THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OF

VANCE CHARETER SCHOOL

MINUTES

OF

APRIL MEETING



The Board of Directors of Vance Charter School held its regular meeting on Monday, April 27th 2009. The following members were present and constituted a quorum:


Jill Pike, Chairperson Pat Olmert

Gina Harris, Vice Chairperson Harrison Ford

Tom Betts, Treasurer Michael Johnson

Jay Andrews, Secretary Tammy Noel

Cydne Sharpe Brian Daniel

Bill Satterwhite Susan Satterwhite


Also present were Principal Dr. John von Rohr and Assistant Principal Ann Hancock.


WELCOME

The meeting was called to order at 7:05p.m. by Jill Pike.


PUBLIC COMMMENT

Gail Washington requested that the Board have the school examined for possible mold contamination due to the unusually high reoccurrence of strep throat among the student population this year.

Karen Bobbitt asked the board to identify which members were up for reelection and which seats were determined by the Board and those elected by the FOVC. Jill stated that the seats held by Tammy Noel, Brian Daniel, Gina Harris, and Harrison Ford are up for reelection. Tammy and Harrison were elected by the parents while Gina and Brian were elected by the Board.

While unable to attend due to a health issue, Melissa Lemmond addressed the Board via conference call and expressed her concern about the length of time left in the school year after the EOG testing is completed. She felt that there is too much time left for those children not requiring remediation. Also the timing of the test period does not coincide with the Vance County School calendar and creates issues for families particularly those who participate in athletic events during the school week.

Brian Daniel stated that in light of the recent public concerns about swine flu, he was surprised to find no soap in the bathroom dispenser and recommended that the school staff do all they can to help prevent the spread of germs and potential viruses.


APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Cydne Sharpe made a motion to accept the minutes of the March regular meeting and those of the special called meeting which was held on Thursday, April 2nd as read. Gina Harris seconded the motion. The motion carried.

PRINCIPALS REPORT

Dr. John von Rohr read the following letter to the Board:


Ladies and Gentlemen:

I wish to inform you that the 2009-2010 school year will be my final one as Principal of Vance Charter School. At this point in my life, it is time for me to pursue other career goals.

I can assure you that I will continue to do my very best job as an educational professional

until the last day I work here.

Since I do plan on seeking employment elsewhere, I do respectfully request a letter of reference from the board, in particular noting our 2008 nomination by the Stated Board of Education as a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon school and my astute financial management of the school’s budget.

I am giving you this letter of intent now so that you have an abundance of time to find a replacement for me when my contract expires at the end of the 2009-2010 school year. I would be happy to assist you in the process of finding a replacement for me.

Sincerely,

John von Rohr, Ed.D.

Principal


EOG testing will be conducted on May 12th -14th. Ann Hancock explained that with the increased number of children (27) to be tested that require modifications, along with the remediation for some students makes it necessary to move the testing period up. These modifications include testing in separate settings, having the test read aloud, etc. It takes all of the time allotted considering the number of staff available. Dr. von Rohr assured

the Board that for those children not requiring remediation, meaningful instruction would be taking place during this time. For example, Channel One has programming which can be used that follows the N. C. Course of Study along with other multimedia options. Field trips and special programs such as guest speakers will be included.

The new website for Vance Charter is up and running and it looks great.

The telephone system for the school has not been good lately. There have been issues with answering in a timely manner and occasions when incoming phone calls have been improperly routed to classrooms. A new voice mail system will be put into place to help field calls and direct them accordingly especially after hours.

Cydne mentioned that at the last regular meeting the Board reviewed the scores from the

ITBS and they appeared to be lower across the board. Cydne made a call and found that an incorrect norm was used and the scores were better than previously believed. Dr. von Rohr mentioned using the NWEA as a possible substitute for the ITBS. The NWEA is a quantitative assessment given every nine weeks to measure a student’s growth. It can incorporate knowledge of the NC. Course of Study as well as compare students to national standards. This test gives quicker feedback along with suggestions for remediation or advanced instruction. The test is computer administered and does not require a school lockdown. It can be taken during computer class or the class which is covered by the test. It is very user friendly and can be used for new student assessment. The cost is about 40% less than the ITBS. The training costs can be split between other schools that would be using this test. The tests are about 30-40 minutes each.

Jill Pike asked dr. von Rohr about the school’s current sponsorship of foreign teachers. He responded by explaining that a foreign teacher must pay $750 every three years to renew his or her visa. The Board has been asked to provide this money up front for Ms. Wang and Ms. Lammond with the promise that the school will be reimbursed by the teachers over the course of the year. Cydne made a motion for the school to provide the visa renewal money up front for any foreign teacher to be reimbursed by the teacher at a later date. Tom Betts seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. Cydne made a motion to sponsor that Vance Charter School provide “Green Card Sponsorship “ to all foreign teachers and that the school provide funds needed for obtaining green cards when such applications are submitted subject to reimbursement by the teacher. Tom Betts seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Dr. von Rohr stated that in light of a probable reduction in state funds, Acadia Northstar recommends reducing the school budget for 2009-2010 by 5%.

LONG RANGE PLANNING

Brian Daniel reported that Mike Johnson, Jill Pike, and Tom Betts met with school attorney Jonathan Care last week concerning the Hock Development proposal and letter of intent and he made the following recommendations: The school should form another 501-3C separate from the one that now exists to be used in any future lease or purchase negotiations. Next the school should tighten up the budget and increase its “war chest” to be in a better position to build or buy a building from the beginning rather than lease as stated in the Hock proposal. Also the school should create a committee including local businessmen to aid in the pursuit of a new school. Brian then asks the Board how we should proceed. Mike Johnson replied that the proposal is expensive and riskier than we are being led to believe. The profit margin is considerable and there should be room to negotiate. The three year lease would cost the school $2 million with nothing to show for it. We need to do due diligence before making a decision. Mike also proposed that we create a building committee made up of non-board members that might be less subject to turnover than one made up of only Board members. Jill asked Board members to e-mail any names you would recommend for this committee to Brian and Mike. Tom Betts asked the Board if we should still consider buying land without a deal in place. Jill asked the Long Range Planning Committee to pursue our options after the 501-3C is in place.


CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Tammy Noel reported that a parent donated $3000 last month.


FINANCE

Pat Olmert stated that the committee recommends paying a bonus from Leandro funds to all full time classroom teachers. Cydne made a motion to pay a Leandro bonus of $750 to all returning full time classroom teachers including specials and EC. Brian seconded. The motion passed unanimously.


STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Gina Harris asked the Board to decide what student enrollment should be for next year. Dr. von Rohr reminded the Board that the budget for next year including the 5% budget cut is based on 504 students. Cydne recommended that the Finance committee crunch the numbers for both current and old levels and report next month.


BUILDING AND GROUNDS

Dr. von Rohr mentioned that there have been some minor HVAC issues that have been resolved.


INCLEMENT WEATHER

No report.


NEW BUSINESS

Jill reminded the Board that the next FOVC meeting is May 21st and that any Board members available please come to assist in the elections for new Board members.

Cydne made a motion to spend up to $400 for Teacher Appreciation Week. Bill Satterwhite seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Cydne made a motion to go into closed session to discuss personnel issues. Mike seconded. Motion passed.

Later Cydne made a motion to come out of closed session. Gina seconded. Motion passed.

Cydne then made a motion to offer a contract to all full time teachers that have signed a letter of intent to return next year. Brian Seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Cydne made a motion to authorize advertising for a full time P.E. teacher willing to coach and act as Athletic Director. Pat Seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

Harrison Ford made a motion to adjourn. Tammy seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20p.m.


Respectfully submitted,


Jay Andrews, Secretary