Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas
Minutes
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday March 5, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Location
1051 Sandy Ridge Avenue
Henderson, NV 89052
Posting of Agenda: This agenda has been posted at the following locations:
Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas (“CASLV”) Sandy Ridge 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 (remote), Arlene Hayman, Brin Gibson, Chan Lengsavath (remote), Dr. Carryn Warren (remote), Elizabeth Kazelskis, Feyzi Tandogan
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Amber Nhan, CASLV Climate & Culture Coordinator, Andrea Shepard, CASLV Executive Assistant, Ariel Bongard, CASLV Cadence Elementary Dean of Students, Bridget Johnson-Peevy, CASLV Chief People Officer, Emrullah Eraslan, CASLV Cadence Principal, Ercan Aydogdu, CASLV Executive Director & CEO, Ismail Kocabiyik, CASLV Windmill Principal, Jessica Paquin, CASLV Secondary Dean of Students, Mark Gardberg, CASLV Legal Counsel, Mark Hendrie, DMS (remote), Mustafa Gunozu, CASLV Chief Academic Officer, Nick Sarisahin, Nick Sarisahin, CASLV Chief Financial Officer, Omer Arikan, Director of Information Systems, Selim Tanyeri, CASLV Chief Operating Officer
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Public Comment
There were no public comments.
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Approval of the January 17, 2024 Regular Board Meeting Minutes (For Possible Action)
B.
Approval of the January 31, 2024 Academic Subcommittee Meeting Minutes (For Possible Action)
C.
Approval of the February 13, 2024 Governance Subcommittee Meeting Minutes (For Possible Action)
D.
Report of Purchases and Expenses Between $10,000 and $25,000 (Information)
III. Information/Discussion Items
A.
State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA) Financial Framework
Mr. Nick presented the SPCSA financial framework indicating that CASLV met all framework requirements. Only 11 SPCSA schools met all financial standards. The board thanked Mr. Nick and commented that he continues to do a great job.
B.
Financial Update (Information)
Mr. Hendrie with DMS compared the year-to-date expenditure graphs. Each category is well within budget. Everything is in line as expected through January. He reviewed the long-term metrics while indicating the current metrics are stronger than they have been in several years. Mr. Hendrie reviewed the monthly revenue and expenditures through January. Everything is as expected. Local revenue is about $500,000 more than originally budgeted. The projected expenditures for the remainder of the year were reviewed.
C.
Executive Director’s Progress Report (Information)
Mr. Ercan discussed CASLV's accomplishments and important information regarding students and school clubs with the board.
- Mr. Ercan reviewed the March 1st lottery details including enrollment, application, and open seat numbers.
- The two charter amendment requests were approved at the recent SPCSA Board meeting.
- Mr. Ercan shared images of the CASLV Team that attended the Henderson Chamber of Commerce 23rd Annual Economic Development & Small Business Awards event.
- Governor Lombardo recently visited the Nellis AFB campus. Mr. Ercan shared images and discussed details of his visit.
- The City of Henderson celebrated 20 public schools in Henderson for earning the prestigious 5-star rating. Congratulations to our Sandy Ridge Campus, Windmill Campus, and Eastgate Campus for getting their 5-star rating.
- Maria Encinares, an Eastgate Campus parent was recognized as an exceptional parent. Maria was honored with special recognition as an exceptional parent through the City of Henderson's Mayor Honor Roll initiative.
- National Merit Scholarship Program Finalist, six of our Sandy Ridge High School students have successfully advanced to the coveted finalist standing in the National Merit Scholarship program.
- TSA Champions; this year, we built on our CTE program at Sandy Ridge by introducing a CTSO component - a Technology Student Association (TSA) chapter. At the state conference, our TSA champions proudly brought home seven medals.
- Sandy Ridge Campus has earned the prestigious Cognia Accreditation.
- The Sandy Ridge speech and debate team received remarkable achievements at the prestigious Panther Classic Speech & Debate Tournament. Mr. Ercan reviewed the placements received for each student.
- Robotics State Championship Tournament; two Sandy Ridge robotics teams rocked the robotics state championship tournament in Reno over the weekend. One of our teams made it to the finals in the tournament.
- Outstanding Achievements at DECA's State Career Development Conference; Sandy Ridge students showcased their business brilliance at DECA's SCDC and many of our talented students are in the running for Nationals.
- 3A Boys Bowling State Champions; Sandy Ridge Campus 3A Boys Bowling team are State Champions in NIAA for the 2nd year in a row. The boys' bowling team also finished 2nd in 3A for the winter season state academic team awards with a GPA of 3.35.
- Mr. Ercan shared an image of the Nellis AFB basketball team who were runners-up in the 2024 NCSAA Basketball Championship.
- We are proud to announce that the Virgin Island MLK Invitational Basketball Championship's most valuable player was Riley L. for the Sandy Ridge basketball team.
- Three Sandy Ridge FTC robot teams rocked the Las Vegas Regional competition, with two teams snagging spots in and the top ten advancing to the semifinals.
- Cadence Bowling Team; We would like to congratulate the 3rd-5th Cadence Bowling Team for winning 1st place in their division.
- Math League Competition, Centennial Hills; We are happy to announce that our students competed and three of our students ranked top at the Math League Contest.
- Math League Middle School Competition, Windmill campus; Students competed at the Judith Steel for the Nevada Math League Middle School Competition and four CASLV students ranked top at the Math League Contest.
- Mathcounts Chapter Competition, Sandy Ridge and Windmill Campuses; Eight of our students have successfully advanced to the State Competition, scheduled for March 2, 2024. The Windmill Campus team secured second place in the Southern Nevada region.
- Robotics Team, Cadence Campus; Teams King Snakes and Golden Eagles soar as the tournament champions and they are now gearing up for the Nevada State Championship.
- Cadence Campus VEXIQ Team got 1st place during the qualifications round making it to the finals and winning as one of the teamwork challenge champions during the 2024 Nevada elementary school VEX IQ State Championship for the full volume qualifying them for the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship - VEX IQ Competition elementary school event in Dallas, Texas.
- FLL First Lego Team; The Cadence FLL First Lego team won 1st place Rising All-Star Award at the Southern Nevada FLL State Championship.
- Quiz Bowl A team soared to success at the NAQT Nevada State Tournament, Sandy Ridge; The team clinched an impressive 5th place in the state, winning three matches in the preliminary bracket and securing victory in the placement match.
- Cadence Campus Archery Teams at NASP tournament; They proudly brought home 1st & 2nd place wins and trophies. Our elementary team placed second, and our middle school team won 1st place qualifying them to head to Western Regionals this April in Utah.
- Congratulations to Tamarus Campus for their platinum recognition for the implementation of their MTSS program.
- Mr. Ercan shared images from the 100th-day of-school celebration at the Tamarus Campus.
- Job Fair at Sandy Ridge Campus; A shout-out to the dedicated Sandy Ridge Campus staff for their fantastic support.
- Mr. Ercan shared images from the recent open house events at the Windmill and Centennial Hills Campuses. Prospective parents participated in the open houses at each campus.
- Centennials Hills Campus K-4th graders delved into the wonders of native wildlife with a fascinating presentation from the Department of Wildlife. Conservation, fun facts, and even a hands-on experience with a mountain lion left our young learners inspired.
- Career Week at Centennial Hills Campus, the Touch a Truck event featured our local EMS in
which students got to hear presentations from law enforcement, paramedics, and firefighters and sit or pass through an ambulance, fire truck, NHP, and undercover vehicle as well as meeting McGruff the crime dog. - Kicking off School Choice Week 2024; Mr. Ercan shared images from the event that CASLV participated in.
- We proudly joined the NFL Super Kids-Super Sharing event dedicated to supporting local kids
in need. This amazing initiative is a collaboration with the NFL, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII Host Committee, the Clark County Pearson Community
Center, and Verizon. - Honor Guard Program at Nellis AFB Campus; The new honor guard program established on Nellis AFB was recently featured on Fox 5.
- Next Meetings: The next regular board meeting will be held on April 24, 2024 at the Central Office. The Finance & Facility Subcommittee meeting will be held on April 17, 2024 at the Central Office.
IV. Discussion & Possible Action Items- Contracts, Purchases, and Procurements
A.
Approval of the AB 245 Power-Based Violence Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (For Possible Action)
Mr. Gunozu informed the board this is required by the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA). Mr. Gardberg has reviewed this and made the necessary updates. Ms. Nhan indicated the partner they secured will provide resources and this will help ensure that we are connected to the community. Mr. Gardberg added if we encounter a situation, we would make a recommendation and give them the resources if they choose to do so.
B.
Health Insurance Renewal (For Possible Action)
Ms. Peevy indicated it is open enrollment time for health benefits and said the existing provider's first renewal offer was a 6% increase if we agree as is, or 12% if we decided to go out for bidding. Mr. Ercan was able to negotiate a 3% increase with the current provider. CASLV is still able to cover 90% with only a $1.04 increase to the base plan and an $11.94 increase for the most expensive plan. Teachers have expressed they are happy with the plan. The board thanked Ms. Peevy and Mr. Ercan.
C.
Approval of the 2024-2025 Crossing Guard Services Agreement for Sandy Ridge and Windmill Campuses (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim said this is continuing services for crossing guards at the Sandy Ridge and Windmill campuses. The hourly rate and explanation of guards were presented.
D.
Addition of a Classroom at the Cadence Campus (For Possible Action)
This item was tabled to the next meeting.
V. Discussion/Possible Action Items-Governance/Policies/Finance
A.
Annual Evaluation of Executive Director & CEO (For Possible Action)
This item was tabled to the next meeting.
B.
Amendment of the CASLV ByLaws (For Possible Action)
Mr. Lengsavath reviewed the changes that were made including the elimination of term limits, the elimination of the supervisory board because it was never utilized, adding the proper titles for certain board members, cross-referencing of the financial policy, and the board Secretary will participate in the election process.
C.
Governance Subcommittee Report (For Possible Action)
Mr. Lengsavath summarized the governance subcommittee report in detail. He discussed the revisions to the ByLaws and summarized the discussions regarding the draft Executive Director's succession plan and sabbatical leave policy. The subcommittee reviewed the draft executive director's succession plan and sabbatical leave policy indicating the subcommittee voted to consider the succession plan as a board and within that plan the board will consider a sabbatical leave for the Executive Director so that junior personnel (in the hierarchy) may benefit from working in the Executive Director's position. Information only, no action taken.
D.
Academic Subcommittee Report (Including Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review Report) (For Possible Action)
Ms. Hayman presented the academic subcommittee report in detail. She summarized the academic progress report, strategic planning for educational excellence, professional development initiatives, and the Cognia Accreditation Engagement Report. Information only, no action taken.
E.
FY 2024-2025 Tentative Budget (For Possible Action)
Mr. Nick presented the tentative budget and reviewed the budget timeline and details of the tentative budget while answering various questions from the board. Mr. Ercan thanked Mr. Nick for preparing a great presentation and he pointed out the percentage graphs explaining that thankfully we purchased the Sandy Ridge, Centennial Hills, and Tamarus campuses in time so our facilities percentage is so low so we can invest in teacher salaries. CASLV is above average (among charters) in spending approximately 69% of its budgeted expenses on salaries and benefits.
F.
CASLV Charge Policy (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim presented the Charge Policy and indicated this is a requirement since next year meals will no longer be free. All students will need to opt in to qualify. If a student has a negative balance, they will still be served and CASLV will investigate.
G.
Amendment of the CASLV Wellness Policy (For Possible Action)
Mr. Selim reviewed the updates to the current policy and said his team worked with the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) to prepare this.
VI. Closed Session-Privileged & Confidential
A.
Expulsion of Student(s) (Information, Discussion)
The closed session was held from 5:01 p.m. - 6:54 p.m.
VII. Potential Action(s) (For Possible Action)
A.
Expulsion Recommendation(s) for Student(s) (re: item VI. A) (For Possible Action)
VIII. Public Comments (Information)
A.
Public Comments
There were no public comments.
Mr. Gibson joined the meeting at 4:40 p.m.
Mr. Lengsavath left the meeting at 6:57 p.m.
Ms. Diggins left the meeting at 7:00 p.m.