Ken Vorhees made a motion to approve items on the Consent Agenda. Cassie Anderson seconded the motion. The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Morgen Flowers-Washington shared with the Board that SIA needs to develop a field trip policy, specifically for overnight trips.  For example, the Robotics Club recently participated in out-of-town tournaments. SIA is looking at model policies and sample policies from other school districts.  We aim to present the policy for Board approval in an upcoming meeting.

Brook Wilkerson reported that there were six (6) additional students between February and March.  The administration agrees to not add any more new students in April, as they feel it is too late in the year.

Morgen Flowers-Washington consulted with Jess Barton, Director of School Quality & Accountability, Washington State Charter School Commission.  Morgen wants to make sure that the school serves its current students. No issues at this time. 

Enrollment Update from Morgen (see graph):

March 25th was the deadline for re-enrollment for current students. There are 735 returning students; 43 students will not return. The majority of the students not returning will be in 9th grade.  Most of them want to play sports in high school or join a regular school.

The number of applications received for new students as of March 25th for grades K-5 is slightly down from previous years.  The lottery will occur on or before April 12th and offers will be made.  Families will have 7 days to commit to accept the seat. Seats not accepted by this time will be offered to the next student on the waitlist.  The application window will re-open after the lottery.

SIA will have an additional 6th-grade section next school year. 

The Admin team is working on the 2024-2025 calendar.  Board Member, David James offered to help build the master calendar. A 12th grade schedule will be new next year and one driving factor in building the calendar is the high school due to their Running Start and NewTech Center schedule.

Ken Vorhees shared that the report implies a decrease in a lot of the grades.  Morgen stated that the Kindergarten class was reduced from 4 to 3 classes this year. Another factor that may impact SIA's enrollment is the Spanish immersion programs being offered in other districts, such as Mead.

Mary Velasquez also shared that the middle school numbers could be affected by new middle schools being built in Spokane. 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1UFNEZh6iwZK8HvjTM5wSFfuouyUssDgaoJ-xV3RfTOE/edit?usp=sharing

See OSPI report - https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/105881

The Washington School Improvement Framework for 2022-2023  was published last week before this meeting. The report card measures student's growth. It shows 755 SIA students enrolled this year; 55.8% met ELA (English Language Arts) standards, 49.4% met Math standards, and 53.9% met Science standards; compared to 2022-2023 35.1% in Math and 32% in ELA. 
 

The report shows the percentage of students who met grade-level standards based on

Smarter Balance Assessments (Math and ELA), Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (Science). The summary report showed a breakdown per gender, ethnicity, programs and characteristics.

Cassie Anderson inquired why there was no data reported for Native American students. It could be due to a lack of data or It could also mean parents did not mark the box for Native American when initially filling out student forms.

Matt Hoag is unable to attend today's meeting. On behalf of Matt, Mary thanked the Board members who donated to the foundation. Matt will provide an update in June.

Jeff Hyslop is unable to present. Traveling for work.

Mary reported on Jeff's behalf. On Friday before this meeting, Jeff received a preliminary plan (drawing) from the engineer.  The next step is to meet with the church to discuss the purchase of a portion of their property for SIA's road expansion.

SIA is waiting for the Governor to sign the budget. Once that happens, the state will release the budgeting tool to schools, then Morgen and Sam Schweda can continue working to finalize the budget for the next school year, and the following years.

Also, the master schedule drives the budget. Factors to consider are returning and non-returning staff members. There are three (3) teachers not returning next school year. After spring break,  the Admin team will continue working on the budget and schedule.  

Ken Vorhees stated that the Admin team and Finance Committee will review the budget in April-May. The budget will be voted on at the June board meeting. 

Sam Schweda reported that SIA has ended its agreement with Bill Kiolbasa as of January 2024. 

However, the relationship will continue. Sam will bring a new contract to the board next month for consulting services with Bill. 

Sam Schweda, CFO, reported.

Sam and Umpqua Bank's Paul Ellison looked at various options for investment funds to increase revenue. SIA has approximately $4M on hand. They are looking into revenue-generating funds such as money-market accounts, through a plan which diversifies the funds among multiple banks while still allowing SIA easy access to funds. 

The commission suggested that Sam consult with the State Auditor prior to making any changes.

Ken Vorhees indicated that the finance committee gives their support to this move. Ken suggests leaving some funds in a checking account which equals 30-40 days of cash on hand available. 

Ken motioned to approve the change in accounts subject to the approval of SAO, with $3.5M to invest immediately from cash on hand. The motion was seconded by Mary. The board approved the motion unanimously.

Josiah Lara was introduced to the Board last month. After review and evaluation, 

Mary Velazquez moved to approve Josiah's Board application. 

Guillermo Espinosa seconded the motion. 

The Board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Mary Velazquez indicated that another candidate. Maureen Rosette, will be on next month's agenda. 

A reminder that all board members have to complete the F1 Disclosure. Deadline is April 15.