1. Call to Order, Roll Call and Recognition of Visitors and Board Co-Chairs
   1. Yelena Hardcopf: Present
   2. Oksana Cox:Present
   3. Natalia Kormina:Present
   4. Elizaveta Lindman: Present
   5. Christian Schmidt: Present
   6. Ben Wallace: Absent
   7. Alex Brusilovsky: Present
   8. Olga Voronina: Present
   9. Paul Kinsey, Executive Director, ex officio board member.: Present
   10. Visitors in attendance: Gedaly Meerovich, Branko Stepanovic
2. Approval of the Agenda for this meeting
   The board moves to approve the agenda with addition of a closed session of the meeting to discuss a staffing issue.
   Motion by: Natalya Kormina
   Second: Oksana Cox
   6-0-0
3. Read the Nasha Shkola Mission and Vision
4. Open Forum for members of the public wishing to address the board
   Gedaly Meerovich addressed to the board and informed the board of an event on November 14 at the Slavic Community Center about youth issues in the community.
   
5. Reports
   1. Co-Chairs Executive Report- Yelena Hardcopf and Oksana Cox.
   2. Executive Director report- Yelena Hardcopf and Paul Kinsey
      1. Current Enrollment: 127 Students
      2. Present Challenges. Our school has lost students because parents have removed their children from our school after their child has started receiving title services. This indicates that some parents misunderstand the meaning of title services, English language learner services, and other services our school must provide to students based on need. Our school needs to better communicate this information to parents to avoid misunderstandings.
      3. Student Achievement-
         • NWEA tests will be given 3 times this year, October, January, and sometime in the spring, NWEA testing is required by IQS and is helpful in measuring student achievement.
         • MCA tests will be given in the spring according to rules established by the state of MN.
         • Our school also has a student find group that will meet to discuss students who are performing below grade level and recommend the student for title services for 6-8 weeks. Students enrolled in title services are reassessed at the end of 6-8 weeks to see if the student has responded positively to services. Parents are informed during each step of the process and are encouraged to help their student at home when possible.
      4. Staff Update- Josie Boyle has agreed to work as the language arts teacher .83 in the middle school. Other staff issues will be discussed during the closed portion of the meeting.
      5. LIT (Yelena Hardcopf) – Ms. Hardcopf will spend a day in each classroom to see how teachers are implementing learning targets.
   3. Marketing committee report (Oksana Cox and Natalia Kormina): School representation at marketing events: City of Minnetonka website, Minnetonka City Open House, American-Russian chamber of Commerce in MN.
      • City of Minnetonka Open House- Four board members attended the Minnetonka City Wide Open House at the city hall of Minnetonka.
      • American Russian Chamber of Commerce- The event attended by Ms. Cox and Ms. Hardcopf was discussed as well as possibly using the Amity Institute as a source for staffing Russian Language positions in the future.
   4. Financial Report
      1. Monthly Finance Report Sher Tischner, BDKA. Our school is quarter of the way through the fiscal year and has not exceeded the use of 25% of funds. Overpayment from the Department of Education and wording regarding the previous months minutes was discussed.
6. Consent Agenda
   1. Minutes of September 10th, 2015 Board meeting.
   2. Financials: September 2015
   3. Correction to September 10th, 2015 meeting minute’s section 5.3.1.1.1.
   4. Approve Work Agreements
      Josie Boyle .83 Language Arts teacher for the middle school.
      The board moves to approve the consent agenda, minutes of the September 10th board meeting with a correction to section 5.3.1.1.1 on overpayment from the Minnesota Department of Education, the September 2015 Financials, and a work agreement for Josie Boyle.
      Motion by: Christian Schmidt
      Second: Oksana Cox
      6-0-0
7. Old Business
   1. Nasha Shkola Score Card (IQS) – The lead teacher and executive director informed the board of their assessment of the school with regards to the IQS reauthorization of Nasha Shkola.
   2. Before and After Care- The executive director explained his concerns to the board regarding the financial viability of the before and after cate program. The executive director explained expectations for staff regarding the program. Teachers need to document the amounts owed by parents so that parents have an understanding of the costs of the program. Numbers must be collected every two weeks and should be submitted to the executive director for review. The board also discussed the times of after care and prices for before care and after care. After care costs are 10$ for services provided from 4-5pm and 10$ per twenty minute intervals after 5pm and ending at 6pm. The board and the executive director discussed the need for a teacher to tally the costs at the end of the week for the program.
   3. Review and Update School Policies Mission: Nasha Shkola will be a multi-cultural school committed to academic excellence, provide a highly structured learning environment based upon educational best practices for students interested in the Russian language and culture, achieved through the collaborative efforts of parents, staff and the communities we serve. Vision: To be an academically rigorous school preparing students for the world Board members were reminded of the importance of completing the reading of MACS policy chapters 1, 2, and 3.
   4. Nasha Shkola 2015-2016 Programming
      1. Pre-K Partnership with New Horizons update- A teacher has been found to teach classes for the New Horizons partnership for enrichment services at pre-schools.
      2. High school partnership with ERA, future development- ERA is likely moving to a new location for more students and may be a potential partner for providing Nasha Shkola students with a high school education and Russian language instruction. The board discussed the positives and negatives of a partnership and determined to revisit the issue and ask parents for feedback regarding interest in an ERA partnership for high school.
8. New Business
   1. Reduction of the director’s salary to assist with budget process- The director has reduced his salary by $6,000 to assist the school with the budget.
   2. Discussions with Minnetonka Christian Academy on cost reductions and building upkeep- The executive director explained recent work done by MCA and explained MCA has said work will begin soon on painting classrooms, tile, pulling up carpet, and ventilation.
   3. Benefit comparison for staff- One person has turned in the forms for health benefits.
   4. School Calendar- The board reviewed the calendar and did not make any changes.
      Closed Meeting- 8:15pm the Board is going into closed session to discuss an internal staffing issue.
      Open Meeting- the Board met with counsel and the Executive Director regarding Ms. Lewis. The Board gave the ED and counsel direction to draft a letter to Ms. Lewis regarding her extensive absences and the conditions under which an extended leave without pay would be approved.
   5. Annual Report
9. Other
10. Adjourn

Action items:

1. Research using the Amity Institute to find teachers from Russia who may be interested in coming to Nasha Shkola to teach.
2.  Paul and Christian will look at the numbers of students and will keep track of the hours for before care and after care.
3. All board members must read chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the MACS board policies.
4. Policy committee must meet to discuss chapters 1, 2, and 3.
5.  Report about chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the MACS policies before next board meeting.
6.  Middle school parents should be contacted about interest in high school.
7. Teachers need to turn in benefit forms.
8. Adjust schedule.

The Nasha Shkola Board meets the 2nd Thursday of each month at 6:30