Board Members Attending: Winnie Bolinsky, Brian Rowan, Kyle Peck, Mark Toci, Pete Swan

Community Members Attending: Jalynn Woleslagle, Pat Zimmerman, Denise Kochersperger

I. Call to Order

At 7:03 p.m., Kyle Peck called the meeting to order.

II. Welcome New Parent Representative

Pete Swan was introduced as the new parent representative to the Board. He distributed his phone number and email to everyone attending the Board meeting.

III. Open Discussion

No community members chose to speak at this time.

IV. Routine Approvals

A. Approval of the Minutes

The minutes were edited to omit the sentence about Kyle and Mark attending another Board meeting. Also, Kyle will edit the annual report and Winnie will distribute the report to other Board members. Winnie moved and Brian seconded approval of the revised minutes of the September 26, 2002 Board meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

B. Payment of the Bills

Ann asked the Board if bills still needed to be reviewed by the Board. Originally, this measure was implemented while there was no permanent CAO. Kyle agreed that budgeted expenses did not need further approval. Pete agreed as long as the school has auditing controls. Kyle verified that the school is audited annually. Kyle would like the Finance Committee to do other things, rather than routine procedures. Kyle proposed to place the budget review on the agenda instead of the payment of bills.

C. Confidentiality

Winnie distributed a copy of a new confidentiality policy that has been approved by PDE. The former policy was not approved by PDE. The major changes include details on parental access to records, security measures, and parents ability to file a hearing if they disagree with their student's records. Brian moved and Pete seconded approval of the confidentiality policy. The motion passed unanimously.

V. CFO / Finance Committee Report

Enrollment is currently at 98 students. The amount of revenue per student has increased about $1000 from last year, and that is an official figure now. Ann explained how this money is determined by the school districts. Pete asked what optimal enrollment would be, and Winnie reported that 125 students would be full enrollment for the school. Ann added that a waiting list would be ideal too. Pete suggested that to increase enrollment, it would be helpful to address the following concerns. Financially, make sure the community knows that we are not in danger of closing. In terms of discipline, it would be good to report on how the new student behavior system is working. Finally, it would be good to report on how structural changes have helped to promote teacher sustainability. Kyle suggested addressing these issues at the October 10th parent meeting. Also, Kyle asked Pete for feedback on the online parent survey that he created.

Ann distributed a budget report. She explained the different columns of the report. Based upon the report, the school would have no reserve money at the end of the school year, and if enrollment goes down there may be difficulties. Winnie would like to see future budgets that are more detailed. Brian would like to see a "percentage spent" column. Kyle suggested that the Finance Committee take on this task. Mark asked if the budget allowed the staff to make decisions about what's best for kids. Winnie said that the school does not have a lot of unclaimed or flexible expenses. Ann agreed and said that the most flexible area was expenses. Mark noted that even small expenses may make a difference this school year, and suggested that line items in the budget that are being under spent should be transferred to classroom supplies. Winnie explained that there are not a lot of unclaimed or flexible funds, and the board would need to approve any transfer of funds. Ann believed that any items that are under spent should be saved, not transferred, because of the tight financial situation this year. Kyle noted that the budget report does not reflect grant money. Winnie reported that an official of the CSRD grant visited yesterday and CLC should get written approval to receive the second year funds from the grant. Kyle summarized that the finance committee (or Kyle and Pete) may be able to change the budget report to add a "budgeted to date" column, as well as a "difference" column.

VI. Communications

None

VII. Action Items

A. Personnel / Hiring - Executive Session

B. Formal Hiring Action

Brian motioned and Pete seconded to contract services from Linda Bergeman as a part time reading specialist.

VIII. Information / Discussion Items

 A. Professional Development Goals

Winnie reported that every teacher has chosen one to three professional development goals for the school year. Winnie distributed a summary list to the Board. Winnie is setting up local people to share their expertise with teachers on Act 80 days.

IX. Other Business

Ann asked the Board to update her on their positions. Kyle is president, Winnie is Vice President, Brian is Secretary, and Ann is the Treasurer.

VIII. Adjournment

At 8:12 p.m., Brian moved and Winnie seconded adjournment of the meeting. The motion passed.