Regular Meeting
Odyssey Charter School
6510 Zane Ave. N.
Brooklyn Park, MN55429
February 20, 2002
6:30 P.M.
Call to Order A regular meeting of the Odyssey Charter School Board of Directors was held on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 in room six at Odyssey Charter School. The meeting was called to order at 6:40 p.m. and was facilitated by Tim Wollenzien.
Roll Call The following Board members were present: Jeni Holm, Nathan Disch, Tim Wollenzien, and Lyle Clemmenson.
Additions to Agenda Lyle Clemmonson would like to add the resignation of Tony Spears under New Business.
Acceptance of Agenda A motion by Tim Wollenzien, seconded by Lyle Clemmenson, to accept the printed agenda as amended above. The motion carries unanimously.
Community Comments Deb Erickson asked of the Board would consider videotaping Board meetings so that the meetings could beviewed by the community at their convenience. She also suggested airing the meetings on cable Channel 12. Lyle Clemmenson expressed concern about the expense invloved, but had no other objections. Deb will check with cable Channel 12, and she will get all neccessry supplies donated. Anne Lindgren, executive director, suggested the Board consider the possibility and table the idea until the March 20 meeting.
Consent Agenda There were no items for the consent agenda.
Old Business Business Manager's Report
Nonprofit Solutions- There was discussion about paying the membership fee for Nonprofit Solutions. Lyle Clemmonson wants to change the hold harmless clause of the contract. Motion by Lyle Clemmenson, seconded by Jeni Holm, to accepted the contract with the amendments and pay the membership fee. The motion carries unanimously.
RFD- Mary Beth Frank presented two proposals for RFPs for auditing services. There was discussion abot the length of the two forms, and Anne Lindgren suggested that the shorter form be amended to include information about charter schools. This would give firms the information they would need to give us an accurate and fair proposal. There was discussion about the merits of using a firm that has experience with auditing charter schools versus a firm that offers the lowest bid. There was also discussion about the importance of being prudent while spending public money. Lyle Clemmenson recommends the administration make a recommendation regarding which RFP to use. Mary Beth Frank will send out the RFPs and she will give the firms two weeks to return thte proposals.
Approval of Minutes Motion by Lyle Clemmonson, seconded by Nate Disch, to accept the minutes from the January 16, 2002 Board meeting. The motion carries unanimously. A motion by Nate Disch, seconded by Jeni Holm, to accept the minutes from the January 30, 2002 special Board meeting.
New Business Bylaws- There was discussion about the updated bylaws. No further edits or suggestions had been made by Board members, thus Lyle Clemmonson suggested that all Board members again review the edits, and forward any suggestions to him via email by March 11, 2002. Lyle will then get a copy of the new edited version of the bylaws to the Board members.
Resignation of Tony Spears- Anne Lindgren, Executive Director, stated that she had received a resignation letter from Board member Tony Spears, and she asked for input from the Board. There was discussion about the possibility of Tony staying on the Board, but resigning as Chair of the Board. There was concensus from the Board that that would be acceptable.
Anne Lindgren asked that the Board consider appointing her as an additional member, per the the Bylaws, which state that a member can be appointed by the Board when a member resigns. Lyle Clemmenson , citing conflict of interest issues, stated that the Executive Director should not be a member of the Board, and stated that he was against the idea.
There was discussion about increasing the number of Board members to seven. Tim Wollenzien suggested the Board first clarify Tony Spears' intentions and accept his letter of resignation, and then proceed with appointing a new Board member. There was also discussion about appointing one to two new members at this time, thus facilitating an easier transitional period after the November Board elections. Tim Wollenzien suggested the appointment be from April to November 2002.
Mary Beth Frank will prepare forms for Board candidate biographies by the week of February 25th. Jeni Holm and Nate Disch will screen the bios and make recommendations to the Board. The Board will then decide which candidates it would like to meet with.
Motion by Jeni Holm, seconded by Lyle Clemmenson, that the Board prepare to appoint a new Board member whether or not Tony Spears resigns as a Board member. The motion carries unanimously.
Administrative Report
Anne Lindgren, Executive Director, presented the attached administration report. She also asked the Board for recommendations regarding budget cuts. She would like to get an approved budget for next year by April. She would also like to establish enrollement numbers by April.
Adjournment: Motion by Tim Wollenzien, seconded by Jeni Holm, to adjourn at 8:00pm.
Next meetings: Next Regular meeting is Wednesday, March 20, 2002, at 6:30 p.m. At Odyssey Charter School.