TRIO Wolf Creek Distance Learning Charter School
Tuesday, November
18, 2008 at 3:00 p.m.
Board
Members Present: Stacy Bender, Sandy Flint, Cassie Gaede, Kelly Legg, Tom
Plocher, Brenda Swanson and Jeff Vitali
Absent:
Anna Egge, Ed Jordan
Ex-officio
member: Tracy Quarnstrom
Visitors: Heide Miller, Sheryl Palmquist, Peggy Reese, Emily Stull, Dawn Janusch, and Anita Pelzer.
1. Call to order and approval of agenda.
TRIO Wolf Creek Distance Learning Charter School Board met in the blue lab of the school at 10363 Liberty Lane in Chisago City on November 18, 2008. Board chair, Tom Plocher called the meeting to order at 3:03 pm. A revised agenda was distributed and it was moved by Bender to accept it as revised. Second by Flint. Motion carried.
The
minutes from the November 12 meeting were distributed. Bender pointed out that the time for
adjournment of the November meeting was recorded incorrectly. The time was changed to 12:14 pm. Both sets of minutes were approved as
corrected with a motion by Swanson.
Second by Vitali and the motion carried.
3. Open forum
Visitor,
Dawn Janusch was introduced. She stated
she was present as an interested parent. Janusch has also recently been
appointed to the graduation committee as a parent member.
4.A. Miller presented the bills for October. She itemized the list and explained some of them as they were mentioned. Payments to Liberty Lane Ventures were entered twice because this meeting is being held later in the month than usual, and two month’s billing was listed. Some grant expenses are still in the listing and are again the reason the spending total is so large again this month. The expenses totaled $71, 694.28 – a large amount because the bills covered 1 ½ months. Flint moved the payment of bills represented by checks numbered 2399 to 2453. Vitali seconded the motion. Motion carried.
4.B The financial report, dated November 18, 2008 reflects expenditures over revenue in the amount of $94,144.38. This number reflects revenue through the end of October and again shows that the grant money is still being used. Miller pointed out the cash on hand of $515,989.79 and stressed once again that we are in good financial shape. Vitali moved the acceptance of the financial report. Second by Gaede. Motion carried.
4.C Quarnstrom reported that there is still $40,000. left of the grant money. Items being considered to be purchased with these funds are computers and components, some landscaping and outdoor furniture. Next month Quarnstrom will provide an itemized list of possible expenditures to be bought with the remaining grant funds. She would like input and opinions from the staff on these decisions. She emphasized that she prefers to use the grant money first and use general funds later in order to complete all requirements of the grant sooner rather than later in the 2009 year.
4.D Miller reported that the administrative charge for processing the 403(b) plans for Wolf Creek by EBC will be only $50.00 per month. Swanson moved that we go with EBC and accept their offer to administrate Wolf Creek’s 403(b) plans. Vitali seconded the motion. Motion carried.
5. Old Business
5.A Quarnstrom revisited the plan to become a member of the Minnesota State High School League through Chisago Lakes. Although we have no students interested in participating in varsity sports right now, by being a member we are prepared to allow students who transfer to TWC and back out again to play varsity sports by waiving the “sit-out time” ordinarily in effect when students transfer schools. The cost of membership is $100.00 per year. Vitali moved that Wolf Creek join the MSHSL. Gaede seconded. Motion carried.
5.B Swanson distributed a listing of the furniture and equipment recently purchased along with the date of expected delivery. Delivery of most items will be this month.
Quarnstrom reported that she had looked into hiring someone to do the assembly and installation of the new equipment. The cost was approximately $2,000 and the company would assemble the pieces in a St. Paul warehouse and transport them to our school for installation. Fearing damage and problems with getting large furniture through our doors she suggested that we do the job ourselves, making the work paid time spent. She is looking at the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, November 29, as the day to work. Anyone interested in doing this work and get paid $15.00 per hour should contact her and she would hire them as needed. She estimates that the cost to hire locally would be about the same as using professionals. Flint moved that we go ahead with the plan to hire people as needed to work one day and install equipment on-site. Bender second. Motion carried.
As a point of information, it was announced that the fireplace now has a remote switch, installed today, to replace the remote which did not work.
6.
New Business
6.A The strategic planning meeting, held earlier in November was reviewed. At the strategic planning meeting several requests for information were made by the board and Quarnstrom presented on information gathered.
Charts indicating enrollment figures and percentages historically and projected was presented by Flint. These numbers will be used to track and predict enrollment for future planning. Flint and Quarnstrom will revise the strategic planning document to include enrollment numbers with a breakdown of types of students, so that predictions can be made about the aid to be received.
Questions were asked at the meeting about our 9th graders – where are they coming from. Swanson distributed a list of all 9th grade students and indicated where they had been in school up until this time. It was concluded that most were from the Chisago Lakes area and surrounding districts. They came to us largely through word-of-mouth information. The listing also included a breakdown of the number of students in each grade for a total of 136 students. As a point of information, Bender announced that we acquired our first student as a direct result of our Facebook advertising – from 120 miles away! Swanson also presented our A-B honor roll for the first quarter
The strategic planning document will come back at least one more time, for some things are still being added and changed. Quarnstrom will present a revised version of the strategic plan at the December board meeting.
6.B. Quarnstrom reported that a new contract for Sheryl Palmquist is not yet ready. It will be presented at the next meeting.
6.C. Applications are being received for the position of lead learning manager because of the resignation of Stacy Bender. An announcement will be made at the next meeting. Lead LM interviews will take place as dictated by the Q comp application submitted to MDE on 11/24/2008.
6.D. 2008/09 committee assignments were conducted
at the November meeting. Dawn Janusch,
parent, was appointed to the Graduation Committee and staff member Kelly Vilson
to the Marketing Committee. Quarnstrom
announced that if others are interested in being on particular committees that
they should let her know as soon as possible.
6.E Quarnstrom reviewed the Board By-Laws which dealt with
the attendance of board members at meetings.
It was noted that action should be taken when board members miss four
consecutive meetings. Quarnstrom was
instructed to notify those who have not attended the meetings to find out the
intentions of these people. If open
positions are created, the board may appoint members to take these
positions. In the case of much interest,
an election can also be scheduled.
6.F. The Facilities Use Policy
was presented for a second reading. In
the last month several proposed changes have been submitted. Quarnstrom reported that these changes will
be incorporated into the policy and with permission she would bring the revised
version to the December meeting. Vitali
moved that the policy be tabled to bring back at the next meeting with
changes. Swanson seconded the
motion. Motion carried.
MNOLA has asked to use our
building for a conference in February.
This will mean about 110 people for the event. It was noted that this will be a good trial
for the number of people our building can comfortably handle for an occasion
such as this.
6.G. Quarnstrom presented Internet
Policy 524 for a second reading.
Notification for the safety of our students is noted in section VII of the policy and stresses that on a yearly
basis the director will add Internet safety information to the school handbook,
will mail the information to parents, will make it available on the school’s
website and in the school newsletters. A motion was made by Swanson to accept
the policy with changes and seconded by Gaede.
Motion carried.
6.H. Quarnstrom presented the Data Privacy policy
515 for a second reading. Swanson moved
the policy 515 be accepted as amended and Flint seconded the motion. Motion carried.
6.I. Bender presented the first reading of the
Truancy/Attendance Policy 503. The proposed revisions will be to work toward
providing more time in the truancy process for intervention. Bender pointed out that revisions are needed
on a continuing basis. A revised policy
will be brought back to the next meeting for another first reading.
6.J. Changes to the PTO Policy for our staff is
being continually revised and improved.
Quarnstrom expressed appreciation for the document which is becoming increasingly
clear. No motion was made as Quarnstrom expressed that all changes were in her
opinion within the realm of the discretion of the Director.
6.K. Newsletter announcements were presented by Quarnstrom. It is the duty of our school to inform families of our students of the ways to investigate the educational credit tax deductions that may be available to them. Each family must consult their own tax specialist to find out which tax credits apply to them.
Students must be informed that staff members of our school are mandatory reporters by law, and when they communicate with staff on any Internet Social Networking Sites, inappropriate information learned there must be reported. We must stress to our students that information about drugs, alcohol, or any activity harmful to the student or others will be reported.
The newsletter will run a
request to all once again to complete the educational benefits form for the
benefit of Wolf creek funds.
6.L. Swanson reported that Quarnstrom, as
director, needs a new contract by January 1.
It is evaluation time, and Swanson has the evaluation tool used
previously. Since the tool previously
used is in need of minor revisions, Swanson will bring the tool and ask for
revisions at the December meeting. After
revision it will be sent out to all staff members again with a deadline for the
return of the evaluation. Swanson asked
that the evaluation be sent to her electronically for ease in tabulation of
results prior to the January board meeting.
At the January board meeting Quarnstrom will be given the results of the
evaluation. It was moved by Swanson that
all staff and board members be invited to participate in the director
evaluation; second by Bender. Motion
carried.
Swanson also noted that she
had received a letter from Quarnstrom waiving her right to a closed session for
her Director evaluation therefore the evaluation will be during the January
board meeting.
7. Quarnstrom pointed out that training
for board members is readily available at many times in a variety of locations
and modes, even through the internet. TWC
will gladly underwrite expenses for anyone wanting to participate in board
training. Swanson and Miller suggested
bringing the training to a board meeting with Jan Rhode as the trainer. Quarnstrom will investigate this for a future
board meeting.
8. Since we are a week late with this our November board meeting, Swanson pointed out that the timeline to complete the director evaluation is difficult. Quarnstrom said that she is willing to work into January without a contract so that the process can be done well. It was moved by Swanson that the evaluation tool be revised and given to the board by the December 9 meeting and evaluation be completed by the board meeting on January 13. The resulting contract will then be retroactive to January 1. The motion was seconded by Flint. Motion carried.
9. The meeting was adjourned by a motion from Bender at 4:40 pm. Second by Gaede. Motion carried.
The next TRIO Wolf Creek board meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 3:00 p.m. at TRIO Wolf Creek.
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Chair, Tom Plocher Date