Regular Meeting
Odyssey Charter School
6201 Noble Ave. N.
Brooklyn Center, MN55429
September 18, 2002
6:30 P.M.
Call to Order A meeting of the Odyssey Charter School Board of Directors was held on Wednesday, September 18th. The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m.
Roll Call The following Board members were present: Karen Johnson, Nathan Disch, Jeni Holm, Steph Dess, Lori Bona, Rick Wolf and Lyle Clemenson.
Additions to Agenda There were no additions to the agenda dated September 18th, 2002.
Acceptance of Agenda Motion by Karen Johnson, seconded by Nathan Disch, to accept the agenda dated September 18th, 2002. Motion carries.
Approval of Minutes Motion by Lori Bona, seconded by Steph Dess, to accept the minutes dated 21st, 2002. Motion carries.
Consent Agenda Motion by Steph Dess, seconded by Rick Wolf, to accept the consent agenda. Motion carries.
Community Comments Mary Thome, community member, asked about back merit pay. The Board responded that merit pay would be paid in October.
State of Odyssey Anne Lindgren, Executive Director/Superintendent, reported on the State of Odyssey. She reported that administration has been preparing for the annual report, due October 1st, 2002. There was discussion of how Odyssey has not been affected by Osseo’s budget cuts. There was also discussion of Odyssey’s success and challenges over the last year. There was also discussion of NWEA scores and academic goals.
There was discussion around goal setting and personal development for the Board members. There was also discussion around how to get new families involved in the school, how to increase parental involvement, how to address and meet the needs of ELL students and those students in the lower socioeconomic brackets, improving communication with new families, renewing involvement of returning families, and developing community relationships.
Anne Lindgren stated that she would like to find out why families are leaving. Jeni Holm suggested Odyssey conduct exit interviews. Anne Lindgren stated that Odyssey has an exit interview form that will go out next week to former families.
Old Business Update for 6510 Building- Excell is occupying 65-70% of the space at the 6510 building. Odyssey is using some of the space for storage. Anne Lindgren has been in contact with Imani, and she reports that Imani has been given space in the Northstar Elementaty building in Minneapolis.
New Business Subcommittee Reports
Finance: The finance committee reported that Odyssey has $900.00 in savings, and $20,000 in checking. Mary Beth Frank will be presenting a revised budget at the October 16th Board meeting. They reported there is another committee meeting scheduled for October 1st at 7:30a.m.
Human Resources: Lori Bona reported the Human Resourced has met before the board meeting. She went on to report they has no recommendations to make at this time.
Educational Programs: Nathan Disch reported the Educational Programs committee has not met. He stated that he needs to plan his schedule before they can schedule a time to meet.
Discussion: There was discussion about the quality of the air in the building. Lori Bona asked if there was mold in the building. Anne Lindgren stated that Osseo does air quality checks several times per year. She went on to say that there is contained asbestos in the building. Lori Bona asked if there would be a report from the last inspection, and if administration could get a copy of that report.
Karen Johnson asked if Ed Kossmann could help with training for the Safety Patrol. She mentioned her concerns about how dangerous the intersection is at 63rd Ave. and Noble Ave. She went on to say she would like the Brooklyn Center police to have a car parked at that intersection when students are present. She stated that drivers have been disrespectful and rude to the patrols.
Board Retreat: Anne Lindgren asked how the board would feel about directing administration to put together a goal setting retreat that would include leadership. Jeni Holm stated that she liked the idea. She went on to say that she would like input from more people before she and Nathan Disch decided anything regarding educational programs. There was discussion about what date or day would work. Anne Lindgren stated that she would encourage the Board to include parents in the retreat. She went on to say that she would plan on November 2nd for the retreat.
Nomination Committee assignments: Lori Bona stated that she had spoken to a parent who was considering running, but the parent was wondering what the requirements would be. Lori asked that there be included in the mailing information about time and other requirements. Anne Lindgren stated that because some board members have terms that are ending, and some have resigned, there was a need to elect seven out of nine members. Lyle Clemenson stated that he thought it would be a good idea to generate a handout with general information on it regarding the types of experience and backgrounds that would be useful for a potential board member. Anne Lindgren stated she would recommend starting a committee to generate the required documents and to set up the process. Karen Johnson stated that she would like something sent home before the end of September.
Motion by Jeni Holm, seconded by Steph Dess, that the Board form a committee that would direct the creation of the documents that will be sent home to all families regarding the upcoming election. Motion carries.
Lyle Clemenson stated that someone would need to head up the Board Nominations Committee, and Karen Johnson asked that someone step forward head the committee. Nathan Disch stated that he would head the committee and Anne Lindgren offered administrative support. Anne Lindgren recommended that the committee have some nominations to bring to the next regular Board meeting on October 16th, 2002.
Administrative Report Anne Lindgren presented the attached report for Ed Kossman, who was not present at this Board meeting.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 8:41 PM
Next meetings: Next Regular meeting is Wednesday, October 16th , 2002, at 6:30 p.m. at Odyssey Charter School.