Board Members Present:

Sharre Whitson, Karla Clark,, Richard Bush

Executive Director Report given by Wendy Bogard.

School Opening & Enrollment

• School Start: Wendy Bogard reported a positive start to the school year, emphasizing a continued focus on student belonging.
• Enrollment Status: Current enrollment stands at 228 students, close to the district cap of 229 set by the Rogue River School District. Figures remain fluid.

Staffing & Academics

• Personnel: Hired Tiffany Gotchall as the new chef, who is transitioning well into the role.
• Literacy: Early Literacy groups have commenced programming.
• Teacher Development: Instructors at both campuses are preparing for development work with Laura Miltonburger and Laura Gillette.

Career & Workforce Readiness

• Early College: Hosted an Early College Info Night led by Annie Bogard, which yielded record attendance. The Early College initiative serves as the school's primary growth target.
• Student Achievement: One student successfully passed their final test.

Oregon Performance Growth Targets

• State Metrics: Cecile queried the state growth targets. Current documentation indicates an 88.4% target by 2030.
• Comparative Data: This rate reflects data seen across 10 to 15 other Oregon charter schools listed in the performance report. Specific school names were not available offhand.

Upcoming Events & Governance

• Activities: Upcoming school activities include a Pumpkin Patch school-wide outing, as well as a Poker Tournament fundraiser scheduled for October to support the school across all program areas.
• 2026 Charter Conference: The school will cover registration and lodging for interested board members.

Action Items

• Board Members: Confirm conference attendance to Wendy by October 10.
• Wendy: Send a reminder email to the board regarding the October 10 deadline.
• Wendy: Place a calendar reminder for the deadline (per Cecile's recommendation).

High School Report given by Annie Burnham:

Staffing & Enrollment

• Personnel: Welcomed two new high school teachers, Drew Wilkerson and Katie Medart who are adapting well to REACH instructional methods and rhythms.
• Enrollment: High school enrollment stands at 81 students, with continued strong interest observed across both middle and high school levels.

Academic Programs & Electives

• Project-Based Learning (PBL): Students are focusing on an Entrepreneurship curriculum, preparing for an SOU scavenger hunt, and participating in life-support groups to earn CPR certification.
• Journalism & Media: The journalism cohort is developing the school yearbook and preparing a 3-to-5-minute radio broadcast with potential live-air opportunities.
• Early College: 32 students are officially registered and commenced their college coursework on September 28.

Graduation Metrics & 9th Grade Tracking

• Senior Status:100% of 12th graders are currently on track to graduate.
• Freshman Status: The 9th-grade on-track rate is currently at 81%. Annie clarified that tracking is based on student course completion, noting that freshmen who are not passing at least six classes are flagged as off-track.
• District Benchmarks: Wendy noted that the target district benchmark average sits at 94.9%. Karla indicated that exact historical data from the Oregon Department of Education was unavailable at the moment but would be shared later.

Board Discussion & Risk Mitigation

• Statistical Volatility: Cecile noted that it is early in the term to definitively evaluate 9th-grade data, emphasizing that with a small cohort of 81 total high school students, a shift in a single student's performance drastically alters public metrics. Annie will monitor these early indicators closely to provide interventions.
• Public Reporting Concerns: Sharre expressed concern regarding how these early figures appear on published documents. Because snapshot data may not fully reflect the actual efficacy of the program, it was recommended that published stats carry notations indicating they are preliminary and subject to rapid fluctuation.
• Metric Framework: In response to inquiries from Richard regarding the tracking framework, the administration confirmed they will continue utilizing internal credit-attainment indicators to catch academic variances early.

Compliance & Reporting Requirements

• Reporting Mandate: Wendy Bogard noted that the school is required to produce an annual report detailed by the Oregon Department of Education as a condition of its state grant selections.
• Public Disclosure: Following official board approval, the final report must be published publicly on the school’s website.
• Documentation: Board members will receive a full report outline directly from Wendy.

Funding & Program Framework

• Student Investment Act (SIA): Cecile provided context on the historical passage of the act, noting that SIA funds are strictly designated for specific target areas within district school accounts.
• Financial Oversight: The upcoming finalized report will reconcile these grant outcomes and specific budget summaries tied to the state allocation.

Wendy Bogard stated there is nothing to report at this time.

State Briefing & Funding Discussion

• Current Status: Cecile Enright reported that there are no formal legislative updates at this time.
• Superintendent Meeting: Cecile recently attended a statewide meeting alongside other Oregon superintendents and the Governor to discuss targeted funding and performance areas.
• National Standings: It was noted during the session that Oregon currently ranks 48th in the United States for educational performance. Data shared indicated that a similar turnaround effort in Mississippi required 10 years to successfully improve state metrics.

Upcoming Evaluations

Leadership Oversight Scheduling

• Special Session: To address formal leadership oversight, a separate meeting was scheduled to discuss strategic plans for evaluating leadership goals.
• Participants: The session will include Richard Bush, Sharre Whitson, and potentially other designated board members.