Regular Meeting
Odyssey Charter School
6201 Noble Ave. N.
Brooklyn Center, MN55429
February 18, 2004
6:30 P.M.

Members in attendance: Susan Dougherty, Rick Fletcher, Kari Mitchell, Janice Sandberg, Destiny Sparks, Steve Skramstad. Absent: Lori Bona, Dave Rand, John Sedey

Ex officio and others: Odyssey director Barbara Mahowald; Andrew Adelmann of Designs for Learning; Dennis Hoogeveen of Larson, Allen Weisheir, LLP; Mary Beth Frank

Note: All votes were unanimous unless otherwise stated. Board packet, distributed via email in advance of the meeting and in hardcopy at the meeting included: meeting agenda; January meeting Minutes; and financial report including check register, balance sheet, enrollment graph, profit & loss statement, and listings of unpaid bills.

Preliminary Items

1. Call to order and roll call – the meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by the Vice Chair, Fletcher. Members in attendance were as noted above.

2. Addition to agenda – there were none.

3. Acceptance of agenda – Skramstad moved, and Dougherty seconded approval of the agenda; the motion carried.

4. Acceptance of January minutes - Skramstad moved acceptance of the Minutes as presented; Mitchell seconded, and the motion carried.

5. Community comment – there were none.

6. Presentations and special reports

a. Dennis Hoogeveen from Larson Allen presented the audit results (Financial Statements and Independent Auditor's Report for 2002-2003; and Executive Audit Summary), and reviewed them for the Board. The Executive Audit Summary states that the financial statements are fairly stated (a “clean” audit report).

Other items mentioned included: Larson, Allen recommends charter schools have 20-25% fund balance set aside to counteract state's holdback of education revenues. Fund balance as of 6/30/03 was about 4%. Food service fund remains in deficit. Regulations now require a more extensive effort by auditors to ascertain the level of control, to verify that fraud is not occurring. Audit cost will increase about 25% for next year, with the additional requirements.

7. Consent agenda - Fletcher asked whether there was any discussion needed on any of these items - Sparks moved approval of the consent agenda; Mitchell seconded, and the motion carried.

7.1 Verified accounts payable for December

7.2 Payment of bills, including payroll, made for the month of December

7.3 Licensed Personnel

a. Salary Adjustment

(1) Destiny Sparks

(2) Kari Mitchell

7.4 Nonlicensed Personnel

a. Employment

(1) Mary Wehner - special ed para
(6 hours para/2 hours clerical)

8. Consent agenda items removed for discussion - there were none.

Director’s report

9. Mahowald distributed her report, and its contents for the Board. Current enrollment is 205. There have been 16 days of suspensions since the last Board meeting; these have been carried out in accordance with the Pupil Fair Dismissal Act. Director's report also included a draft job description for a Behavior Management position; recommends this go to the HR subcommittee. Mahowald and Fletcher also reported on visits they made to two charter middle schools, Minnesota Transitions and Chiron Charter School.

Human resources

10. A report was provided verbally by Mitchell - they decided to go ahead with the flexible spending plan (discussed at the January Board meeting); can do this for a partial year. Mitchell moved to accept the cafeteria FSA plan, from January to July; Dougherty seconded, and the motion carried.

The HR committee is also continuing to gather information on salary scales; and working on updating the employee handbook.

Financial

11. Financial reports for the month of December, 2003, from Designs for Learning were distributed with the Board packet - to be reviewed, bring questions to the March meeting.

District operation and informational items

Mitchell reported, MACS has offered the use of their conference center February 28 for the Odyssey Board retreat. Fletcher reported on the magic show, done as the first middle school rewards evening.

12. Bylaws update - on hold - still looking at this per Sandberg.

13. Suspensions - addressed in director's report.

Adjournment - Dougherty moved adjournment at 7:30; Sparks seconded, and the meeting was adjourned.