Aurum Preparatory Academy

Minutes

Monthly Board Meeting

Date and Time

Wednesday September 23, 2020 at 6:00 PM

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Directors Present

A. Benedetto (remote), C. Davis (remote), J. JORDAN (remote), M. Knutson (remote), P. James (remote), V. Hayes (remote)

Directors Absent

V. Toke

Guests Present

D. Hardin (remote), Emilia Santiago (remote), Isabel Malagon (remote), Linda Chavez (remote)

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance and Guests

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

P. James called a meeting of the board of directors of Aurum Preparatory Academy to order on Wednesday Sep 23, 2020 at 6:06 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes

C. Davis made a motion to approve the minutes from Monthly Board Meeting on 08-26-20.
V. Hayes seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
V. Hayes
Aye
A. Benedetto
Aye
P. James
Aye
V. Toke
Absent
M. Knutson
Aye
J. JORDAN
Aye
C. Davis
Aye

D.

LCAP Minutes

V. Hayes made a motion to approve the minutes from LCAP Review on 09-09-20.
M. Knutson seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Roll Call
J. JORDAN
Aye
C. Davis
Aye
P. James
Aye
V. Toke
Absent
M. Knutson
Aye
V. Hayes
Aye
A. Benedetto
Aye

II. Public Comment

A.

Public​​ Comments​​ on​​ Non-Agenda​​ items

Emilia Santiago, parent of a 6th grader, described her experience as a parent and the motivation that he tells her about during the school day. She complemented Google classroom and its syncronization with her phone so that she can be aware of his assignments and ensure that he completes them. She would like to know more about the school goals and about the teachers and their backgrounds and goals. 

Isabella Malagon, parent of two students, described the difference between the school culture with this school and their previous school. She urged the school to be more inclusive and engaging with the parents. She sees that it is room for improvement.

Linda Chavez, parent of a 6th grader, her daughter has had some issues with learning, but she's hoping to work with the teachers to smooth out the issues. 

Parren thanked them for their feedback and their understanding during these times of virtual learning. He encouraged David to continue to bring more feedback from parents during the meetings. Abby encouraged the board members to fill at least one of the vacancies on the board with a parent. 

III. Governance

A.

Governance Committee Report

Parren provided the update from Vijay.
  • There are revisions coming to the Board Handbook. 
  • Working with Board on Track to recruit 2-3 new board members and institute an off-boarding process for members leaving the Board to capture institutional knowledge. 
  • Current needs for new members
    • marketing
    • human resources
    • fundraising
      ​​​​

B.

Yardstick Proposal

Yardstick has made an offer of $15K for a settlement of their contract. The amount in dispute was $20K. We believe that in mediation, we be responsible for paying a less amount. Vijay suggests that we return with an offer of $5K. 
M. Knutson made a motion to Approve a limit of up to $5000 for the negotiation with Yardstick.
V. Hayes seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

IV. Academic

A.

Academic Committee Report

Academic committee is excited to do some analysis of the first trimester data at their next meeting. This analysis will help with making adjustments for second trimester. David described the challenge of work completion in a virtual environment. He's looking forward to discussing strategies next month. They also will discuss how to support the GOLD principles in the instruction. 

V. Finance

A.

Finance Committee Report

David informed the Board that it looks like the California state Board of Education will pay for all of our enrolled students.  That additional revenue will allow us to have a fund balance of $900K (vs. ~$600K in previously approved budget). The finance committee discussed filling all of the teacher vacancies and the additional teachers that were originally in the budget. 

Our enrollment is projected to be 197 on October 7 when the official attendance for Period 1 will be taken. The numbers are reflected in the attached reports.

CARES Act funding has to be spent by December 31 that can be used on COVID related expenses. David is working on identifying expenses that are eligible for this funding. There was discussion about how these funds could be used to hire staff to provide additional support for instruction.  
 

B.

Teacher Stipend

M. Knutson made a motion to $1500 stipend for all staff at the school (teachers and administrative and support staff) to be spread among the remaining pay periods for the remainder of the year due to additional demands placed on them due to remote instruction. David will create a document that describes the additional duties required due to remote instruction and everyone who is performing these duties.  .
C. Davis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Roll Call
M. Knutson
Aye
J. JORDAN
Aye
P. James
Aye
A. Benedetto
Aye
V. Hayes
Aye
V. Toke
Absent
C. Davis
Aye

VI. ED Report

A.

Executive Director Report

David presented his Executive Director Report. Abby and David proposed some strategies to get additional support for the teachers, particularly the teacher teaching 6th and 8th grade math.  James asked how David is doing and he is going to take some time away from the school once he has hired a co-teacher. 

VII. Closing Items

A.

Final Thoughts - Board Reflections

Parren encouraged everyone to take care of themselves during these challenging times. 

B.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
J. JORDAN
Documents used during the meeting
  • Aug 19 2020 Governance Committee Report (1).docx
  • 2020_09_16_monthly_academic_committee_meeting_minutes.pdf
  • Aurum Cash Balance.pdf
  • Aurum Board Report Summary - September 2020.pdf
  • Aurum Board Report Detail_September 2020.pdf
  • 2020_09_16_Fin_Comm_Minutes.pdf
  • Board Report Template (1).pdf