Agendas and Minutes
Agendas
2025-2026 Minutes
December 12, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on January 20, 2026 Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
- Attendance:
- Gail Graham, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Dr. Kim Kostka, Dr. Karen Schmitt, Amanda Harilal
- Staff and Students:
- Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Lark Matesius, Student Leadership Council (SLC)
President and Representative to the Board
- Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Lark Matesius, Student Leadership Council (SLC)
- Absent: Heidi Mallinson
- Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:07 pm.
- Approval of the Agenda and Minutes: Amanda made a motion to approve the December 15, 2025, agenda and the minutes of the November 21, 2025, meeting, second by Gail and approved unanimously.
- Student Report: Lark updated the Board on Spirit Week activities and fundraising activities.
- Principal Report: Patty provided her regular written report in advance and reviewed highlights at the meeting. She noted the school’s recommendation for Academic Improvement Plan Review and requested that this be reviewed and approved by the Board in January. Open house is scheduled for January 18, 2025, from 5-7 PM; there will be a table for the Governing Board and the Parents Group. Patty reported that the middle school visits she has been making were going well and feedback from principals has been very positive. Overall, there is good interest in new student enrollment for next academic year.
- Old Business
- Vision & Mission revision process: The Board discussed when staff and student review sessions could be scheduled. The SLC was very interested in engaging with the Board on the revision process. The Board wanted to include students in a discussion of the vision and mission of the school as part of the process. The Board planned to hold a listening session with students at 3:30-4:30 on January 12, 2026. Erin Jensen would coordinate with the SLC to have members attend. The meeting will be held in the BTC Multipurpose Room, Karen agreed to schedule the room and send out the Outlook meeting invitation to the Board members.
- Revised Board Handbook update: Karen reviewed the edits she was making to the draft handbook. Most of the content was up to date and the changes to the mission and
vision would be the last component before the draft was finalized. -
Financial policies and procedures for 501C3 account and IRS reporting: Karen reviewed
the first draft of the financial policies based on resources from the WRCCS. The Board
discussed requesting additional technical assistance from the WRCCS to complete this document. Karen will contact Kim and work with her as the Treasurer to finalize the
document and complete any needed reporting for 2025. -
Next meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for January 20, 2020, 4:00 PM, BTC 1313. Patty requested the Board review recommendations from her office for revisions on academic policies.
- Adjourn: Amanda made a motion to adjourn, Kim seconded. The motion was approved
unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 5:17 PM.
November 18, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on December 12, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
- Attendance:
- Attendance: Gail Graham, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Dr. Kim Kostka, Dr. Karen Schmitt, Amanda Harilal
- Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Lark Matesius, Student Leadership Council (SLC)
- Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:10 pm.
- Approval of the Agenda: Gail made a motion to approve the October 21, 2025, agenda as presented, second by Heidi and approved unanimously.
- Student Report: Lark Mathesius, Student Leadership Council (SLD) President and RUHS Junior provided a report on student activities. There was a discussion of SLC and Key Club at RUHS.
- Principal Report: Patty provided her regular written report and reviewed highlights, including
the excellent results in the state report card on student achievement. The Board congratulated
the school staff and students on this accomplishment. The Board was invited to the first RUHS National Honor Society Ceremony to be held later this month. - Old Business
- Board Topics by month outline for 2025-2026: The Board discussed the outline and
suggested changes based on activity cycle. The plan for a staff satisfaction survey was
discussed, the Board may have done these in the past but had not scheduled on in the
last few years. The small size of the staff is a challenge for a survey methodology. In
January Patty plans to complete the district’s survey of staff and it could include the Board members in the process on either collection or reporting/discussing results. The Board agreed to review the results after Patty has collected the information. -
Vision & Mission review and update: The Board discussed when staff and student
review sessions could be scheduled. The Board wanted to be sure to include students in a discussion of the vision and mission of the school as part of the process. Patty
suggested times for sessions during the school day that would be good to connect with students and staff, these were the periods 9:20-10:50; or 11:20-12:20. The SLC was very interested in engaging with the Board on the revision process.RUHS Board Handbook & Policy Manual review update: Karen provided an update on the revised outline for the Handbook and Board policies. She has a Teams site set up to house the Board documents and share drafts and will provide an updated draft Handbook draft in December.
-
New Business
- Jose Carrillo Memorial Funds: Patty updated the Board on the memorial fund that the Board designated be used to assist students that struggle with the costs of transportation. With the BTC Shuttle and free public bus service there has been reduced need for transportation funding and there have been no requests for this use in the past
two years. Patty asked that the Board amend the designation to any student need that she identifies so that she can better expend the small balance of the fund. Motion: Kim made a motion to approve the designation of the balance of memorial funds to the Principal’s approval; Amanda seconded and approved unanimously. - Financial Policy & Procedures: There was not progress to report on development of the financial policies and procedures for setting up bank accounts and managing funds as a
501C3. Kim is the treasurer and has looked into banks for setting up the initial - Community Comments: Steve reported on a recent parent’s group meeting. At the meeting there were no parents that expressed interest in leadership of the group. The
group discussed the purpose of a parent’s group; it is traditionally fund raising for student activities and teacher appreciation. The group was interested in fund raising but not in organizing the activities. Steve was going to follow up to see if a dormant Facebook page could be reactivated for coordinating this group. The Board discussed options for the school staff or the SLC to take leadership on parent communications. - Next Meeting: The next meeting was revised from Tuesday to Monday, December 15, 2025, 4:00
PM, BTC 1313. This revised date will allow for Board and Principal participation in the Fall 2025 BTC graduation ceremony because there will be one RUHS student graduating at this event. - Adjourn: Amanda made a motion to adjourn, Kim seconded. The motion was approvedunanimously and the meeting adjourned at 5:11 PM.
- Jose Carrillo Memorial Funds: Patty updated the Board on the memorial fund that the Board designated be used to assist students that struggle with the costs of transportation. With the BTC Shuttle and free public bus service there has been reduced need for transportation funding and there have been no requests for this use in the past
- Board Topics by month outline for 2025-2026: The Board discussed the outline and
October 21, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on November 18, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
- Attendance:
- Gail Graham, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Dr. Kim Kostka, Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Absent: Amanda Harilal Staff: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal
- Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:05 pm.
- Approval of the Agenda: Gail made a motion to approve the October 21, 2025, agenda as presented, second by Heidi and approved unanimously.
- Approval of the Minutes: deferred until next month; Karen forgot to distribute draft minutes of the September 25th minutes with the agenda for review.
- No Student Report: Election is still pending for Student Government President.
- Principal Report: Patty provided a written report and highlighted several areas including notable student achievements. She requested Board members consider volunteering for the October 28 Scoopie night fund raiser. Patty presented ideas for student attendance awards, these would require special project funding and she discussed ideas for securing sponsorships or fund raising to implement this type of recognition activity.
- Old Business
- WRCCS Roles & Responsibilities. Steve shared the slides from the WRCCS seminar on governance about board roles. He used the WRCCS diagrams to outline the state’s requirements for charter schools related to open meetings laws and ethics compliance. The WRCCS Charter School Competencies spreadsheet was reviewed, Board members are encouraged to review resources on the WRCCS website.
- RUHS Board Handbook & Policy Manual Review Update: Karen reviewed her first draft of editing the existing manual. She plans to revise the outline to meet current Board needs and will provide drafts on the shared Teams site. A draft will be provided for the next meeting for additional input on contents. The Board discussed developing new financial policies handbook for the establishment of a banking account, approving expenditures, and managing the annual reporting for the Board’s new corporate 501C3 status implemented this year.
-
RUHS Board Membership: Patty reviewed the student survey from September and identified areas of program interest. The Associate of Science transfer degree and Culinary Arts were of high interest. The Board discussed how to identify new board members that could help support program growth. Karen will discuss with the BTC Culinary Arts department chair for suggestions from the hospitality industry. Kim would seek input from UWW on suggestions for STEM-related programs at UW-Whitewater and the UWW Rock County engineering program partners at UW-Platteville.
-
Parent Survey: Steve provided an update on the parent survey which received approximately 40 responses. Parents who indicated interest in volunteering were contacted but Steve had not received a lot of responses for interest in meeting as a group to plan activities.
-
Board Topics by Month Outline for 2025-2026: This agenda item was deferred until the November meeting.
- New Business: No new business items
- Adjourn: Kim K made a motion to adjourn, Karen seconded. The motion was approved unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 5:29 PM.
September 25, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on November 18, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
- Attendance:
- Gail Graham, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Dr. Kim Kostka, Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Absent: Amanda Harilal Staff: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal Guest & Members of the Public: Dan McCrea
- Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:05 pm.
- Approval of the Agenda: Minutes: Kim made a motion to approve the August 19, 2025, agenda as presented, seconded by Karen and approved unanimously.
- Approval of the Minutes: Minutes: Gail made a motion to approve the September 25, 2025, agenda as presented, seconded by Kim and approved unanimously.
- Budget and Finance Discussion with SDJ CFO Dan McCrea
- Dan provided an overview presentation of the SDJ budgeting process and the financial framework that RUHS operates under. The Board discussed how to best communicate the level of financial oversight information expected for a charter school board. The Board wants to stay informed on the financial situation of the school within the district in order to meet our fiduciary responsibility to the state. The district’s monthly summary report was identified as an informative overview that could be regularly shared with the Board in addition to the local school budget expenditure report provided by the principal. Dan agreed to forward the monthly summary reports.
- Principal Report:
- Dr. Hernandez reviewed her written report provided in advanced of the meeting. She requested assistance with fundraising for signage for honor wall(s) and shared examples from other schools. The Board discussed ideas for this types of display and opportunities for inviting company sponsorship of the signage.
- Old Business
- RUHS Board Bank Account: Kim updated the Board on information for establishing a RUHS Board bank account which she provided in advance via email. The Board discussed a timeline for developing the financial policies needed prior to establishing the account.
- New Business: RUHS Academic Requirements:
- Dr. Hernandez requested in email on 9/2/2025 that the Board approve a revision to the RUHS Academic Requirements for graduation requirements as follows A total of 3.5 credits is mandatory for all students. This requirement is waived only for seniors who are on track to graduate with a Blackhawk Technical College (BTC) associate degree or technical diploma and who have already exceeded the School District of Janesville's graduation requirement of 26.5 credits.
- Kim S. made a motion to approve the proposed revision as presented, seconded by Kim K.
and approved unanimously
- Community Comments: None
- Next meeting:
- October 21, 2025, 4:00 PM, BTC 1313
- 1Adjourn: Gail made a motion to adjourn, Kim seconded. The motion was approved unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 4:11 PM.
August 19, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on September 16, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 1:00 pm
- Attendance:
- Gail Graham, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Amanda Harilal, Dr. Kim Kostka, Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Absent: None Guest & Members of the Public: Ivory Christianson Staff: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal
- Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 1:05 pm.
- Team Building / Icebreaker: Gail brought an icebreaker exercise for members to share some of their experiences as a group.
- Approval of the Agenda & Minutes: Amanda made a motion to approve the June 17, 2025, agenda as presented, second by Kim and approved unanimously.
- Board Membership:
- Accept Jane Thompson’s resignation. Gail reported that Jane has accepted a new position as a principal and submitted her resignation. She remains committed to the school and will continue to support RUHS however she can. Karen will contact her for transferring any archival information that Jane may want to leave for the Board.
- Vote to approve Heidi Mallinson application. Heidi is now eligible to become a board member with new governance documents in place. Steve made a motion to approve Heidi’s application to serve on the Board, Amanda seconded. Motion passed unanimously.
- Board roster updates on the Google Docs site. Karen confirmed members’ contact information and terms. Board discussed where to maintain shared documents. Steve will investigate a non-profit Teams site offered by Microsoft; Karen will investigate BTC hosting a Teams site for the Board.
- Principal Report:
- Patty discussed student concerns about seeking employment directly from RUHS after graduation. She noted that there were also not as many opportunities for internships and youth apprenticeships this year as in the past. The Board agreed to engage more employers for support to graduate employment and student internships.
- Steve brought up developing more RUHS opportunities with the SDJ business incubator downtown partnerships. He noted that high school students work on real-world projects for companies for free, RUHS students are eligible to work with companies that are part of the incubator.
- Officer elections:
- The Board developed a ballot for officers. Gail made a motion to approve the officers for 2025-2026
- Kim seconded.
- The motion passed unanimously.
- President, Steve
- Vice President, Amanda
- Secretary, Karen
- Treasurer, Kim
- Board Training
- WRCCS Roles & Responsibilities. Steve shared the slides from the WRCCS seminar on governance about board roles. He used the WRCCS diagrams to outline the state’s
requirements for charter schools related to open meetings laws and ethics compliance.
The WRCCS Charter School Competencies spreadsheet was reviewed, Board members
are encouraged to review resources on the WRCCS website.
- WRCCS Roles & Responsibilities. Steve shared the slides from the WRCCS seminar on governance about board roles. He used the WRCCS diagrams to outline the state’s
- Finances Review:
- WRCCS Templates. Steve discussed how to improve financial reporting from the SDJ for the Board. Gail shared an Excel template from WRCCS for budgetary oversight and school budget development. The Board discussed SDJ budget support and requesting to set expectations on the RUHS finance and budget sharing to meet the Board’s fiduciary responsibility as described by WRCCS.
- Board Survey and Self-Assessment:
- Board Membership. The Board discussed its self-assessment and how best to increase Board membership to round out experience and expertise; the Board goal is to get to nine members. Patty noted that there has been an increase the number of new students that are Hispanic. The Board agreed it could benefit from having a member with knowledge of the Hispanic student population.
- The Board discussed expanding with members representing private industry in Rock County. Steve suggested that Angela Kenas, the new College & Career Development staff member, provide the Board with input on companies to seek members from.
- Parent Survey and Involvement:
- Survey Schedule: The Board discussed conducting a parent survey on satisfaction with school staff and student experience at RUHS. The Board agreed that a survey sent by the Board would be beneficial to provide feedback different from a survey sent from the Principal’s office. Steve noted that historically there has been a low response rate (3-4%) to the parent survey. The Board agreed that a new student survey would be done on Orientation Day. Steve agreed to draft the survey and provide a QR code for parents or students to complete the day before orientation.
- Handbook & Policy Manual:
- Updating the Handbook and Policy Manual. Karen agreed to serve as the editor for this
review and work with content sections to prepare an initial revised draft for October
meeting review. Areas of focus will include financial management practices such as
requirements for depositing and withdrawing funds from RUHS new corporate bank
account. - Records Retention Repository:
The Board discussed a repository for corporate and Board documents. Karen will check with BTC IT to determine if an accessible Teams site can be used to share as the permanent repository for the RUHS within the College’s IT secure storage environment given that the school is co-located in BTC’s Central Building.
- Updating the Handbook and Policy Manual. Karen agreed to serve as the editor for this
- Vision & Mission Update
- Review Process: The Board reviewed how to internally review and revise the mission/vision documents and agreed to review them in September with a goal to develop draft changes for approval at the October meeting. The Board discussed engaging with parents, teachers, staff, and Student Leadership Club (SLC) to solicit their input on proposed changes and agreed to develop a survey for input from a broad set of stakeholders to inform the revision process.
- Engaging student leaders: Patty provided an overview of the three leadership groups for
students at RUHS (SLC, Key Club, National Honor Society). The Board agreed to gather
input from these groups and seek opportunities to engage their members within the
revision process.
- Board Annual Calendar of Meetings:
- The Board agreed to hold meetings at the same date/time pattern as 2024-2025, at 4pm
on the third Tuesday of each month. Karen will book them for the BTC 1313 Conference
Room with Teams access. The annual Board Topics by month will be reviewed at the
September meeting.
- The Board agreed to hold meetings at the same date/time pattern as 2024-2025, at 4pm
- Adjourn: Gail made a motion to adjourn, Amanda seconded. The motion was approved unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 4:11 PM.
Prior Year Minutes
2024-2025
2024-2025 Minutes
- June 17, 2025
- May 20, 2025
- May 1, 2025
- April 15, 2025
- March 18,2025
- February 18, 2025
- January 21, 2025
- December 17, 2024
- November 19, 2024
- October 15, 2024
- September 17, 2024
- August 6, 2024
June 17, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on August 19, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Dr. Karen Schmitt, Kim Sullivan (Zoom), Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson Absent: Amanda Harilal, Dr. Kim Kostka
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:05 pm.
2. Approval of the Agenda: Kim made a motion to approve the May 20, 2025, agenda as presented, second by Jane and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Karen made a motion to approve both the May 20, 2025, minutes as presented, second by Kim and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report: : Ivory reported on student activities in June.
5. Principal Report: Patty provided a written report and updated the Board on graduation, media relations, student achievement, enrollment, applications for new students, attendance, facilities upgrades, and progress on academic improvement plans.
6. Old Business: Governance Document Review and Revision Updates
- 501C3 IRS Tax Status: Steve reported that the forms have been submitted to the IRS. It takes
about two months to complete the process. A bank account can be opened and funds collected that are tax-deductible. Gail recommended that the bank account be opened after the August annual meeting. The Board handbook will also be updated to reflect financial procedures. - RUHS Contract: Steve reported that the RUHS contract has been finalized. The district staff
coordinated changes and those changes were incorporated. The Board discussed the section
20 requirements for budget information that is shared with the Board. - Karen made a motion to affirm that Gail is authorized to sign the IRS form prepared by the WRSS attorney as soon as possible to get the 501C3 status in place for the Board. Kim seconded. Approved.
- Steve will follow up with SDJ to get the contract on the district board agenda and approved. After that approval the RUHS Board can add Heidi as a district employee to the board. The plan will be to approve her membership in August.
7.New Business:
- School Mission and Vision Statements: The Board discussed the current versions of vision and mission statements. They do need to be updated and refined to reflect the current opportunities provided by RUHS. The Board will review other middle college high schools and draft revised statements for response by staff, students and community.
8.Community Comments: None
9. Good of the order items: None
10. Next meeting: August 19, 2025; retreat 1-4 PM in the RUHS building area.
11. Adjournment: Steve made a motion to adjourn, second by Jane, and approved unanimously at 5:05 PM.
May 20, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on June 1, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Karen Schmitt, Gail Graham, Kim Sullivan (zoom), Kim Kosta (zoom) Absent: Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson, Amanda Harilal Guests:Lucas Gott, Cheyenne Dix, Zayden Taylor, RUHS American Political Processes Students
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:05 pm.
2. Approval of the Agenda: Kim made a motion to approve the May 20, 2025, agenda as
presented, second by Karen and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Kim made a motion to approve both the April 15 and May 1, 2025, minutes as presented, second by Karen and approved unanimously
4. Student Report: : Ivory reported on student activities in May. The prom was very successful, they were able to find a DJ. The BTC graduation ceremonies were held on May 17, 2025, RUHS celebrated 4 students completing their associate degrees and 1 with a technical diploma. Honor societies, National Honor Society and Kiwanis Key Club, are being added as clubs for the next academic year. Students are planning for summer school options.
5. Principal Report: Patty provided a written report and updated the Board on enrollment, applications for new students, attendance and a preliminary summary of ACT testing (scores will be provided in the future). Next week there is an ARO for the RUHS students. Patty reviewed the data on college credits earned by RUHS students. RUHS is interviewing in June for the position of College and Career Specialist.
6. Old Business: Governance Document Review and Revision Updates
- RUHS Contract: Steve updated the Board via email that he had sent the revised draft to Chris Mendenwalt via email for comment by the District. He had not received comments back todate. Once Steve receives the review back from the District he will add to the Board agenda for discussion and approval. Patty will reach out to Chris to determine what the delay in response on the two proposed revisions. Karen will reach out to Supt. Holzman to determine if there are any issues so that Board can move forward with an updated version.
- Governance Document Review and Revision Updates RUHS Contract: Steve updated the Board via email that he had sent the revised draft to Chris Mendenwalt via email for comment by the District. He had not received comments back todate. Once Steve receives the review back from the District he will add to the Board agenda for discussion and approval. Patty will reach out to Chris to determine what the delay in response on the two proposed revisions. Karen will reach out to Supt. Holzman to determine if there are any issues so that Board can move forward with an updated version.
- 501C3 IRS Tax Status: Gail has the completed form to apply for the status. She recommends that Steve be the signer and was going to ask Chris to revise the document to reflect Steve as president. The Board discussed that Steve would not be the president until August when the election of officers is conducted. There was agreement that the tax status could move ahead at this time and that Gail would sign as the Board President. This would also mean no revision was needed. 2
- Motion: Karen made a motion to affirm that Gail is authorized to sign the IRS form prepared by the WRSS attorney as soon as possible to get the 501C3 status in place for the Board. Kim seconded. Approved.
7.New Business: School Mission and Vision Statements: Patty requested that the Board take on the revision of these documents as they are not current with the way that the school is being operated. Gail will add this to the June agenda, and asked the Board to do some pre-work for the revision process which will be central to the agenda for the Fall Annual Meeting.
8.Community Comments: None
9. Good of the order items: None
10. Next meeting: June 17, 2025 4:00 PM, BTC Room 1313
11. Adjournment: : Kim made a motion to adjourn, second by Kim, and approved unanimously at 5:05 PM.
May 1, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on May 20, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Karen Schmitt, Gail Graham Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson, Kim Sullivan (Zoom), Amanda Harilal
(Zoom), Kim Kostka (Zoom)
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal;
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 5:33 pm.
2. Approval of the Agenda: Agenda: Karen made a motion to approve the May 1, 2025, agenda as
presented, second by Amanda and approved unanimously.
3. New Business: Correction of Academic Requirements: Principal Hernandez presented a request to revise the academic requirements document to reflect a minimum grade point average (GPA) requirement of 2.0 for maintaining good academic standing at RUHS. The current 2.5 GPA had been set based on best practice in preparing students to be college ready. At this time the GPA was creating concerns about retaining good students who were capable of C-level work and had potential to perform better in the future if they remained at RUHS. Patty recommended revising to the 2.0 standard that is used at BTC. The Board discussed the proposed changes and agreed that this revision would be beneficial for students at this time. The Board agreed to review this GPA on a regular basis with the goal to return to the 2.5 standard was supported by student retention and
success data.
Motion: At the conclusion of the discussion, Amanda made a motion to revise the academic requirement for a 2.5 GPA to 2.0 GPA; Kim seconded. Motion was approved unanimously.
4. Adjournment: Jane made a motion to adjourn; Amanda seconded. Motion was approved
unanimously at 5:50 PM.
5. Next meeting: May 20, 2025 4:00 PM BTC Room 1313
April 15, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on May 20, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Karen Schmitt, Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson, Kim Sullivan (Zoom), Amanda Harilal
(Zoom), Kim Kostka (Zoom) Absent: Gail Graham
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:05 pm.
2. Approval of the Agenda: Jane made a motion to approve the April 15, 2025, agenda as presented, second by Amanda and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Amanda made a motion to approve the March 18, 2025, minutes as presented, second by Karen and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report: Ivory reported on student activities in March. Students are very engaged with planning the prom scheduled for May 17, 2025. Friday and Monday are off for Easter holiday. Students were working on Teacher Appreciation Week recognitions for teachers and staff.
5. Principal Report: Patty provided a written report and updated the Board on enrollment, applications for new students, attendance and ACT testing. Patty was looking forward to the new opportunities for fall that will be created by the coordinated scheduling of BTC shuttles. The transportation will allow RUHS students to take high school classes in the mornings at Craig or Parker High Schools and then attend classes at RUHS after.
RUHS is adding National Honor Society and Kiwanis Key Club to support and recognize students; both organizations will provide opportunities for scholarships and leadership conferences for RUHS students. RUHS will also be adding Physical Education courses in the fall with the addition of a part-time PE teacher, Gannon Rand, two days a week. Patty reported that there will be five RUHS students that will graduate with a degree or credential from BTC on May 17, 2025; Karen will check into getting tickets to graduation for
RUHS staff and BTC Board members. Patty recommended Board participation in the RUHS open house on May 1, 2025.
6. Old Business: Governance Document Review and Revision Updates:
Steve updated the Board on the filing of the final revised Articles and Bylaws. Jessica is applying for the 501c3 status with the IRS. The remaining item is to review the contract with SDJ. Steve had emailed the revised draft to Chris Mendenwalt and has not received the comments back. Once he receives those he will add to the School Board consent agenda
7.New Business: Wisconsin Charter Schools Summit in Oshkosh on June 16-17, 2025. The Board discussed the conference and potential attendees. Steve tentatively planned to attend; he will confirm once he can confirm his schedule. Patty will be attending one of the two days.
8.Community Concerns: Steve reported on the Parents Group meeting that he organized which was held on April 14, 2025. Unfortunately, nobody attended. Steve planned to set up an “Un-fundraiser” again as that has received support for several hundred dollars in the past.
9. Good of the order items: Patty noted that May 5-9, 2025, is Teacher Appreciation Week. The Board discussed how to work with Patty on an appreciation event for RUHS teachers.
10. Next meeting: May 20, 2025 4:00 PM BTC Room 1313
11. Adjournment: Jane made a motion to adjourn, second by Kim, and approved unanimously at
4:56 PM.
March 18,2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on March 18, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt, Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson (Zoom), Kim Sullivan (Zoom), Amanda Harilal (Zoom)
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:05 pm.
2. Approval of the Agenda: Amanda made a motion to approve the February 18,2025, minutes as presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Kim made a motion to approve the November 21, 2024, agenda as presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report: Ivory reported on student activities in March. . Students are engaged with planning the prom scheduled for May 19, 2025; they are requesting assistance in finding a DJ for the event.
5. Principal Report: Patty reported on the mid-year data for academics and attendance. The RUHS students continue to perform well within the district. Patty provided a written Principal report with updates on enrollment, attendance; she discussed recent school activities for students and staff with the Board. RUHS was approved for a National Honor Society chapter this week. Patty recommended Board participation in the open house on May 1, 2025. Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up in May. She requested a Board volunteer to speak at the graduation, Steve and Amanda indicated interest.
The New Business agenda item for approval of new board members was moved up due to schedules of Board members that needed to leave early to ensure that a quorum was available for the vote.
6. New Business
a. Approval of New Member Applications: The Board reviewed the applications submitted by Dr. Kim Kostka and Heidi Mallinson. After discussion Steve made a motion to approve Kim’s application, it was seconded by Amanda and approved unanimously. The Board tabled the application for Heidi until the Contract is amended to allow a SDJ employee to serve on the Board
7. Old Business
a. Governance Document Review and Revision: Gail provided the Board with an update on the revised documents that were received from Jessica Harrison after the Board discussion and document review with her at the February 18, 2025, Board meeting. 2 There was a Board consensus that the documents reflected the changes that were discussed which included revision of the registered agent to use Steve’s name and updated signing date to reflect the Board approval date. After discussion, Steve made a motion to accept the revised Articles of Incorporation, Karen seconded. The motion was approved unanimously. Kim then made a motion to accepted the revised Bylaws, Amanda seconded. The motion was approved unanimously.
b. RUHS Contract with SDJ: The Board discussed the suggested revisions to the RUHS contract with SDJ. Steve was working with the SDJ staff to confirm language used in the revised document, he had not yet received answers to the questions he had and recommended that the approval be tabled until the April Board meeting. The Board agreed to table and bring back for review again on April 15, 2025
8. Community Comments: none
9. Good of the order items: • Steve provided an update on the Parent Advisory Committee noting that the Bylaws indicate two meetings per semester. He will schedule meetings to meet the requirements this spring semester. • Gail noted that May 5-9, 2025, is Teacher Appreciation Week and asked for suggestions on recognitions. Gail will develop a sign-up sheet to collect fund-raising commitments that can be sent out to parents and Board members. Kim agreed to help collect this information.
10. Next meeting: April 15, 2025, 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
10. Adjournment: Karen made a motion to adjourn, second by Steve, and approved unanimously. 5:04 PM
February 18, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on March 18, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson Absent: Amanda Harilal,
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:06 pm.
2. Approval of the Minutes & Agenda: Amanda made a motion to approve the November 21,2024, minutes as presented, second by Kim and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Amanda made a motion to approve the November 21, 2024, agenda as presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report: Ivory reported on student activities for the past two months. She highlighted recent success in fund raising activities, the Scoopies night at Culvers raised $877.
5. Principal Report: Patty reviewed her written report and provided the Board with updates on enrollment, attendance, student achievement, security, mental health and community
engagement.
6. Committee Reports
a. Governance Documents Subcommittee
Gail has spoken with WRCCS administrators who can assist in revising the bylaws. The Board discussed having a separate meeting with them to work on updating the bylaws. They could also help us evaluate whether or not the Board would go forward with getting a 501C3 nonprofit status. Gail asked Board members to review the revised draft bylaws and send her edits or comments. She will send a revised draft out to the Board and set up a working session with WRCCS staff for a Board meeting early in 2025.
b. Parents Group Liaison:
Steve reported on recent Parent Group meetings; parent attendance remains low. There were two parents that participated in the recent Scoopie night event.
7. Old Business
a. Development Plan
Gail discussed the Development Plan which was a historical document developed by the Board several years ago. She recommended that the Board focus on the finances and 501C3 status. She asked Jane to review the report with her to determine if it is still a relevant document for planning.
8. Community Comments: none
9. Next meeting: January 21, 2025, 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
10. Adjournment: Steve made a motion to adjourn, second by Jane, and approved unanimously. 5:40 PM
January 21, 2025
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes January 21, 2025
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on February 18, 2025.
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Jane Thompson
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:03 pm.
2. Approval of the Minutes & Agenda: Karen made a motion to approve the January 21, 2025, agenda as presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Jane made a motion to approve the December 17, 2024, minutes as presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report:Ivory reported on student activities since the holiday break. She highlighted recent success in fundraising activities, another Scoopies night at Culvers is planned for February 4, 2025.
5. Principal Report: Patty reviewed her written report and provided the Board with updates on enrollment; she noted the need to develop a plan for coordination with orchestra in the district to help students who want to participate. She updated the Board on student achievement, attendance, facilities, community engagement, student and staff well-being, school climate, and plans for actions. Patty asked for support to revise the academic requirements based on the RUHS faculty
evaluation of the current attendance. The Board discussed the proposed changes.
6. Committee Reports
a. Governance Documents Subcommittee
Gail has been attending the board support meetings offered by WRCCS. Jessica Harrison, an attorney affiliated with WRCCS has agreed to attend the February 18 RUHS Board
meeting to provide technical assistance for reviewing governance documents. Board members can send questions to Gail for Jessica to review in advance of the meeting.
b. Potential New Board Member:Patti has identified a parent interested in joining the Board. Gail will reach out to them
to encourage them to submit an application.
c. Parent Group: Steve reported that the parent group has not met since the last board meeting.
7. New Business
a. Budget
Gail noted that as the authorizer SDJ is responsible for providing Board budget information. The Board discussed how to request more financial information from the district to support the Board’s fiduciary responsibilities to the school. Basic information that the Board would like more information about included an overview of the district budget, RUHS annual budget, and a relative budget comparison to other SDJ high schools.
8. Old Business
a. Fund Raising
The Board discussed fundraising opportunities to provide student support for BTC program expenses were discussed. Kim volunteered to work with Amanda to provide a
report on fundraising options.
b. Vision and Mission Revision
The Board discussed developing a subcommittee to work on review and revision of the vision and mission statements. The Board agreed that an updated vision/mission can help the school update to the web site to better reflect the current programming and opportunities at RUHS. Completing these updates would be important before trying to invest in any digital marketing which will rely heavily on directing potential students and parents to a current and attractive website for improving recruitment. Ivory volunteered to work with Patty to identify areas that can be improved on the current RUHS website.
9. Community Comments: none
10. Next meeting: February 18, 2025, 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
11. Adjournment: Karen made a motion to adjourn, second by Steve Mathesius and approved unanimously.
December 17, 2024
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes December 17, 2024
Minutes reviewed and approved by the Board on January 21, 2025
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313 Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Amanda Harilal, Jane
Thompson
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student Representative
1. Welcome / Roll call: Roll call was taken with quorum established at 4:06 pm.
2. Approval of the Minutes & Agenda: Amanda made a motion to approve the November 21,
2024, minutes as presented, second by Kim and approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Amanda made a motion to approve the November 21, 2024, agenda as presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report: Ivory reported on student activities for the past two months. She highlighted recent success in fund raising activities, the Scoopies night at Culvers raised $877.
5. Principal Report: Patty reviewed her written report and provided the Board with updates on enrollment, attendance, student achievement, security, mental health and community
engagement.
6. Committee Reports
a. Governance Documents Subcommittee
Gail has spoken with WRCCS administrators who can assist in revising the bylaws. The Board discussed having a separate meeting with them to work on updating the bylaws.
They could also help us evaluate whether or not the Board would go forward with getting a 501C3 nonprofit status. Gail asked Board members to review the revised draft
bylaws and send her edits or comments. She will send a revised draft out to the Board and set up a working session with WRCCS staff for a Board meeting early in 2025.
b. Parents Group Liaison:
Steve reported on recent Parent Group meetings; parent attendance remains low. There were two parents that participated in the recent Scoopie night event.
7. New Business
a. Digital Marketing
Steve reported that there was no progress
b. Vision and Mission for RUHS Patty discussed reviewing the vision and mission statements for RUHS and alignment with current conditions and directions for the academic program. The Board discussed the development of the academic pathways and career portfolios for helping students
navigate college coursework and degree completion at BTC.
8. Old Business
a. Development Plan
Gail discussed the Development Plan which was a historical document developed by the Board several years ago. She recommended that the Board focus on the finances and
501C3 status. She asked Jane to review the report with her to determine if it is still a relevant document for planning.
9. Community Comments: none
10. Next meeting: January 21, 2025, 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
11. Adjournment: Karen made a motion to adjourn, second by Amanda and approved unanimously.
November 19, 2024
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes November 19, 2024
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313
Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt, Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius, Amanda Harilal
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student
1. Welcome / Roll call
a. Roll call was taken and established at 4:06 am
2. Approval of the Minutes & Agenda: Steve made a motion to approve the August 6, 2024,minutes and agenda as presented, second by Amanda and approved unanimously.
3. Student Report: Ivory was not able to attend as she is participating in the Leadership Development Academy.
4. Principal Report: Patty reviewed her written report and provided analysis on enrollment, D/F grades, and the results of the state report card. She outlined the school’s use of the D/F report to monitor student achievement and progress. The district’s report on school progress will be out tomorrow, this report will report that RUHS exceeds expectations. The Board congratulated the school on its successful state report card.
5. New Business
a. Board Membership. Jane Thompson has applied to be on the Board. Amanda made a motion to approve Jane Thompson to fill Nicole Pfundheller’s unexpired Board term, through August 2027. Karen seconded, and the motion was approved unanimously.
6. Committee Reports
a. Governance Documents Subcommittee. Gail reported that she had participated in a workshop with state agency staff and they recommended we needed to acquire a financial report from the district. The staff attorney they had review the bylaws and indicated it could be revised to reflect the current contract. The Board agreed that this would be important to update with the current conditions. Gail will pull together a revised version of the bylaws for the next meeting. The Board agreed to invite the agency attorney to come talk with the Board about these issues.
7. RUHS 10-year anniversary celebration
a. Anniversary event will be held Wednesday, December 11, 2024, Board members are invited.
8. Community Comments: none
9. Next meeting: December 17 @ 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
10. Adjournment: Steve made a motion to adjourn at 6:15, second by Kim and approved unanimously.
October 15, 2024
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes October 21, 2024
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313
Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt (Zoom), Kim Sullivan, Steve Mathesius
Absent: Nicole Pfundheller, Amanda Harilal
Note: Nicole will be submitting her resignation this week.
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student
1. Welcome / Roll call
a. Quorum at 4:12 pm
2. Student Report: Ivory reported that the Scoopie night fundraiser was scheduled. A student
engagement and community outreach event Trunk-or-Treat was scheduled for next week. The
school will have flyers available to promote the school to prospective students and parents; a
copy of the flyer is on the Facebook page.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Steve made a motion to approve the August 6, 2024, minutes as
presented, second by Kim and approved unanimously.
4. Approval of the Agenda: Steve made a motion to approve the agenda, second by Karen and
approved unanimously.
5. Principal Report: Patty reviewed her written report. She noted that the RUHS ACT scores were
highest in the district. The school is planning additional support interventions and enrichments
to provide to students to improve their performance in areas of weakness.
6. Board Topic: Standardized Testing
a. ACT is the most significant test to evaluate student attainment in state high schools. The
Board discussed test results from Fall 2024 pre-test for ACT. Ideas for improving test
preparation for the December ACT exam were discussed.
b. Forward Exam: only 10 th graders and only social studies; 93% met or exceeded the
benchmark. This is exceptional and Patty would like to find a way to recognize the RUHS
performance.
c. Preliminary state report card includes information from these testing; official report will
come out in December. Patty knows that RUHS will perform well on this year’s report
card and she will share with the Board when available.
7. Committee Reports
a. Recruitment Subcommittee
i. Board Recruitment: Gail noted that there is a need to recruit new Board
members with Nicole’s resignation. The Board discussed strategies to identify up to three new members from local businesses. Areas of student interest
are manufacturing, health, construction. In particular companies that offer
internships or job shadowing were identified to request applications to join the
Board.
ii. Student Recruitment: Steve reported he had reviewed ideas for digital
marketing to expand recruiting efforts. Patty noted that the district wanted to
collaborate with Blackhawk on recruiting students, in particular students from
out of district that could take advantage of the college courses and program. It
was also a priority to highlight advantages of RUHS for college credit and ability
to continue in district sports. Steve will bring a proposal for Board review on an
option he was exploring for digital recruiting.
b. Governance Documents Subcommittee
i. The Board thanked Kim for her work on review and revision of the Articles of
Incorporation and Bylaws. Gail has sent a copy to the state attorney for
advisement on what needs to be revised for the Articles; she also asked Rich
Gruber who was on the original incorporation documents about details related
to changes in the school since then.
ii. Bylaws will need to be revised to reflect changes since the school was founded.
The group agreed 3-10 was a good range on the range for Board size. Term
duration and term limits were discussed. Gail wanted to have a more detailed
description of removal for non-attendance.
c. Parent’s Group liaison – Steve Mathesius
i. Parents night
ii. December 3 and February 4 are fund raisers
iii. Parents were surveyed and 12 responses; four expressed interest
running the parents group. There were others who supported the parents group
for student support and how to help students be successful.
iv. RUHS 10-year anniversary celebration – Patty Hernandez
1. An open house is planned for this fall, date TBD. This could be combined
with the 10-year celebration. The district supported this opportunity to
use the anniversary for promoting the school. This could be a media
opportunity for news coverage on TV and newspapers. Board discussed
how to promote the event and provide catering for participants. A save-
the-date will be sent out.
8. Unfinished Business
a. Follow up on electronic fundraising account options – Patty Hernandez
i. Patty reported that the district would not support option.
9. New Business
a. Budget items that were listed were from the calendar of events which is now dated so
the two items below were removed as they are no longer applicable to the Board:
i. Review and accept audit
ii. FY26 budget planning
b. Development plan was discussed, including schedule for recruiting for next year and the
open house to recruit board members.
10. Community Comments: none
11. Next meeting:
a. November 19 @ 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
b. December 17 @ 4:00 pm, BTC 1313
12. Adjournment: Steve made a motion to adjourn at 6:15, second by Kim and approved
unanimously.
September 17, 2024
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes September 17,2024
Place: Meeting in person at BTC, Room 1313
Time: 4:00 pm
Attendance: Gail Graham, Karen Schmitt, Kim Sullivan (Zoom), Amanda Harilal (Zoom), Steve Mathesius
Absent: Nicole Pfundheller
Staff & Students: Dr. Patty Hernandez, Principal; Ivory Christianson, Student
1. Welcome / Roll call
2. Approval of the Agenda: Steve made a motion to approve the agenda, second by Amanda and
approved unanimously.
3. Approval of the Minutes: Amanda made a motion to approve the August 6, 2024, minutes as
presented, second by Steve and approved unanimously.
4. Student Report: Ivory reported that she was re-elected Student Body President for 20204-2025.
Student government elections are ongoing. Students will be participating in the Trunk-or-Treat
event in Janesville this year to help outreach in the community about RUHS. Other community
events are being considered.
5. Closed Session: The Board moved into closed session at 4:20 PM. The Board returned from
closed session at 5:05 PM.
6. Follow up on Principal Report: The Board discussed ideas to increase enrollment and agreed to
form a subcommittee to work with Patty on strategies for implementation in the coming year.
Steve and Amanda volunteered to serve on this subcommittee. The Board discussed fund raising
and grant writing as options to provide resources that could support some of the recruitment
activities. For ideas on grants Amanda will provide Board members with information she
received at the non-profit grant conference held at the Beloit Public Library last week.
7. Unfinished Business
a) Graduation Date: Saturday, June 7, 2025, at 10:00 AM
b) Bank Account: Steve proposed this issue be incorporated into the process of revision of
the Bylaws. Amanda described the Give Back program used in Beloit as an example of
other options for providing the ability to collect money for the school and utilize district
501.c.3 status to provide a tax deduction for donors. Patty will follow up with the District
administration to determine if electronic giving in this manner is possible.
c) Web page: New Board members are reminded to provide a photo and biographic sketch
for the web site to Patty if they have not already done so.
August 6, 2024
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes August 6, 2024
Attendance: Gail Graham, Dr. Karen Schmitt, Steve Mathesius, Kim Sullivan, Amanda Harilal.
Absent: Nicole Pfundheller
Staff: Dr. Patty Hernandez
-
Welcome / Roll call
-
Amanda H made a motion to approve the agenda, second by Karen S. and carried.
-
Amanda H made a motion to approve the June 25, 2024, minutes as presented, second by Karen S. and carried.
-
Staff report – Patty provided information on Student data as she reviews the student roster. Currently there are 93 students enrolled at RUHS. Board reviewed and discussed enrollment, academic performance and chronic absenteeism data and steps to improve results. Board reviewed an Academic Requirement policy that clarifies expectations and outcomes of students that consistently fail to meet academic and attendance standards. This document was modified by the board and staff and this final version was brought to a vote through a special email dated Monday August 12, 2024. Steve M. made a motion to approve the RUHS Academic Requirements document as written for the 2024-2025 school year, with the understanding that it is a live document subject to modifications as needed throughout the year. Second by Karen S. and the motion carried.
-
The board reviewed the monthly board topics and chose to hold meetings on the third Tuesday of each month, 4:00 pm in a conference room at BTC.
A slate of officers was presented with a motion by Kim to accept the slate of officers, second by Karen and carried.
Chair : Gail Graham
Vice Chair: Steve Mathesius
Secretary: Karen Schmitt
Treasurer: Amanda Harilal.
-
Patty and her staff will choose a date for graduation, and we will discuss other calendar items at the next meeting
-
Next meeting: Tuesday September 17, 2024 - 4:00 pm at BTC
-
Steve made a motion to adjourn at 4:30, second by Amanda H. and carried.
2023-2024
- May 28, 2024
- April 23, 2024
- March 26, 2024
- February 27, 2024
- December 21, 2023
- October 18, 2023
- September 20, 2023
- August 3, 2023
May 28, 2024
Rock University High School Governing Board Minutes May 28, 2024
Board members present:
- Gail Graham
- Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
- Nicole Pfundheller
- Jane Thompson (non-voting)
Invitee present:
- Kim Sullivan
Staff present:
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angela Kerr
- Patty Hernández
Students present:
- Ivory Christianson
President Gail opened the meeting on Zoom at 12:16 pm welcoming Kim Sullivan to the board.
Each member present at the meeting gave a brief self-introduction for Kim. Kim is joining the board and is currently the Medical Imaging Director at SSM.
- Agenda. Motion to approve the agenda by Karen, seconded by Steve. Motion carried.
- Minutes. Motion to approve RUHSGB minutes by Steve from 4/23/24 and notes from 2/27/24. Seconded by Karen. Motion carried.
- Governance. Motion by Karen to approve Kim Sullivan as RUHS Governing Board member. Seconded by Steve. Motion carried. Steve shared updates to the Charter Contract. He is recommending that it be reviewed by the District and then brought back to the RUHSGB for adoption.
- Students’ Report. Ivory reported that approximately 50-60 students attended Prom and all had a very successful evening. SLC stayed within budget for Prom. Graduation is June 8th at 10:00 am. In addition, SLC completed the Portrait of an Educator and it has been adopted by the students and staff.
- Unfinished Business. Bank account – Sarah at WRCCS will be in touch with the RUHSGB when their staff has onboarded the legal counsel who will be working with WRCCS and charter schools. RUHSGB requested to meet and discuss options for a bank account and other potential options.
- Dean’s Report. Currently, there are 85 confirmed and registered students for the 2024-25 school year with 12 applications in progress. It is projected that RUHS will have approximately 100 students next year. Angie’s last day is June 8.
- Principal’s Report. The current RUHS budget has enough money for graduation and for some curriculum development hours for staff this summer. Several students have applied for Youth Apprenticeships. Approximately 3 students have applied and have accepted jobs. An additional number have applied for or are applying for apprenticeships in their specific career pathway. Students have applied at Cullen, Blaine’s, including other areas such as dental hygienist, IT, and SSM. If these locations are not able to accept them as interns, RUHS needs additional locations for placements. Nine students have yet to find placements. Kolleen’s last day is June 13.
- New Business. Graduation is June 8 at 10:00 am at BTC. All are welcome to attend.
- Next Meetings. Gail will work with Patty and Steve to set a meeting to approve/adopt the RUHS Contract. In addition, the annual meeting will be set at a time to be determined.
Adjourned. Motion to adjourn meeting by Steve. The meeting ended at 1:00 pm.
April 23, 2024
RUHSGB Minutes April 23, 2024
Board Members Present:
- Gail Graham
- Steve Mathesius (arrived 12:20)
- Karen Schmitt
- Jane Thompson-Non voting
Board Member Absent:
- Nicole Pfundheller
Student Rep:
- Ivory Christianson
Staff Present:
- Angela Kerr
- Kolleen Onsrud
President Gail Graham welcomed everyone to the meeting at 12:16pm. At the time, there was no quorum.
Dean Angela Kerr reported that there are 15 new 9th grade students for the 2024-25 school year with another 19 (9th – 12th grade) students in the enrollment process for next year. Angie is currently working with 11th and 12th graders to ensure that paperwork and requirements are complete in order to successfully enroll into college courses.
Most ACT testing results are in and the is an initial showing that RUHS is on track to exceed their highest scores that were recorded in 2018. More details will come when all tests are reported. In addition, RUHS is in process of completing the Pre-ACT and Forward Testing.
The RUHS Open House on April 18 was lightly attended. Steve represented the board at the open house. Gail Graham thanked Steve for his contributions in working on numerous board agenda items and items for the students and school over the past years. His expertise and commitment to follow through have not gone unnoticed.
Principal Kolleen Onsrud reported that the SDJ school board meeting (4-23-24) will present the appointment of Dr.Patricia Hernández as RUHS Principal. In addition, a job posting is in effect seeking the position of a career and college readiness specialist with a student services background. This position is to fill the vacant position that Dean Angela Kerr will leave. This position will help with transition work advising students in discovering career pathways, internships, and co-ops. The posting closes on Friday, April 26, 2024. Principal Kolleen Onsrud’s last day is June 13, 2024. The new principal will begin on site on June 7, 2024, with the new principal’s contract beginning July 1, 2024.
At 12:20 pm, a quorum was reached. President Gail Graham officially called the RUHSGB meeting to order. There was a recap of the Dean’s and Principal’s reports.
Kolleen presented the question of using José Carrillo’s donated funds for more than student transportation. The SDJ is currently providing transportation for students to/from the campus and will continue to do so in the 2024- 25 school year. There is a need to support disadvantaged youth to purchase required resources that are not covered by other programs for their career pathways and/or for organized field trips by RUHS staff.
Steve Mathesius made a motion to in addition to transportation needs, José Carrillo’s donation may include provision aimed at assisting students with financial need to purchase required resources that are not covered by other programs for their career pathways and/or for organized field trips by RUHS staff. Motion seconded by Karen. Motion carried.
RUHSGB Bank Account. Steve has been working on preparing the RUHSGB to become a 501(c)3 and to open a bank account in order to accept donations and other monetary awards. Currently, the board is working with WRCCS and plan to meet with the WRCCS lawyer in May to begin the process.
Fundraising. There are no current fundraising plans.
Surveys. There are no surveys planned at this time. The board asked Ivory Christianson to attend the annual meeting with additional classmates. The students will be asked to participate in the annual meeting by sharing their voice.
Charter Contract: Kolleen reported that the contract is currently with the SDJ attorney who is working to make the RUHS Charter Contract and the Arise Charter Contract consistent. Once his review is complete, it will come back to the board for either updates or approval and then be presented at the SDJ Board in the consent agenda. Kolleen will check on the timeline and get information back to the board.
Parent Initiatives. There are none at this time.
Graduation. RUHS Graduation is June 8, 2024 at 10:00 am at the BTC Conference Center. There are 21 graduates.
Two have achieved an Associate’s Degree with an addition four or five who will be completing their associate’s degrees after graduation. RUHS has the first student to petition for the Medical/Surgical Tech Program.
Student Comments. Ivory reported that Prom is underway and purchases are complete. Also, the students have completed the Portrait of an Educator.
Steve made a motion to adjourn. Karen seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Final announcements.
Next meet RUHSGB meeting is May 28, 2024 12:15 – 1:00 pm
President Gail Graham aske Jane to send RUHSGB application to board candidate.
Annual Meeting date to be announced (within the last two weeks of August).
March 26, 2024
February 27, 2024
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
February 27, 2024
Board members:
- Gail Graham
- Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
- Jane Thompson (non-voting)
Invitee:
- Nicole Pfundheller
Staff:
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angela Kerr
- Stacy Myszewski
Students:
- Ivory Christianson
- Jayden Rodriguez
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 876 6419 9584
Passcode: jGt8ZR
- Welcome / Roll call Meeting was called to order at 12:20 pm.
- Approve Agenda
- Karen made a motion to approve the agenda, Steve seconded the motion and the motion carried.
- III. Governance
- a. New board member Steve made a motion to install Nicole Pfundheller as board member. Karen seconded the motion and the motion carried. Jane will follow up with Erin Jensen who may have recommendations and/or candidates for the board.
- IV. Principal / Dean Reports
- Dean’s report: Angie reported that there are 15 currently enrolled incoming freshmen. RUHS is able to enroll up to 36 total. Students may still enroll. Annabelle Hundt has been recognized by the YWCA as this year’s Young Woman of Distinction. The program honoring women of distinction is May 8 at the Celt House. On March 12, juniors will be taking the ACT. The board had received the course selection handbook. Karen made a motion to approve the course selection handbook for the 2024-25 school year. Steve seconded the motion and the motion carried.
Principal’s report:
Kolleen informed the board that RUHS will need funds to send staff to AVID training this summer. The district will cover two or three staff members only. The goal is to have all staff members attend the AVID training. RUHSGB fundraising may be an opportunity to provide funds in support of this training.
December 21, 2023
Governing Board Meeting Minutes December 21, 2023 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm
Board members:
- Gail Graham
- Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
- Jane Thompson (non-voting)
Staff:
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angela Kerr
Students:
- Ivory Christianson
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 876 6419 9584
Passcode: jGt8ZR
- Welcome: President Gail Graham opened the meeting at 12:40 p.m.
- Approve Agenda: Steve Mathesius made a motion to approve the agenda, second by Karen Schmitt. Motion carried.
- Review Notes from 11/16/23 No actions were taken at the 11/16/23 meeting. No minutes to approve.
- Principal / Dean Reports: Dean Angela Kerr: There are 25 incoming 9 th graders for 2024-2025 school year. At the end of the enrollment window, January 18, Angie and Kolleen will inform the RUHSGB if a lottery is required. The lottery would then be announced the the applicants and their parent/guardian. At least one member of the RUHSGB will participate in the lottery process. Dr. Kolleen Onsrud, Principal: The contract between SDJ and BTC has been successfully finalized, and it is in the form of a multiyear MOU. The SDJ Chief Financial Officer has signed the MOU and returned it to BTC for processing. SDJ will continue to cover the tuition for credits beyond the 18-credit limit, as specified in the MOU. Dr. Kolleen Onsrud’s retirement was approved by the SDJ. The principal position will be posted after holiday break in January 2024. SDJ will be responsible for managing the selection process, ensuring the inclusion of two or three staff members and a board member/student in the process. If a current staff member is selected for the principal position, the subsequent step will be to post the position for RUHS. Note: CRA/PAR / AVA are limited to 18 credits of college courses, but RUHS students may acquire credits beyond this limit.
- Unfinished Business a. Fundraising--- RUHSGB will open a bank account by February 20204. Steve and Jane will work to open the account to support RUHS students and staff. Karen made a motion for the RUHSGB to set up a bank account to support RUHS with a second by Steve. Motion carried. With a bank account, there will be easier access to funds and the RUHSGB will be able to solicit donations.The recent Culver's fundraiser brought in approx.: $849.00. The recent Mac’s Pizza Shack brought in approx.: $350 + $100 tips
- New Business
- Parent Initiative(s): Steve noted that the structure has experienced a decline in parent participation and suggested exploring a new approach to rekindle parental involvement. Gail proposed the idea of organizing a pizza party where students could showcase their talents. Kolleen suggested conducting a survey among parents to gauge their interests and preferences. Angie shared her experience with virtual events, highlighting that they tend to attract more participants compared to in person events. Steve mentioned that plans for the upcoming prom are underway, with the intention to schedule it for the spring. He emphasized the importance of parental involvement in planning and executing a successful event. The group decided to conduct a survey to understand preferences and invite parents to participate in planning prom and other upcoming activities. Additionally, the idea of a virtual event was deemed worth exploring
- Governance update The meeting officially acknowledged the current composition of the board, which consists of three members. The members present were: Gail Graham, President; Steve Mathesius, Parent Rep; Dr. Karen Schmitt, Member.
- A special recognition was made during the meeting to honor José Carrillo’s invaluable contributions to the visioning teams of Janesville Academy for International Studies and Rock University High School. José played a pivotal role in inspiring the vision for RUHS, advocating for student involvement in mentorships, internships, college credits, and fostering deeper learning experiences. His dedication and commitment to these initiatives were instrumental in shaping the direction of Rock University High School. It is noted that José’, encouraged and pushed for the expansion of Janesville Academy for International Studies to evolve into a full-day high school as Rock University High School. His foresight and passion for seeing students engage in meaningful educational experiences were evident in his advocacy for the expansion. The RUHSGB will gift a plaque in honor of Mr. Carrillo to RUHS. Tom Heiss at Parker has offered to assist in preparing the plaque in order to create a fitting tribute to Jose´s memory. Tom Heiss and José worked together at the after-school robotics club at Parker. A heartfelt appreciation was expressed for Tom Heiss’s willingness to contribute to this meaningful gesture to honor José.
- RUHS Charter Contract - Kolleen mentioned that historically, the contract outlined a teacher-led school with the principal serving as a liaison. After discussions with Angie and the SDJ, RUHS has successfully secured a full-time principal. It was emphasized that, despite the shift to a full-time principal, the contract retains language affirming the democratic and collaborative approach to decision-making, involving staff, board members and principal. Following the update on the leadership structure, Steve proposed a motion to approve the contract with the outlined changes. Karen seconded the motion. Motion carried. The RUHSGB discussed implementing the changes outlined in the contract and that communication with relevant stakeholders, including staff, board members and the newly appointed full-time principal would be crucial for a smooth transition.
- Student Comments - Jensen wanted information for new board members.. Not just board/parent in lack of service but the council is lacking interest in funding. SLC is talking about college for kids. Feb. 14.. we’d have CPR certified people and the parents could pay to watch the children to fundraise. Starting the prom thing and starting a Portrait of an Educator.
- Next meeting: A time and date will be determined via email with board members. Possibly, Tuesday, January 23 from 12:15 – 1:00 pm. Gail noted that AIM class for summer will be on campus at BTC and will give the kids an OSHA 30 Certification. The Accelerated Industrial Maintenance Program will be 36 hours for 4 weeks. Angie and Kolleen will bring information to the board in January regarding volunteer needs at RUHS. Next meeting January 23 @ 12:15 – 1:00 pm
- Adjourn: Steve made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 1:20pm with a second by Gail. Motion carried.
October 18, 2023
Governing Board Meeting Minutes October 18, 2023
Board Members in Attendance:
- Jane Thompson (Non Voting)
- Gail Graham
- Steve Mathesius
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
Other Staff
- Angie Kerr
- Dr. Kolleen Onsrud
The meeting was called to order by Gail Graham at 12:30 pm. The agenda items were briefly discussed, but without a quorum, no official business was conducted. The RUHS Governing Board and school staff would like to thank
Chris Comella, Lynn Neitzel, and Dr. John Pruitt, who are stepping down from the governing board, for their contributions and service to Rock University High School staff and community.The meeting was adjourned by 1:15 pm. The next meeting is November 15, 2023.
September 20, 2023
Governing Board Meeting Minutes September 20, 2023
Board Members in Attendance:
- Jane Thompson (Non Voting)
- Gail Graham
- Steve Mathesius
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
Other Staff:
- Angie Kerr
Students:
- Camille Shepherd
The meeting was called to order by Steve Mathesius at 12:30 pm. The agenda items were briefly discussed, but without a quorum, no official business was conducted.The meeting was adjourned by 1:15 pm. The next meeting is October 18, 2023.
August 3, 2023
Governing Board Meeting Minutes August 3, 2023
8:00-11:00 am
Board Members in Attendance:
- Gail Graham
- Steve Mathesius
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
Other Staff
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angie Kerr
Non Voting Members
- Jane Thompson
President called the meeting to order without a quorum.
Board discussed inviting new board members to replace outgoing members.
- Send out governance board application to current members for review and use.
- Include disclosure form at the next board meeting.
- Set the date & time for 2023 – 2024 governance board meetings. 3rd Wednesday of each month from 12:30 – 1:15 pm.
- Invite AIM students to next governance board meeting.
RUHS Staff offered board members ideas engage in:
- Be mentors and connect with students.
- Be panel members for AP Seminar and AP research practices / presentations.
- Help with marketing, recruitment and spreading the word.
- Write a grant for a marketing campaign.
Report from staff:
- Angie and Stacy are working on a document to market RUHS.
- Kolleen and Angie will put together a list of areas that the board can track over the years:
- Academic success goals
- Dr. Eric Stoner joined the RUHS staff this year.
Rock University Governing Board Calendar 2023-2024
- Meeting the 3rd Wednesday
- September 2023 – May 2024
- 12:30 – 1:15 pm
- September 20
- October 18
- December 15
- January 13
- February 21
- March 20
- April 17
2022-2023
- March 15, 2023
- February 15, 2023
- December 21, 2022
- November 16, 2022
- October 19, 2022
- September 21, 2022
- August 8, 2022
March 15, 2023
Board members Present:
- Gail Graham
- Chris Comella
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
- Jane Thompson, non-voting member.
Staff Present:
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angela Kerr
President Gail Graham called the meeting to order at 12:18 pm.
Dean’s report:
Enrollment is currently at 66 confirmed with 36 applications in process. RUHS has 9 open seats for 9 th graders and 9 seats for students entering grades 10, 11, 12.
100% of RUHS juniors took the ACT. In April, the 9 th and 10 th grade students will be taking the
PreACT and Forward Exam.
Conversations with students in grades 9- 11 regarding Pathway selections / Course selections
are underway. Currently, there are 3 students interested in Computer Service and 4 students in
Welding. Students will need to purchase equipment in order to participate in these programs.
Principal’s Report:
Kolleen reported the spending down of the federal grant funds for students in engineering, for classroom spaces, and the last will be spent in the summer on curriculum and courses. With potential growth, Kolleen talked to Superintendent about staffing and requested additional staff. Any additional staff will allow current teachers to have a prep hour and help to add electives.
Three students applied to the youth apprentice program and two have completed their
apprenticeship. The last one is working at Mercy Hospital as a CNA. RUHS is looking forward to
Youth Apprenticeship Job Fair in April.
Fundraising:
Kolleen will prepare a letter by April explaining what will be done with the money raised. In addition to equipment, RUHS needs money to celebrate students and staff. Board members will use the letter to approach businesses for support.
Parent Group:
The Unfundraiser – a letter has been prepared and soon will be ready to send out. Prom- Looking for information on Prom and how parents can participate.
Teacher appreciation: At next month’s meeting, the board will confirm plans for teacher
appreciation work.
Next meeting: April 19, 2023 12:15 pm
No actions were taken at this meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 1:00 pm.
February 15, 2023
Governing Board Meeting Minutes February 15, 2023 12:15 – 1:00 PM
Board Members in Attendance:
- Gail Graham
- José Carrillo
- Lynn Neitzel
- Chris Comella
- John Pruitt
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
Other Staff
Jane Thompson
Angie Kerr
Dean’s report:
Enrollment is currently at 66 confirmed with 36 applications in process. RUHS
has 9 open seats for 9 th graders and 9 seats for students entering grades 10, 11, 12.
100% of RUHS juniors took the ACT. In April, the 9 th and 10 th grade students will be taking the
PreACT and Forward Exam.
Conversations with students in grades 9- 11 regarding Pathway selections / Course selections
are underway. Currently, there are 3 students interested in Computer Service and 4 students in
Welding. Students will need to purchase equipment in order to participate in these programs.
Principal’s Report:
Kolleen reported the spending down of the federal grant funds for students
in engineering, for classroom spaces, and the last will be spent in the summer on curriculum
and courses. With potential growth, Kolleen talked to Superintendent about staffing and requested additional staff. Any additional staff will allow current teachers to have a prep hour
and help to add electives.
Three students applied to the youth apprentice program and two have completed their
apprenticeship. The last one is working at Mercy Hospital as a CNA. RUHS is looking forward to
Youth Apprenticeship Job Fair in April.
Fundraising:
Kolleen will prepare a letter by April explaining what will be done with the money raised. In addition to equipment, RUHS needs money to celebrate students and staff. Board
members will use the letter to approach businesses for support.
Parent Group:
The Unfundraiser – a letter has been prepared and soon will be ready to send out. Prom- Looking for information on Prom and how parents can participate.Teacher appreciation: At next month’s meeting, the board will confirm plans for teacher
appreciation work.
Next meeting: April 19, 2023 12:15 pm
No actions were taken at this meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 1:00 pm.
December 21, 2022
Governing Board Meeting Minutes
December 21, 2022,
12:15 – 1:00 PM
Board Members in Attendance:
Gail Graham
José Carrillo
Lynn Neitzel
Chris Comella
John Pruitt
Dr. Karen Schmitt
Steve Mathes
Other Staff:
Jane Thompson
Angie Kerr
Meeting URL:
Meeting ID: 896 0069 0852
Passcode: 629017
I. Call to order / Welcome / Roll Call
The RUHS Governing Board meeting was called to order by Steve Mathesius. A quorum was not
present, therefore the meeting was adjourned with no actions taken.
November 16, 2022
Board members present:
- Gail Graham
- José Carrillo
- Lynn Neitzel
- Chris Comella
- John Pruitt
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
Staff:
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angela Kerr
- Jane Thompson
Meeting URL:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89600690852?pwd=M013ZHBnWStSZzl3N1lXdEhUbFE0QT09
Meeting ID: 896 0069 0852
Passcode: 629017
- I. Call to order / Welcome / Roll Call
- II. Approve Agenda
- Call to move 1st Chris 2nd Jose
- Approve (y/n)
- Yes
- Approval of minutes from last meeting – September 21, 2022
- Call to move 1st Chris 2nd Karen
- Approve (y/n)
- Yes
- III. Reports
- a. Governance
- The updated lottery process was received by the board. Jane asked Angie to weigh in on her
- thoughts on how it reads, etc. Angie agreed that it will work and the wording is good.
- Call to move 1st Jose 2nd Chris
- Approve (y/n)
- yes
- IV. Principal / Dean Reports
- Kolleen:
- The budget for the grant was just received and approved. The carry over is not yet approved.
- $90,173 in the grant is available this year for the final year. With carry-over it will be about
- $113,000. Using the money to do curriculum development in Engineering and Computer
- Science. Money is for teacher training and curriculum work. Kolleen made a list of items that were paid for in the past by grant money that will not happen this last year so may need to rely on fundraising. Have purchased picnic tables and other signs. Plan to purchase some lockers and cubicles for students (student request).
- Around $10,000 to start with - $4, 876 le in local budget.
- Doing some additional marketing and campaigns coming up. Would like to have some new testimonials. Would like some board members and parents to do so.
- Chris asked about a prospective student and parent. Chris has a lead with a coworker and this person will reach out.
- Kolleen is also thinking of possible marketing mes (i.e. when parents are coming) and looking at doing a 360 degree tour, etc. Will continue to work with BTC who has been very supportive of marketing efforts.
- Gail had a meeting yesterday about Youth Apprenticeship and several employers really want to get into RUHS so this is a great opportunity for the students. There are currently 3 YA students at RUHS; 2 more students are interested in YA.
- Angie:
- Conferences happened in the end of October. This year RUHS changed the way they were done to follow the SDJ process with a “drop in” me and the ability for parents/students to see all teachers. Feedback was good; parents suggested still having appointments to help manage the time. The negative side was they only had 14 families send (past was near 100% attendance). At the end of the semester, they will do a scheduled conference with the students and their parents.
- 12:15 – 1:00 PM
- Open House is tomorrow night (5:30-7PM). All 3 middle school visits happened and did 8th grade presentations. 19 applications for next year (good for this year). Angie indicated that they have zero apps from Marshall MS. Kolleen will follow up with the Marshall MS counselors.
- V. Unfinished Business
- a. Board goals
- Jane – Handbook: Steve is working through the PEFA training. Spoke about the goals of creating a handbook—was sent to the board. Use Kaleidoscope Academy (Appleton) and KTEC (Kenosha) charter schools as a sample. Nic wants to see a sample of this. Jane asked the board to look at this and to note any questions, etc. Jane would suggest that we have a discussion at the December board meeting. Steve sent a question about the public requirement for posting agendas, minutes and any documents shared at the board meetings.
- b. Fundraising
- Fundraising: Jane recommended that the board do some fundraising. Jane suggested approaching business and others about donations for specific items. She would suggest that a group get together to talk about this. Karen would like to reach out to the parent group so that a collaborative effort is made when it comes to fundraising and that we are not duplicating efforts. Angie acknowledged that the parent group might be more willing to fundraise for “student experiences'' and that the board could fundraise for specific items and equipment.
- Gail will set something up before the next meeting in December and talk specifically about fundraising. She asked that any board members that are interested in attending should consider doing so.
- a. Board goals
- VI. New Business
- a. Open House
- Everything is set for Open House – hoping that Board members will be able to stop by.
- a. Open House
- VII. Community comments
- Jane asked the board to make sure that they had received the holiday giving email from Angie.
- Board members present indicated that they had.
- VIII. Next meeng:
- December 21st – next meeting
- Jane sent out a list of goals and items to be added to future agendas. Jane would like any
- comments or items from the handbook sent to her directly before the next meeng.
- IX. Adjourn
- Call to move 1st Lynn 2nd John
- Approve (y/n)
- Yes
October 19, 2022
September 21, 2022
Governing Board Meeting – Minutes Draft
September 21, 2022
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Board members attendance
- Gail Graham
- José Carrillo
- Lynn Neitzel
- Chris Comella
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
Other staff
- Jane Thompson
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angie Kerr
I. Call to order / Welcome / Roll Call Notes:
- Angie indicated that it would be better to begin at 12:15; Jane will update the calendar invites for future meetings.
- Angie indicated that it would be better to begin at 12:15; Jane will update the calendar invites for future meetings.
II. Approve Agenda
- Call to motion (1st) Chris
- 2nd Steve
- Approve (y/n) yes
III. Reports
- a. Governance
- b. Finance
Notes: Jane and Gail will move these agenda items to the October meeting.
IV. Principal / Dean Reports
Enrollment: Just had 3rd Friday count
• 91 students total (92 with PT student)
Notes: Angie has had several reach outs from other students to apply. In October, applications will turn back on and RUHS will start taking applications for next year. Possible to take current HS students after review and see if they can transition at semester.
Three middle schools are scheduled this fall for a presentation on the RUHS option for next year.
October Happenings:
- Tech exploration days at BTC as well as Manufacturing Day. Currently working with 9th and 10th graders to select those options to show them the pathways they can choose. There are also new 11th and 12th graders that haven’t had opportunities to attend in the past and this will be afforded to them.
- Next meeting will have STAR test results to share with the board. Results should help inform our school improvement goals.
From Kolleen:
Working on the grant and the carry-over information plus the budget at the moment. $125,000 for this last year of the grant with about $18,000 in carry over. Working on items for RUHS space and considering the development of a “Maker Space”. PLTW Engineering classes have some requests as well. Our local budget is around 8K and has been used to buy supplies for the school. Will share more detailed reports in October.
Gail updated the board with some DWD board monies/grants and reminded RUHS that they have funding related to their related funding for YA (youth apprenticeship). Gail made it clear that we cannot “reimburse” but can help fund for the future. There is also funding for supportive services (i.e. gas cards, course supplies and needs).
Kolleen noted that their YA support personnel is coming to RUHS next week to let students know about YA (Youth Apprenticeship). Gail shared that the AIM program will happen again this coming summer.
Jane asked about the new courses and how they were going. 2 of the new 3 courses have started and the new teacher is working with BTC so that the courses are articulated as well as part of the pathways offered to students. IT Cyber Security will be offered in the spring semester.
V. Unfinished Business
-
Board goals
- Notes: Review of the 21-22 goals happened at the August Meeting
- Set up goals for this year in categories as Action, Responsible and Timeline
-
Actions for this year:
- September Actions: Surveys for board and staff, handbook review for the board and watching the videos from the WRCCS for acknowledgement of ; select PIFA videos regarding DEI items
- Visioning Goals for the next several years
- Sustainable enrollment and what will the future enrollment and entrance requirements be for the future
- Community Engagement: Following up with the presentations
- Charitable organizations
- Fundraising: We will move this item to the next meeting and to make a motion. The board will look over documents before the next meeting.
-
Other Discussion:
- Lynn mentioned that we need to continue to look for a site that we can use to house all our information. Chris commented that the website (forward facing) would be a nice place for transparency. Kolleen commented that the website can be tricky but we can look to a solution.
-
Fundraising
- Chris shared the list of charitable organizations and we should look at this when we move forward with fundraising. Kolleen’s homework is to look at fundraising ideas and what the funding could be used for. Kolleen also mentioned that students are raising money for school events and trips, etc. They are not selling items “within” the school but using community sites to raise money (i.e. Culver’s).
- Steve mentioned that the parent group has not met yet. He will have a report in October.
VI. New Business
New year start up:Jane mentioned that the board, as part of the Charter School “rulebook”, needs to approve the school calendar. Kolleen mentioned that the following year calendar will be approved soon (6-12 months before school year start) so we will need to work on this this fall.
Jane asked in general how the start up of the school year is going and if there is anything that is needed. Kolleen would like some guest speakers to come in to talk about pathways that students are starting to explore. The board has talked about mentors and tutors but nothing has been formalized for this. We do have some students that are requesting tutors. Kolleen would love to
have some outside tutors from BTC, UWRC or Beloit college. Lynn mentioned about Academic Coaching at BTC (they have trained academic coaching and a program).
Gail reiterated that it is important to get speakers and industry into the classrooms to talk to the students and invite students into industry. Lynn mentioned that the summer externship program for K-12 teachers is a great option for teachers at RUHS if they are interested in participating.
VII. Community comments
There is no back to school night this year Angie talked about the change in October PT conferences in that they will be open for families and have parents/students drop in to talk to any and all teachers that they want.
First Open House on the calendar for Nov 17th. Steve would like to see students share their experiences, such as the AIM students.
VIII. Future Meetings
IX. Adjourn
- Motion to Adjourn the Meeting
- Call to motion (1st) Lynn
- 2nd Chris
- Approve (y/n) yes
August 8, 2022
Board members present:
- Gail Graham
- José Carrillo
- Lynn Neitzel
- Chris Comella
- John Pruitt
Invited guests:
- Dr. Karen Schmitt
- Steve Mathesius
Staff:
- Kolleen Onsrud
- Angela Kerr
Meeting URL:
Meeting ID: 838 9593 4817
Passcode: 576454
I. Call to order / Welcome & Introductions / Roll Call
Gail Graham, president, called the meeting to order at 8:10am. Each board member and
guest introduced themselves.
II. Approve Agenda
Motion to accept the agenda, 1)Chris, 2)Lynn. Motion carried.
III. Reports
- Governance
- Finance
IV. Principal / Dean Reports
Kolleen updated the board on staffing. Kolleen will be full time at RUHS (50% principal/50% guidance counselor). New staff includes: Terri Adler who will be teaching STEM classes (Achieve Numeracy, Math, ACT Prep). She has an Alternative Education license and was formerly teaching elementary education students how to teach math at UWW.
Mr. Robert Martin has variety of teaching backgrounds including virtual instruction and college level courses. He will teach Project Lead the Way, Cyper Security and Principles of Engineering.
At the end of the 2022-23 school year, the charter school grant will be finished. Currently, grant dollars are being used for professional development for RUHS staff. After the grant, the school district will take care of technology needs at RUHS. At this time, still waiting for the local budget which is typically between $7,000 and $7,500 for the school year.
New courses this year include: Cyber Security, Intro to Engineering, Principles of Engineering, and staff member, Erin Jensen, completed her training to be an HLC teacher and will change the AP Psychology class to a TC Psychology class. Erin Jensen is now certified to teach TC Psychology and TC Sociology.
Enrollment – RUHS is projected to start with 100 students. 20% more than the 2021-2022
school year. RUHS continues to have a high number of open enrollment students (30%).
- 21 freshmen
- 23 sophomores
- 29 juniors
- 27 seniors
RUSH leadership will provide a RUHS school calendar at the September 21, 2022 board meeting.
2022 RUHS Graduates:
13 graduates in total. At least 10 are going on to post-secondary schools. Three – five are continuing at BTC. Three are going into the workforce or taking a gap year. Approximately three are continuing with the company of internship. Bus transportation
V. Unfinished Business
- a. Board goals
- b. Fundraising
VI. New Business
- a. New year start up
VII. Community comments
VIII. Future Meetings
IX. Adjourn
2021-2022
March 15, 2022
Board members Present:
- Gail Graham
- Jose Carrillo
- Lynn Neitzel
- Chris Comella
- John Pruitt
- Shannon Moloney
- Jane Thompson - non-board memeber.
Meeting URL: https://blackhawk.zoom.us/j/83219438715?pwd
=
WUI1U1JqSFF4dWxNbW1lNFlmWXVwQT09&fro
m= addon
Meeting ID: 832 1943 8715
Passcode: 200934
Welcome Review & motion to adopt the agenda as presented.
- Meeting was started by Gail Graham at
- 12:05PM.
- Motion by: Chris
- 2nd by: John
- Motion: Passed
Secretary’s Report
In absence of the Secretary at the January meeting, Gail Graham took notes for the board.
Board notes are entered into the agenda. No motion necessary.
Dean’s Report / Principal’s Report
Report from Angie: AP Research course will
be presenting projects on April 12th and 19th (4
students in class) - invitation to board members
to join the presentations. Class time is from
10:15-11:45 - Angie will send out confirmation
times. These presentations will be live.
Parents and a few BTC faculty will be invited as
well.
Staffing for next year - look to have over 100
students next year. Kolleen is looking to have
Angie’s position be PT Dean and PT Teaching.
Therefore, we may need to be hiring another
position.
Gail reported that she and Kolleen attended the
“Craftsman with Character” presentation and
learning curriculum at Edgerton Gear. Gail
would like to have a champion in Janesville and
possibly RUHS to start with Manufacturing and
then possibly moving to other career areas.
https://www.craftsmanwithcharacter.org/
http://www.edgertongear.com/craftsman-with-ch
aracter-course.html
Gail’s team is out working on recruiting for
Youth Apprenticeship. AIM (Accelerated
Industrial Maintenance) program happening
this summer at the Milton Campus; there will be
some on campus work in Milton and then job
shadows out at companies. Fully paid with
credit credentials and $13/hr will be paid to
students (looking for 15 students total).
Targeting HS Seniors.
Kolleen noted that Craftsman with Character
and YA would fit into already existing classes.
Shannon would like a presentation to the
parent group about these opportunities and the
funding.
Budget Updates 2021-2022
Kolleen reported on the grant budget - have
spent over $130,000 this year; significant
spending on furniture and items for a new
Maker’s Space. Some of the remaining funds
will be used for PD for staff (looking to spend
down to 10% of original funds). There will be
some money left for summer curriculum money.
New Grant monies start on July 1.
Projected local budget is close to $10K for next
academic year. In addition, wiill have some
common school fund money, some district PD
fund. Kolleen committed that this is a bit higher
than we have had in the past.
Per pupil allotment is equal to what is given to
all SDJ HS students.
Topics / Community Engagement/ Parent Group Fun Run Board Recruitment
Parent Group (monthly meetings): Shannon
reported that there is a bit of a glitch in getting
folks to meetings with all that is going on.
Shannon is going to work with Janie to put
dates out for the rest of the year and give
families time to plan to attend meetings.
The checkin went well and email communication/feedback went well. Looking forward to Open House on April 20th. Parents would like a table at the Open House. Several parents volunteered to prep and be available Parent group would like to sponsor a gift card support for Teacher Appreciation ($10 limit - donate to staff). Also looking at a “Overworked Parents Fundraiser”. Looking to do some things to make things “fun”. Luncheons and food items tend to be tough for families.
Friday May 20th would be “Adulting Day”,
sponsored by the Parent Group.
Question was brought up about the Bylaws and
that the families would like to have more
information on this. Jane and Kolleen will
attend the next parent group meeting.
Adjoun RUHS Gov. Bd Mtg.
Meeting was adjourned at 12:58PM
- Motion by: Lynn
- 2nd by: Chris
- Motion: Passed
Future topics
Gail brought up and talked about RUHS Board
Member Responsibilities Outline. Asked that
all board members read, sign and send this
document back to the board.
Fun Run fundraiser to have a fun run at BTC
for RUHS. In the process of getting the
logistics taken care of. Committee is working on getting details worked out. Dr. Pierner is 100%
on board with support of using BTC and having
this at the campus. Looking to have the Fun
Run in August. More information coming.
Next meeting is April 19th. WIll do an in person
meeting with a Virtual Option.
- Motion by: Shannon
- 2nd by: Chris
- Motion: Tabled until April meeting