Minutes

INSPIRE BOARD MEETING
December 14, 2009
CUSD Large Conference Room
7:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Present: Rose Krepelka, Jay Goldberg, Moaty Fayek, Jann Reed, Kim Jaxon, Denver Latimer, Debbie Travers, Eric Nilsson, Kim Gimbal, Ron Pope
Guests:
Sara Simmons - CUSD liaison for charter schools
Kevin - Interested Teacher and parent
Meeting called to order: 7:02 p.m.
Introductions:
Board member Denver Latimer (who was absent at our last meeting) was introduced
Minutes:
Jann Reed’s term is corrected to 2 years.
Motion made by Jann Reed to approved minutes with correction.
Motion seconded by Kim Jaxon. Motion passed.
I. Principal’s Report: Eric Nilsson
· Informed the board he will now be able to dedicate fulltime attention to Inspire. (Friday will be his last day as assist principal at PV)
· Recognized Kim Gimbal and Ron Pope and planning team for work on planning of Inspire.
· Thanked Board members for service, time and effort.
· Introduced Kim Gimbal (Planning Director)
Kim Gimbal (Inspire Planning Director) updated the Board on student recruitment efforts:
· Informed the Board that there were 188 applications as of 12/14/09.
· Brochures have been translated to Spanish and Hmong. Distributed copies to Board members. Jay Goldberg and Ted Vang (host of Hmong radio program in Sacramento) translated brochures to Hmong.
· Kim requested a contact address for Ted Vang from Jay and will send note of appreciation for work on translation
· Kirk Lee on KZFR interviewed Chris and Kim Gimbal on a Hmong language radio show.
Eric Nilsson informed the Board on progress towards hiring of teachers:
· An invitation to attend an introductory meeting on Inspire was emailed to all teachers in CUSD. The meeting was held on December 4 and attended by 18 interested teachers. Eric Nilsson, Ron Pope, and Kim Gimbal presented a powerpoint introduction to Inspire and answered questions.
· 9 core teaching positions were flown including; 2) language arts, 1) foreign language, 2) math, 1) science, 1) music
· 12 applications and resumes were received and reviewed by the teacher application screening committee. Applicants include: 1) language arts, 4) math, 1) music, 4) social science, 1) foreign language, 1) business/Italian
· 12 interviews will be held on 12/16 and 17, 2009.
· Hiring decisions will be made by 12/18/09.
· Next round will be open to applicants from inside and outside of CUSD. This will be for Core positions not filled in first round.
· Applications will be open internally for electives including engineering courses shortly. Goal is to solidify staff as soon as possible.
· Introduced Ron Pope (Founder)
Ron Pope
· Presented the PowerPoint shown at the meeting for interested teachers, explaining the concept of Inspire, how the charter was initiated, and its proposed schedule.
· He also reported the breakdown of applicants including their present school, their grade level, and their interests.
II. Discussion items:
Where will Inspire be located (near future and permanent location)?
· To this date, meetings with CUSD representatives have indicated that Inspire may be housed on the Chico High campus for 1 or more years.
· There have been discussions with the CUSD housing committee regarding a long-range vision for Inspire including the possibility of building a new facility at a permanent site.
· Concern for the need of a contingency plan for 2010/2011 if the new buildings at CHS are not ready. (If the buildings are not ready by the start of the 2010/2011 school year, portable buildings will not be available to Inspire.)
· 1-D Arts, Media and Entertainment Industries facilities grant was discussed. Two new classrooms in the new building are in dispute. We have been informed that final recommendations by the housing committee to the CUSD Board, related to Inspire’s location, should be ready by Wednesday 12/16/09. Sara Simmons explained that the housing committee is charged with the responsibility of addressing the needs of all the district schools and students. Jay Goldberg mentioned the possibility of looking into the old ButteCollege facility next to Sports club. Kim agreed to look into this.
Union and teacher employment issues:
· Eric Nilsson explained that at this time we are not associated with a Union.
· Teachers may apply for a professional leave of absence from CUSD for up to 2 years (2x1 year leaves) upon review and approval by CUSD board. Under this leave staff will continue to accrue service credit. Salary and benefits will be the same as CUSD teachers. Also working with Jan Combes on benefit plan. Vesting will be worked out in M.O.U. At this time teachers employed for more than 5 years will be eligible for benefits until the age of 65. Staff can feel comfortable about benefits.
· Inspire had always planned to be union, however, it may be that the union cannot represent both CUSD and Inspire teachers.
· Staff will be hired at-will and will be able to form their own union association if they so choose.
III. Discussion/Action items:
· Review and approve ISAS Board Policies, Procedures, and Bylaws, created at last meeting Discussion of by laws:
Jann Reed questioned a discrepancy in language in charter and vision statement related to career exploration and college prep. The following changes were proposed:
1. “Provide career exploration opportunities and technical skill development” was added as item #3 under Our Vision subsequently changing the numbering of the rest of the items.
2. Renumbered item #6 was changed to read “. . . .teaching curriculum, and may allow students to obtain college credit . . .”
3. The second bullet point under Measurable Student Outcomes was truncated to read “To demonstrate awareness of and readiness for post-secondary options, as measured by successful completion of UC/CSU a-g requirements.” The statement “To demonstrate awareness of career pathways and the skills necessary to be successful in those career-focused areas” was added as a new bullet.
4. The first sentence of the second paragraph under Board Members and Terms was edited to read “With the exception of the initial board members, each board member shall hold office for two years and/or until a successor board member has been designated and qualified.”
5. Under Special, Emergency and Regular Board Meetings, the sentence regarding the posting of agendas was edited to read. “Agendas shall be posted seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting.
Jann Reed moved to approve the proposed changes. The motion was seconded by Rose Krepelka and approved.
IV. Items from the floor:
·Ron Pope presented a proposed classroom-use plan for the Chico High campus, including the conversion of existing space in Act labs, the AMEI lab space in a new Chico High building, part-time use of the CHS drama and choir facilities, and the use of portable classrooms. Eric explained the possibility of this plan being implemented for a 2-year period.
· Pope also presented a concept drawing of a performing arts and science/engineering center for Inspire’s future site. The plan was presented in two phases.
· Eric Nilsson reported that Inspire is receiving a total of $450,000 over 3-year period, through a charter-planning grant. We received notice from the State that we were one school in approximately 10% of the charter schools submitting reports that did not have to redo information or rewrite parts of their report.
·Kim Gimbal reported that an M.O.U. with the district is nearly done. A decision on Inspire’s location must be made before it can be finalized.
· Jann Reed reported that a CUSD Board meeting had been scheduled for January 6, 2010 to discuss Inspire’s location.
· Next Inspire Board meeting to be held January 11, 2010
Meeting adjourned at 9:02