INVEST Collegiate Consortium, Inc. d/b/a INVEST COLLEGIATE – Transform and d/b/a INVEST COLLEGIATE – Imagine Board of Directors OPEN MEETING MINUTES Meeting Date: Thursday, September 11, 2014 6:30pm Location: INVEST COLLEGIATE – Imagine, 1000 Brevard Road, Ste. 175, Asheville, North Carolina Directors Present: Kari Jolly (via teleconference), Fred Deaton (via teleconference), Linda Comer, Patricia Robinson(via teleconference), Kate Alice Dunaway Directors Absent: None Advisory Board Members Present: Antoinette Ellison (for Transform), Jennifer Townley (for Imagine). Not present: Kirstin Daniel (for Imagine) Ø 6:34 p.m. Kate Alice Dunaway calls the meeting to order. Welcome to all board members, advisory board members and public guests in attendance. Kate Alice Dunaway reads the Mission Statement and the Conflict of Interest Statement. Ø Policy for Parents to Address the Board o Kate Alice describes the process by which parents can address the board. Parents must sign in and note the desire to address the board. They will have 3 minutes to state their concerns. Ø Minutes from 7/31/2014 Meeting o Patricia Robinson presents the minutes from our annual meeting on 7/31/14 o Motion to approve minutes by Linda Comer o Second by Kari Jolly o Vote § Unanimous approval. Motion Carried. Ø Board member Background Checks and Conflict of Interest Statements o Kari Jolly notes that she has background check release form and conflict of interest statements for every board member. However, all board members need to submit the board member agreement Ø Transform Transportation Plan o Dr. Ellison presents information about transportation at Transform. We will not provide bus transportation this year. However, through family carpools, day care vans, and YMCA vans, all students have had a form of transportation. o Dr. Ellison continues to research transportation options for 2015-‐2016. Ø Reading of Conflict of Interest Statement o Kate Alice reads the Conflict of Interest Statement. Ø Status Report for Transform: Enrollment o Dr. Ellison discusses enrollment at Transform. Currently, we have 580 students. The average of the first 20 days was 553. Ø Status Report for Imagine Enrollment o Jennifer Townley discusses enrollment at Imagine. Currently, we have 350 students. Ø Site Development Strategy, Transform and Imagine o Kate Alice for discusses the site development strategy for the two schools. o At Transform, we have moved into our new facility for the opening of school. We are working with the developers and individuals in our community as they continue to develop the properties adjacent to us, including improvements along Suttle Avenue, as well as Bryant Park. In 2015, we will begin to outline and discuss our plans for the upper school facility and the athletic community center. o At Imagine, we will soon begin looking at sites and evaluating opportunities for a permanent site. We hope to be in the area along the 1-‐26 corridor. The President of Beacon Partners will be in the area soon to assist us in finding a suitable location. Ø Budget Update & Funding Report o Kari Jolly presents the budget update for both schools. o For Transform, our current enrollment is less than 670, which was what we budgeted. o We are currently waiting for a report from DPI to certify our average student membership. o In November, we will make recommendations for the rest of the year. o For Imagine, we our current enrollment is also bellowed what we budgeted. Like Transform, we are waiting for a report to DPI. o Kari suggests adding $20,000 to the personnel budget for Imagine in order to hire a part time teacher to offer support. This would be a temporary position initially but would hopefully become a permanent position upon our budget changes after the DPI report. o Linda Comer asks, when we will hear from DPI? o The group consensus is sometime in early October. o Jennifer Townley provides more details about the Imagine budget. o The State Board of Education sets aside special reserve funding which is available to charter schools and other schools for children who are new to the school who have exceptionalities that go beyond the capabilities of the school. Jennifer Townley and a special education teacher applied for the special reserve funds. The funds are approved at the state level and may be used only for personnel or technology for one year only. The expectation is that the school will work to accommodate them as best they can in their budget. o Motion by Kari Jolly to authorize Jennifer Townley to move forward to hire an associate teacher as a line item pending certification of our ADM from DPI, at which time, we will make the position permanent. The amount to be added to the personnel line item would be $20,000. o Linda Comer seconds. o Discussion: Linda Comer agrees that it is important to move quickly to get the support for teachers. Kate Alice notes that she wants to continue to work with Jennier Townley to see if there are other ways enhance personnel once we get the ADM. There might be other possibilities to hire additional staff. § Vote • Unanimous approval Ø North American Lawn and Landscape Maintenance for Transform o Kate Alice states that Dr. Ellison had to move forward with the contract at the beginning of school. Additionally, North American was unable to service the campus adequately in the month of August, so they agreed to waive the August payment. o Linda Comer moves to approve the contract with North American Lawn and Landscape for Transform. o Patricia Robinson seconds. o Vote § Unanimous Approval. Motion Carried. Ø Revised Fiscal Policies and Procedures Handbook adopted July 31, 2014: SCOPES o Kari Jolly states that she forwarded a copy of the updated fiscal policies to the board after our last meeting. o One of the suggestions was that we have a specific provision that outlines how we operate the SCOPES account. The second suggestion was that we have a goal date by which we would establish the 5% reserve fund balance. o With board approval, she can make the revisions and then circulate those amendments to the board at our November meeting for final approval. o Additionally, we need a policy for reimbursement in order to ensure we are processing reimbursement requests timely. Kari proposes all reimbursements be submitted in within 60 days. Ø
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Update on Strategic Plan for Longevity (Corporate Structure) and Proposed Special Meeting in October o Kari Jolly suggests a special separate meeting to meet with legal counsel to discuss our corporate structure. Lisa Valdez will have a proposal to present to us at that time. o Kari suggests meeting October 10th or 13th. o Kate Alice requests time to send out meeting dates for board members to decide on. Update 501(c)(3) Application o Kari Jolly informs the board that Briggs Petway is assisting us with this. She has spoken with an associate and the process is moving forward positively. Update Board on Track Membership o Kari Jolly states that she followed up with Marci Cornell-‐Feist after our July meeting. She informed Marci that we are interested but will wait until we have more information about our budget. Update: Collegiate Leader SBI Background Checks o Kari Jolly informs the board that after conversation with the State Bureau of Investigation, she learned that they will no longer provide charter schools with access to the federal criminal database. They will only process criminal requests in the state database. Therefore, our future background requests will be done with an agency that other charter schools have worked with in the past called the USISS Agency. Closed Session o NC General Statute 143-‐318.11(a): A public body may close a session for the following purpose: to establish, or to instruct the public body’s staff or negotiating agents concerning the position to be taken by or on behalf of the public body in negotiating (i) the price and other material terms of a contract or of a proposed contract for the acquisition of real property by purchase, option, exchange, or lease; or (ii) the amount of compensation and other materials terms of an employment contract or a proposed employment contract. o Linda Comer moves that we enter close session o Kari Jolly seconds o Vote § Unanimous approval. Motion carried. Open Session o Linda Comer moves to return to open session o Kari Jolly second o Vote §
Unanimous Approval. Motion carried. Ø Employment Contract for Ms. Ivory o Motion by Kari Jolly to authorize Dr. Ellison to approve employment contract for Ms. Ivory o Vote § Unanimous approval. Motion Carried Ø Employment Contract for Ms. Doe o Motion by Kari Jolly to authorize Jennifer Townley to move forward with employment contract for a special education teacher and an associate teacher to provide services in accordance with the special reserve funding Imagine has received from the State Board of Education. o Linda Comer seconds. o Vote § Unanimous approval Motion carried. Ø Adjournment o Motion by Linda Comer to adjourn o Patricia Robinson seconds o Vote § Unanimous approval. Motion Carried. Respectfully Submitted by Patricia Ryan Robinson, board secretary