundation

Discuss formation of a Board-led Search Committee (if applicable)

Review draft transition timeline and success metrics

Proposed Actions:

Approve leadership transition plan

Direct RSF and/or Board committee to finalize and post Executive Director job description

Set target date for next transition progress check-in

Supporting Documents:

Transition Plan

Executive Director Draft Job Posting (if ready)

Communication Timeline (Staff, Families, Authorizers)

Purpose:

To update the Board on initial due diligence activities related to the potential acquisition of Whatcom Intergenerational High School (WIHS), share early findings, and gather board input on whether to pursue further exploration or formally close this pathway.

Background:

As part of Rooted’s broader commitment to growth with purpose, we’ve been cautiously exploring opportunities to expand access to our model across Washington. WIHS was identified as a possible strategic fit, given its equity-focused mission and standing as a charter school in Whatcom County.
 

Since our last board meeting, we have initiated light-touch due diligence to better understand alignment, feasibility, and risk. This agenda item is a check-in to share what we’ve learned and assess if there is interest in continuing exploration.

Preliminary Learnings:

• Mission Alignment: WIHS shares some values around equity and community partnership, but its academic model, staffing approach, and scale differ notably from Rooted’s.
• Enrollment & Financial Viability: Ongoing enrollment and fiscal sustainability challenges raise questions about long-term fit and turnaround capacity.
• Facility Status: WIHS is in a leased space with limited room for growth.
• Governance & Legal Considerations: Early exploration suggests any acquisition or reorganization would be complex and require significant legal, operational, and political navigation.
• Leadership Interest: Some openness to collaboration has been expressed by WIHS leadership, but no formal proposal or agreement has been initiated.

Board Discussion Goals:

• Do we see strategic alignment and potential value in continuing exploration?
• What non-negotiables must be in place for Rooted to consider acquisition or support?
• Should we pursue additional due diligence or step back and focus on internal capacity-building?

Possible Next Steps (if Board expresses interest):

• Schedule follow-up conversation with WIHS leadership
• Commission more in-depth financial/legal review
• Engage WA Charters and Charter Commission for guidance
• Draft exploration parameters for review in future meeting