Bay Haven Charter Academy Board Workshop Meeting Minutes

December 14, 2006 
 

1. Called to order 6:13pm. Walter Woodrick, Scotti Haney, Tracy Johnstone, Karen Brown, Todd Thompson, Charles Haney, and Tim Kitts in attendance.
2. Business reorganization – handout provided. CSUSA may be phasing out for us. They have 21 schools and we are the only one that does things differently and it’s hard for them to train new employees. Tim and Sharon get the very strong drift that CSUSA feels that BHCA is a pain to them and they don’t want to deal with us. We have to give 60 day notice to CSUSA. Tim thinks should hire AES and SFS to keep liability off of board for employees, legal, etc. If SFS doesn’t work out, we could then hire a CFO.

1. Different options:

1. Get own CFO (CPA) on board. Use Richard McKinney to help in hiring process. $85m per year to hire someone of this caliber. We could do payroll internally through Quickbooks. Board would have to become employer and we’d have to get HR training and have Sharon be HR person on site.
2. Go with a PEO, the PEO would be the employer and run workers comp under them. AES charges 2% which is $142m. Then hire CFO. These expenses are doable. We handle our own insurance anyway.
3. Hire AES (Allstate Employer Services) at $70m per year and School Financial Services in Bonifay for 1% of budget in place of CFO. All the liability of keeping up with rules and regs is in their court. SFS works with BDS through Chatauqua Learning Center.

3. Our elementary has 609 on waiting list. That’s another school, easily. We are the most powerful academic school in history of Bay County. Our middle school is #19 in state but 8^th grade is 8 people down and so Tim overfills 6^th and 7^th grade. Why? PTSP, SAC, etc. all say that the kids are running the show in most families and that they’d rather be in social group versus academic group so the parents let them go wherever. We need to feed stronger to our middle school. We have 450 middle school students.

1. What about open K-5 in Callaway area as smaller school. Tim’s been talking with someone who could help make it happen. Tim could write the grant in his sleep to have it score 100%. The key is that we need facility and the right person to run that program. Jan. 3^rd the judge will rule on McAlister/Bolinger issue and then have 90 days. Thoughts are that judge will rule for McAlister so he doesn’t emasculate superintendents across the state. If this happens, Bolinger probably won’t renew him as administrator. Mark Tanney prevented us from helping Tapestry Park be a success. Larry is in DROP. His wife, Jane, is a very good kindergarten teacher. People will follow him, some wouldn’t. Kids learn when he’s the principal. First year is about $60m for principal. Karen Brown could be principal. Judy Vandergrift. Other go-getter assistant principals are in town.

2. Tim would get organized in spring and summer, write grant in the fall, and open the school the following fall ’08.
3. Karen said high schools lost tons of students because lack of affordable real estate affecting middle class families. Tyndall area has best potential for cheaper land.

4. Middle school examining IB program. Can be broad based IB and allows teachers to be more focused. This would be a good, solid preparation for any high school entry. Karen says FL league of IB schools is looking at finding a way for the state to help fund middle schools like high school. Rutherford got $500m last year to pay Karen’s salary, guidance, etc. IB is NOT a specialized program for high achieving kids. We don’t need to get stagnant. IB training for faculty is in June. We have to apply to be able to do it. Implement program for a year before IB actually comes to visit.
5. St. Joe discussion will be at end of board meeting.

END OF WORKSHOP 7pm. 
 
 

REGULAR BOARD MEETING 

Called to order 7:03pm.

Todd prayed. Tracy led pledge.

Next board meeting is Thursday, January 4, 2007 at 6pm.

October minutes approved.

November minutes not present. 

Input by public. 7:06pm.

John and Tina Baxter came. Have a child with asthma. She said that if it’s 20 degree windchill that she wants her child to wear a winter coat. BHCA does not have an approved heavy coat. Joshua is 7 year old son, allergy induced asthma. Walter moved that we approve coat Tim displayed as outerwear. Tracy seconded. Karen stated that at public schools not having approved outerwear chips away at the dress code and has been a huge problem. Charles gave the parents information on helping educate them with asthma material. They agreed they would get a bronchodilator and have it at the school. Motion carried unanimously. 
 

Facilities

Flood damage. Tim comes in at 5am every day. Building 3 flooded in rooms 109, 111, 113, 110, and 112. Inflow flex tube that handles 240 psi. Tube ruptured and spewed. Shut down whole geothermal system, called contractor, Peaden, Southern Management. Everybody pitched in and helped. All floors have been waxed and ready. Insurance adjuster says $15-20m damage, $5000 deductible. Insurance company will put against Goodyear because their hose failed. Need new floor in 113, pull all radiator units in 112 and see if any wicking behind units, Noah’s Ark brought dehumidifiers and fans and took off all baseboards. 

Honors plaza bricks are completed out front. Talk to Chuck Tucker if any complaints. 

Gym – we lost the grant for the floor in the gym because Republicans lost. Allen Boyd said reapply in January. 

Tim showed how low our cost per square foot is for energy. Claude Warren brought data from Gulf Power. We are at $.73 psf on 112,420 sf. Bozeman was at $2.27 psf for 171,185 sf. 

Curriculum and instruction. SAC has sent teachers to conferences. 

Margaret Gambell hired with masters in library science and media specialist. 

Process for hiring new AP is underway. (Assistant principal). We have received 12 viable applications from all over the nation – VA, AL, NH, NC, FL. This culled down to 6 people, bringing them in on Tuesday. Written portion, meet with interview committee, time for discussion for each candidate. Low end pay $60m, high end $70m – right on BDS scale for middle school AP. The key to this position is the work ethic and the vision for the future. 

Lewis is going to resign and we have agreed with St. Joe to have an employee on the board. Lewis recommended Ronald C. Dillon. Agreement does not state who selects the person and that we have to provide a seat. Scotti says we have to have at least two apply for consideration according to bylaws. 

Ginger’s letter as now a BDS board member. She may teach at Gulf Coast – English. 

Scotti, Tim, and Chris Reiss met with Tim Sloan. Tim will contact William Harrison to have same meet with William and Lewis Howell. The board in the past has said $250m but no less and that we want our sign up. St. Joe won’t give us the OK because we have to touch their property. We have to get them to approve buying the prefabs that BDS is buying for us. We’ve been told that if we decide to litigate against St. Joe we’re just paying attorney’s fees if we lose, and if we win we get $459,000 less attorney’s fees. It would be bad PR for JOE to stand and fight as the public would find out that they make agreements and then back out when doesn’t suit them. 

Walter moved that Tim examine the feasibility of a K-5 in Bay county. Todd seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 

Tracy moved explore IB for middle school. Charles seconded. Motion carried unanimously. 

In the January meeting, we’ll move towards moving away from CSUSA and hiring AES and SFS to move towards a different business model. 

Meeting adjourned 8:06pm.