1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call and Recognition of Visitors and Board Co-Chairs
   1. Yelena Hardcopf: Present
   2. Oksana Cox: Present
   3. Tatyana Kucherenko: Present (late)
   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. Visitors in attendance:Jake Nelson (Director), Gedaly Meerovich.
3. Read Nasha Shkola Vision – What has been done this past month to bring the NS vision closer to reality?
4. Agenda Approval Motion: Approve Board Meeting agenda with one addition under Items for Discussion – MN Statute and IQS requirements for Charter School Websites. Motion by: Ben Wallace Seconded By: Tim Luts Vote: 8-0-0 Passed
5. Open Forum (Persons wishing to speak) Gedaly Meerovich: Mr. Meerovich stated that late fees are money lost to our school. Consider paying the loan faster to avoid further interest payments.
6. REPORTS:
   1. Director Report (Jake Nelson)
      1. Enrollment update: NS lost one student in October due to transportation issues.
      2. Student achievement : 1 st quarter results, NWEA results & Outcomes of MCA testing results
      3. Staff update
      4. Curriculum update and staff training: Staff received training in Singapore Math; Formative Assessment; and Electronic Library.
   2. Budget /Finances Report (Kyle Knutson)
   3. Federal CSP Grant report (Jake Nelson)
   4. School By-laws – review update (Yelena Hadrcopf)
   5. CONSENT AGENDA
      1. Approval of Minutes: October 16th, 2014 Board Meeting
      2. Approve Financials: October, 2014 Motion: Combined Motion to approve minutes and financials Motion by: Ben Wallace Seconded By: Natalia Kormina Vote: 8-0-0 Passed
7. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/ APPROVAL
   1. Annual report: Annual report is due in IQS on December 1, 2014. Christian Schmidt and Ben Wallace will review the NS Annual Report.
   2. Review and update school policies: Mileage reimbursement policy for families driving their children to school. Information needs further clarification. Alex Brusilovsky will follow up with MDE. Motion: Table the mileage reimbursement policy for families until December meeting. Motion by: Ben Wallace Seconded By: Alex Brusilovsky Vote: 8-0-0 Passed
   3. Appoint board committees and representatives. Finance Committee – Jake Nelson, Oksana Cox, Yelena Hardcopf, Kyle Knutson HR/Personnel Committee – Ben Wallace, Natalia Kormina, Oksana Cox, Tatyana Kucherenko Governance/Policy Committee – Jake Nelson, Yelena Hardcopf, Alex Brusilovsky, Christian Schmidt Curriculum Committee – Jake Nelson, Elizaveta Lindman Marketing/Recruitment Community Outreach Committee – Natalia Kormina Committees will meet at least once a month. They will post the schedule of their meetings on the school website. Agenda and minutes for each committee meeting will be posted on the school website.
   4. Communication with parents: addressing parents’ cultural, religious and educational concerns: The board addressed the concerns from kindergarten families in regards to Halloween related educational materials. It was stressed that our diverse community of parents and educators must practice mutual respect for each other when it comes to personal /religious beliefs and choices. We must overcome our differences and work collaboratively to provide the best educational experiences for our students. This issue should be addressed in the school policies.
   5. MN Statute and IQS requirements for Charter School Websites: discussion about the requirements for the school website. Development of the new school website in the nearest in the next two months.
   6. Evaluation of school director 8:53PM Meeting closed for director evaluation.
   7. Other
      1. Annual Report due in IQS – December 1, 2014
      2. Next Board meeting – Thursday, December 18th, 2014 Board Meetings are held the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30 pm
      3. Finance committee – to be announced
      4. Upcoming board training – December 18th, 2014 (BKDA: Finance)
      5. New Year Program – December 13th, 2014 5:00 pm
8. Evaluation of the Meeting
   1. What went well?
   2. What did not?
9. Adjourn meeting 9:50pm

 

Action items for April meeting:

1. PAC has requested a priority list for school needs. We need to make sure the list is clear, shows what is needed, and what the money is spent on.
2. The Board will be adopting revised by -laws in December. Board members are to review the changes to the bylaws for the next meeting.
3. Annual report will be completed and submitted to IQS by December 1, 2014. The Board will approve the annual report at the December meeting.
4. Revisit the student transportation reimbursement policy in December. Research if striking the poverty level requirement for transportation reimbursement. (Alex Brusilovsky)
5. Establish the advancement committee.
6. Curriculum committee will attract specialists to assist with curriculum development and implementation.
7. Marketing committee will add a parent and another board member. Form the advancement committee.
8. Website development: website materials need to be revised and edited according to MN Statute/IQS requirements and parents & staff requirements.
9. Policy committee will develop a student retention policy before December Board meeting.
10. Combine a list of people to invite to the New Year’s Celebration; send out invitations.
11. Develop a learning process for parents to continue education at home to encourage life-long learning.
12. Curriculum Committee: determine field trip ideas for the rest of the school year.
13. Develop a pen pal program with a Russian school.
14. Discuss a pre-k and a high school program for our schools future – December meeting
15. Send an electronic copy of the contract with IQS to all board members for review.