Rainier Valley Leadership Academy
Minutes
Special Board Meeting
Date and Time
Friday May 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Location
6020 Rainier Ave S.
Seattle, WA 98118
Directors Present
E. Forde, M. Dyal, R. Bembry, T. Marsh
Directors Absent
None
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
T. Marsh
Guests Present
B. Coleman, L. Reisberg
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
R. Bembry called a meeting of the board of directors of Rainier Valley Leadership Academy to order on Friday May 9, 2025 at 9:07 AM.
T. Marsh arrived at 9:32 AM.
II. Business Update
A.
Mid Month Check In
III. Executive Session
A.
Personnel Matters
The Board Member is allowing Leah Reisberg, Chief of Staff & HR, per Baionne Coleman's request. The Board wants it stated they wouldn't usually allow this, but due to the nature of the group makeup being all male Board Members and one female CEO they are going to allow her to stay for the safety of everyone.
IV. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
E. Forde made a motion to Adjourn Meeting.
M. Dyal seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| R. Bembry |
Aye
|
| E. Forde |
Aye
|
| T. Marsh |
Aye
|
| M. Dyal |
Aye
|
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
L. Reisberg
Reco Bembry wants to acknowledge the two grants RVLA recently received.
Congratulations to the team for that.
-Red Barn Ranch: $200,000 (Outdoor Ed)
-Best Starts for Kids: $940,000 (Stop School to Prison Pipeline)
-WA State Parks Foundation: $15,000 (Outdoor Ed)
Two things the board is asking for:
-Summaries of each of those grants so they can understand what they are.
the contract with the commission is with the Board of Directors. They are ultimately responsible for the school.
Topic:
Retention of school principals and staff. We need to figure out what is happening.
Baionne Coleman, CEO, gives her thoughts & suggestions.
-We need a seasoned and experienced Principal. Folks don't realize how difficult the work is and how different it is from a regular pubic school.
-Due to how charters are funded in WA State, we also cant compete with surrounding districts and so we have a hard time finding very experienced Principals and staff in general for the pay we can offer.
Reco Bembry:
-There is confusion between governance vs. management and it's creating some issues within the school.
-Review of the charter contract to make clear. Are the board members advisors or directors?
-Reco Bembry relays that the Commission has told the board members they need to be in the weeds and be involved in management decisions.
-Retention of scholars and staff/leaders is a goal.
Baionne Coleman:
-Baionne is requesting that Board of Directors follows the procedures outlined in the handbook and bylaws for complaints. These were written by an attorney and in an intentional way to protect all parties involved and be fair and impartial.
-When these procedures are not followed it creates frustration and confusion for people and makes things messy.
What the main point is: How do we retain staff and leadership?
What are other schools doing that have good retention?