Stargate School
Minutes
Governance Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday March 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Location
Virtual meeting only
Directors Present
B. Paul (remote), K. Lindgren (remote), L. Challa (remote), L. Griffin (remote), L. Hosfelt (remote), L. Paquette (remote), M. Faulkner (remote), S. Howorko (remote)
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
1 committee member (remote), 1 community member (remote), 1 staff member (remote), M. Anderson (remote), R. Greene (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Roll Call
C.
Reading of Stargate Mission
D.
Recognitions and Appreciations
E.
Board News and Events
Bibi - middle school and high school choir concert, Red Bag drill
Lisa G - senior night for cheerleading and high school basketball teams and girls basketball teams, Spanish and French honor society inductions
Meryl - middle school and high school choir concert
Lumakar - Denver science fair at CU Denver campus, League of Charter Schools conference
Lindsey - CommunityU night with Jenny Hecht, middle school basketball games, League of Charter Schools conference, Night of the Notables
Lisa H - middle school girls basketball games, high school boys basketball games
II. Approve Consent Agenda Items
A.
Approve Consent Agenda
B.
Minutes for Governance Board Meeting held February 12, 2025
C.
Minutes for Special Governance Board Meeting held March 5, 2025
III. School Operations
A.
Executive Director of Academics Report
Dr. Cynthia Rundquist presented the Panorama survey results (attached).
Dr. Greene presented her report (attached).
The financial team is evaluating various scenarios to ensure financial stability through different enrollment and funding situations.
The school received the 1st tranche of bond funding. Our bond council is working with district's bond council on agreements on use of their credit rating, payments, etc.
IV. Public Comment
A.
Public Comment
No public comment
B.
Public Comment Response
No public comment
V. Committee Reports
A.
Written Committee Reports
B.
SAC: Survey Results
C.
Recruiting: Board Election and Independent Directors
Danielle Fox presented the Recruiting Committee report (attached).
The Recruiting Committee asked if the Board plans to open the Independent Director position. The Board decided to wait until after the upcoming Parent Director election to consider whether to open nominations.
VI. Action Items
A.
2025-2026 School Calendar
VII. Discussion Items
A.
Bond Update
Refer to the Executive Director report for updated information.
A vote on funding sources is anticipated for April.
B.
Proposed Bylaw Amendments
Added language for term limits.
Kept proposed threshold at 15% for requirement for presenting petition.
Did not change 30% requirement for voting participation.
Added back language about one-year gap.
C.
Plan for State of the School
Lindsey discussed plans for State of the School.
The Board will hold a Meet and Greet at 5:30 prior to the State of the School.
D.
Board Self-Evaluation
The Board will use the same format as previous years. SAC will send the survey to Board members, Executive Director, and committee chairs.
E.
Strategic Plan Tracking
Reviewed tracking spreadsheet and progress made on some objectives.
F.
Board Onboarding Review
Lisa G. and Karla have reviewed onboarding practices and will propose changes, including to the orientation policy.
G.
League Conference Follow-Up
Lindsey, Meryl, Karla, and Lumakar attended the conference.
H.
FYI - Legislative Update
FYI only - see attached
VIII. Future Planning
A.
Next Board Meeting Agenda and Board Packet
Reviewed April agenda
B.
Next Admin Sync Meeting
Next admin sync will be in April, following our next business meeting.
C.
Upcoming Events
State of the School
Volunteer Appreciation
IX. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
- EDA Report March 2025.docx
- DRAFT 2025-2026 Master Calendar DRAFT.xlsx
- Panorama March 2025.pptx
- Stargate Lockdown Drill Survey Results - Spring 2025.pdf
- Recruiting March Board Report.docx
- 2025 Proposed Bylaw Amendments with Rationale.pdf
- Module 9 Board Continuous Improvement.pdf
- Legislative Update_ Colorado’s Budget Crisis & Key Charter School Policies.pdf
Samantha - All those involved in bond efforts
Bibi - Thornton police officers for their assistance with the lockdown drill and Red Bag.
Karla - Ms. Roach for her work with Title IX.
Lisa G - Yvonne Min and Kadri Bennett and all parents who spend hours photographing events and sharing them.
Lumakar - Ms. Meyers and Mr. Walker for the time and effort working with the Science Olympiad team. Ms. McVeigh for her work with the HOSA club and helping them be successful.
Meryl - Teachers and staff who chose to be downtown to participate in the standing up for school financing.
Lisa H. - Teachers for participating in parent teacher conferences. Mr. Allen for making a personalized instruction video for a student. Mrs. Pegler and orchestra for representing Stargate at a national level.
Lindsey - SAC members for taking on new roles: Luke Banta for the KPI report, Barbara Siles for the demographic and enrollment report and state assessment report; Katie Yaddoff for summarizing parent comments from the annual survey.
Third grade teachers and volunteers for making the DMNS overnight field trip a success.