Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
Minutes
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday October 30, 2023 at 4:30 PM
Location
7951 Deer Springs Way
Las Vegas, NV 89131
Posting of Agenda: This agenda has been posted at the following locations:
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas (“CASLV”) Centennial Hills Campus, CASLV website at www.caslv.org, and Nevada Public Notice website at http://notice.nv.gov.
Format / Procedures / Rules: This is a notice of a public meeting held pursuant to NRS Chapter 241. Members of the public are invited to be present.
Certain items may be removed from open/public consideration if permitted or required by Nevada law. The Board may also (i) take agenda items out of order; (ii) combine two or more items for consideration; (iii) separate one item into multiple items; (iv) table an agenda item to a future meeting; and/or (v) remove an agenda item.
Reasonable efforts will be made to assist and accommodate persons with physical disabilities desiring to attend the meeting. Please contact Ms. Shepard at ashepard@coralacademylv.org at least 48 hours before the time of the meeting, if possible, so that reasonable arrangements may conveniently be made.
Please also contact Ms. Shepard if you would like a copy of the agenda and any public reference materials relating to agenda items. Those materials will also be available at the meeting location. Those materials would provide you with greater context and clarity as to the matters under discussion.
By law, no one may willfully disrupt the meeting to the extent that its orderly conduct becomes impractical.
All items are action or possible action items if denoted as such.
Directors Present
Ann Diggins, Arlene Hayman (remote), Brin Gibson (remote), Chan Lengsavath, Dr. Carryn Warren (remote), Elizabeth Kazelskis, Feyzi Tandogan
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Andrea Shepard, CASLV Executive Assistant, Ercan Aydogdu, CASLV Executive Director, Huseyin Arikan, Work-based Learning Coordinator, Mark Gardberg, CASLV Legal Counsel, Mark Hendrie, DMS (remote), Monica Patel, DMS (remote), Mustafa Gunozu, CASLV CAO, Nick Sarisahin, CASLV CFO, Omer Arikan, Director of Information Systems, Selim Tanyeri, CASLV COO, Serdar Yuksekaya, CASLV Centennial Hills Principal
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Public Comment
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Approval of the September 27, 2023 Regular Board Meeting Minutes (For Possible Action)
B.
Report of Purchases and Expenses Between $10,000 and $25,000 (Information)
C.
Amendment of Workers' Compensation Insurance Contract Renewal Amount (For Possible Action)
III. Discussion & Possible Action Items- Contracts, Purchases, and Procurements
A.
Student Accident Insurance Policy (For Possible Action)
Mr. Nick explained that this is a new requirement by our liability/property insurance. The financial impact is not included in the budget, but $30,000 is feasible. The board asked about the enrollment numbers listed and Mr. Nick said he would check on that. Ms. Diggins and Mr. Gardberg both confirmed this is an extremely important type of insurance coverage to carry.
B.
Amendment of United Testing Services Agreement (For Possible Action)
Mr. Gunozu explained that we want to add certain Special Education services to the existing contract. This also includes a $5.00 per hour increase for School Psychology Services.
IV. Discussion/Possible Action Items-Governance/Policies/Finance
A.
Amendment of the Special Education Policies and Procedures Manual and Forms (For Possible Action)
Mr. Gunozu reviewed the updates with the board and indicated the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) required some language updates on the existing policy.
B.
2024-2025 School Year Academic Calendar (For Possible Action)
Mr. Gunozu presented the proposed calendar and said it includes feedback from stakeholders including teachers and campus administration. It was stated that 60% of the professional development days were designed with Nellis AFB campus families in mind.
C.
Amendment of the Foster Care Policy (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim presented the current Foster Care Policy. He indicated the SPCSA requires each charter to adopt their template manual for the amended Foster Care Policy. The new template separates foster care from the Homeless/McKinney-Vento Act. The amended Foster Care Policy will be in alignment with the SPCSA requirements. Ms. Diggins asked if this is aligned with the general student handbook and Mr. Selim confirmed it is.
D.
Amendment of the Homeless Children and Youth Policy (McKinney-Vento Homeless Act)(For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim presented the Homeless Children and Youth Policy and explained the formatting is now aligned with the SPCSA requirement. The board reviewed the previous policy while asking various questions. Ms. Diggins asked for any questions or concerns. Dr. Warren asked how students are identified and Mr. Ercan explained the process.
E.
Amendment of the CASLV Lottery Application Procedures to Reflect AB185 Guidelines (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim indicated there has been an update to the policy since the last meeting and gave an overview of the slight update. It was indicated that Nellis AFB leadership recommended these additional updates. Ms. Diggins asked for any questions. Mr. Gardberg asked that "Parent or Guardian" be added. The board had an in-depth discussion regarding the priority order numbers and if they can be adjusted for Nellis AFB only.
F.
Approval of the Annual Audit to comply with NAC 387.775 (For Possible Action)
Mr. Nick presented the annual audit in detail and indicated the audit had no findings and CASLV is defined as a low-risk auditee. CASLV's Auditors complimented the school on being one of its most organized auditees. Ms. Diggins asked if there were any questions or concerns. Mr. Nick added the audit report will be posted on the CASLV website. Also, the audit report will be submitted to SPCSA and the Nevada Department of Education (NDE) after board approval. The board complimented Mr. Nick for all his hard work.
G.
Approval of the Work-Based Learning Program Application (For Possible Action)
Mr. Gunozu presented the application and explained this is required by the NDE. The last application was submitted 5 years ago. Mr. Arikan explained details regarding the focus of the program and indicated he is working with the Henderson Chamber of Commerce to liaise and match students with employers as well as other businesses with career fairs and job shadowing opportunities.
V. Information/Discussion Items
A.
Centennial Hills Campus Update (Infomation)
Mr. Serdar presented the Centennial Hills campus update that included a review of their section numbers, enrollment, and waitlist numbers, FRL percentages, demographics, and staffing positions.
B.
Campus Safety and Security Update (Information)
Mr. Selim said this is a follow-up item from last year. We informed the board we would start working on some of the items from the report we were given from the Homeland Security visit. Mr. Selim explained items were added to a priority list for each campus. Mr. Selim reviewed the details of each item that has been completed. Ms. Diggins asked what the campus priorities are this school year. Mr. Selim discussed the priorities while answering questions from the board. Dr. Warren appreciates the conversation about school monitors and that it is a good idea to have an adult presence. Certain Board members encouraged the Administration to reinforce that teachers and staff keep their classroom doors locked. Ms. Diggins requested to review the Homeland Security recommendations again as well as feedback from the safety conference that Mr. Selim will be attending. This will come back to the board for more discussion in February. Ms. Diggins stressed that CASLV does not get complacent regarding these items.
C.
Financial Update (Information)
Mark Hendrie with DMS reviewed the financial update through September. The overall cash is close to the previous levels and restricted cash is down. There are 157 days of cash on hand. They reviewed the budget and month-by-month actuals. Supplies are slightly skewed which is normal. Overall everything is in line with the budget and going according to plan this fiscal year. They also reviewed the balance sheet in detail.
D.
Executive Director’s Progress Report (Information)
Mr. Ercan discussed CASLV's accomplishments and important information regarding students and school clubs with the board.
- National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), CASLV Sandy Ridge: Kristine P. and Naomi S., have received a Letter of Commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) in addition to the six semifinalists! Out of approximately 1.3 million entrants nationwide, these exceptional scholars
have risen above the rest to become part of the elite group of about 34,000 Commended Students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program. - The Sandy Ridge JV Volleyball team had a great run by receiving 2nd place in the JV Las Vegas Invite Tournament Silver Pool. Mr. Ercan shared a team photo with the board.
- Daniel O., a phenomenal sophomore from our Sandy Ridge campus! Daniel has been appointed to a two-year term on the Nevada Youth Legislature, where he'll represent Senate District No. 20. The Nevada Youth Legislature (NYL) is an incredible program that empowers high school students to dive into the world of representative government.
- CASLV Sandy Ridge campus student Lorelani L. has been selected as a semifinalist in the 2023-2024 Coca-Cola Scholars Program: Only 1,514 Semifinalists were chosen among 103,800+ applicants this year because of their outstanding leadership, academic achievements, and dedication to their community. A Semifinalist has made it through the first stage of selection and will now continue through the process with the opportunity to become a Coca-Cola Scholar.
- Rock Your School Day at CASLV Tamraus campus: Campus administration, teachers, and staff participated in Rock Your School Day. The purpose was for teachers to have a fun
day of learning with their students. They played rock music throughout the day
and teachers did a short activity in their classrooms! - Celebration at CASLV Sandy Ridge campus for getting a 5-star (NSPF) rating, and U.S. News & World Report Best High School Ranking. Senator Carrie Buck, Henderson Mayor, Michelle Romero, Miss Nevada, Taylor Blatchford, and Coral Academy Board Member Arlene Hayman joined the celebration event. Mr. Ercan shared images of the event with the board.
- CASLV Sandy Ridge 9th grade received a presentation from SafeNest (Tania de Ulloa, Director of Education & Prevention) joined by Miss Nevada, Taylor Blatchford, on topics of bullying, cyberbullying, and healthy and safe relationships and coping strategies for all.
- Girl Powered Workshop at CASLV Windmill campus: Girl Powered Workshop, held on October 7th in celebration of the International Day of Girls. This engaging event was tailored specifically for our Windmill 5th - 7th graders and Tamarus 4th graders, future women of STEM, aiming to immerse them in a variety of stimulating STEM activities.
- Trunk or Treat at CASLV Tamarus and CASLV Cadence campuses: Mr. Ercan shared images from the events.
- Vegas Chamber Business of the Year awards: Coral Academy Executive Director
& CEO, Ercan Aydogdu being selected as the 2023 Executive of the Year! - Next Regular Board Meeting: December 6, 2023, at the Cadence campus.
VI. Public Comments (Information)
A.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
Mr. Gibson joined the meeting at 4:34 p.m.
There were no public comments.