St. Croix Preparatory Academy Board Meeting Agenda March 10, 2021

1. Call to Order 2. Open Forum 3. Board Calendar 2 4. Consent Agenda (Board Minutes, Executive Director Report) A. Board Minutes 5 B. Executive Director Report 9 5. Agenda A. Approve Open Enrollment Period for 2022-2023 School Year 14 B. Board Election Timeframe & Status C. Learning Model Transition Plan 6. Adjourn Meeting 7. Future Board Meetings. Cancel March 16, Move April 20 to April 13.

1 ANNUAL BOARD CALENDAR 2020-2021

July Responsible Notes/Status No Meeting

August Responsible Notes/Status Open Retreat Planning Completed Status of School Opening Completed Vote on Board Officers  Chair Completed  Vice Chair  Secretary/Board Clerk  Treasurer

September Responsible Notes/Status

Annual Report Approval for 2019-2020 J. Gutierrez Completed Seat New Board Members Completed Board Members Sign Conflict of Interest Forms Completed (via Charter Assurances) Review of MCA Test Scores J. Gutierrez N/A Learning Model Review – Status Principals Completed Q Comp Site Goals Completed

October Responsible Notes/Status

File Charter Assurances with Friends J. Gutierrez Done Board Retreat Open Review Strategic Plan Open

November Responsible Notes/Status

2 Financial Statement Review Completed Audit Acceptance Completed World’s Best Workforce Approval Completed MDE Assurance of Compliance Completed

December Responsible Notes/Status No Meeting

January Responsible Notes/Status

Board Election Timeframe Discussion Completed Approve School Calendar Next Month

February Responsible Notes/Status

Financial Statement Review Board Election Timeframe Discussion Completed January Approve School Calendar

March Responsible Notes/Status

Approve Open Enrollment Period for Next Year Approve Board Calendar for Next Year Move to April/May  Meetings  Election  Retreat

April Responsible Notes/Status

Annual Budget Introduction Compensation Plan Introduction Succession Planning Update

May Responsible Notes/Status

Q Comp Report Presentation Financial Statement Review Compensation Plan Approval 3 Initial review of Employee Handbook Board Election Approve Annual Budget

June Responsible Notes/Status

Advisory Board Presentations Technology Presentation Public Hearing on Fees - 2021 New Board Member Training Q Comp Approval Executive Director Review Chief Operations Officer Review Read Well by Third Grade Approval Approval of Employee Handbook Introduction/approval of Family Handbook Annual Finance Designations for Next Year  Identified Official with Authority  Official Newspaper  Designation of Depository  Account Signatories  Collateralize Funds in Excess of FDIC Insurance  Delegation of Authority to Make Electronic Funds Transfers

4 School Board Minutes February 16, 2021

Members Present: C. Brown, K. Denzer, N. Donnay, J. Gottschalk, R. Hajlo, D. Keyes, A. Melendres, S. Mueller

Members Absent:

Board Advisors Present: J. Gutierrez, K. Gutierrez, A. Kleinboehl, W. Renner, P. Rosell

Call to Order S. Mueller called the board meeting to order at 6:04 pm.

Open Forum There were no requests to speak at the Open Forum.

Consent Agenda Agenda includes the Board Calendar and the board minutes from the January 26 and February 2 board meetings.

Motion to approve the Consent Agenda: R. Hajlo Second: K. Denzer Approved: All

2021-2022 School Calendar The 2021-2022 school calendar is very similar to last year’s calendar; the dates are aligned with Stillwater’s (ISD 834) because of our bus transportation. There are 172 student contact days and 187 staff days with 191 days for new staff. There was discussion.

Motion to approve the 2021-2022 School Calendar as presented: D. Keyes Second: N. Donnay Approved: All

Approve Revised Learning Model Transition Plan The revised learning model transition plan is more qualitative, includes a temperature check and safety measures rubric (including a safety measures rubric for athletics and activities). The plan removes the language requiring a two week notice to the school community for a change in learning models; the School will remain in a learning model for a minimum of four weeks before making any changes. School administration will have the ability to quarantine classrooms and specific grades should the need arise. The COVID-19 Response Team and the Board BTS committee will meet weekly on Fridays to review how the school is doing with the temperature check and safety checklists. There was discussion.

Motion to approve the Revised Learning Model Transition Plan as presented: J. Gottschalk Second: N. Donnay Approved: All

Students’ Return to the Building – Next Steps At the February 10 meeting with the Regional Support Team (RST) the School attempted to get approval for 5-12 to return to hybrid on February 22. Based on the decline in county case rates, the MN Safe Learning Plan, and the additional mitigation strategies, the School believed this was a very reasonable learning model transition. The plan

5 was met with resistance; and the RST stated they were only comfortable with four grades returning every two weeks – they indicated that bringing back an entire division was now also an option. The administrative team agreed it would be best to have US back in hybrid first and then MS could return two weeks later. The reason for selecting the US first is due to GPAs, college prep and AP preparations. In addition, the RST was not comfortable with us skipping from distance learning directly to in-person as they preferred us monitoring our mitigation strategies. The next RST call is scheduled for March 10. There is a call with Governor Walz tomorrow which will outline ideas for getting MS and US students back into classrooms. There was discussion.

Motion that we bring grades 9 - 12 back to school on February 22nd, and 5-8 March 8 in the Hybrid learning model, as adopted in the 1st semester, with February 19th transition days for all 9-12 staff and students and March 5th transition days for all 5-8 staff and students: J. Gottschalk Second: N. Donnay Approved: All

Financial Statement Review – K. Gutierrez We are 50% through the year (Dec 31, 2020 YTD actuals) with revenues within the 50% but expenditures at 43% YTD. This is consistent with prior years.

Total revenues reforecasted at $696K below budget. This variance is comprised of the following variances:  Increase Federal Revenues of $571K for COVID-19 related aid.  Decrease of $196K in State Revenue primarily due to shortfall in enrollment of 17 students.  Decrease of $1.07MM in Local Revenue, of which the net effect to the bottom line is -$140K. This variance is comprised of the following variances: -$375K fundraising (postponement of Together We Stand Campaign and cancellation of 2020 Prep Gala), loss of fees for parking permits ($-20K), field trips (- $40K), fundraising Parent Group ($85K), Booster Club (-$29K). Loss of revenue in fundraising, Parent Group and Booster is offset by a decrease in corresponding expenses. A $386K decrease in hot lunch and a la carte food sales, is largely offset with federal COVID-19 relief funding and decrease in food costs. And finally, a $110K decrease in community service fund revenue, due to decrease in programming (summer camps, educational travel fundraising), is offset with a decrease in community service expense of $95K.

Total expenditures are reforecasted at $356K less than budget: This net decrease is attributed to many variances, primarily due to decreased programming and fundraising, and efforts to find operational efficiencies to offset COVID related expenses of $624K.

Projected net income (all funds) is -$280K with a variance to budget of -$340K.

There was discussion.

Motion to approve canceling the February 23, 2021 board meeting currently on the board calendar. The next meeting will be set for Tuesday, March 16 at 6pm: R. Hajlo Second: K. Denzer Approved: All

Other J. Gutierrez brought up the Governor Walz meeting that will take place on Wednesday, February 17 and will notify the board of anything substantive.

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6 Candace addressed that most staff will be getting their second vaccination the first week of March, so the school is anticipating/planning on staff coverage for them to recover from the potential side effects of the vaccination.

Adjourn Meeting

Motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:02 pm: C. Brown Second: K. Denzer Approved: All

Submitted by S. Peterson, St. Croix Preparatory Academy

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7 School Board Minutes February 21, 2021

Members Present: C. Brown, K. Denzer, N. Donnay, J. Gottschalk, R. Hajlo, D. Keyes, A. Melendres, S. Mueller

Members Absent:

Board Advisors Present: J. Gutierrez, K. Gutierrez,

Call to Order S. Mueller called the board meeting to order at 8:56 am.

Approve Hybrid Learning Model for Middle/Upper School to Begin on February 22; and to approve February 19 as a planning day.

Motion to approve a hybrid learning model for Middle and Upper School to begin on February 22; and a learning model planning day for Middle School applied to February 19 (Upper School planning day previously approved for February 19): K. Denzer Second: S. Mueller Approved: All

Approve Special Board Meeting for Wednesday, March 10 There was discussion about recent guidance from Governor Walz, MDH, and MDE. This included the emphasis on returning Middle School and Upper School students to school, more lenient guidance on physical distancing and the revised/limited role of the Regional Support Team. Vaccination schedule of employees was discussed as this could impact staffing for a couple of days and timing of when in-person learning could be implemented.

Motion to approve adding a special board meeting on Wednesday, March 10 at 6:00 pm: D. Melendres Second: K. Denzer Approved: All

Adjourn Meeting

Motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:40 am: S. Mueller Second: D. Keyes Approved: All

Submitted by J. Gutierrez, St. Croix Preparatory Academy

8 Executive Director’s Report to the Board

Date of Report: March 10, 2021 Report Prepared By: Jon Gutierrez

Operational Items:  Weekly meetings with administrative leadership and individual leadership team members – A. Sachariason, W. Renner, J. Karetov, K. Gutierrez, P. Rosell, B. Blotske, R. Dippel, C. Olson; and weekly administrative leadership meeting.  Weekly meetings with Covid-19 Response team, MDE, and MDH, when appropriate.  Weekly meetings with Back to School Committee and Covid-19 Response team, discussing the learning model transition plan recently adopted by the Board.  Continued work with St. Croix Prep Foundation, including development of marketing materials, strategic launching of preliminary meetings, etc.  Submitting the documentation and submissions for the Friends of Education annual site visit. This will be done virtually; and will occur on March 9

Grade 2020-21 Distance 2020-2021 2021-2022 Enrollment Learners Waitlist Enrollment

Kindergarten 90 16 191 141 1st Grade 92 18 86 74 2nd Grade 90 23 94 73 3rd Grade 90 13 90 65 4th Grade 90 27 81 56 LS Total 452 (+2) 97 542 409

5th Grade 93 27 79 48 6th Grade 93 19 90 70 7th Grade 92 25 50 40 8th Grade 90 27 35 21 MS Total 368 (-4) 98 254 179

9th Grade 97 32 38 45 10th Grade 98 28 24 13 11th Grade 93 39 5 7 12th Grade 92 25 0 1 Super Seniors 0 US Total 380 (-14) 124 62 66

School Total 1,200 (-16) 3199 858 654 Professional Development: See Attachment

Technology:  Chromebook management. Just received the 470 Chromebooks that were ordered in July. They are being staged for internal use, MCA testing, etc.  Evaluation of School Messenger for automatic notification of Covid close contact communication. This is being done in anticipation of more students returning to the classroom.

Facilities:  Preliminary planning for classroom setup for in-person learning.  Monitoring of the Safety Procedures rubric related to our learning model transition plan.

Activities:  Planning for the spring sports season.  Monitoring the Activities Safety Procedures rubric related to our learning model transition plan.

Human Resources:  Recruitment – the School still have needs for a SPED teacher, educational assistants, food service staff, and substitute teachers.  Coordinating our substitute plans due to the large number of employees receiving vaccinations over the first two weeks in March.

10 J. Gutierrez Professional Development Plan 2020-2021

Month Category Title Description/Comments July 2020 Code Switch Podcast – 24 The Undocumented Americans, NPR – Conversations about Race minutes Code Switch Podcast – 37 Can we talk about Whiteness, NPR – Conversations about Race minutes Code Switch Podcast – 21 Being “Outdoorsy” when you are Black or Brown, NPR – Representation, cultural heritage, cost of minutes Conversations about Race entry, National Park Service Statistics, This Land is Your Land (song) Course Hero Videos Invisible Man – Summaries and Analysis Code Switch Podcast – 49 The Fierce Debate Over High Standards, NPR – Conversations Ron Brown College Prep in DC minutes about Race Code Switch Podcast – 29 Why Now, White People, NPR – Conversations about Race White people influencing white people, Trump minutes language – Covid -19 Book White Fragiity: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin Diangelo Essay White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, by Peggy McIntosh Video – 53 minutes Money as an Instrument of Change -- Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO Social Capital Book Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison August 2020 Code Switch Podcast – 23 A Decade of Watching Black People Die minutes Lecture – 59 minutes Invisible to Whom? Ralph Ellison, Double Consciousness, and African American Identity Politics, by Pellom McDaniels, Emory University Lecture – 2 hours 11 minutes Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man”, Revisited, Reapplied, and Repurposed – multiple scholars at NYU-Florence. TED Lecture – 11 minutes The Cost of Code Switching, by Chandra Arthur Lecture – 1 hour 7 minutes CIDRAP – Osterholm Update, Reopening Schools, Part 1 Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy Lecture – 1 hour 7 minutes CIDRAP – Osterholm Update, Reopening Schools, Part 2 Conference Calls, MDE Planning Guides, Legal Counsel, Friends Covid-19 and School Opening Guidance of Education Meetings Podcast – 56 minutes Bret Weinstein and John McWhorter: George Floyd Protests and Race in America Video 9 minutes John McWhorter, How Anti-racism hurts Black People 11 Video 9 minutes John McWhorter& Cornel West on reparations September 2020 Video 50 minutes Glenn Loury & John McWhorter – the Unraveling, a review of White Fragility and related matters Video 66 minutes Glenn Loury & John McWhorter – A Critical Look at the 1619 Project Podcast – 90 minutes Jeff Wright (Odyssey) - Circe Podcast – 72 minutes Jeff Wright (Odyssey) – Odysseus in the Underworld Podcast – 126 minutes Jeff Wright (Odyssey) – Sirens, Scylla, Charybdis and some Cows October 2020 Podcast – 93 minutes Jeff Wright (Odyssey) -- Calypso Podcast – 94 minutes Jeff Wright (Odyesse) -- Telemachus, Menelaus, and Helen of Troy Book The Odyssey, by Homer (I try to read The Iliad and The Odyssey once a year) Book Gilgamesh Epic Lecture 1 – 50 minutes Dr. Joseph Hughes (Missouri State University) – The Heroic Quest Lecture 2 – 50 minutes Dr. Joseph Hughest (Missouri State University) - Gilgamesh Video Lecture – 22 minutes Gilgamesh Epic, Part 1 -- Tim McGee Video Lecture – 14 minutes Gilgamesh Epic Part 2 – Tim McGee November 2020 Video Lecture – 15 minutes Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh – Paul Joseph Krause Video Lecture – 41 minutes Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu – Paul Joseph Krause Book – Poem Inferno, Dante Alighieri Video Lecture – 24 minutes Epic of Gilgamesh, Humbaba and the Plant of Life – Paul Joseph Krause Video Lecture – 89 minutes The Epic of Gilgamesh – Andrew George Video Lecture – 37 minutes Noah’s Flood and the Epic of Gilgamesh – Bruce Gore Video Lecture – 50 minutes Introduction to Inferno, Tim McGee Book The Prince – Niccolo Machiavelli December Book I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing, by Maya Angelou Video Lecture – 73 minutes The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst – Robert Sapolsky Book Why We Sleep, Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker January Book The Time Machine, H.G Wells Book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein Video Training – 68 minutes Covid 19 Saliva Test Training Book Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, by John McWhorter Webinar – 60 minutes MDE – Learning Models, Planning Days, Podcast – 32 minutes Code Switch – From the Fringe to the Capitol Book The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? - -by Michael Sandel February Podcast – 4 hours The Rabbit Hole – 8 episodes Radicalization on the “left/right” via social media, youtube, explanation of 12 algorithms, filter bubbles, issues of free speech, etc. Podcast – 56 minutes Glenn Loury – John McWhorter: Reckoning with the Capitol Riot Podcast – 70 minutes Glenn Loury – John McWhorter: Wokebusters Podcast – 19 minutes Glenn Loury – John McWhorter: Critical Race theory’s rising hegomony Podcast – 66 minutes Glenn Loury – John McWhorter: A Critical Look at the 1619 Project Podcast -- 6+ hours Gangster Capitalism – NRA – 9 episodes Podcast – 5 hours David Duke’s Rise to power and prominence

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