Minutes: Prairie Creek Community School Board Meeting
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Present: Dan Kelley, John Battiste, Michelle Martin, Caroline Jones,
Nancy Dennis, Simon Tyler, Ken Wright
Absent: Brett Reese, Laura Medwetz
The PCCS Board operates by consensus.
Agenda attached.
There was consensus to approve the minutes.
1. Educational Assistants/Staffing
Discussion tabled until the June meeting. Waiting for the state budget numbers.
2. Larsen-Allen Conference
Michelle, Dan, Caroline attended.
Productive conference. Gained some information regarding more productive committee structures and ideas about benefits. From a financial standpoint, PCCS looks good in comparison to many other charter schools.
3. Board Composition
Variance is being pursued. Mark Aimone and Tracy Goodwin have been nominated for the board, however the election will be held in September instead of May (as we’re waiting for our charter approval.) We still may invite a Northfield school board member to be part of our board, but perhaps not attend every meeting (e.g. they might receive the minutes each month and attend every third meeting.)
4. 2005-2006 Calendar
Approved by consensus.
5. Strategic Plan
Timeline was discussed/several changes made. Next step is for background information sheets to be prepared and presented at June meeting. Discussion about several areas to be included in strategic plan followed:
Finance Goals
q 3-5 year balanced budget
q Forecast supporting priorities
q Fundraising strategy
q Board policy for budget reserve
Growth Goals
q Assessment of adequacy of present facility for program for current enrollment
q Decide whether to expand facility to increase enrollment
o More K-5?
o Preschool?
o What is maximum size (# children, in class) we can teach and still stay true to our philosophy?
Retention Goals
In order to continue to attract and retain high quality staff:
o Set goals for competitive salaries and benefits
o Leadership model
o Leadership development roles for teachers, reframing director role
o Salary table
o Attract/retain high quality assistants
o Staff Development
Defining Success at PCCS Goals
o How do we define and measure success at PCCS?
o Define
o Measure
o Communicate
To be discussed at future meeting.
Special Education Goals
To be discussed at future meeting with Laura present.
6. June Meeting
Staffing Discussion (based on information from the state)
Review To-Dos
Background Information Sheets from Michelle (Hand-Outs for Strategic Plan)