Rooted School - Washington
Minutes
Rooted School Vancouver Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday February 24, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Location
Rooted School Vancouver
10401 NE Fourth Plain Blvd, Suite 201
Vancouver, WA 98662
Directors Present
A. Davis (remote), A. Duncan (remote), A. Mason, L. White (remote), N. Chen
Directors Absent
R. Johnson
Guests Present
Italiana hughes (remote), J. Singleton, K. Silberstein (remote), M. Rauda
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
II. Approval of Minutes
A.
Approve Minutes from January 27, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
B.
Approve Minutes from January 31 Special Board Meeting
III. Communications
A.
Welcome Community Members
B.
Initial Public Comment
IV. REPORTS, REQUESTS, AND COMMENTS BY BOARD MEMBERS
A.
Reports, Requests, and Comments by Board Members
Board members shared updates and recognitions, including:
Nikki Chen reported that she had an upcoming meeting to secure an indoor location for a May 30 community event, the “Sprinkles Beloved Community Market,” intended to bring communities of color together for a market and live entertainment.
Board members discussed possible vendor outreach and support for the event.
A board shout-out was given to students, families, Jamila, and Ashley Duncan for advocacy efforts in Olympia. Members noted pride in students’ engagement with legislators and shared that some participants would be returning later in the week.
B.
Student Rep Board Report
Crystal shared student feedback and priorities, including:
Student interest in more clubs, especially sports and art clubs
Student need for additional breaks or wellness time during the school day
Student desire for more field trips, especially to colleges and technology-related organizations
Crystal reported she is working with staff and student government to gather club ideas, support student wellness, and pursue field trip opportunities. She noted outreach to Seattle University and interest in other higher education and tech partners. Board members offered possible support and contacts, including future opportunities involving City Hall, BSU-related programming, and local business tours.
V. BOARD ACTION ITEMS
A.
Compliance Dashboard – February Review
The board reviewed the February 2026 compliance dashboard.
Jamila reported that enrollment had improved slightly to 65 students, with a 66th student expected to enroll the following day. The dashboard still reflected enrollment below target, though trending positively. During discussion, Ach’ Sheila Davis requested that “Alaskan Native” be corrected to “Alaska Native” in the dashboard materials, and staff agreed to update the source document.
B.
Related-Party Vendor Disclosure, Ratification, and Control Adoption — #ISupportIt! The Brand
Motion 1: Acknowledge Disclosure
The board acknowledged the Executive Director’s disclosure that I Support the Brand is a related-party vendor and that the conflict will be managed through recusal and independent approval controls.
Motion 2: Ratify Expenses to Date
The board ratified previously paid vendor expenses to I Support the Brand totaling $3,010.37, including invoices 01053, 01054, 01060, and 01061, with the understanding that the costs will be recorded to non-restricted funds only and that future transactions will follow board-adopted controls.
Motion 3: Adopt SOP for Future Transactions
The board adopted the SOP titled “Credit Card Purchases from iSupport the Brand, Related Party Vendor Controls,” effective February 27, 2026. The SOP includes Executive Director recusal from approvals, coding, and payment authorization; use of credit card-only transactions; non-restricted funds only; designation of Angie Lundgrenas the non-conflicted approver for pre-approval, receipt review, and coding approval; record retention requirements; and board chair approval during Angie’s absence or leave.
VI. Consent Agenda
A.
Approval of Financial Disbursements and Payroll as Audited and Certified per RCW Regulations
B.
Specialized Transportation Service - Rooted School Vancouver - 26037-355
C.
ASB Governance & Fundraising Approvals (Student Council Documentation Packet)
VII. BOARD INFORMATION/DISCUSSION ITEMS
A.
Financial Update (as of January 31, 2026)
B.
Committee Reports
Governance Committee
Ach’ Sheila Davis reported that the committee reviewed the Executive Director annual review process and recommended maintaining consistency with the prior framework for this first year. The committee plans to begin the Executive Director review process at the end of the school year, with review activity beginning in June. She also reported that board members were asked to individually confirm whether they intend to continue serving, to support recruitment and succession planning.
Academic Excellence Committee
Ashley Duncan reported that the committee began reviewing policies to address over the coming months and discussed ACT testing planning. Jamila added that staff are preparing student-related policies, including field trip and graduation-related items, for first read. The committee is also working on the 2026–27 school-year calendar, including career fairs, FAFSA nights, college nights, internships, scholarships, college days, dances, graduation, awards, and grad night planning.
Fund Development Committee
No meeting was held this month.
Finance Committee
The committee reviewed the financials already presented to the full board.
Additional discussion included a spring dance/event hold at Fourth Plain Forward, with a tentative reduced-use arrangement at $150 and an end time of 9:00 p.m.
VIII. 26-27 Enrollment Update
A.
Discussion
Jamila shared additional enrollment and outreach updates, including:
The March 2 lottery would occur only if applications exceed available seats
At the time of the report, there were 16 students for 35 available seats for next year
SchoolOps was contracted to support enrollment while Angie prepares for family leave
The school had approximately 60 leads from Meta ads and other sources
25 applications had been submitted, including 16 for next year and 9 for the current year
A recent open house produced a strong community response and at least one or two current-year enrollments
The school continues weekly student shadow visits
Three paid interns will be hired to strengthen social media and enrollment marketing efforts
IX. Executive Session (Estimated 10 minutes)
A.
A. Executive Session — Legal Counsel (Potential Litigation / Settlement Discussion)
The board recessed into executive session pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) to discuss potential litigation. The executive session was announced to last approximately 10 minutes, with no final action to be taken during executive session. The board stated it would reconvene in open session at approximately 7:03 p.m.
B.
Return to Open Session (Action if needed)
The board returned to open session. No final action was taken following executive session.
The public comment procedures were read aloud. No public comments were offered.