Board Meeting Minutes – 07.21.21

By Lake Country Classical Academy | July 21, 2021

Lake Country Classical Academy

Board Meeting Minutes (at LCCA West Campus, 818 W. Wisconsin Ave, Oconomowoc)

July 21, 2021

ATTENDEES

Board Members in Attendance:

– Kristina Vourax
– Taryn Whipple
– Royce Hix
– Ali Schweitzer
– Tim Peterson (via phone) – Tom Gehl (via phone) Also in Attendance

– LCCA Principal, Bart Williams
– LCCA HR Director, Kim Nichols
– LCCA Business Manager, Eric Wozniak
– LCCA Assistant Principal, Margaret Daigneau Guests in Attendance
Samantha Christianson
Patti Pilarski
Jennifer Lenz
Tracie Marke

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AGENDA

1. Opening of Meeting

  1. Call to order 7:04 p.m.
  2. Pledge of Allegiance.
  3. Agenda approval: Motion was made by Taryn Whipple to approve the board meeting minutesfrom July 7, 2021. Seconded by Tom Gehl. Motion carried.

2. Citizens Forum

a. Floor opened for public comment, none given.

3. Consent Agenda

a. Board meeting minutes from July 7, 2021 approved.

4. Principals Report – Bart Williams

  1. Enrollment Update: We are at around 400 students enrolled. Some families missed the initial 7/1/21 enrollment deadline, despite reminder calls and/or emails from LCCA staff in all cases. Notable openings exist in 2nd and 9th grades. Parents have until the end of July to enroll, and if necessary, we will keep enrollment open beyond that. Kristina put together a marketing/student- recruitment plan, and we are following that to attract more students.
  2. Facilities Update: Preparations continue at East and West. All permits have been submitted for East and are awaiting final review and approval by the Town (for East) and County (also for East). Initial work at East is being planned (asbestos removal, demolition of a few walls) and is close to being started. A number of decisions have been made, too (floor coverings, trim, lighting, wiring and cabling, interior doors, exterior paint colors, etc., to name a few). At LCCA West, professional carpet cleaning and hard-floor stripping and waxing is being planned and will take place soon. West classrooms are being readied in terms of moving and/or installing blackboards, whiteboards, bulletin boards, desks and tables, and other furniture and fixtures.
  3. Instructional Materials update: Books for LCCA will cost over $200,000. We are prioritizing ordering materials that will be needed right away and are shopping around with many vendors to get the best value (e.g., lowest price, free shipping, etc.).
  4. Policies and Procedure: These are being prioritized and worked on. The top several are Student and Parent Handbook, Faculty and Staff Handbook, Attendance Policy, etc.
  5. Compliance: Several LCCA representatives are in a day-long compliance webinar next week (LCCA Board Chair, Kristina Vourax, and Jim Schlender from the LCO Ojibwe College are in a WRCCS conference/webinar on Tue. 7/27, and LCCA Principal, Bart Williams, is in the same virtual conference on Wed. 7/28). Special education (SPED) is making progress with the identification of another SPED teacher, the search for two SPED paraprofessionals, closing in on finalizing several outside vendors (i.e., school psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy), and the final selection of an individualized education plan (IEP) software vendor. Additional compliance efforts in finance (WUFAR compatibility for financial accounting and reporting), DPI grant, charter requirements, emergency preparedness, and more are also taking place.
  6. DPI Grant Update: We will be submitting our Board-approved first-year grant budget soon. Also, performance measures have been drafted and will be submitted at some point in the near future.
  1. Faculty and Staff Update:Training next week takes place for six teachers (grades 3 through 6, plus English Language Arts and special education), Bart, Margaret, and Kim from the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW), which is highly recommended by Hillsdale College. First-response training (e.g., CPR, first aid, AED, poison control, bloodborne pathogens, etc.), including introductions to local first-response professionals (e.g., EMT, fire, police, hospital, etc., personnel), is being scheduled for mid-August for about 12 front-line LCCA administrators and nurses. Hillsdale training for LCCA faculty will take place onsite (West) 8/24/21 – 9/2/21.
  2. Summer Events Update: In addition to the events schedule shared at the July 7 board meeting, LCCA will have its official grand-opening/ribbon-cutting ceremony and brief celebration at LCCA West on Friday, 8/27/21, from noon until 1:00 p.m. It will be in the backyard near the lake if the weather is good, or in the gym in the event of rain. Board members should contact Kristina with specific guests they would like to have invited.
  3. Outreach Opportunities: We have a number of outreach opportunities in the City of Waukesha to attract more students. Specifically, we are targeting parks, playgrounds, grocery stores, the YMCA, Boys Clubs, Girls Clubs, food pantries, and more. Kristina and the West administrative assistant, Cass Knapp, recently spent an afternoon doing this, with mixed results. We plan to do additional community outreach.

5. Treasurer’s Report – Royce Hicks

The unfavorable variances in the Operating Revenue categories are merely a timing issue due to the simplistic calculation of the ‘expected’ figure. We should see a favorable variance upon our first state payment in Sep/Oct. Operating Expenses are largely off to a slow start, as anticipated, until the school is open in early September. Donations are ahead of expected, largely due to a generous donation of $20,000 paid via check. From a cash standpoint, we are holding $939k. Net of $842k in booked debt, we have a positive position of $97k. We are continuing to work on transferring transactional data processing to our Business Manager, at which point the data used for this report will be more timely and accurate. Based on this data, my opinion is that we remain in a stable position to continue the critically important pre-opening work at both campuses, have sufficient funding to do so, and remain on track for opening as planned in September.

6. Committee Chair/Liason Reports – Kristina Vourax

a. Communications & Fundraising Committee

  1. Enrollment marketing: We have developed a marketing & PR plan to accomplish thefollowing goals through existing communication channels, media relations, and community outreach/grassroots efforts:
    • ●  Increase enrollment by 10-20% in all grades, with a focus on 2nd, 6th, and 9th grades (lowest enrollment), with a focus on economically disadvantaged students living in the city of Waukesha.
    • ●  Rebuild our waitlist numbers (5-10 students per grade level) to have the ability to backfill seats if needed.
    • ●  Existing families (who already have existing offers) fully register and pay school supply fees by July 31. Promotion during the week of 7/17; info sessions on 7/27 & 7/29.
  2. The LCCA Liberty Gala:This sold-out event on Sat., July 31, at the Oconomowoc Community Center, is estimated to bring in $40,000K (net).
  3. Planning for the LCCA Ambassador’s Ball, set for Nov. 6, will begin in August.
  4. The LCCA Sporting Clays Fundraiser at Wern Valley is set for Oct. 16.

7. Adjournment:

a. Motion was made by Tom Gehl to adjourn the meeting at 7:55 p.m. Seconded by Taryn Whipple. The motion carried.