Voices College-Bound Language Academies

Minutes

Annual and Regular Board Meeting

Date and Time

Friday August 9, 2024 at 12:00 PM

Location

715 Hellyer Ave., San Jose, Ca 95111

14271 Story Rd., San Jose, Ca 95127

201 28th St., Richmond CA 94804

321 E. Weber St., Stockton CA95202

17740 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Instructions For Presentations To The Board By Parents and Citizens
PUBLIC COMMENTS OF PERSONS DESIRING TO ADDRESS THE BOARD
SUBMIT PUBLIC COMMENThttp://bit.ly/voices-public-comment 
At this time, members of the public may address the Board on any issue within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Board that is not listed on this agenda. Members of the public may also address the Board on an agenda item before or during the Board's consideration of the item. Submitted comments may be read into the record to the extent practicable based upon factors such as the length of the agenda and available time. Comments received within the window of the board meeting whether read or not, will be shared with the board and noted in the minutes.
Individual commenters are limited to a single comment per agenda item.
Public comments will be accepted prior to, and during the board meeting, subject to limitations discussed here.
Comments may be read in the order received and will be accepted up to the point each agenda item is heard, acted upon or when the Board President has completed the call for public comment on that agenda item.
Comments submitted during the board meeting but after the agenda item has been called for a vote, or has already been completed will not be read publicly, but may be entered into the record.
Comments should be limited to 400 words or less, and will need to be readable within the time allocated for each comment. These presentations are limited to no more than 15 minutes total and 3 minutes per person. A full comment may not be read if the length of time to read the comment exceeds the designated limit. No action can be taken on an item not on the agenda at this time but may be referred to the administration or put on a future agenda.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  1. When addressing the Board, speakers are requested to state their name and address and adhere to the limits set forth.
  2. Any public records relating to an agenda item for an open session of the Board which are distributed to all, or majority of all, of the Board members shall be available for public inspection at 6840 Via Del Oro, Suite #205. San Jose, CA 95119.
  3. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION WILL BE PROVIDED FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY:  Pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, any individual with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to attend or participate in this meeting may request assistance by contacting Felipe Deguer at fdeguer@voicescharterschool.com.
  4. All matters listed under the consent agenda are considered by the Board to be routine and will be approved/enacted by the Board in one motion in the form listed below. Unless specifically requested by a Board member for further discussion or removed from the agenda, there will be no discussion of these items prior to the Board votes on them. The executive director recommends approval of all consent items.
  5. Members of the public attending a meeting conducted via teleconference need not give their name when entering the conference call.
  6. All time duration are estimates and may run shorter or longer.

Note: 

SPANISH TRANSLATION: If you need Spanish audio translation in order to access the Voices Board meeting, please send a request to info@voicescharterschool.com at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting. If you would like to make a public comment in Spanish and would like us to translate to English for the Board, please send a request to info@voicescharterschool.com at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting. 

 

Si necesita traducción de audio al español para acceder a la reunión de la Mesa Directiva de Voices, envíe una solicitud a info@voicescharterschool.com por lo menos 24 horas antes del inicio de la reunión. Si desea hacer un comentario público en español y desea que lo traduzcamos al inglés para la Mesa Directiva, envíe una solicitud a info@voicescharterschool.com por lo menos 24 horas antes del inicio de la reunión.

Directors Present

A. Miller, D. Koren, J. Nguyen, K. Wisckol, P. Carreño, S. Sandoval

Directors Absent

None

Guests Present

A. Ramirez, F. Deguer

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance and Guests

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

S. Sandoval called a meeting of the board of directors of Voices College-Bound Language Academies to order on Friday Aug 9, 2024 at 12:00 PM.

C.

Approve Order of Agenda

K. Wisckol made a motion to approve the order of the agenda.
J. Nguyen seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

D.

Public Comment (on items not on the Agenda)

There was no public comment.

II. Board Business Discussion/Action Items

A.

Appoint New Board Members

P. Carreño made a motion to approve Maricruz Ruiz to become a Voices Board member.
A. Miller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D. Koren made a motion to approve Sofia Rocha to become a Voices Board member.
K. Wisckol seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

III. Board Business: Consent Items

A.

Approve Minutes

K. Wisckol made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 06-25-24.
A. Miller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

B.

Approve Consent Agenda Items: Contract(s) Over $15,000, 24-25 Bell Schedules for Voices FS, WCC, MP, MH and Stockton, 24-25 Instructional Minutes for Voices FS, MH, MP, WCC, ST, Safety Plan, Revised Policies

K. Wisckol made a motion to approve the consent agenda items.
A. Miller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

IV. Board Business: Discussion/Action Items

A.

Review Board Roles and Responsibilities

Pedro Carreño guided the Board members in a review of the Board's roles and responsibilities. The Board members made recommendations to update the roles and responsibilities documents. The Board Function working group will support in making the updates. 

B.

Set Board Goals

Pedro Carreño proposed that the Board set its goals by focusing on the following key areas:

 

  1. Academic Program
    1. Establish an academic working group.
    2. The board better understands academic priorities and plans.
    3. Shares status of key academic priorities.
    4. Receiving academic performance is a standard part of meetings and benchmarks.
  2. Strategic Visioning and CEO Support
  3. Facilities
  4. Finance & Governance
  5. Development
  6. Renewal Process
  7. Board Responsibilities
    1. Fiscal responsibility/funding alignment.
    2. Academic progress.
    3. Assessment systems.
    4. Personal development.
  8. Relationship with Families
  9. Community and Stakeholders
  10. Committee Responsibilities
    1. Every committee meets at least once a month and reports back.
    2. Every committee is responsible for meeting the report.

The Board will determine which goals should be assigned to specific committees and working groups and integrate them into each their responsibilities and priorities.

 

Board Goals for SY 24-25

  1. Committees and working groups meet, requesting board engagement where appropriate and reporting progress at board meetings.
  2. Establish an academic working group to understand better and support academic priorities.
  3. Enhance board members' ability to engage in work supporting the organization's work.
    1. Families, district partners, local organizations/businesses, etc.
    2. At board meetings, folks are reporting back on meetings they’ve had connected to the board.

 

In addition, both Judy Nguyen and Pedro Carreño recommended that the Board conduct a thorough review of the current committee and working group structures, including specific committee and working group goals and overall responsibilities.

 

Judy Nguyen also suggested that each committee convene between Board meetings to discuss key topics and monitor progress to be reported at the subsequent Board meeting.

C.

Elect New Officers

S. Sandoval made a motion to appoint Kim Wisckol as Board Chair for the 2024-2025 school year.
P. Carreño seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
K. Wisckol made a motion to appoint Pedro Carreño as Board Vice-chair for the 2024-2025 school year.
S. Sandoval seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
K. Wisckol made a motion to appoint Felipe Deguer as Board Secretary for the 2024-2025 school year.
J. Nguyen seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D. Koren made a motion to appoint Alice Miller as Board Treasurer for the 2024-2025 school year.
K. Wisckol seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

D.

Brown Act and Conflict of Interest Training for Charter School Board Members

Janelle Ruley, from YMC, trained the Board on the Brown Act and  Conflict of Interest for charter school Board members.

E.

Renewal Process Update

Janelle Ruley, from YMC, presented information on the new charter school charter renewal process. 

F.

Form Board Advisory Committees

K. Wisckol made a motion to approve the slate of advisory committees and working groups.
P. Carreño seconded the motion.

Work Groups-

 

Academic Working Group: Judy Nguyen, Pedro Carreño, Sofia Rocha

 

Board Effectiveness Working Group: Maricurz Ruiz, Dena Koren, Judy Nguyen, Pedro Carreño

 

 

Standing Committees

 

CEO Evaluation Committee: Servando Sandoval, Kim Wisckol, Pedro Carreño

 

Finance Committee: Maricruz Ruiz, Alice Miller, Ian Connell, Kim Wisckol

 

Audit Committee: Aldo Ramírez, Dena Koren, Servando Sandoval

 

 

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

G.

Set Committee Goals

The board agreed to allow the committees and work groups to draft goals for the year, with a plan to present them at the October meeting.

H.

Adopt Board Meeting Schedule

P. Carreño made a motion to adopt the Board meeting schedule with the October meeting being held on October, 29, 2024.
K. Wisckol seconded the motion.

Board meeting dates:

 

October 29, 2024

December 12, 2024

March 6, 2025

June 5, 2025

June 24, 2025

 

 

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

I.

Readopt Board Code of Ethics Resolution

A. Miller made a motion to readopt the Board Code of Ethics Resolution.
D. Koren seconded the motion.

Aldo Ramírez reviewed the Board Code of Ethics policy. 

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

J.

Finance Training

Josh Kemp, from EdTec, provided training to the Board's fiduciary responsibilities. 

K.

Voices Academic Team Update

The academic update was postponed until the October meeting. 

V. Reconvene Open Session

A.

Report on action taken in closed session

Servando Sandoval reported that no action was taken during the closed session.

B.

Review and Possible Approval of Employment Agreement for Chief Executive Officer

D. Koren made a motion to approve a 3% raise for the CEO, contract to be ratified during the October Board meeting.
K. Wisckol seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

VI. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

K. Wisckol made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
P. Carreño seconded the motion.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:10 pm. 

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 5:10 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
S. Sandoval