CSI School Board Updates

November 2022

Winter is coming… and that means Strategic and Succession Planning.

As your board prepares for winter, keep in mind that the Sample Board Meeting Calendar becomes shorter and shorter which means this is the perfect time for you as a board to focus on both Strategic Planning and Succession Planning. See below for some helpful questions to begin asking yourselves as you work through both items:

Strategic Planning

Take a look back and determine what is working well so far this year.
Where are your strengths as a board?
Where are your weaknesses?
Who can you lean on for support?
Has the board developed its strategic plan and key metrics?
How will you track progress on the strategic plan?
What adjustments need to occur mid-year to ensure accomplishment of the strategic plan and goals?
Does the board have a plan in place to step back and review its strategy, performance, and future development needs?
See the CSI Resource Page for Strategic Planning Templates and Tools

Succession Planning

Do you have board members that will be rolling off?
Now is the time to recruit new board members.
Do your bylaws have proper policies in place to allow for successful strategic planning?
See the CSI Resource document titled Do’s and Don’ts of Board Bylaws to consider suggested updates or revisions.

Best,

Anastasia

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Upcoming Deadlines and Reminders

📅 Upcoming Deadlines:

December 31: Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI)

As recently shared by the Colorado League of Charter Schools: In 2020, Colorado enacted a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program (Prop 118). The state has been building a new state-run Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program pursuant to this ballot initiative.

While participation in the FAMLI program is mandatory for all private employers, local government employers (including charters) may choose to opt out of the FAMLI program. To do so, your school governing board must hold a board vote sometime in 2022 and notify the FAMLI division of their decision by December 31, 2022. Employees must be notified regarding FAMLI participation within 30 days after the deciding vote.

Because Charter Schools are created under Title 22 and are considered governmental entities for purposes of tax-exempt financing (CRS 22-30.5-104), Charter Schools will be considered local governments under the FAMLI Act.

There are a series of steps that you must take prior to January 1, 2023, including taking a board vote, allowing a process for employees to provide comments on the vote, notifying the FAMLI program, notifying employees of their ability to opt in, and more. Learn more from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment: June 30 Newsletter | FAQ page and website.

If you or your board have additional questions, please make sure you utilize the resources provided through Employers Council and reach out to your legal counsel as necessary.

💡 Important Reminders:

November 9: Advocacy & Data Driven Decision-Making Live Webinar
REGISTER here
NOTE: CSI's annual budget will also be discussed at this webinar. We will review the level of funding received by CSI as a result of the money withheld by CSI for the amount of actual costs in providing necessary administration, oversight, and management services to CSI schools. The review shall include the amount of moneys annually appropriated to CSI, amount of costs incurred by CSI, and services provided to CSI.
Please note that at least one board member is REQUIRED to attend each of the remaining 3 Live Board Webinar Trainings for the remainder of the year. The links to register for each can be found here.
Recorded Webinar: School Leader Evaluations
The webinar includes a refresher on the requirements and responsibilities of your board in completing this valuable tool. This pre-recorded webinar released in October can be found here.

Board to Board Networking: Arvada

The Charter School Institute Board of Directors will be hosting a Board to Board Networking Lunch on Tuesday, November 15 from 12:00pm-1:00pm at the Community First Foundation in Arvada. This is an informal opportunity for school board members to connect with each other and the CSI Board.

Be sure to RSVP by November 10. Space is limited, so 1-2 board members per school is preferred.

School Board Calendar

If you are following the CSI Sample School Board Calendar, below are the items that your board should be reviewing this month.

Included below are both summaries of key activities, contact information for CSI staff that can provide further support if requested, and links to related resources.

Academic

Enrollment

Staffing

Culture

Board

Finance

Academic

✔️ Review ongoing concerns and/or progress updates from State Assessment Results

Questions to Consider

What do current academic results indicate about successes and areas of improvement for the upcoming school year? How do these strengths and weaknesses reflect the ways in which the board has allocated resources, and how may the board want to adjust resources going forward?
What efforts are in place to support all students, including students who are at risk of failure, in meeting or exceeding proficiency?
How did the school progress compared to the metrics and measures in its strategic plan? Are there any additional resources needed based on student outcomes?
How is the board ensuring that the curriculum and other academic resources are effectively helping leaders and teachers meet academic achievement goals? Does the academic committee and/or school leader feel that any adjustments to curriculum choices or resources are needed, and if so, what are they and why?

Enrollment

✔️ Board support for student recruitment and retention for FY24

Questions to Consider

Did the school meet its projected student enrollment? If not, does the board need to make staffing or budgetary adjustments?
To what extent do student demographics reflect local demographics?
Did the school meet its special population (i.e., students of color, students with IEPs, gifted and talented students, English Learners, economically disadvantaged students) enrollment targets? If not, what is the plan to do so?
If enrollment is under budget after October Count, what adjustments are necessary for programming or budget? What caused lower enrollment and who will be responsible for adjusting strategies for next year?
Has the board reviewed student recruitment, retention, and marketing plans? What does student retention look like at each grade level and by subgroup?

Staffing

✔️ Begin preparing for mid-year check-ins; ensure surveys have been sent out if applicable

Culture

✔️ Participation in school events

Board

✔️ Strategic Plan Review

✔️ Ensure completion of any board member onboarding

Questions to Consider

Who is going to take the lead on the school leader evaluation process? What evaluation tool will be used?
Is there a school evaluation process in place before the start of the school year? Has it been shared with the head of school?
Have the school leader performance goals been set? Do the goals align with the board’s strategic priorities and/or the school’s mission and vision?
How is the board checking in with the school leader on midyear progress against their performance goals? Does the board have plans and resources in place to support the school leader’s development against those goals?

Finance

✔️ Review financial policies & procedures as necessary

Questions to Consider:

What is the school’s fund balance? How does it compare to statutory requirements, CSI requirements, and the board’s requirements and goals?
Has the finance committee reviewed the following reports each month? Year-to-Date Profit and Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Forecast, and Bank Statement(s) for all bank accounts?
Has the board established a timeline and priorities for formulating next year’s budget, including time to discuss any changing resource needs (e.g., new curricula, etc.) with school leaders?
Is the school’s administration analyzing the school’s cash flow needs?
What contracts are set to expire on/before the next board meeting? Has the board designated someone on the board to review, and someone in school leadership to negotiate expiring contracts?

Spotlight On...

Board of Directors Highlight

I recently had the opportunity to sit in on the monthly Board of Directors meetings for Mountain Song Community School, Crown Pointe Academy and Animas High School and couldn’t be more impressed with the vigor, detail and amount of pointed questions that were asked by members throughout the meeting on each topic that was addressed on the agenda.

Specifically, in each of the meetings, there was at least one time where a board member referenced their School’s Strategic Plan and asked if the item at hand was meeting the needs and goals of a particular piece of their plan.

Kudos to all, keep up the good work!

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