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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-06-08 Trustees packet WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING A G E N D A OCTOBER 6, 2008 WESTLAKE TOWN HALL 3 VILLAGE CIRCLE MUNICIPAL COURT ROOM, SUITE 207 6:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 3. CITIZENS' PRESENTATIONS: This is an opportunity for citizens to address the Board on any matter whether or not it is posted on the agenda. The Board cannot by law take action nor have any discussion or deliberations on any presentation made to the Board at this time concerning an item not listed on the agenda. Any item presented may be noticed on a future agenda for deliberation or action. 4. CONSENT AGENDA: All items listed below are considered routine by the Board of Aldermen and will be enacted with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of items unless a Board member or citizen so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the general order of business and considered in its normal sequence. a. Review and approve minutes of the School Board of Trustees special meeting held on August 21, 2008. b. Review and approve minutes of the School Board Strategic Planning retreat held on September 12 & 13, 2008. Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 2 of 3 Regular Meeting Agenda October 6, 2008 c. Review and approve minutes of the School Board of Trustees regular meeting held on September 8, 2008. d. Review and approve minutes of the School Board of Trustees special meeting held on September 22, 2008. 5. DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF NEXT “GOING FORWARD” GOVERNANCE STEPS TO BE TAKEN FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES RECENT STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT INCLUDING PREPARATION OF A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR WESTLAKE ACADEMY, BOARD MEETING STRUCTURE AND FREQUENCY, AND BOARD PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 6. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CEO OF WESTLAKE ACADEMY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LEARNING FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE A+ SOFTWARE PROGRAM. 7. BOARD CALENDAR. - NW Metroport Chamber of Commerce State of the Cities o Tuesday, 10/7/08, 11:30 a.m. Trophy Club Country Club - Arbor Day Celebration o Saturday, 10/11, Glenwyck Farms park area, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. - Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition o 10/28 – 10/31/08, San Antonio, Texas - FM 1938 Public Hearing o 11/6, displays at 6:30 p.m., public hearing at 7 p.m. Cross Timbers Community Church, 2525 Florence Road, Keller - Household Hazardous Waste collection day o 11/8/08, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Westlake Academy Campus - Christmas Tree Lighting o Tuesday, 12/2/08, 6:30 p.m. 8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Any Board member may request at a workshop and / or Board meeting, under “Future Agenda Item Requests”, an agenda item for a future Board meeting. The Board member making the request will contact the Town Manager with the requested item and the Town Manager will list it on the agenda. At the meeting, the requesting Board member will explain the item, the need for Board discussion of the item, the item’s relationship to the Board’s strategic priorities, and the amount of estimated staff time necessary to prepare for Board discussion. If the requesting Board member receives a second, the Town Manager will place the item on the Board agenda calendar allowing for adequate time for staff preparation on the agenda item. - None Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 3 of 3 Regular Meeting Agenda October 6, 2008 9. EXECUTIVE SESSION. 1. The Board will conduct a closed session pursuant Texas Government Code section 551.071(1) and (2) to (i) seek advice of counsel on legal matters involving pending or contemplated litigation, settlement offers, or other legal matters not related directly to litigation or settlement, and (ii) Consultation with attorney on matters in which the duty of the attorney under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code-Texas Government Code 551.071(2) regarding the following: A. Texas Education Agency ruling. 10. RECONVENE MEETING. 11. TAKE ANY ACTION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION, IF NECESSARY. 12. ADJOURNMENT. ANY ITEM ON THIS POSTED AGENDA COULD BE DISCUSSED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION AS LONG AS IT IS WITHIN ONE OF THE PERMITTED CATEGORIES UNDER SECTIONS 551.071 THROUGH 551.076 AND SECTION 551.087 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. CERTIFICATION I certify that the above notice was posted at the Town Hall of the Town of Westlake, 3 Village Circle, on Friday, September 5, 2008, by 6 p.m. under the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code. _____________________________________ Kim Sutter, TRMC, Town Secretary If you plan to attend this public meeting and have a disability that requires special needs, please advise the Town Secretary 48 hours in advance at 817-490-5710 and reasonable accommodations will be made to assist you.      Westlake  Academy  Item # 2 – Pledge of  Allegiance  Texas Pledge: "Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."      Westlake  Academy  Item # 3 – Citizens’  Presentations  This is an opportunity for citizens to address the Board on any matter whether or not it is posted on the agenda. The Board cannot by law take action nor have any discussion or deliberations on any presentation made to the Board at this time concerning an item not listed on the agenda. The Board will receive the information, ask staff to review the matter, or an item may be noticed on a future agenda for deliberation or action. MINUTES OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING August 21, 2008 PRESENT: President Laura Wheat and Trustees Tim Brittan, Larry Corson, Carol Langdon, and Rebecca Rollins. ABSENT: Trustee Don Redding. OTHERS PRESENT: Chief Executive Officer Thomas Brymer, Head of School Mark Rosevear, School Attorney Stan Lowry, Assistant to the Town Manager Ginger Awtry, Director of Administrative Services Todd Wood, and Administrative Coordinator Darcy McFarlane. 1. CALL TO ORDER. President Wheat called the meeting to order at 9:40 a.m. With no objections from the Board, Mayor Wheat reordered the agenda to consider items 4 and 5 at this time. 4. PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE UPDATED VERSION OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK FOR THE 2008-09 SCHOOL YEAR. Head of School Rosevear presented the item to the Board and added that many hours were spent reviewing the prior handbook and the recommended draft is ready for consideration. Mr. Rosevear highlighted the main revisions to the handbook. Lengthy discussion ensued and the Board proposed several additional edits to the handbook. MOTION: Trustee Larry Corson made a motion to approve Resolution No. 08-15, approving the Westlake Academy Parent / Student Handbook for the 2008-2009 school year, to include the edits as presented and discussed. Trustee Rebecca Rollins seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 2 of 3 Special Meeting Minutes August 21, 2008 5. PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY 2008-2009 PERSONNEL MANUAL. Chief Executive Officer Tom Brymer introduced Todd Wood, Director of Administrative Services, to present this item to the Board. Discussion ensued regarding the Manual and Trustee Corson recommended a word change (will to may) with regard to alcohol testing. MOTION: Trustee Carol Langdon made a motion to approve Resolution No. 08-16, approving the Westlake Academy 2008-2009 Personnel manual with the change as discussed. Trustee Tim Brittan seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 2. EXECUTIVE SESSION. President Wheat recessed the regular session of the Town of Westlake Board of Trustees meeting at 12:09 p.m., as she read the following item to be discussed in executive session: 1. The Board will conduct a closed session pursuant Texas Government Code section 551.071(1) and (2) to (i) seek advice of counsel on legal matters involving pending or contemplated litigation, settlement offers, or other legal matters not related directly to litigation or settlement, and (ii) Consultation with attorney on matters in which the duty of the attorney under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code-Texas Government Code 551.071(2) regarding the following: A. Texas Education Agency ruling. B. Westlake Academy Admission Policy. C. Westlake Academy Charter document. President Wheat convened the executive session at 12:10 p.m. The executive session adjourned at 1:25 p.m. 3. RECONVENE MEETING. President Wheat reconvened the meeting at 1:26 p.m. 6. ADJOURNMENT. There being no further business to come before the Board, President Wheat asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 3 of 3 Special Meeting Minutes August 21, 2008 MOTION: Trustee Tim Brittan made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Carol Langdon seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4- 0. President Wheat adjourned the meeting at 1:27 p.m. APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON OCTOBER 6, 2008. _________________________________________ Laura Wheat, President ATTEST: ________________________________ Kim Sutter, TRMC, Town Secretary Town of Westlake, Texas Board of Trustees Retreat Minutes Embassy Suites 2401 Bass Pro Drive Grapevine, Texas September 12 & 13, 2008 PRESENT: President Laura Wheat and Trustees Tim Brittan, Larry Corson, Carol Langdon, and Rebecca Rollins. (*) ABSENT: Trustee Don Redding OTHERS PRESENT: Chief Executive Officer Thomas Brymer, Head of School Mark Rosevear, Head of Primary Jamie Schmitz, Head of Secondary Robert Kai, Administrative Coordinator Darcy McFarlane, and Assistant to the Town Manager Ginger Awtry (**). The session opened at 8:30 a.m., Friday, September 12, 2008, with the above noted (**) staff members present and Mr. Mike Conduff, The Elim Group, welcoming all in attendance. Mr. Mike Conduff reviewed the abbreviated agenda and purpose for the smaller group through the various activities and discussions. The President and Board of Trustees noted above (*) joined the group at 11:03 a.m. Mr. Mike Conduff welcomed the second group and convened the full group discussion as indicated with a review of the agenda, purpose, and goals of the retreat. The session was recessed at 12:23 pm for lunch and reconvened at 1:15 pm. Discussion continued regarding roles in the Academy strategic planning process, good governance, and communication. The session recessed at 6:18 p.m., Friday, September 12, 2008. Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 2 of 2 Strategic Planning Retreat September 12 & 13, 2008 Saturday, September 13, 2008 The session reconvened at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, September 13, 2008, with the following Board and Staff members in attendance: PRESENT: President Laura Wheat and Trustees Tim Brittan, Larry Corson, Carol Langdon, and Rebecca Rollins. ABSENT: Trustee Don Redding. OTHERS PRESENT: Chief Executive Officer Thomas Brymer, Head of School Mark Rosevear, Head of Primary Jamie Schmitz, Head of Secondary Robert Kai, Administrative Coordinator Darcy McFarlane, and Assistant to the Town Manager Ginger Awtry. Mr. Mike Conduff reviewed the agenda and the progress of the group’s various activities from the earlier session. Mr. Conduff led the group through an exercise to assist in establishing a mission, a vision, and value statements for the Academy. In closing, Mr. Conduff advised the group that he would prepare a report based on the input received and present the report to the Chief Executive Officer. The session adjourned at 2:25 p.m., Saturday, September 13, 2008. APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON OCTOBER 6, 2008. ____________________________________ Laura Wheat, President ATTEST: ____________________________________ Kim Sutter, TRMC, Secretary MINUTES OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES REGULAR MEETING September 8, 2008 PRESENT: President Laura Wheat and Trustees Tim Brittan, Larry Corson, Carol Langdon, and Rebecca Rollins. ABSENT: Trustee Don Redding. OTHERS PRESENT: Chief Executive Officer Thomas Brymer, Head of School Mark Rosevear, School Attorney Stan Lowry, Secretary Kim Sutter, Finance Director Debbie Piper, DPS Director Don Wilson, Assistant to the Town Manager Ginger Awtry, Assistant to the Head of School Darcy McFarlane, and Finance Clerk Jaymi Ford. 1. CALL TO ORDER. President Wheat called the meeting to order at 6:52 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. President Wheat led the pledge of allegiance to the United States flag. Trustee Corson led the pledge of allegiance to the Texas flag. 3. CITIZENS' PRESENTATIONS. There was no one present wishing to speak. 4. CONSENT AGENDA. President Wheat introduced the consent agenda and asked for a motion. a. Review and approve minutes of the School Board of Trustees regular meeting held on August 11, 2008. Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 2 of 4 Regular Meeting Minutes September 8, 2008 b. Resolution No. 08-16 (A) - Consider a Resolution approving Pattillo, Brown & Hill, LLP to perform Westlake Academy’s annual audit for the year ending August 31, 2008. MOTION: Trustee Langdon made a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Trustee Rollins seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 5. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE USE OF TARRANT COUNTY COLLEGE LABS TO TEACH WESTLAKE ACADEMY STUDENTS AND AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER/ CEO TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT AND / OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THE TARRANT COUNTY COLLEGE CAMPUS. HOS Rosevear addressed the Board regarding the item and advised the Board that transportation will be required and is estimated to cost between $7,000 and $9,000 for the year, and will be paid by the school. Board discussion ensued with regard to arrival and commute time and the number of students who would require transportation. HOS Rosevear advised the Board that the students will be polled to determine transportation needs. MOTION: Trustee Corson made a motion to approve Resolution No. 08-17, authorizing the use of Tarrant County College labs to teach Westlake Academy Students and authorizing the Town Manager/CEO to negotiate a contract and/or arrangements for transportation to the Tarrant County College campus. Trustee Rollins seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 6. CONSIDER A RESOLUTION ALLOWING STUDENTS AT WESTLAKE ACADEMY TO OBTAIN CREDIT TOWARD TEXAS GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS THROUGH CORRESPONDENCE COURSES, DISTANCE LEARNING AND/OR THROUGH CREDIT BY EXAMINATION. HOS Rosevear addressed the Board regarding the item. Discussion ensued with regard to the item and the possibility of students attending traditional summer school to acquire the credits. HOS Rosevear advised that staff will need to review the summer school option. MOTION: Trustee Brittan made a motion to approve Resolution No. 08-18, allowing Westlake Academy students to obtain credit toward graduation through correspondence courses, distance learning and/or through credit Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 3 of 4 Regular Meeting Minutes September 8, 2008 by examination. Trustee Rollins seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 7. BOARD CALENDAR. President Wheat reviewed the Board calendar. - Joint Regional Meeting with Roanoke, Trophy Club, and Northwest ISD o Wednesday, 9/10/08, 6:30 p.m., Roanoke City Hall - Westlake Academy Strategic Planning Retreat o 9/12 & 9/13/08, 11 a.m., Embassy Suites, Grapevine - Special Board of Aldermen Meeting o 9/15/08, Tentative - Texas Student Housing Authority Meeting o Tuesday, 9/16/08, 5:30 p.m. - TML Region VIII Quarterly Meeting o Thursday, 9/18, 6:30 p.m., Brookside Convention Center, Hurst, TX - Joint Board of Aldermen/Planning & Zoning Commission land use/zoning training o Monday, 9/29/08, 6-8 p.m., Town Hall offices, Court Room - Arbor Day Celebration o Saturday, 10/11, Glen Wyck Farms park area, Time TBA - Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition o 10/28 – 10/31/08, San Antonio, Texas - Christmas Tree Lighting o Tuesday, 12/2/08, 6:30 p.m. 8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. No items were submitted for consideration. 9. EXECUTIVE SESSION. With no objections, President Wheat recessed the meeting at 7:12 p.m. President Wheat reconvened the meeting at 7:36 p.m. President Wheat recessed the regular session of the Town of Westlake Board of Trustees meeting at 7:37 p.m., to discuss the following items in executive session: 1. The Board will conduct a closed session pursuant Texas Government Code section 551.071(1) and (2) to (i) seek advice of counsel on legal matters involving pending or contemplated litigation, settlement offers, or other legal matters not related directly to litigation or settlement, and (ii) Consultation with attorney on matters in which the duty of the attorney under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 4 of 4 Regular Meeting Minutes September 8, 2008 Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code-Texas Government Code 551.071(2) regarding the following: A. Texas Education Agency ruling. B. Westlake Academy Charter document. C. Westlake Academy Charter expansion amendment and State Waiver seeking approval of Texas Education Agency for use of laboratory facilities by Westlake students at Tarrant County College. President Wheat convened the executive session at 7:41 p.m. The executive session adjourned at 7:53 p.m. 10. RECONVENE MEETING. President Wheat reconvened the meeting at 7:55 p.m. 11. TAKE ANY ACTION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION, IF NECESSARY. President Wheat advised that formal action will be taken regarding an item discussed in executive session. MOTION: Trustee Rollins moved to approve Resolution 08-19, approving the Academy’s request to submit a Commissioner’s Waiver and a Charter expansion amendment. Trustee Brittan seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. 12. ADJOURNMENT. There being no further business to come before the Board, President Wheat asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. MOTION: Trustee Corson made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Trustee Langdon seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 4-0. President Wheat adjourned the meeting at 7:56 p.m. APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN ON OCTOBER 6, 2008. _________________________________________ Laura Wheat, President ATTEST: ___________________________________ Kim Sutter, TRMC, Town Secretary MINUTES OF THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES SPECIAL MEETING September 22, 2008 PRESENT: President Laura Wheat and Trustees Tim Brittan, Larry Corson Carol Langdon, Don Redding, and Rebecca Rollins. ABSENT: None. OTHERS PRESENT: Chief Executive Officer Thomas Brymer, Head of School Mark Rosevear, School Attorney Stan Lowry, Assistant to the Town Manager Ginger Awtry, Director of Administrative Services Todd Wood, and Assistant to the Head of School Darcy McFarlane. 1. CALL TO ORDER. President Wheat called the meeting to order at 6:04. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. Mayor Wheat led the pledge of allegiance to the United States and Texas flags. 2. EXECUTIVE SESSION. President Wheat recessed the regular session of the Town of Westlake Board of Trustees meeting at 6:06 p.m., to discuss the following items in executive session: 1. The Board will conduct a closed session pursuant Texas Government Code section 551.071(1) and (2) to (i) seek advice of counsel on legal matters involving pending or contemplated litigation, settlement offers, or other legal matters not related directly to litigation or settlement, and (ii) Consultation with attorney on matters in which the duty of the attorney under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code-Texas Government Code 551.071(2) regarding the following: A. Texas Education Agency ruling. Westlake Academy Board of Trustees Page 2 of 2 Special Meeting Minutes September 22, 2008 B. Westlake Academy Charter document. C. Westlake Academy admissions policy. President Wheat convened the executive session at 6:06 p.m. The executive session adjourned at 7:42 p.m. 4. RECONVENE MEETING. President Wheat reconvened the meeting at 7:52 p.m. 5. TAKE ANY ACTION FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION, IF NECESSARY. No action was taken. 6. ADJOURNMENT. There being no further business before the Board, President Wheat adjourned the meeting at 7:53 p.m. APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES ON OCTOBER 6, 2008. _________________________________________ Laura Wheat, President ATTEST: ___________________________________ Kim Sutter, TRMC, Town Secretary Town of Westlake Memo To: Honorable President and Members of the Board of Trustees From: Tom Brymer, Town Manager/Westlake Academy CEO Subject: Regular Meeting of October 6, 2008 Date: September 25, 2008 ITEM Discussion and Consideration of Next “Going Forward” Governance Steps to be taken from the Board of Trustees Recent Strategic Planning Retreat Including Preparation of a Strategic Plan for Westlake Academy, Board Meeting Structure and Frequency, and Board Professional Development VISION POINT AND KEY RESULT AREAS This item supports the following Vision Point and Key Result Areas: ; We are Leaders o Premier educational facilities and programs o Producing well educated future leaders and thinkers o Business partnerships with Westlake Academy BACKGROUND At the Board of Trustees’ (BOT) recent Strategic Planning Retreat for Westlake Academy, much was accomplished. These accomplishments related to the Board reaching consensus as to what constitutes effective governance of the Academy including the Board’s governance role, the Academy’s vision/mission, and Board understanding of the ends/means dichotomy as it relates to the governance of the Academy. Building on the progress made at its Strategic Planning Retreat, the BOT needs to formulate and reach consensus on “next steps” to be taken to achieve its role as a high performance governance board for Westlake Academy. FUNDING: N/ A at this time RECOMMENDATION 1.) Review the recommended plan of action in the attached memorandum from the Town Manager/Academy CEO 2.) discuss that plan of action and reach consensus as to whether or not the Board is comfortable with that plan, or wishes to make modifications to it 3.) if the Board wishes to modify that plan of action, identify those changes and reach consensus concerning them 4.) adopt the plan of action and agree on a schedule with milestones for working on that plan of action. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Memo dated 9-25-08 from Town Manager/CEO with Recommended “Going Forward” Steps from Recent Strategic Planning Retreat 2. Vision/Mission Statement for Westlake Academy from Board of Trustees’ Recent Strategic Planning Retreat 3. Article Entitled “The Seven Outs: Strategic Planning Made Easy for Charter Schools” by Brian Carpenter 1    MEMORANDUM Date: September 25, 2008 TO: Honorable President and Board of Trustees FROM: Tom Brymer, Town Manager/CEO Westlake Academy SUBJECT: “Going Forward” Plan of Action from Board of Trustee’s Recent Strategic Planning Retreat PURPOSE The purpose of the memorandum is to outline for Board of Trustee (BOT) discussion and consideration, recommended “going forward” governance steps to be taken from the Board of Trustees’ Recent Strategic Planning Retreat. This “going forward plan” includes 1.) preparation of a strategic plan for Westlake Academy, 2.) discussion of Board of Trustee meeting structure and frequency, as well as, 3.) provision Board professional development/continuous learning. BACKGROUND At the Board of Trustees’ recent Strategic Planning Retreat for Westlake Academy, much was accomplished. These accomplishments related to the BOT reaching consensus as to: • what constitutes effective governance of the Academy • the Board’s governance role • the Academy’s vision/mission • Board understanding of the ends/means dichotomy as it relates to the governance of the Academy. Building on the progress made at its Strategic Planning Retreat, the Board needs to formulate and reach consensus on “next steps” to be taken to achieve its role as a high performance governance board for Westlake Academy. RECOMMENDATIONS Three recommendations are presented here for Board consideration that will outlined in detail below. They are: 1. Discuss and agree on the framework, process, and timetable presented for preparation of a strategic plan for Westlake Academy 2. Discuss and agree on a proposal regarding BOT meeting structure and frequency 3. Discuss and agree on a framework for BOT professional development/continuous learning. 1. Strategic Plan. The article that was included in the BOT’s notebook for their retreat entitled “The Seven Outs: Strategic Planning Made Easy for Charter Schools” (by Brian L. Carpenter) provides the basis for the process recommended in this memorandum to develop a strategic plan for Westlake Academy. This process also allows us to use what was developed at the BOT strategic planning retreat. Step One is “figure out”. This is the Board’s non-delegable obligation to define why Westlake Academy exists. The Board attempted to do this when it drafted the following 2    vision/mission statement the Academy: “Westlake Academy is a nurturing, community-owned International Baccalaureate charter school whose mission is to achieve academic excellence and to develop life-long learners who become responsible global citizens.” The Board should review this draft statement and determine if needs modification. Once finalized it needs to be adopted by the Board. With the Academy’s purpose defined, the Board then needs to establish the major outcomes to be achieved that are worthy of pursuing with the Academy’s resources. This is the step the Board still needs to complete in order to “jump start” the strategic planning process. These major outcomes to be achieved can be identified using: • Mission-specific outcomes (can quantitative or qualitative, but quite often are qualitative) - these are school or individual outcomes that are unique to the Academy. They may not be measured using conventional tests, but are important as they reveal information about the Academy’s performance relative to its vision/mission statement. • Individual gains (quantitative) - this is an individual student measure comparing test results between 2 or more points in time. Mission-specific types of major outcomes probably work best for the type of school Westlake Academy is; a public charter school that uses the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. While we do administer state required tests, we do not “teach to them” since the IB curriculum utilizes a different learning approach for our students. However, we could use the Stanford Tests for measuring individual gain outcomes. There are 2 other outcome categories for identifying major outcomes for the Board, but they all involve some type of state testing instrument. Staff does not recommend using these outcome categories, but if used, great care would have to be taken that in using these as a tool for identifying major outcomes, it did not result in changing the teaching approach for the Academy (i.e. - “teaching to the test”). These other outcome categories are: • Relative performance (quantitative) - this is a rank order measure against some type of agreed upon state test ranked against other schools. • Absolute performance (quantitative usually expressed qualitatively)- this is an individual student score on state tests expressed in one of 3 or 4 categorical outcomes such as, for example, below basic, basic, proficient, or exceeds standards. The Board launches the strategic plan process by identifying and selecting goals from the mission-specific outcomes category. The Board would need to decide if they wished to use the other outcome categories due to their emphasis on state tests. Step Two is to “find out” or bench mark Westlake Academy against other successful schools. As Carpenter puts it, “…it is merely commonsensical to look at what other wildly successful charter (or other public and/or private) schools are doing in order to see 3    how they are achieving so you can implement those things in your school…” These peer schools need to be identified, agreed to by the Board, then used to compare Westlake Academy to in terms of outcomes and other areas of interest so we can compare the Academy’s performance. It is recommended that the staff research who should be on Westlake Academy’s peer school list for discussion with the Board so that we are comparing “apples to apples”. Step Three is “scope out” which is basically a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Here the focus should be the Academy’s immediate external environment and its state political environment. This exercise was completed at the retreat. Step Four is to “write out” the strategic plan itself. This is where the staff drafts the strategic plan for Board consideration. It should have 3 components to address the major outcomes the Board identified in Step One. They are: • Personnel- what things should be done to attract and retain the best teachers for the Academy to achieve Board identified major outcomes • Operations- how should the Academy budget best be utilized to achieve major outcomes • Mission fulfillment- decisions to be made by the executive concerning curriculum, instructional philosophy, and assessment in order to achieve the Board’s identified major outcomes. Step Five involves carrying out the plan. One of the key tools for doing this is the Academy’s annual budget as well as the Town’s municipal budget, both of which need to prepared to support the Academy’s Board approved strategic plan. Step Six is “measure out” which involves creating agreed upon measures for determining the success of attaining major outcomes. This is where the being able to differentiate ends from means (inputs) becomes important. As Carpenter notes, “…there is an almost natural temptation to assess progress on outcomes by measuring or examining inputs!” Step Seven is “shout out” which is to disseminate the Academy’s accomplishments. This would involve having and effectively using a communications plan for Westlake Academy. Timeframe for the Strategic Plan Preparation. The Board needs to complete Step One as it pertains to relative performance, absolute performance, individual gains, and mission-specific outcomes. Step Two, identifying benchmark schools to compare the Academy to, remains to be completed. Step Three (the SWOT analysis) is complete. Following that, the staff can draft a strategic plan per Step Four for Board consideration. Allowing time for finishing Steps One and Two at a workshop, staff estimates a 4    completion deadline for preparing a draft strategic plan for Board consideration to be in early 2009. While the strategic plan is being drafted, staff can identify for Board consideration Step Six ends oriented measures to be used for determining in attaining the major outcomes set in Step One as well as peer schools to be used in benchmarking. 2. Board of Trustee Meeting Structure and Frequency. Currently the Board meets in its Trustee (BOT) capacity for Westlake Academy once a month at 6:00PM on the second Monday of the month. This was a meeting schedule agreed to by a previous Board. Time management challenges arise due to the BOT having its Board of Aldermen meetings on this second Monday as well. The BOA meetings start with a workshop at 4:15pm that generally runs at least until 6:00PM. If the BOT meeting agenda has formal adoptive items on it related to contracts, etc and if there is also a BOT executive session required, this leaves only an hour for the BOT meeting prior to the 7:00PM Regular BOA Meeting. Most importantly if there are workshop (i.e.- discussion) type of agenda items for the BOT to take up so as to give staff input prior to Board considering those items for a formal decision (as we generally do for BOA meetings), there is no time left for that type of BOT discussion and interchange. Any number of meeting scheduling options or hybrids of them could address this. One option to consider is to continue regular BOT meetings on the second Monday of each month at 6:00PM with those meetings focused on agenda items that require formal BOT action. However, reserve the first BOT of the calendar quarter solely for a workshop that would start at 5:30PM giving the Board a full 2 hours for a BOT workshop. The BOA regular meeting could then be scheduled to commence at 7:30PM (instead of 7:00PM) on those the first BOT meeting of each calendar quarter when this workshop is held. Under this arrangement, the Board may have flexibility to schedule additional workshops. If it is not the first meeting of the quarter, but there are no formal type agenda items requiring a regular BOT meeting, the BOT could instead have a workshop meeting. 3. BOT Professional Development/Continuous Learning. It is recommended that the BOT discuss establishing a framework for its own professional development and continuous learning. There are 2 aspects to this; individual Board member learning and Board group learning. Individual Board member learning can take place through attendance at various conferences or use of DVD’s and other individual learning tools. Group learning, which would allow for Board discussion of various concepts and issues related to its governance role, could take place at BOT workshops. An agreed upon learning tool could be used (i.e. - a Board governance guidebook type resource) in these settings with readings on mutually agreed upon governance topics being assigned for Board discussion. Additionally, an occasional outside resource person could be brought 5    into speak to the Board on governance topics of interest. One of the advantages of this learning method is that it uses an already existing meeting schedule and allows the Board to learn together from a common governance context. To be successful, this group learning approach would require a commitment on each Board member’s part to read certain materials and make reasonable efforts to be present if an outside resource person was brought in for one of these sessions. Summary and Conclusion 1. Prepare a strategic plan for Westlake Academy per the steps and time frame outlined above. 2. Change the BOT’s meeting schedule to continue monthly BOT regular meetings except that the first meeting of each calendar quarter would be a BOT workshop and, if there are no agenda items for regular BOT meetings, have a workshop meeting instead. This potentially would allow for more workshop meetings as needed. 3. BOT commit to group learning to further BOT professional development and continuous learning per the recommendations above. From BOT September 12-13, 2008 Strategic Planning Retreat Westlake Academy Mission Statement Westlake Academy is a nurturing, community-owned International Baccalaureate charter school whose mission is to achieve academic excellence and to develop life long learners who become responsible global citizens. nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 1 June 2008 THE SEVEN OUTS: STRATEGIC PLANNING MADE EASY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS EXCERPTED FROM THE NEW BOOK BY BRIAN L. CARPENTER Introduction JUST THE WORDS “STRATEGIC PLANNING” are enough to make some board members and school executives feel swamped. The process is usually long, boring, and largely without results—unless you count a five-inch-thick vinyl notebook collecting dust on a shelf as an achievement. Don’t mire your board and executive in writing a plan that is tedious, dull, and loaded with administrivia—three adjectives that could have been invented to describe the typi-cal strategic plan. The Seven Outs offers your a school a step-by-step framework for conducting strate-gic planning. Once completed, the board and executive will know what the students are to accomplish and how well they are to accom-plish it, and the board will know how to evaluate the outcomes. Step One: Figure Out The first fundamental, non-delegable obligation of the board is to define why the school exists. Once a board has done that, it is capable of mov-ing to the next two steps: prescribing the out-comes the school will accomplish and establish-ing what level of achievement will demonstrate satisfactory performance of those outcomes. When a charter school board fails to figure out why the school exists, it creates by default, the problem of having no meaningful benchmarks against which to assess the organization’s pro-gress toward its purpose. Once the board has defined the purpose of its school (in clear language devoid of proc-esses), it must establish the major outcomes that are to be achieved. These outcomes need not necessarily be easy to measure or assess; they must simply be worthy of the school’s resources in pursuing them. To begin the process, we’ll group outcomes according to four different measures or cate-gories. Four measures are required because no single category is capable of capturing the entire range of things the board needs to con-sider in evaluating school performance. All measures, regardless of their value, have limitations. I’ve briefly defined each of the four measures below. Alongside each meas-ure, I indicate whether it is quantitative, qualitative, or both. 1. Relative Performance (quantitative). This is a rank order measure in which the school’s performance (usually) on state tests is ranked against other schools. A school that is in the 63rd percentile rank, for example, scored as good as or better than 63 percent of the schools in the comparison group. 2. Absolute Performance (quantitative, usu-ally expressed qualitatively). This is an individual student score on state tests. (There are federal tests that also produce such data, e.g., the National Assess-ment of Educational Progress, but the schools that participate do not receive any data back because of complex sampling designs needed to generalize the findings to all schools.) Usually student performance on ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 1 June 2008 THE SEVEN OUTS: STRATEGIC PLANNING MADE EASY FOR CHARTER SCHOOLS EXCERPTED FROM THE NEW BOOK BY BRIAN L. CARPENTER Introduction JUST THE WORDS “STRATEGIC PLANNING” are enough to make some board members and school executives feel swamped. The process is usually long, boring, and largely without results—unless you count a five-inch-thick vinyl notebook collecting dust on a shelf as an achievement. Don’t mire your board and executive in writing a plan that is tedious, dull, and loaded with administrivia—three adjectives that could have been invented to describe the typi-cal strategic plan. The Seven Outs offers your a school a step-by-step framework for conducting strate-gic planning. Once completed, the board and executive will know what the students are to accomplish and how well they are to accom-plish it, and the board will know how to evaluate the outcomes. Step One: Figure Out The first fundamental, non-delegable obligation of the board is to define why the school exists. Once a board has done that, it is capable of mov-ing to the next two steps: prescribing the out-comes the school will accomplish and establish-ing what level of achievement will demonstrate satisfactory performance of those outcomes. When a charter school board fails to figure out why the school exists, it creates by default, the problem of having no meaningful benchmarks against which to assess the organization’s pro-gress toward its purpose. Once the board has defined the purpose of its school (in clear language devoid of proc-esses), it must establish the major outcomes that are to be achieved. These outcomes need not necessarily be easy to measure or assess; they must simply be worthy of the school’s resources in pursuing them. To begin the process, we’ll group outcomes according to four different measures or cate-gories. Four measures are required because no single category is capable of capturing the entire range of things the board needs to con-sider in evaluating school performance. All measures, regardless of their value, have limitations. I’ve briefly defined each of the four measures below. Alongside each meas-ure, I indicate whether it is quantitative, qualitative, or both. 1. Relative Performance (quantitative). This is a rank order measure in which the school’s performance (usually) on state tests is ranked against other schools. A school that is in the 63rd percentile rank, for example, scored as good as or better than 63 percent of the schools in the comparison group. 2. Absolute Performance (quantitative, usu-ally expressed qualitatively). This is an individual student score on state tests. (There are federal tests that also produce such data, e.g., the National Assess-ment of Educational Progress, but the schools that participate do not receive any data back because of complex sampling designs needed to generalize the findings to all schools.) Usually student performance on nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 2 June 2008 Figure 1. The Four Measures of School Performance The board launches the strategic plan-ning process by figuring out one goal for each of the first three measures and up to three goals in the mission-specific category. Though the process of figuring out what is to be ac-complished takes significant time and effort, the clarity that results from simply discussing outcomes will produce what amounts to a rocket flare illuminating the school’s destina-tion to everyone. Step Two: Find Out When I explained the premise of Step Two: Find Out, to my friend Corey, a successful Australian real estate developer, he said, “Just tell them that when they were in school, they got in trouble for copying what others were doing. In business, you get re-warded.” As Corey astutely observed, entrepre-neurial enterprises find out how other busi-nesses have been successful so they can replicate—or at least adapt—the same strategies to their own profit. For some rea-son, however, many charter schools have been slow in doing this. Regardless, it is merely commonsensical to look at what other wildly successful charter (or other public and/or private) schools are doing in order to see how they are achieving so you can implement those things in your school. state tests is reported to the school as being in one of three or four categorical outcomes such as below basic, basic, proficient, or ex-ceeds standards. 3. Individual Gains (quantitative). This is an individual student measure that compares test results between two or more points in time. In other words, there is a starting point in which the student’s performance is benchmarked, and then, a subsequent point at which the student’s gains can be measured. 4. Mission-Specific Outcomes (quantitative or qualitative, but quite often qualitative). These are school or individual outcomes that are unique to your particular school. They are probably not measured using con-ventional tests (nor should they necessarily be). They are important because they can re-veal information about the school’s perform-ance relative to its unique mission that proba-bly cannot be measured or assessed through any of the other three measures. You can picture the four measures above as a square. By combining information from all four measures, the board will not only know precisely what to look at in evaluating the school, it will also have an excellent gauge on how well the school is performing along two dimensions: the present and the future. Figure 1 depicts this relationship. Each measure forms one side of the box. Taken together, these measures form the bounda-ries of the area labeled the school’s present performance. This performance is properly evaluated against the board’s defined out-comes. At the same time, data from multiple years for each of the measures can be thought of as a continuum along which per-formance for that measure is trending in one direction or the other. Using these points, the board can evaluate the trajec-tory the school is on so that its future per-formance can be predicted. ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 2 June 2008 Figure 1. The Four Measures of School Performance The board launches the strategic plan-ning process by figuring out one goal for each of the first three measures and up to three goals in the mission-specific category. Though the process of figuring out what is to be ac-complished takes significant time and effort, the clarity that results from simply discussing outcomes will produce what amounts to a rocket flare illuminating the school’s destina-tion to everyone. Step Two: Find Out When I explained the premise of Step Two: Find Out, to my friend Corey, a successful Australian real estate developer, he said, “Just tell them that when they were in school, they got in trouble for copying what others were doing. In business, you get re-warded.” As Corey astutely observed, entrepre-neurial enterprises find out how other busi-nesses have been successful so they can replicate—or at least adapt—the same strategies to their own profit. For some rea-son, however, many charter schools have been slow in doing this. Regardless, it is merely commonsensical to look at what other wildly successful charter (or other public and/or private) schools are doing in order to see how they are achieving so you can implement those things in your school. state tests is reported to the school as being in one of three or four categorical outcomes such as below basic, basic, proficient, or ex-ceeds standards. 3. Individual Gains (quantitative). This is an individual student measure that compares test results between two or more points in time. In other words, there is a starting point in which the student’s performance is benchmarked, and then, a subsequent point at which the student’s gains can be measured. 4. Mission-Specific Outcomes (quantitative or qualitative, but quite often qualitative). These are school or individual outcomes that are unique to your particular school. They are probably not measured using con-ventional tests (nor should they necessarily be). They are important because they can re-veal information about the school’s perform-ance relative to its unique mission that proba-bly cannot be measured or assessed through any of the other three measures. You can picture the four measures above as a square. By combining information from all four measures, the board will not only know precisely what to look at in evaluating the school, it will also have an excellent gauge on how well the school is performing along two dimensions: the present and the future. Figure 1 depicts this relationship. Each measure forms one side of the box. Taken together, these measures form the bounda-ries of the area labeled the school’s present performance. This performance is properly evaluated against the board’s defined out-comes. At the same time, data from multiple years for each of the measures can be thought of as a continuum along which per-formance for that measure is trending in one direction or the other. Using these points, the board can evaluate the trajec-tory the school is on so that its future per-formance can be predicted. nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 3 June 2008 Step Three: Scope Out In the third step in The Seven Outs, the board continues to take the lead in the stra-tegic planning process. The executive may add value to the process of scoping out the external environment, as well, but the board should generally lead because it is likely that it governed the school before the current executive was hired and will govern the school after he or she leaves. This conti-nuity provides a familiarity with the exter-nal environment that the executive may not possess. Regardless, it is critical that the board focus on a vital few elements in the external environment that may be strategi-cally important to the school. There is a significant premise behind scoping out the external environment: Your school does not operate in a vacuum. Changing realities outside your school can affect it. In order to effectively position the school for success, it is necessary to inte-grate those changing realities into your strategic plan. To accomplish this, the board must scope out the external environ-ment. In business, there is a wide range of variables in the external environment that can affect its profitability (the single pri-mary reason why a business exists). For example, foreign currency exchange rates, market fluctuations, availability of capital, mergers and acquisitions, and stock prices are all external variables that can impact the business for better or worse. Businesses that are successful over the long range, to one degree or another—depending on the type of company—constantly monitor and evaluate those vari-ables. Most of the literature on strategic planning for businesses emphasizes the critical importance of continuously inte-grating those variables with the company’s strategic plan. Although the process of finding out what other schools are doing is step two in The Seven Outs, some boards, particularly those that are in the initial application phase, may actually want to make this step one, or at least concurrent with step one. While current research, on the whole, shows that most charter schools perform about the same as conventional public schools, there is no shortage of world-class examples. A short list of my favorites in-cludes (in no particular order): High Tech High (www.hightechhigh.org), KIPP Acad-emies (www.KIPP.org), Achievement First (www.AchievementFirst.org), and Uncommon Schools (www.Uncommonschools.org), along with every other less visible charter school that scores in the top quartile on the their state tests, compared to all public schools in their state (charter or conventional), in ad-dition to demonstrating fulfillment of mis-sion-specific goals. From a quantitative aspect, it’s also worth your time to examine schools that have been referred to as “90/90/90.” These are schools in which the enrollment is com-prised of 90 percent or more minority stu-dents, and 90 percent of the children are eligible for the federal government’s Free and Reduced Price Lunch program (education’s proxy for kids from families in poverty), but in which 90 percent or more of the kids attain high achievement. Not surprisingly, 90/90/90 Schools have common characteristics in their instruc-tional approaches. To learn what those are, point your browser to The Leadership and Learning Center at www.leadandlearn.com. Enter “90/90/90” in the search box to read a brief case study by Dr. Douglas B. Reeves that describes the practices of 90/90/90 Schools. If you’ve understood what I’ve said so far, you probably won’t be surprised to read that “90/90/90 Schools had a laser-like focus on student achievement.” ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 3 June 2008 Step Three: Scope Out In the third step in The Seven Outs, the board continues to take the lead in the stra-tegic planning process. The executive may add value to the process of scoping out the external environment, as well, but the board should generally lead because it is likely that it governed the school before the current executive was hired and will govern the school after he or she leaves. This conti-nuity provides a familiarity with the exter-nal environment that the executive may not possess. Regardless, it is critical that the board focus on a vital few elements in the external environment that may be strategi-cally important to the school. There is a significant premise behind scoping out the external environment: Your school does not operate in a vacuum. Changing realities outside your school can affect it. In order to effectively position the school for success, it is necessary to inte-grate those changing realities into your strategic plan. To accomplish this, the board must scope out the external environ-ment. In business, there is a wide range of variables in the external environment that can affect its profitability (the single pri-mary reason why a business exists). For example, foreign currency exchange rates, market fluctuations, availability of capital, mergers and acquisitions, and stock prices are all external variables that can impact the business for better or worse. Businesses that are successful over the long range, to one degree or another—depending on the type of company—constantly monitor and evaluate those vari-ables. Most of the literature on strategic planning for businesses emphasizes the critical importance of continuously inte-grating those variables with the company’s strategic plan. Although the process of finding out what other schools are doing is step two in The Seven Outs, some boards, particularly those that are in the initial application phase, may actually want to make this step one, or at least concurrent with step one. While current research, on the whole, shows that most charter schools perform about the same as conventional public schools, there is no shortage of world-class examples. A short list of my favorites in-cludes (in no particular order): High Tech High (www.hightechhigh.org), KIPP Acad-emies (www.KIPP.org), Achievement First (www.AchievementFirst.org), and Uncommon Schools (www.Uncommonschools.org), along with every other less visible charter school that scores in the top quartile on the their state tests, compared to all public schools in their state (charter or conventional), in ad-dition to demonstrating fulfillment of mis-sion-specific goals. From a quantitative aspect, it’s also worth your time to examine schools that have been referred to as “90/90/90.” These are schools in which the enrollment is com-prised of 90 percent or more minority stu-dents, and 90 percent of the children are eligible for the federal government’s Free and Reduced Price Lunch program (education’s proxy for kids from families in poverty), but in which 90 percent or more of the kids attain high achievement. Not surprisingly, 90/90/90 Schools have common characteristics in their instruc-tional approaches. To learn what those are, point your browser to The Leadership and Learning Center at www.leadandlearn.com. Enter “90/90/90” in the search box to read a brief case study by Dr. Douglas B. Reeves that describes the practices of 90/90/90 Schools. If you’ve understood what I’ve said so far, you probably won’t be surprised to read that “90/90/90 Schools had a laser-like focus on student achievement.” nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 4 June 2008 I’ve noticed that some boards delegate this to their executive director or the man-agement company they’ve hired. While it is necessary for management to maintain a professional relationship with the author-izer, the entire responsibility for doing so should never be delegated. The board should maintain its own direct line with the authorizer. Such communications help en-sure that the board is directly hearing the authorizer’s position. That way, if there are problems with the school’s performance or reporting, the board has a direct link with the organization that is ultimately charged with assessing the school’s performance and making a renewal decision. A monthly phone call from the board president to the authorizer can foster this relationship. Your State Political Environment The second key consideration in the exter-nal environment is what I call the general chartering climate in your state. Well be-fore the advent of charter schools, public schools were highly politicized. Unions, lawsuits, contested election results, and media influences are all inevitable in any endeavor annually funded by a half-trillion dollars of taxpayers’ money. Charter schools, in a broad sense, cut across the grain of existing power bases, money control, and jobs. Hence, they ratchet up several more notches the politi-cization of public schools. In some states, charter schools are largely accepted for what they are: public school choices. In such states, there are no artificial caps lim-iting growth of schools or enrollment, fund-ing is largely equitable, and schools can op-erate multiple campuses. But in other states, the attacks in both the courts and the legislatures are fierce and unrelenting. Having a good handle on the climate in your state is an essential part of developing a sound strategy. Where charter schools are concerned, there are, thankfully, fewer variables, though they are no less important. For ease of understanding, I’ve divided the external environment for charter schools into two environments: the immediate external envi-ronment (where the school is located) and the statewide political environment (where legislative or judicial decisions can impact the school). These environments are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Charter School Internal and External Environments Your Immediate External Environment Important elements of the external envi-ronment occur in your immediate environ-ment. Because they are external, the board usually has little or no influence on them. As things that strongly impact the school, however, demographic trends, competition from other schools, and authorizer relation-ships must be carefully evaluated. I include the aspect of a charter school’s authorizer relationship under the heading of the immediate environment for the sim-ple reason that even if you are authorized by a statewide authorizing entity that is not in close geographic proximity to your school, what your authorizer is doing typi-cally has the same effect as thought it were in your immediate area. ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 4 June 2008 I’ve noticed that some boards delegate this to their executive director or the man-agement company they’ve hired. While it is necessary for management to maintain a professional relationship with the author-izer, the entire responsibility for doing so should never be delegated. The board should maintain its own direct line with the authorizer. Such communications help en-sure that the board is directly hearing the authorizer’s position. That way, if there are problems with the school’s performance or reporting, the board has a direct link with the organization that is ultimately charged with assessing the school’s performance and making a renewal decision. A monthly phone call from the board president to the authorizer can foster this relationship. Your State Political Environment The second key consideration in the exter-nal environment is what I call the general chartering climate in your state. Well be-fore the advent of charter schools, public schools were highly politicized. Unions, lawsuits, contested election results, and media influences are all inevitable in any endeavor annually funded by a half-trillion dollars of taxpayers’ money. Charter schools, in a broad sense, cut across the grain of existing power bases, money control, and jobs. Hence, they ratchet up several more notches the politi-cization of public schools. In some states, charter schools are largely accepted for what they are: public school choices. In such states, there are no artificial caps lim-iting growth of schools or enrollment, fund-ing is largely equitable, and schools can op-erate multiple campuses. But in other states, the attacks in both the courts and the legislatures are fierce and unrelenting. Having a good handle on the climate in your state is an essential part of developing a sound strategy. Where charter schools are concerned, there are, thankfully, fewer variables, though they are no less important. For ease of understanding, I’ve divided the external environment for charter schools into two environments: the immediate external envi-ronment (where the school is located) and the statewide political environment (where legislative or judicial decisions can impact the school). These environments are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Charter School Internal and External Environments Your Immediate External Environment Important elements of the external envi-ronment occur in your immediate environ-ment. Because they are external, the board usually has little or no influence on them. As things that strongly impact the school, however, demographic trends, competition from other schools, and authorizer relation-ships must be carefully evaluated. I include the aspect of a charter school’s authorizer relationship under the heading of the immediate environment for the sim-ple reason that even if you are authorized by a statewide authorizing entity that is not in close geographic proximity to your school, what your authorizer is doing typi-cally has the same effect as thought it were in your immediate area. nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 5 June 2008 Personnel. If world-class achievement is what the board has in mind, then it is im-perative that the executive recruit and re-tain the best teachers. The plan should demonstrate that the executive has thought through how that will be best accom-plished. It should factor in things like the executive’s strategy for professional growth and renewal of faculty. It should also con-tain nuts-and-bolts things directly related to staffing patterns, such as teacher-to-student ratio, grade configuration (i.e., one section or two of a particular grade), and compensation/performance bonus plans. Operations. The main consideration of the operations component is the budget by which the school functions in pursuit of the board’s goals. Other things may need to be addressed, however, operational discussion in the plan should be limited to those things that directly influence the accomplishment of the board’s directives. (Remember, that part of the goal of The Seven Outs is to produce a concise, readable plan. This naturally pre-cludes writing about every operational detail that could be included.) Mission Fulfillment. This part of the plan addresses the decisions the executive is going to make concerning things like cur-riculum, assessment, and instructional phi-losophy that achieve the board’s goals. Be-cause of the highly regulated environment of charters, the executive should also dis-cuss how he or she plans to achieve state learning objectives (called by different names in various states). Care should be taken, however, not to be too technical in this section. The goal is to focus on how the board’s outcomes will be achieved. The three main components of a charter school strategic plan, along with the lay-ered external environment (the relevant aspects of which were discussed in Step Three: Scope Out), are pictured in Figure 3 on the next page. Step Four: Write Out In this phase of strategic planning, the pri-mary role now shifts to the executive. Up to this point, the board has taken the lead in figuring out what it wants, finding out how others are already achieving it, and scoping out the external environment for things that may impact the school’s position. As the environment changes, the board may want or need to recalibrate what it wants to achieve. (To varying degrees, the first three steps of The Seven Outs often take place in the process of applying or reapplying for a charter.) However, once the board has formulated a complete picture of what the school will achieve, how others are doing it, and what the immediate environment is like, it has ar-rived at a turning point in strategic planning. To proceed, the board will need profes-sional expertise: It will need an executive director, i.e., someone who executes the board’s intent. I usually refer to this person as the executive, executive director, or CEO, rather than administrator, principal, school leader, or other title, in order to emphasize the skill at which this leader must excel. Because the board cannot be onsite and it does not possess school operations expertise, it must delegate the authority for achieving its goals to an executive. Since a strategic plan is mostly about processes, these should be determined by the executive. The executive must take the board’s pri-orities, add his or her own to them (provided that they augment rather than supersede or contradict), and then synthe-size them into a series of operational steps. In other words, the executive must know how to translate intent into a plan and then follow with actions that will accomplish it. What should be in that plan? Essen-tially three components, described in the following paragraphs. ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 5 June 2008 Personnel. If world-class achievement is what the board has in mind, then it is im-perative that the executive recruit and re-tain the best teachers. The plan should demonstrate that the executive has thought through how that will be best accom-plished. It should factor in things like the executive’s strategy for professional growth and renewal of faculty. It should also con-tain nuts-and-bolts things directly related to staffing patterns, such as teacher-to-student ratio, grade configuration (i.e., one section or two of a particular grade), and compensation/performance bonus plans. Operations. The main consideration of the operations component is the budget by which the school functions in pursuit of the board’s goals. Other things may need to be addressed, however, operational discussion in the plan should be limited to those things that directly influence the accomplishment of the board’s directives. (Remember, that part of the goal of The Seven Outs is to produce a concise, readable plan. This naturally pre-cludes writing about every operational detail that could be included.) Mission Fulfillment. This part of the plan addresses the decisions the executive is going to make concerning things like cur-riculum, assessment, and instructional phi-losophy that achieve the board’s goals. Be-cause of the highly regulated environment of charters, the executive should also dis-cuss how he or she plans to achieve state learning objectives (called by different names in various states). Care should be taken, however, not to be too technical in this section. The goal is to focus on how the board’s outcomes will be achieved. The three main components of a charter school strategic plan, along with the lay-ered external environment (the relevant aspects of which were discussed in Step Three: Scope Out), are pictured in Figure 3 on the next page. Step Four: Write Out In this phase of strategic planning, the pri-mary role now shifts to the executive. Up to this point, the board has taken the lead in figuring out what it wants, finding out how others are already achieving it, and scoping out the external environment for things that may impact the school’s position. As the environment changes, the board may want or need to recalibrate what it wants to achieve. (To varying degrees, the first three steps of The Seven Outs often take place in the process of applying or reapplying for a charter.) However, once the board has formulated a complete picture of what the school will achieve, how others are doing it, and what the immediate environment is like, it has ar-rived at a turning point in strategic planning. To proceed, the board will need profes-sional expertise: It will need an executive director, i.e., someone who executes the board’s intent. I usually refer to this person as the executive, executive director, or CEO, rather than administrator, principal, school leader, or other title, in order to emphasize the skill at which this leader must excel. Because the board cannot be onsite and it does not possess school operations expertise, it must delegate the authority for achieving its goals to an executive. Since a strategic plan is mostly about processes, these should be determined by the executive. The executive must take the board’s pri-orities, add his or her own to them (provided that they augment rather than supersede or contradict), and then synthe-size them into a series of operational steps. In other words, the executive must know how to translate intent into a plan and then follow with actions that will accomplish it. What should be in that plan? Essen-tially three components, described in the following paragraphs. nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 6 June 2008 this stage actually ceases to be primarily a planning process. The nature of the task is now almost entirely operational. But while emphasizing the operational nature of car-rying out the plan, I also want to highlight something that Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy say in their book, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Namely, strategic planning is an iterative process, i.e., the plan is always morphing in re-sponse to the environment, so you’re never really done planning. Of course, the job of the executive isn’t so much one of actually carrying out those details as it is one of getting his or her team to execute them. This means the executive must be a master at delegating. Step Six: Measure Out At this stage of the strategic planning proc-ess, the board must again assume a lead role, though it is likely the executive or some other professional with pertinent ex-pertise will have to guide it through the evaluation process the first few times. In this step, the board measures the progress of the school against the outcomes it deter-mined in Step One: Figure Out. In so doing, besides capitalizing on the observation that in organizations, “What gets measured gets done,” the board is actually fulfilling its governance obligations to the taxpayers by ensuring that the school accomplishes its purposes. The process of ensuring is the very essence of board governance. First, it is imperative to understand that when the board evaluates its execu-tive, it is evaluating the school and vice versa. This is because the executive is the one person who is accountable to the board for the performance of the school. For ex-ample, if the fourth-grade reading scores are in the tank, the board doesn’t (or shouldn’t) call the fourth-grade teacher to the table to give an account. It is the execu- Figure 3. The Three Components of School Operations in a Layered External Environment It is imperative that each of these three components be integrated with the other. For example, recruiting and retaining the best teachers is the key to fulfilling the mis-sion component. Because talent costs, how-ever, recruiting the best teachers also has enormous budget ramifications. The execu-tive’s challenge is in determining how to best integrate the components. Step Five: Carry Out As previously noted, the very title of execu-tive contains the implied essence of the job—one who executes a plan. Thus, as the logical next step to writing the plan, the executive must also take the lead in the fifth step of the strategic planning process: he or she must carry out the plan. Having the ability to carry out a plan, even though it will involve countless changes along the way, is a hallmark of a charter school executive. A brilliantly de-vised plan—even one with pictures that is professionally bound with a four-color cover—is worthless if you can’t execute it. The effective charter school executive not only knows how to write a plan (Step Four: Write Out), but even more crucially, how to carry out a plan. In what sounds like a contradiction, strategic planning at ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 6 June 2008 this stage actually ceases to be primarily a planning process. The nature of the task is now almost entirely operational. But while emphasizing the operational nature of car-rying out the plan, I also want to highlight something that Ram Charan and Larry Bossidy say in their book, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. Namely, strategic planning is an iterative process, i.e., the plan is always morphing in re-sponse to the environment, so you’re never really done planning. Of course, the job of the executive isn’t so much one of actually carrying out those details as it is one of getting his or her team to execute them. This means the executive must be a master at delegating. Step Six: Measure Out At this stage of the strategic planning proc-ess, the board must again assume a lead role, though it is likely the executive or some other professional with pertinent ex-pertise will have to guide it through the evaluation process the first few times. In this step, the board measures the progress of the school against the outcomes it deter-mined in Step One: Figure Out. In so doing, besides capitalizing on the observation that in organizations, “What gets measured gets done,” the board is actually fulfilling its governance obligations to the taxpayers by ensuring that the school accomplishes its purposes. The process of ensuring is the very essence of board governance. First, it is imperative to understand that when the board evaluates its execu-tive, it is evaluating the school and vice versa. This is because the executive is the one person who is accountable to the board for the performance of the school. For ex-ample, if the fourth-grade reading scores are in the tank, the board doesn’t (or shouldn’t) call the fourth-grade teacher to the table to give an account. It is the execu- Figure 3. The Three Components of School Operations in a Layered External Environment It is imperative that each of these three components be integrated with the other. For example, recruiting and retaining the best teachers is the key to fulfilling the mis-sion component. Because talent costs, how-ever, recruiting the best teachers also has enormous budget ramifications. The execu-tive’s challenge is in determining how to best integrate the components. Step Five: Carry Out As previously noted, the very title of execu-tive contains the implied essence of the job—one who executes a plan. Thus, as the logical next step to writing the plan, the executive must also take the lead in the fifth step of the strategic planning process: he or she must carry out the plan. Having the ability to carry out a plan, even though it will involve countless changes along the way, is a hallmark of a charter school executive. A brilliantly de-vised plan—even one with pictures that is professionally bound with a four-color cover—is worthless if you can’t execute it. The effective charter school executive not only knows how to write a plan (Step Four: Write Out), but even more crucially, how to carry out a plan. In what sounds like a contradiction, strategic planning at nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 7 June 2008 Keep in mind that the perfect executive has-n’t yet been invented. So the board’s standard should never be perfection. The board simply needs to make a reasonable evaluation of the outcomes. The most reliable performance evaluation occurs with trend data. For exam-ple, if the percentage of kids achieving a year’s worth of gains is less than 100 percent, is this year’s percentage higher than last year’s? In other words, is it trending in the right direction? If it is trending in the right direction, what’s the rate of increase? At the present rate, will the school hit its objective in three years or fifteen? Does this result in an element of subjec-tivity? Yes, but almost all evaluations do. But one of the advantages presented in The Seven Outs is that subjectivity is signifi-cantly narrowed to stated outcomes. Step Seven: Shout Out In this final step, the board and the execu-tive work together to disseminate the school’s accomplishments. I call this step shout-out as a salute to Achievement First, a high-performing charter organization, as previously mentioned. It publishes school accomplishments in Shout Out!, a tri-annual newsletter. Like Achievement First, you will want to shout-out your school’s accomplishments. A simple reality in today’s world constitutes the premise of this seventh step in strategic planning: It is insufficient to achieve world-class results; you also have to broadcast them. Your school’s parents, teachers, stu-dents, authorizer, state association, local media, and broader community are among the stakeholders that need to know what the school is accomplishing. Although it is beyond the scope of the book, a media plan that describes how the school will shout out its extraordinary accom-plishments can greatly benefit any charter school. tive who must answer for the performance of the entire school. Thus, when the board is evaluating the school, it is evaluating its executive. There is a common mistake in evaluat-ing the school that the board needs to avoid. Rather than name it directly, how-ever, look at the bullet list below and see if you can find what all the measures have in common. • Of teachers newly hired, 83 percent have advanced degrees • New curriculum purchased this year • Five hundred new books added to the library • New assessment program being imple-mented • High-caliber teacher development pro-gram being implemented • Enrollment increased (apart from evi-dence showing it is being driven by aca-demic achievement) • Reduction in student-to-teacher ratio • More rigorous classroom teacher evaluation being implemented • Everyone is dedicated and working hard Give yourself an “A” if you recognized that everything in the list is an input, not an outcome. This is a critical distinction the board needs to make because there is an almost natural temptation to assess pro-gress on outcomes by measuring or examin-ing inputs! We’ve Done the Evaluation: What’s Next? You may be thinking, what does our board do if some of its outcomes were achieved, but not as well as we hoped? Do we have to fire our executive? The answer, of course is, no, you don’t have to fire your executive. The board simply has to use its judgment to determine whether the actual performance against the stated outcomes is acceptable. ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 7 June 2008 Keep in mind that the perfect executive has-n’t yet been invented. So the board’s standard should never be perfection. The board simply needs to make a reasonable evaluation of the outcomes. The most reliable performance evaluation occurs with trend data. For exam-ple, if the percentage of kids achieving a year’s worth of gains is less than 100 percent, is this year’s percentage higher than last year’s? In other words, is it trending in the right direction? If it is trending in the right direction, what’s the rate of increase? At the present rate, will the school hit its objective in three years or fifteen? Does this result in an element of subjec-tivity? Yes, but almost all evaluations do. But one of the advantages presented in The Seven Outs is that subjectivity is signifi-cantly narrowed to stated outcomes. Step Seven: Shout Out In this final step, the board and the execu-tive work together to disseminate the school’s accomplishments. I call this step shout-out as a salute to Achievement First, a high-performing charter organization, as previously mentioned. It publishes school accomplishments in Shout Out!, a tri-annual newsletter. Like Achievement First, you will want to shout-out your school’s accomplishments. A simple reality in today’s world constitutes the premise of this seventh step in strategic planning: It is insufficient to achieve world-class results; you also have to broadcast them. Your school’s parents, teachers, stu-dents, authorizer, state association, local media, and broader community are among the stakeholders that need to know what the school is accomplishing. Although it is beyond the scope of the book, a media plan that describes how the school will shout out its extraordinary accom-plishments can greatly benefit any charter school. tive who must answer for the performance of the entire school. Thus, when the board is evaluating the school, it is evaluating its executive. There is a common mistake in evaluat-ing the school that the board needs to avoid. Rather than name it directly, how-ever, look at the bullet list below and see if you can find what all the measures have in common. • Of teachers newly hired, 83 percent have advanced degrees • New curriculum purchased this year • Five hundred new books added to the library • New assessment program being imple-mented • High-caliber teacher development pro-gram being implemented • Enrollment increased (apart from evi-dence showing it is being driven by aca-demic achievement) • Reduction in student-to-teacher ratio • More rigorous classroom teacher evaluation being implemented • Everyone is dedicated and working hard Give yourself an “A” if you recognized that everything in the list is an input, not an outcome. This is a critical distinction the board needs to make because there is an almost natural temptation to assess pro-gress on outcomes by measuring or examin-ing inputs! We’ve Done the Evaluation: What’s Next? You may be thinking, what does our board do if some of its outcomes were achieved, but not as well as we hoped? Do we have to fire our executive? The answer, of course is, no, you don’t have to fire your executive. The board simply has to use its judgment to determine whether the actual performance against the stated outcomes is acceptable. nationalcharterschools.org | (989) 774-2999 ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 8 June 2008 The following publications greatly influenced the writing of The Seven Outs and are highly recommended for further charter school board/executive development. Bossidy, L., and R. Charan. 2002. Execution: The discipline of getting things done. New York: Crown Business. Carver, J. 2006. Boards that make a difference: A new design for leadership in nonprofit and public organizations. 3rd edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Charan, R., S. Drotter, and J. Noel. 2001. The leadership pipeline: How to build the leadership-powered company. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Collins, J. 2001. Good to great and the social sectors: why business thinking is not the answer: a monograph to accompany Good to great: why some companies make the leap . . . and others don’t. New York: Harper Business. Collins, J. 2001. Good to great: Why some companies make the leap—and others don’t. New York: Harper Business. Ferriss, T. 2007. The 4-hour work week: Escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich. New York: Crown. Heath, D. and C. Heath. 2007. Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York: Random House. Koch, R. 1997. The 80/20 principle: The secret to success by achieving more with less. New York: Doubleday Business. Peters, T. 2004. In search of excellence: lessons from America’s best-run companies. New York: Harper Business Essentials. Reeves, D. 2004. The 90/90/90 schools: a case study. Chap. 19 in Accountability in action: a blueprint for learning organizations. Englewood, CO: Advanced Learning Press. Thernstrom, A., Thernstrom, S. 2003. No excuses: closing the racial gap in learning. New York: Simon & Schuster. Trimble, J. R. 1975. Writing with style: conversations on the art of writing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: From the CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute If you found this publication beneficial, I invite you to visit our Web site at www.NationalCharterSchools.org where you will find similar mono-graphs on various topics, provided free of charge. You’re welcome to re-print and distribute these documents, as long as they are presented unal-tered and in their entirety. To receive a group discount when ordering five or more copies of the book on which this monograph was based, The Seven Outs, or to engage the Institute for training or speaking, please contact us at (989) 774-2999, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. You can also send email to resources@nationalcharterschools.org. Affiliated since its inception in 1995 with Central Michigan University in Mount Pleas-ant, Michigan, the National Charter Schools Institute exists that the charter school sector has the necessary resources to further its development, including publications, conference presentations, and training. Institute publications are not intended to render or substitute for legal advice. Brian L. Carpenter ©2008 National Charter Schools Institute 8 June 2008 The following publications greatly influenced the writing of The Seven Outs and are highly recommended for further charter school board/executive development. Bossidy, L., and R. Charan. 2002. Execution: The discipline of getting things done. New York: Crown Business. Carver, J. 2006. Boards that make a difference: A new design for leadership in nonprofit and public organizations. 3rd edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Charan, R., S. Drotter, and J. Noel. 2001. The leadership pipeline: How to build the leadership-powered company. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Collins, J. 2001. Good to great and the social sectors: why business thinking is not the answer: a monograph to accompany Good to great: why some companies make the leap . . . and others don’t. New York: Harper Business. Collins, J. 2001. Good to great: Why some companies make the leap—and others don’t. New York: Harper Business. Ferriss, T. 2007. The 4-hour work week: Escape 9-5, live anywhere, and join the new rich. New York: Crown. Heath, D. and C. Heath. 2007. Made to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die. New York: Random House. Koch, R. 1997. The 80/20 principle: The secret to success by achieving more with less. New York: Doubleday Business. Peters, T. 2004. In search of excellence: lessons from America’s best-run companies. New York: Harper Business Essentials. Reeves, D. 2004. The 90/90/90 schools: a case study. Chap. 19 in Accountability in action: a blueprint for learning organizations. Englewood, CO: Advanced Learning Press. Thernstrom, A., Thernstrom, S. 2003. No excuses: closing the racial gap in learning. New York: Simon & Schuster. Trimble, J. R. 1975. Writing with style: conversations on the art of writing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: From the CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute If you found this publication beneficial, I invite you to visit our Web site at www.NationalCharterSchools.org where you will find similar mono-graphs on various topics, provided free of charge. You’re welcome to re-print and distribute these documents, as long as they are presented unal-tered and in their entirety. To receive a group discount when ordering five or more copies of the book on which this monograph was based, The Seven Outs, or to engage the Institute for training or speaking, please contact us at (989) 774-2999, Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. You can also send email to resources@nationalcharterschools.org. Affiliated since its inception in 1995 with Central Michigan University in Mount Pleas-ant, Michigan, the National Charter Schools Institute exists that the charter school sector has the necessary resources to further its development, including publications, conference presentations, and training. Institute publications are not intended to render or substitute for legal advice. Brian L. Carpenter Westlake Academy Memo To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the Board of Trustees From: Mark Rosevear Subject: Regular Meeting of Board of Trustees Date: October 3, 2008 ITEM Consider a resolution authorizing the CEO of Westlake Academy to enter into a contract with Educational Technology Learning to purchase the A+ software program. BACKGROUND The Head of Secondary and the Secondary Counselor have recommended that we purchase software from A+, which will allow students to self-study to obtain required course credits. This program would allow for current and incoming students to make up any differences in credit requirements in courses for which they have either failed or are missing credits when transferring from a school where the courses are aligned differently than at Westlake Academy. The A+ program is approved by the TEA as an alternative way for students to gain graduation credits and is already in use in other surrounding school districts such as Keller ISD, Azle ISD and Mansfield ISD. FUNDING The cost of the A+ program is $18,220 which includes the initial set up, training of the staff and six of the most urgently needed courses. Once the program is installed it is possible to add more courses if the need arises. At the close of the 2007-2008 fiscal year there was approximately $15K remaining (unspent) in the general supplies line item which rolled into fund balance. We are requesting an increase in the 2008-2009 general supplies line-item in the amount of $18,220. These funds would be taken for the current year fund balance. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval ATTACHMENTS: Resolution No. 08-20 Quote from Educational Technology Learning WESTLAKE ACADEMY RESOLUTION NO. 08-20 AUTHORIZING THE CEO THE WESTLAKE ACADEMY TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LEARNING TO PURCHASE THE A+ SOFTWARE PROGRAM WHICH WILL ENABLE STUDENTS TO OBTAIN REQUIRED GRADUATION CREDITS THROUGH A SELF-STUDY PROGRAM WHEREAS, the Westlake Academy Board of Trustees finds that the A+ Program will be beneficial to the students of Westlake Academy in making up required graduation credits; WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees finds that the passage of this Resolution will enable the staff of Westlake Academy to ensure that all students in the Secondary section have all the required credits for graduation NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WESTLAKE ACADEMY: SECTION 1. That the Board of Trustees of Westlake Academy hereby grants approval to the CEO of Westlake Academy to enter into a contract with Educational Technology Learning to purchase the A+ software program SECTION 2. That this Resolution shall become effective upon the date of its passage. PASSED AND APPROVED ON THIS 6 DAY OF OCTOBER 2008. _________________________________________ Laura Wheat, President ATTEST: _________________________________ _________________________________________ Kim Sutter, Secretary Tom Brymer, Chief Executive Officer APPROVED AS TO FORM: _________________________________ L. Stanton Lowry, School Attorney 7. BOARD CALENDAR. - NW Metroport Chamber of Commerce State of the Cities o Tuesday, 10/7/08, 11:30 a.m. Trophy Club Country Club - Arbor Day Celebration o Saturday, 10/11, Glenwyck Farms park area, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. - Texas Municipal League Annual Conference and Exhibition o 10/28 – 10/31/08, San Antonio, Texas - FM 1938 Public Hearing o 11/6, displays at 6:30 p.m., public hearing at 7 p.m. Cross Timbers Community Church, 2525 Florence Road, Keller - Household Hazardous Waste collection day o 11/8/08, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., Westlake Academy Campus - Christmas Tree Lighting o Tuesday, 12/2/08, 6:30 p.m. Westlake  Academy  Item # 7 –   Board Calendar  8. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS: Any Board member may request at a workshop and / or Board meeting, under “Future Agenda Item Requests”, an agenda item for a future Board meeting. The Board member making the request will contact the Town Manager with the requested item and the Town Manager will list it on the agenda. At the meeting, the requesting Board member will explain the item, the need for Board discussion of the item, the item’s relationship to the Board’s strategic priorities, and the amount of estimated staff time necessary to prepare for Board discussion. If the requesting Board member receives a second, the Town Manager will place the item on the Board agenda calendar allowing for adequate time for staff preparation on the agenda item. - None. Westlake  Academy  Item # 8 –   Future Agenda  Items     9. EXECUTIVE SESSION 1. The Board will conduct a closed session pursuant Texas Government Code section  551.071(1) and (2) to (i) seek advice of counsel on legal matters involving pending or  contemplated litigation, settlement offers, or other legal matters not related directly to  litigation or settlement, and (ii) Consultation with attorney on matters in which the duty of  the attorney under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct of the State Bar of  Texas clearly conflicts with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code‐Texas Government  Code 551.071(2) regarding the following:  A. Texas Education Agency ruling.    Westlake  Academy  Item # 9 – Executive  Session  Westlake  Academy  Item # 12 –  Adjournment  Back up material has not  been provided for this item.