Meeting Agenda

Notice of Public Meeting

Presidio School Inc. Board of Directors

Pursuant to A.R.S. 38-431.02, notice is hereby given to the members of the Presidio School Board of Directors and to the general public that a meeting, open to the public, will be held as specified below.

DATED AND POSTED 7TH   DAY OF AUGUST 2024

Board of Presidio School, Inc. 

By Terry S. Garza, Terry S. Garza

Secretary, Board of Directors of Presidio School

AGENDA Presidio School Board of Directors Meeting 1695 East Ft. Lowell  Dreamcatcher Library Tucson, Arizona 85719 Thursday, August 8, 2024 5:00 PM

 

• Call to order Mr. Carrillo
• Public Comment Mr. Carrillo

Action Items:

• Consideration to Approve the June 25, 2024 Board Minutes Ms. Garza
• Consideration to Approve the July 11, 2024 Board Minutes Ms. Garza
• Consideration to Approve the May 2024 Expenditures Ms. Garza
• Consideration to Go to Executive Session to Discuss Student Retention Appeal

in accordance with A.R.S. §15-341 & A.R.S §15-342 Mr. Carrillo

• Reconvene from Executive Session Mr. Carrillo

• Consideration to Approve or Deny the Student Retention Appeal Ms. Montierth

Discussion Items:

• Presidio School 2025 Risk Assessment Ms. Garza

 

Director of Education & Student Support Services Report: Ms. Montiertth

• ASBCS Amendment submission updates
• Staff Inservice
• First Week of School
• Employee Update
• Orientation – Staff Survey Results

 

Director of Finance & Human Resources Report: Ms. Chapman

• Orientation – Parent Survey Results
• Medical Related Benefits Rate Notices
• Balance Sheet Previous Year Comparison as of May 30, 2024
• Income and Expense by Month July 2023 through May 30, 2024

 

Meeting Minutes

Presidio School Board of Directors  Meeting Minutes 1695 E. Ft. Lowell Tucson, Arizona Date:   August 8, 2024

 

Called To Order:  5:10 PM Adjourned:  6:42 PM

Attendance by Members of the Board:  P= Present, A=Absent, R=Remote Attendance

  P Peggy Barnett, Treasurer

  A Martin Carrillo, President

  P Denice Chapman, Member

  R Thomas Drexel, Vice President

  P Terry Garza, Secretary

  P    Jessica Montierth, Member

Attendance by Others: The mother appealing her child’s retention (Left the meeting at 6:04 PM)

Public Comment: No public comment

Motions:

1. To approve the June 25, 2024 Minutes as presented.

Moved by:   Peggy Barnett Seconded by:    Denice Chapman Outcome: Passed Unanimously

Aye Votes: Peggy Barnett, Denice Chapman, Thomas Drexel, Terry Garza, Jessica Montierth

Nay Votes: None Absent: Martin Carrillo

1. To approve the July 11, 2024 Minutes as presented.

Moved by:   Peggy Barnett Seconded by:    Jessica Montierth Outcome: Passed Unanimously

Aye Votes: Peggy Barnett, Denice Chapman, Thomas Drexel, Terry Garza, Jessica Montierth

Nay Votes: None Absent: Martin Carrillo

1. To approve the May 2024 Expenditures.

Moved by:    Denice Chapman Seconded by:    Peggy Barnett Outcome: Passed Unanimously 

Aye Votes: Peggy Barnett, Denice Chapman, Thomas Drexel, Terry Garza, Jessica Montierth

Nay Votes: None Absent: Martin Carrillo

1. To abide by the Appellant’s request, to go to Executive Session at 5:16 PM to Discuss Student Retention Appeal in accordance with A.R.S. §15-341 & A.R.S §15-342

Moved by:    Jessica Montierth Seconded by:    Peggy Barnett Outcome: Passed Unanimously

Aye Votes: Peggy Barnett, Denice Chapman, Thomas Drexel, Terry Garza, Jessica Montierth

Nay Votes: None Absent: Martin Carrillo

1. To reconvene from Executive Session at 6:15 PM.

Moved by:   Peggy Barnett Seconded by:    Jessica Montierth Outcome: Passed Unanimously

Aye Votes: Peggy Barnett, Denice Chapman, Thomas Drexel, Terry Garza, Jessica Montierth

Nay Votes: None Absent: Martin Carrillo

1. Motion to deny or uphold Student Retention

A summary of the criteria and evidence used for the Board’s determination is as follows: 

• The parent/guardian received and signed a copy of the Presidio School Academic Placement, Promotion, and Graduation Policy — On 7/27/2023 the parent signed the aforementioned Policy (redacted Item A)
• Evidence-based intervention and remediation strategies were put in place for the student – On 10/26/2023 the student’s Homeroom Teacher forwarded the parent a copy of the Intervention Plan developed for the student via email (Redacted Item B); the Appellant provided 3 separate documents indicating receipt of the student’s Intervention Plan including an email response to the teacher dated 10/26/23 regarding the Plan, a signed copy of the Student Retention Appeal where she responded “yes” to receipt of intervention and remediation strategies, and her emailed written appeal which states that she received the plan on 10/26/24. (Redacted Items C) *It was noted that she indicated that updates to the plan were not received. 
• If retention is related to student having an attendance rate of less than 90% for the academic year, parents/guardians were notified about attendance issues and potential consequences – Presidio School Student Information System Attendance Profile for the 2023/2024 School Year which indicated the student was absent 23.75 days. (Redacted Item D)
• Parents were notified of intent to retain prior to retention decision and with sufficient time for interventions to have taken place – The student’s Report Card grades in core subjects were all Falls Far Below (1) for every grading period.  An intervention plan was mentioned and implemented on the Q1 Report Card and the probability for retention was indicated in Q2, Q3, and Q4 report cards. On March 5, 2024, the Appellant sent an email asking if her child would be retained and received a response from the teacher that the student “is on track to repeat fifth grade” and suggested summer school attendance. (Redacted Items E)
• The teacher followed the adopted criteria and provided sufficient evidence of the student’s failure to master grade level standards — (Redacted Items E)

 

A summary of Mitigating circumstances that were considered:

• The student qualified for specifically designed instruction through an IEP under the eligibility category of Other Health Impairment on May 15, 2024; however, Presidio’s Exceptional Student Services department was unable to initiate services as the Initial Placement Statement, which grants Presidio consent to provide services through an IEP, was not signed by the parent until July 28, 2024.  Additionally, due to a high absentee rate, it is not possible to determine if application of the IEP goals and services were provided earlier, they would have impacted the student’s preparedness for the subsequent grade level.
• The student did not score a Meets on either State Mandated assessments or school supervised benchmark assessments. (Redacted Items F)

 

Motion was made: To deny the Appellant’s request to overturn the retention of her child (A.D) based on the Board’s determination that teachers met the prescribed notification and remediation criteria; the student had an attendance rate below the 90% benchmark; and it was recommended that the student attend Presidio’s free summer school, but the student did not attend.

Moved by:    Denice Chapman Seconded by:    Peggy Barnett Outcome: Passed Unanimously 

Aye Votes: Peggy Barnett, Denice Chapman, Thomas Drexel, Terry Garza, Jessica Montierth

Nay Votes: None Absent: Martin Carrillo

 

Discussion Items:

• Ms. Garza presented the Presidio School 2025 Risk Assessment which again determined that Presidio was designated as Low Risk

 

Prepared by: Terry S. Garza ,  Terry S. Garza

 

Director of Finance & Human Resources Report:

• Presidio’s Social Media and Student Information Manager, Erin Foudy, sent out a survey to families to obtain feedback on the 24/25 Orientation.  Parent Survey Results indicated that for the most part, parents were very pleased with changing orientation to a Saturday and having all grade levels on the same day.
• Medical Related Benefits Rate Notices
  • Berwick provided notice that Presidio would not receive an insurance premium increase this year, which is quite exciting because annual insurance costs range from 6-12%.
• Balance Sheet Previous Year Comparison as of May 30, 2024
• Income and Expenses by Month – July 2023 through May 30, 2024

 

Prepared by: Denice Chapman ,  Denice Chapman

 

Director of Education and Student Support Services Report:

• ASBCS Amendment submission updates
  • Presidio School submitted three amendments to the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools (ASBCS) – a change in governance to appoint Ms. Denice Chapman to the Presidio Board of Directors, a modification to Presidio’s Mission Statement and a modification to Presidio’s Program of Instruction to ensure both documents are in alignment and accurately represent Presidio.  The ASBCS approved the change in governance and is in the process of reviewing the Program of Instruction and Mission Statement amendments.  
• Program of Instruction and Mission Statement.  
  • Once Presidio School receives approval, Presidio’s administrative team will revise various documents (including the Policies and Procedures, Student Handbook, and Course Catalog) to include the approved Mission Statement and Program of Instruction information, which will then go in front of the Presidio Board of Directors for approval.
• Staff Inservice
  • Staff Inservice covered a myriad of mandatory training including OSHA, FERPA, bloodborne pathogens, phishing, bullying, and structured play, in addition to Exceptional Student Services, Response to Intervention, classroom management, and curriculum training.  Presidio’s Administration purposefully set aside time for teachers to set up their rooms and for staff to complete outside training (e.g. DES training for Aftercare). 
• Orientation Staff Survey Results
  •  Presidio’s Principal requested feedback from staff in the form of “glows” and “grows.”  Generally speaking, the feedback was positive about the date and time of the event.  Staff had mixed feelings about the flow of the Gym and Library, stating that there was often a backup with ID cards and school photos; however, the feedback about flow in the Cafeteria was positive.  All feedback shared by staff was in alignment with that reported in the family survey and the Administrative Team is already hard at work discussing strategies for improvement for next year’s Orientation event.
• First Week of School
  • While speaking with staff, parents, and students, the general consensus was that Presidio experienced one of the best “first days” we have had in a long time.  According to the feedback received, processes and procedures were smooth and the front office was very organized, help was provided as needed, and everyone was greeted with smiling faces and support.
• Employee Update
  • Presidio currently has one open position for the Communications and Public Relations Coordinator.  The position was posted via Indeed.com and resumes are being vetted by Presidio’s Social Media and Student Information Manager prior to interviews.
  • Presidio has had an influx of enrollment and registration since school started as many families were either unaware of the start of school or started at a different school and would like to make a change to Presidio.  The Registrar team (of which two employees are new to Presidio) has been working tirelessly to request records, gather enrollment documents, and push through On-Line Registration.

Prepared by: Jessica Montierth ,  Jessica Montierth

 

Next Board Meeting: September 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM, Dreamcatcher Library