Pledge of Allegiance was given

President Singh announced the opportunity for public comment however none were given. 

Currently awaiting traffic plan approval for the off-site construction permit. Construction on the east parking lot and sub-construction is planned to begin right after graduation in May to minimize disruption to traffic and carpooling. All financing is queued up with two bondholders ready to buy once final permitting from Clark County is finalized.

President Singh asked if we see any hurdles in the timeline at this point?

Manager Iglody said no. Despite previous delays, the project is on track. Financing is lined up, and once the final permitting phase completes, construction will be ready to go

Financial operations have had a steady start for the school year. The unrestricted operating cash balance sits at approximately $8.5 million (around 91 days of cash on hand). August marked the first full month of payroll for the school year. Revenue is currently at 13% of the budget, while expenses stand at 11%. The ongoing audit is progressing well and is expected to be presented at the October meeting.

Member Norland asked if the potential staff insurance change due to pricing already considered in the current budget, or will that come later?

CEO Hulet said that the projected spending amount for benefits is already factored into the current budget. The upcoming insurance shift is expected to slightly lower that cost relative to original projections, so it is not an unbudgeted expense.

• Amplus Academy has two National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalists this year.
• Partnered with Vegas Family Insider for a community resource event, which will be integrated into the spring Bullseye Bash.
• Hosted a successful blood drive resulting in 23 units of blood collected from 29 students and 4 staff members (exceeding the goal of 20 units).
• Archer Fest is scheduled for next Friday night (free games/prizes, tickets for food/vendors).
• Secured corporate partnerships: John Park Law ($15,000 title sponsor) and Blackburn & Worth ($5,000 premier sponsor, who provided staff lunch).
• Shifted to a self-funded model under Pareto / UMR with prescription coverage via OptumRx.
• Open enrollment was completed in 2.5 days with 165 employees enrolled.
• Offered an EPO plan (backed by UnitedHealthcare's national network) with low copays ($15 primary, $30 specialist) and free telehealth. 152 employees selected the EPO plan, while 13 chose HSA/PPO options.
• Switching stops escalating 10%–20%+ annual premium rate hikes on the total pool ($1.1M–$1.6M), capping future increases strictly to the stop-loss coverage premium ($375k threshold).
• CSAN (Charter School Association of Nevada) is advocating for legislative updates regarding liability insurance umbrella caps. Amplus is currently marked "non-compliant" on this state performance metric due to outdated state language, but carries full attorney-reviewed coverage.
• State pupil funding updates: Clark County School District (CCSD) enrolled 20,000 fewer students than projected. An emergency hold-harmless order (120 days) was enacted to protect declining schools' budgets, while growing schools (like Amplus) will still be paid based on actual current enrollment.

Board members expressed praise for the new self-funded health insurance plan, noting how helpful the detailed report was and sharing that their own organizations were facing similar cost increases.

CAO Barlow: The Nevada Department of Education (NDE) adjusted baseline recalculations and business rules (e.g., chronic absenteeism definitions and student weighting). This resulted in an apparent score drop across the state, which reflects state-level adjustments rather than operational decline within Amplus Academy.

Rainbow Elementary Campus (Principal Lisa Cates)

Performance: Pooled proficiency sits >11% above the district rate.

Strengths: Chronic absenteeism is under 5%. English Learner (EL) proficiency had a 70% exit rate across 45 students (+11.2% year-over-year). Science proficiency increased by 10%.

Focus Areas: Targeted growth in 5th-grade math through the CRA (Concrete, Representational, Abstract) model using physical manipulatives, alongside focused ELA interventions.

Durango Elementary Campus (Principal Jackie Jackson)

Performance & Strengths: 3rd-grade math proficiency reached 76.9% (an 18.8% increase).

3rd-grade ELA proficiency improved by 4.5%. Chronic absenteeism dropped from 14.9% to 5.6%.

Focus Areas: Closing opportunity gaps in science and aligning WIDA/EL testing support across elementary and secondary coaches.

Secondary Campus — Middle & High School (Principal Sabrina Carrington)

Middle School: Maintained a 5-star designation. 6th-grade ELA achieved full growth points.

Math proficiency exceeded the district average by 10%. Chronic absenteeism decreased from 6.5% to 5.8%. Implemented dedicated strategic reading classes and expanded character development programs.

High School: Ranked 5th among Clark County comprehensive high schools. ACT composite math scores increased by 0.5 points (outpacing state trends). Economically disadvantaged students nearly doubled their math benchmark scores (from 17% to 33%).High school EL proficiency grew by 9%

Member Norland asked, What attributed to the decline in the opportunity gap for elementary students, and what specific programs/systems are being used for ELA and Math RTI (Response to Intervention) moving forward?

Principal Cates, Jackson and CAO Barlow said: 

Root Cause: Identified mid-year 5th-grade dips and staffing challenges. Over-relying on rigid, pre-packaged intervention software created a disconnect with actual classroom gaps.

ELA Action: Switched to progress monitoring via EasyCBM, using the PAST phonemic awareness screener from LETRS training, UFly, and Words Their Way word sorts led by trained paraprofessionals.

Math Action: Utilizing Reveal Math / Arrive curriculum, hands-on manipulatives (CRA model), interactive student discourse, and weekly IXL diagnostic data tracking.

Member Farthing asked, How will progress for "bubble kids" (students near proficiency) be measured mid-year so the Board knows if these interventions are working

CAO Barlow and Principal Jackson said The school opted out of i-Ready to remain with NWEA MAP for consistent interim benchmark testing. PLC teams track weekly micro-data (e.g., IXL diagnostics, weekly progress monitoring) to catch trends within 2–3 weeks rather than waiting several months for mid-year assessments.

Member Norland asked, Is high school science taught by single or multiple teachers, and what structures are in place to support incoming teachers and prevent instruction disruptions?

CAO Barlow and Principal Carrington said,  High school science has two teachers. The small test sample on the report card was due to shifting end-of-course testing from 9th grade to 10th grade to give students an extra year of instruction.

Support Structures: Instructional coaches run weekly Thursday workshops. Assistant principals have increased direct classroom observations to give immediate feedback on Tier 1 instruction and hands-on lab engagement (e.g., dissections).

Treasurer Price asked Given high performance numbers, is the lower high school engagement indicator tied to attendance/senioritis, and how are you addressing it?

CAO Barlow and Principal Carrington said, Attendance challenges are primarily concentrated in 11th and 12th grades due to increased student independence.

The admin team tracks daily chronic absenteeism, uses the Minga platform for positive behavior recognition, and is shifting parent-teacher conferences to a team-based model (APT&T) to improve accountability and home-school dialogue

No Discussion 

No Discussion 

CEO Hulet explained that these are old buses Amplus wants to get off their registration and insurance so they can take those extra funds and put them toward purchasing the new bus.

Treasurer Price asked for clarification on whether they were getting rid of the five older buses to acquire a newer one?

CEO Hulet clarified that when they first received their transportation grant, there was a long lead time to get a brand-new bus, so they bought several older buses to get transportation running immediately. They have since purchased six brand-new buses, making this acquisition their seventh new bus. She also noted that using Bus West keeps the fleet consistent with the same engines and parts, making future fleet maintenance much easier to oversee.

Discussed up coming board meetings. October 28 may be adjusted based on auditor availability for the annual audit report. 

President Singh noted that the board will be initiating a board self-review and CEO evaluation using Board on Track tools.

President Singh announced the opportunity for public comment however none were given.