News & Announcements

School updates, important dates, and other notices.

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes: March 19, 2015

  1. Call to Order, Roll Call and Recognition of Visitors and Board Co-Chairs
    1. Yelena Hardcopf: Present
    2. Oksana Cox: Present (late)
    3. Tatyana Kucherenko: Absent
    4. Ben Wallace: Present
    5. Natalia Kormina: Present
    6. Alex Brusilovsky: Present
    7. Elizaveta Lindman: Present
    8. Christian Schmidt: Present
    9. Tim Luts: Present
    10. Jake Nelson, Director – ex-officio member: Present
    11. Visitors in attendance: Gedaly Meerovich, Sher Tischner
  2. Approval of the Agenda for this meeting Motion by Tim Luts Second: Natalia Kormina Approved: 7-0-0
  3. Read the Nasha Shkola Vision – What has been done this past month to bring the Nasha Shkola vision to reality?
  4. Open Forum for members of the public wishing to address the board Gedaly Meerovich used the public comment to encourage the board to bring in some political leaders such as Mark Dayton to tour the school to generate publicity for our school. He also wanted to make sure that our school will be doing something for Victory Day on May 9.
  5. Reports
    1. Co-Chairs Executive Report – Yelena Hardcopf
      1. Annual meeting and recruitment of new board members: The board discussed the need to set a date for the annual school board meeting. Board members also talked about the need for new board members to replace retiring members. The board discussed the idea of graduation for Kindergarteners and 8th graders on Thursday June 4th or Friday June 5th .
    2. Director report – Jake Nelson
      1. Enrollment 130 students
      2. Student achievement
      3. Leadership implementation team/SIG grant
      4. Curriculum
      5. Staff update
    3. Financial Report
      1. Monthly Finance Report – Kara Gaffy and Sher Tischner, BDKA The board discussed the need for a working meeting in April to develop the 2015-2016 budget. Sher Tischner explained that we are running a 4,000 dollar deficit in our After Car program. Lunch is currently in the black. Motion by Ben Wallace: After care payments will increase from $10 to $15 dollars for the hour of 4-5pm. This will begin after spring break. This is required because of deficits in after care expenses. Seconded Tim Luts 7-1-0 One member Christian Schmidt abstained.
      2. Federal CSP Grant Report – Jake Nelson
    4. Marketing Committee Report – Natalia Kormina
      1. School logo – Yelena Hardcopf
  6. Consent Agenda
    1. Minutes of February 19, 2015 Board meeting; February 2015 Financials. Motion by Ben Wallace Second: Tim Luts Approved: 8-0-0
    2. School calendar 2015-2016 Move the day off on Friday April 8th to April 25th . Motion by Ben Wallace Second: Tim Luts Approved: 8-0-0
    3. Line of credit application approval. Motion by Ben Wallace Second: Tim Luts Approved: 8-0-0
  7. Old Business
    1. Nasha Shkola 2015-2016 programming
      1. Overall enrollment projections The director presented a list of students whose families have committed to Nasha Shkola in 2015- 2016. 6 of these are 8th graders who would go on to 9th grade.
      2. High school: enrollment projections and needs (budget, programming and staffing) The board discussed opening a high school. Members expressed a variety of viewpoints including concern that opening a high school at this time would risk the financial health and wellbeing of the school. Other members wore concerned that parents will remove students from Nasha Shkola if we fail to fulfill our promise of a high school. Board members also talked about the possibility of opening a high school in the next 2 or 3 years.
        1. Motion on continuing to provide school to grades Kindergarten through eighth grade and to postpone high school for the 2015-2016 school year. Motion by Ben Wallace Second: Tim Luts Approved: 6-2-0 2 votes abstained.
  8. New Business
    1. Review and update Board policies: NS Medication policy (updated by school nurse) Motion by Tim Luts Second: Oksana Cox Approved: 8-0-0
    2. Draft of the next year budget (preliminary discussion)
    3. Employee contracts (signing/discontinuing) (closed session if necessary) The board discussed at-will versus annual contracts and what other charter schools do as far as employment. Motion to formalize that licensed staff will be on annual contracts and non-licensed staff will be at will. Motion by Ben Second by: Tim 8.0.0
  9. Director evaluation: closed session
  10. Adjourn 8:50pm

Next Board Meeting: April 16, 2015 – 6:30 Nasha Shkola School

The Nasha Shkola Board meets the 3rd Thursday of each month

The Finance Committee of the Board meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at 5:30

Action items for April meeting:

  1. The board needs to determine what the annual meeting and K and 8 graduations should look like.
  2. The board need to revisit annual contracts and at will contracts.

About Nasha Shkola

Nasha Shkola — Russian for Our School — is an academically rigorous K-8 charter school, providing a highly-structured learning environment for students interested in Russian language and culture.

Contact Us

    School Info

    Nasha Shkola
    6717 85th Ave North
    Brooklyn Park, MN 55445

    Phone: 763-496-5550
    Fax: 763-424-8520

    School Hours
    Monday – Friday:
    8:30 am – 4:30 pm

    Office Hours
    Monday – Friday:
    8 am – 4 pm