Entity: Salt Lake Arts Academy
Body: Salt Lake Arts Academy
Notice Title: | Salt Lake Arts Academy Final Minutes |
Notice Tags: | Schools |
Meeting Location: | 844 South 200 East via Zoom Salt Lake City UT 84111 |
Event Date & Time: |
January 22, 2021 January 22, 2021 03:00 PM |
Description/Agenda: | Salt Lake Arts Academy Governing Board Meeting MINUTES - Approved 2-19-21 January 22, 2021, at 3:00 p.m. https://zoom.us/j/97188638508 Board Members Present Anneliese Booher, Denise Begue, Jennifer Goldman-Luthy, John Bakken, Julie Livers, Leanne Hawken, Lon Huntsman, Matt Nelson, Melissa Block, Rob Scott, Suyin Chong Board Members Excused Tatiana Mixco Staff Present Jennifer Burrow Sanchez, Jen Guillory, Katy Andrews, Moni Schwaerzler, Holly Winn, Kevin Lee, Lamar Holley, Norma Iglesias, Elizabeth Wilson, Nate Rickett Others Present Jan Nystrom, Deborah Candler, Melissa Brink, David Vernon, Jodi Geroux, Anne Cook, Sheila Sawka (auditor), Emily McMillan, Katherine Zavodni, Somebody Beck Note: Attendance of participants joining during the Zoom meeting may not be recorded above Welcome Lon Huntsman 3:00 Motion: To move Financial Discussion to Item #1 so Sheila can go early John Bakken moved to approve Denise Begue seconded Motion approved unanimously (Note: The Financial Discussion occurred first but is shown below in Item #6) Approve Minutes of Governing Board Meeting 12/11/20 All 3:05 (No discussion) MOTION: To approve Minutes from the December 11, 2020 Governing Board Meeting John Bakken moved to approve Rob Scott seconded Motion approved unanimously New Policies Anneliese Booher, Rob Scott 3:10 (Vote may be taken) 'At-Risk' Student Definition Katy - Possible factors include absenteeism, course failures, disciplinary issues, displaced living/homelessness, English language learner, low test scores Based on State's qualifiers Markell has identified other factors based on data (discussion) We are tracking students in all categories with goal of making progress Katy - Purpose of definition is to report at state leve.l Asking Board to approve this definition; our plans to support kids at risk of failure address these issues and more. Lon - How to integrate other metrics Markell has identified? Markell - We are doing these other things already, just not including in this report Lon - So we are over and above what state is requiring. MOTION: To accept definition of 'At-Risk Student' as students with any factors listed above Julie Livers moved to approve Leanne Hawken seconded Motion approved unanimously Grievance Policy Tabled for future meeting Harrassment Policy Tabled for future meeting Return to In-Person Scenario Discussion Katy Andrews / All 3:20 (Vote may be taken.) Teacher Vaccine Update Since December 11 meeting, all teachers have begun to be vaccinated Proposed Scenario for Consideration Katy - (Slide show, in handouts) Grateful for the opportunity to bring this to you today Have developed a plan to return students to classroom that address SLArts' core values - Value and back up teachers and their health - Offer what our kids need - Balance what different families need Also surveyed families by grade to commit to in-person or remote learning; still in Cohorts Most families plan to return - About 30% 5th graders plan to stay remote - About 20-25% 6th-8th graders plan to stay remote So about 300 people in-person; too many to physically distance, but fine for cohorts Help kids make transition - kids are nervous about in person experience - Focus on rebuilding our community in advance - Also support kids remaining remote Propose 4-day period with same cohorts; supported by Faculty and Administration 2 days in person, synchronous math and humanities 4 days per week, and arts Pause non-arts electives Continue remote Fridays; may offer remote classes on Fridays Shorten day to eliminate lunch and significantly reduce risk of transmission Solidify schedule by mid-Feb John - Good news to get kiddos back in building; why pausing electives? Katy - Arts are a core class here, so that will be kept; additional arts/electives will be paused Some teachers will be teaching simultaneously in-person and online Will redeploy electives teachers to support core teachers Begin in-person about March 1 JenBS - Our goal is to try to keep the same teachers; depends on numbers Katy - Teachers are ready to get back in building and will be vaccinated; we are set on this JenGL - Addresses concerns getting kids back in school; unforeseen circumstances could change plan, e.g. new strains of virus; need to keep eye on it; if we see in person spread we may need to close Katy - For our school size -- 15 cases means all remote again question: raining or snowing? Katy - Everyone bring a parka for snacks in bad weather! We will figure out details to stay safe Leanne - Rapid testing/rapid return strategy possible? Katy - Great idea - Planning committee is morphing into a 'now what' comm; creating and implementing safety protocols is next on list Everyone will need to use Healthy Together app prior to school each day; adults doing currently Very strict about following protocols; will send students back to remote if not complying Lon - Some parents would like more time in person, but there are limitations Everyone must do their part to engage in safe behavior wherever you are Most spreading occurs outside of school; school can be a safe, controlled environment After school / at home must still be safe; and also keep ICUs from being overrun! Katy - Beginning of day is check-in time so kids are heard and can process - we have all been through trauma! we will process together Nate - We will talk about how to be social when we are socially distanced! Katy - We will develop mental health support for remote kids - a critical part of our community Lon - Every change requires significant planning and retooling - plus burnout; our teachers care deeply about our kids and the education process and the emotions - putting in a lot of work MOTION: To adopt the proposed 4-period return to school plan Jennifer Goldman-Luthy moved to approve Rob Scott seconded Motion approved unanimously Requests to Speak 3:50 Persons requesting to speak to the Governing Board in an open meeting need to sign up prior to the start of the open session of the board meeting, by emailing Lon Huntsman, chair, at alonzo.huntsman@slarts.org. Resolution of questions or responses to proposals should not be expected at this meeting; staff or others may be asked to research and/or prepare materials and solutions for a later time. Up to fifteen minutes in total will be scheduled for persons requesting to speak. Three minutes will be allotted for individual requests and five minutes will be allotted for group requests. If we receive more requests than the allotted time permits, those requests may be scheduled for the next board meeting. Your concerns may be submitted in writing to the principal's office for distribution to the Governing Board at any time. No requests to speak Committee Updates 4:15 Finance John Bakken / Moni Schwaerzler Presentation of the Revised FY21 Budget - Vote Expected Sheila (auditor) - Has been auditing SLArts for 10+ years Loves working with us; we do a great job They look at Moni's books - all money in and all money out; all accounts to ensure accuracy Also do compliance testing for state Some testing has changed because of fraud at other charter schools Opinion of report: Financial statements of SLArts are materially correct Only one thing not clean involving about $2200 Everything else is very clean - Moni does a fantastic job Bond covenance - we changed to new bond so it's monitored closely All bond requirements met Debt covenance projected to be met through end of school year Lon - We were worried about some of these numbers, but we have 1.8% ratio cf required 1.15%, so we are in good shape Personal responsibility to disclose information to bond holders; Moni has taken steps We have retired previous debt, built addition, and still dropped debt service by $70k Thanks to finance comm - John Bakken, Jim Kreeck (past), Rob Scott, Matt Nelson, Moni Moni - (Share screen, in handouts) Short version of budget - reviewed updated numbers Balance sheet - reviewed Bond holder conference this morning and we are in good shape After 2020/21 'We are going to be so resilient we can turn the whole bloomin' world around!' Lon - Looks good; those on Finance comm have spent a lot of time hashing through all these things; we are in good shape Lon - Moni is very careful about all terms MOTION: To adopt new budget with new line items John Bakken moved to approve Matt Nelson seconded Motion approved unanimously Development and Community Outreach Katy Andrews Annual Campaign and Challenge Grant Within hairs' breadth of meeting $75k goal to unlock $25k challenge grant Plus another $1000 challenge grant Admissions/Enrollment update Ambassadors came to school today to train for tours Good attendance at tiny open houses Lottery to be run on February 19 Please invite people to apply Numbers are a little low; but this is the time most applications usually come in We anticipate full enrollment Principal Search Committee Julie Livers Progress Report Julie - 19 applications, several very good Educators with adminisration license Starting interviews with top picks 2nd week of February Great batch of applicants - very optimistic! Katy wants this moving ;) Faculty input, great committee Lon - Quality and caliber is very strong! question: how many interviews Julie - Plan to interview 3-5; beyond those is a very strong 2nd tier Very impressive pool! The Board may move into closed session to discuss items allowed under the Utah Open and Public Meetings Law. A separate Zoom link will be sent to Board members, and the closed session will be recorded per the Open Meetings law. The Board may take Action during the closed session, which will be recorded per the Open Meetings law. No Closed Session needed. MOTION: to Adjourn meeting Julie Livers moved to approve Lon Huntsman seconded Motion approved unanimously Upcoming Meetings Board Meeting, February 19, 2021, 3 p.m. via Zoom. Admissions Lottery closes February 19. Board Meeting, March 19, 2021, 3 p.m. via Zoom. |
Notice of Special Accommodations: | In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations (including auxiliary communicative aids and services) during this meeting should notify Jen Guillory at 801-531-1173. . |
Notice of Electronic or telephone participation: | NA |
Other information: | |
Contact Information: |
Jen Guillory (801)531-1173 jeng@slarts.org |
Posted on: | February 22, 2021 08:19 PM |
Last edited on: | February 22, 2021 08:19 PM |