Urban Montessori Charter School
Minutes
Regular Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday October 27, 2022 at 5:30 PM
Location
4551 Steele Street, Oakland, CA 94619. Signage on campus will direct you to the correct room, generally the Sun Room.
The public may comment and participate via Zoom if they prefer. The public may also email comments to board@urbanmontessori.org to be shared by the Board's Secretary during the meeting. Please make that intention clear in your email.
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Meeting ID: 825 9285 5160; Passcode 510 842 1181
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Meeting ID: 825 9285 5160
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Additional teleconference locations: 1623 Sunhill Ct, Martinez, CA 94553; 3921 Enos Ave Oakland, 94619; 2927 75th Avenue, Oakland, CA 94605
This meeting will be audio recorded. The public can find documents related to this agenda either linked directly on the agenda or under "Other files" after selecting the meeting in BoardOnTrack prior to viewing the agenda. Downloading the "packet" may not include all of the "Other files" that are still otherwise available to the public.
Members: Kara Fortuna, Greg Klein, Davis Leung, Sarah Morrill, Donald Williams
Urban Montessori Charter School welcomes your participation at Board meetings. The purpose of a public meeting of the Board of Directors (“Board”) is to conduct the affairs of the organization in public. Your participation assures us of continuing community interest in our school and assists the Board in making the best decisions for our school. To assist you in the ease of speaking/participating in our meetings, guidelines are provided at the bottom of this agenda. All materials for all board and committee meetings, including audio recordings of Regular Board Meetings, are available on our BoardOnTrack public portal and also through the UMCS School Calendar.
Directors Present
D. Leung (remote), G. Klein, K. Fortuna, S. Morrill
Directors Absent
D. Williams
Guests Present
D. Bissonnette, K. Feeney
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
C.
Review of Action/Discussion Items
D.
Board and Community Appreciations
- Kara - thank you to parents who stepped into leadership roles! Anne Rhodes, Board; Jillian Greenacre and Marcela Bumpus for President role
- Ms. Chen - appreciates first-year teachers and Krishna and Daniel
- Sarah - Krishna and Daniel for subbing! And teachers for opening classrooms up for observation. Krishna for sending out the ABAR and Land Acknowledgement work
- Davis - Daniel and Krishna for all the work through difficult COVID times.
- Krishna - Davis for his service.
E.
Board Member Comment
No comments on items not on the agenda.
F.
Presentations from the Floor
No public comments on items not on the agenda.
II. Head of School Report
A.
Head of School Report
Krishna shared the HoS report, starting with upcoming calendar dates.
Classroom observations are the week of 11/6, and conferences are the week of 11/14. Conference week has minimum days, and will be in person or zoom. The classroom observations are returning to the school for the first time since before the pandemic!
Krishna shared that she and Daniel walk through each classroom at least once per week and note down a variety of in-the-moment data points, like how many students are engaging with Montessori materials. This data is discussed with Lead teachers as part of weekly coaching meetings.
Daniel shared about coaching meetings for support teachers that happen every other week. Coaching includes classroom overview and recess supervision. Upcoming topics include the Nautilus classroom culture system and supporting student independence.
Krishna shared that it's always Enrollment Season, and applications open in November for 2023-2024.
- Tours start in Nov- in person & zoom
- Enrollment outreach & marketing - focusing on Head Start programs, creating new enrollment material/media
- Rethinking approaches because enrollment down overall in Alameda County
Kara asked about parent support for the tours?
- Yes, likely, they are on calendar and if FAC can look and see if they are available. Ideally a mix of new people and people who have been here for awhile.
Kara and Sarah shared their excitement on the data collection and support for teachers.
No other questions or public comments on this item.
III. Finance Committee
A.
Discussion Item - Committee Report, including year to date financial report
Davis shared the committee's report. Reviewed Budget presentation slides including revenue changes and recognizing most current enrollment. Operating income now forecasted at just over $200,000 for this school year. Ending Fund Balance as a percent of expenses now forecasted at 31.1% at the end of this school year. Cash on hand is forecasted at above three month's of expenses by the end of the school year.
Ms. Chen asked about revenue declining. Davis shared that revenue per student is increased year over year, and Krishna shared there are fewer students than previously forecasted. Sarah explained that the base funding is shared across the school, it's not all spent student by student. Ms. Chen about additional reading materials. Krishna responded that yes the school has purchased additional materials and supported staff with salary increases, including for staff that support directly with reading.
No other questions or public comments on this item.
IV. Academic Oversight Committee
A.
Discussion Item - Committee Report
Did not meet in October, did not have quorum.
No questions or public comments on this item.
V. Family Advisory Council
A.
Discussion Item - Committee Report
Kara shared the FAC report. Held elections! Anne Rhodes is joining the Board as the second FAC rep. Marcela Bumpus and Jillian Greenacre are co-presidents.
The Campus Workday and library cleanup went well!
Room parents are coming together again through a facilitated meeting with Emily Taylor.
The Readathon raised over $11,000 and more than 30% of students participated directly in fundraising.
No questions or public comments on this item.
VI. Executive & Governance Committee
A.
Discussion Item: Committee Updates, including candidates for board service, Form 700, and training
Sarah shared the committee's report. The committee discussed the retreat (starting later this meeting!), and the Head of School Evaluation process. Greg and Sarah attending the DCSC board community of practice. Sarah reminded board members, as we always do, to be sure Forms 700 are turned in and to seek annual Brown act training if not already complete yet.
No questions or public comments on this item.
B.
Board and Committee Officers and Members
No questions or public comments on this item.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| G. Klein |
Absent
|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| S. Morrill |
Aye
|
| K. Fortuna |
Aye
|
| D. Leung |
Aye
|
No questions or public comments on this item.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| G. Klein |
Absent
|
| S. Morrill |
Aye
|
| K. Fortuna |
Aye
|
| D. Leung |
Aye
|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
C.
Retreat: Board Intros, History, Current State
Sarah shared an overview of the vision for the retreat, including discussing:
- what is the board's role in the school's work?
- how can we as a board support the vision of the school?
- how do we add value to the school community?
Sarah talked about the need to share history, the current state, and where are we going in the future. Likely to dig in more on these topics at the December Board meeting.
No questions or public comments on this item.
VII. Other Business
A.
Oakland and California Updates
Sarah shared that Oakland has an important election coming up! Please vote! The outcomes of elections always impact UMCS.
No other public comments on this item.
B.
Approve Minutes from September 22, 2022 Regular Meeting
No questions or public comments on this item.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| G. Klein |
Absent
|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| K. Fortuna |
Aye
|
| S. Morrill |
Aye
|
| D. Leung |
Aye
|
C.
Action Item - Vote on General Consent Report
No questions or public comments on this item.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| D. Leung |
Aye
|
| S. Morrill |
Aye
|
| K. Fortuna |
Aye
|
| G. Klein |
Absent
|
D.
Collect New Business items for Future Meetings
Sarah wondered about bringing to the board the community agreements staff created, for review and potentially to adopt and use as a board.
Ms. Chen asked about school goals and Krishna shared that she will follow up with Ms. Chen and share those directly from the LCAP.
VIII. Closed Session
A.
Closed Session Items
At 6:28pm, Sarah announced that the board would go into closed session on Public Employee Performance Evaluation - Head of School.
There were no public comments on this item.
IX. Return to Open Session
A.
Report out of any closed session action(s)
The Board returned at 6:53pm, and Sarah reported that there were no actions taken.
X. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
- October 2022 HOS Board Report.pdf
- PMAI Contract - Urban Montessori 22-23 updated 10.20.22 (1).pdf
No changes in the order of the agenda, but Sarah shared that the Retreat section of the agenda will likely be shorter than expected due to absences.