MISSOURI STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA ITEM: … · The Department recommend s that the State Board of Education authorize Confluence Academies to continue operations pursuant to

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MISSOURI STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA ITEM: February 2017

CONSIDERATION OF CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION

RENEWAL FOR CONFLUENCE ACADEMIES

STATUTORY AUTHORITY:

Sections 160.400 and 160.405, RSMo

Consent

Item

Action

Item

Report

Item

DEPARTMENT GOAL NO. 1:

All Missouri students will graduate college and career ready.

SUMMARY:

The 1998 session of the Missouri General Assembly authorized establishment of charter schools.

Renewal charter applications are submitted every five years. Section 160.405.9, RSMo requires the

State Board of Education to vote to renew the charter after the sponsor has demonstrated compliance

with state and federal law.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education received a request for a renewal of a charter

school application approved by the University of Missouri-Columbia (UMC). Confluence Academies

currently serves 2,811* students in grades PK-12. The charter LEA has requested that UMC renew its

charter for a term of five years beginning July 1, 2017, and ending June 30, 2022. The sponsor has

indicated the LEA is in good standing and requests renewal from the State Board of Education.

PRESENTERS:

Chris Neale, Assistant Commissioner; and John Robertson, Coordinator of Educational Support

Services, Office of Quality Schools, will assist in the presentation and discussion of this agenda item.

RECOMMENDATION:

The Department recommends that the State Board of Education authorize Confluence Academies to

continue operations pursuant to the charter renewal granted by University of Missouri-Columbia,

effective July 1, 2017 for a five year period, per the contingencies outlined in the performance contract.

*Updated February 16, 2017

CONFLUENCE ACADEMIES PERFORMANCE DATA

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education February 2017

Background Information 2

Confluence Academies St. Louis Region University of Missouri-Columbia - Sponsor Grade Span PK - 12 Students – 2,811

Updated February 16, 2017

MSIP 5 APR 3

2013 2014 2015 2016

St. Louis Public Schools

24.6% 43.2% 76.1% 69.6%

Confluence Academies

28.3% 32.3% 43.2% 48.2%

2016 APR scores are actual scores without hold harmless effects.

Percentage of Proficient & Advanced 4

24.5% 21.5%

31.3% 32.2% 28.6%

22.0%

17.4% 17.2%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

2013 2014 2015 2016

English

Math

Please note that the 2016 MAP grade-level exam in English language arts and math were new so results cannot be compared with results from a previous years’ tests nor used to establish trend data.

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3rd Grade English Language Arts 4th Grade English Language Arts

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5th Grade English Language Arts

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Algebra I

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5th Grade Science 8th Grade Science

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Biology I Government


dese.mo.gov [email protected]

Contact Us 10

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. Inquiries related to Department programs and to the location of services, activities, and facilities that are accessible by persons with disabilities may be directed to the Jefferson State Office Building, Office of the General Counsel, Coordinator – Civil Rights Compliance (Title VI/Title IX/504/ADA/Age Act), 6th Floor, 205 Jefferson Street, P.O. Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480; telephone number 573-526-4757 or TTY 800-735-2966; email [email protected].

Confluence Charter Renewal Application – January 27, 2016 1

Application for Charter Renewal

Confluence Academy

As of January 27, 2016

Submitted by:

University of Missouri-Columbia

Gerry Kettenbach, Executive Director

MU Office of Charter School Operations

MU College of Education

302 Hill Hall

Columbia, MO 65211

Confluence Academy

Jose Pineda, Chair

Confluence Academy Board of Directors

611 N. Tenth Street

St. Louis, MO 63101






Table of Contents

Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6 A. Mission, Vision, Goals and Educational Approach………………………………………………. 8

Mission………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Vision…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 Performance Goals………………………………….………………………………………………………….. 8 Changes to Improve Educational Performance…………………………………………………… 9

Curriculum and Instruction………………………………………………………………………………….11 Assessments………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 14

B. Organizational/Governance Plan……………………………………………………………………….. 16 Governing Body…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 16 Board Composition……………………………………………………………………………………………. 18 Management and Operation…………………………………………………………………………….. 21 Staffing and Professional Development…………………………………………………………….. 22 LEA Leadership Changes……………………………………………………………………………………. 23 Partnership Efforts…………….……………………………………………………………………………… 23

C. Student Performance………………………………………………………………………………………… 24 School Specific Goals and Objectives….……………………………………………………………… 24

Strategies and Programs to Improve Student Performance………………………………. 26 D. Financial/Business Plan and Projected Budget………………………………………………….. 30

Budget………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..30 Financial Management………………………………………………………………………………………. 32 Current Financial Metrics…………………………………………………………………………………… 33 Building/facility plan changes anticipated in the next three-five years………………. 33

E. Intervention, Renewal, Revocation or Closure…………………………………………………….34 Academic Interventions…………………………………………………………………………………….. 34 Other Performance Data……………………………………………………………………………………. 34 Closure Plan………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 35

Appendix B.1 Articles of Incorporation……………………………………………………….. 38 Appendix B.2 Corporate Bylaws…………………………………………………………..……… 43 Appendix B.3 Missouri Certificate of Good Standing…………………………………….53 Appendix B.4 Evidence of Tax Exempt Status……………………………………………….54 Appendix B.5 Conflict of Interest/Background Checks……….………….……..………57

Appendix B.6 Board Meeting Minutes………………………………………………………… 60 Appendix B.7 School Level Org Chart…………………………………………………………… 74 Appendix B.8 Job Descriptions…..………………………………………………………………… 75 Appendix B.9 Application Submission to District………..……………………………….. 83 Appendix C.1 MU Performance Contract…………………………………………………….. 84

Appendix D.1 Five-Year Budget…..………………………………………………………………. 87


Appendix D.2 Insurance Coverages……………………………………………………………….88 Appendix D.3 Surety Bonds……………………..……………………………………………………89

Appendix E.1 Closure Plan…………………………………………………………………………….91 Appendix E.2 Other Comparison Data…………………………………………………………101


Section A: Mission, Vision, and Goals

Mission:

Confluence Charter Schools provides the highest quality public education for our students.

Every day, students are engaged and encouraged to excel in reading, math, science,

technology.

Vision:

Confluence Charter Schools will provide a world-class public education to prepare our

students for success in college, career and life.

Performance Goals

Pursuant to its formal mission and vision statement, Confluence Academy has collaborated with

its sponsor to devise the following goals and objectives from its Sponsor Accountability Plan to

fulfill its mission. These performance objectives are further addressed in Section C with specific

strategies to be successful.

The following goals are based on the current state assessment (MAP) and MSIP5 evaluation

standards and will need to be renegotiated within the annual performance contracts based on

any new assessments or evaluation standards. Academic goals show an approximate 15%

increase from 2014-15. In each subsequent year, the school strives to achieve at least a 10%

increase every year.

Year FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22

Student Retention 65.0% 67.0% 70.0% 72.0% 75.0% 77.5%

Staff Retention 65.0% 70.0% 75.0% 77.5% 80.0% 85.0%

MAP ELA (% Prof/Adv) 34.0% 37.5% 45.0% 52.5% 57.5% 62.5%

MAP Math (% Prof/Adv) 20.0% 22.5% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0%

MAP Science (% Prof/Adv) 12.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0%

Student Attendance 77.0% 79.0% 81.0% 83.0% 85.0% 87.5%

4 Year Graduation Rate 75.0% 77.0% 80.0% 82.0% 85.0% 87.5%

Overall APR Score 55.0% 60.0% 65.0% 70.0% 70.0% 70.0%

Student Demographics Approximately 86% of the approximately 3,000 students that are enrolled at Confluence Academy are African American and approximately 12% are Hispanic. 2% of students are of other ethnicity. 100% of our students qualify for either Free or Reduced Lunch based on the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). Our student population consists of approximately 8% -


10% who are being educated in accordance to an Individualized Education Plan or IEP. We also have approximately 10% of our population that are classified as English Language Learners. We have approximately 5% of our students who qualify for homeless status as defined by the McKinney-Vento Act.

Changes to Improve Educational Performance

Since its last renewal, Confluence Academies have made many significant changes:

Confluence terminated its management contract with EdisonLearning in 2012;

Hired a Teacher Training and Support Director in 2013;

Hired a Curriculum and Instruction Director in 2013 and have worked to develop a

standard, aligned curriculum for all subject areas;

Charter sponsorship transferred from the University of Missouri Science & Technology

to the University of Missouri – Columbia in 2014;

The Network for Evaluator Effectiveness (NEE) system was implemented at all campuses

in 2014 to ensure quality instruction is being implemented as well as to develop staff

members to meet levels of expectations;

In 2015, Aspire Academy (formerly Walnut Park) was downsized to a Pre-K to 6 academy

and rebranded as an “innovative” school with new classes and curriculum;

A 7th and 8th grade learning center was created (Elite Academy) in 2015 to expose

students to a high school prep curriculum and environment;

A strategic planning process was undertaken throughout 2015-16 and into the 2016-17

school year with formal recommendations being provided to the Board;

In an effort to further accomplish our vision, the following adjustments have been made for the

2016-2017 school year:

Old North has been downsized from a K-8 school to a PreK-6th grade academy;

One Pre-K classroom has been added to each of the Old North and South City’s

campuses;

Hired a PBIS Coordinator in 2016 and a School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention

Support (SWPBIS) structure has been implemented at all campuses to identify and

address behavioral concerns and needs;

Implemented Trauma Informed practices in 2016 to meet the social and emotional

needs of our students – added sensory rooms and trauma informed social workers;

As noted above, curriculum at all campuses have been developed or revised to be

aligned to the Missouri Learning Standards;


Created Chief Executive Officer position to direct all operations with an Interim CEO

through December 31st and the hiring of permanent CEO January 1, 2017;

Implemented one to one technology. At Old North and Aspire, students in grades 3-6

have access to their own chrome book. At South City, students in grades 3-8 have

access to their own chrome book. Students in grade K-2 at all three schools have access

to tablets and Chromebases, but it is not completely 1 to 1. At Confluence Preparatory

Academy, students in the core content areas will have access to their own chrome

books during the 16-17 school year. We have noticed classes that implemented the

chrome book technology tend to perform better on both internal and external

computer based assessments.

Significant Changes made to School’s Instructional Program

Confluence Academy is working hard to improve and implement rigorous curriculum in each subject area for the FY16-17 school year. Starting in 2016-17 we will fully implement middle school science with new curriculum in grades 6-8. We also plan to fully implement new science curriculums in grades 4 & 5, as well as physical science and biology at CPA. We will have a full k-8 science curriculum by the 2018-19 school year, if not earlier. Additionally, we have newly written/revised math curriculum in grades K-7 and Algebra 1, with full implementation K-8 beginning in 2017-18. In terms of literacy, we now have newly written, articulated and aligned curriculum k-12. In social studies we will have new curriculum in grades 7 & 8, and American History, World History, and Government at CPA. We will implement full middle school social studies in 2017-18 with K-5 within three years. Our written curriculum includes common summative assessments housed in Mastery Manager and monitored by the building principal and the Director of Curriculum. Five years ago Confluence had no written curriculum and no mechanism in place to monitor student performance and teacher implementation of curriculum. Grade level teams meet regularly to review curriculum and adjust it based on student performance and teacher feedback. With new Missouri Learning Standards, we will review / revise our curriculum beginning this year in order to be prepared for the rollout of new state exams beginning in 2017-18. We fully expect that having an articulated curriculum and a way for our principals and teachers to monitor student achievement will result in increasing MAP/EOC test scores. Confluence Charter Schools recognizes the importance of preparing our students with the 21st

century skills needed to thrive as young adults. In August 2014 we began a pilot project infusing

one to one (1:1) technology in our classrooms. Both quantitative and qualitative data was

gathered on the effectiveness of this program. Renaissance STAR testing showed distinct

differences in student achievement in comparing chrome book and non-chrome book

classrooms. Further, student surveys showed increased engagement and excitement in chrome


book classrooms. The success of the pilot formed the basis of a district-wide implementation

plan.

Building on the success of the first year, we created a comprehensive plan of implementation

for the rest of our buildings. All Chrome book teachers participate in the following:

New chrome book teachers have a day-long initial training before the school year begins

Returning chrome book teachers participate in a ½ day refresher training before the

school year begins

PD focused on individualized learning occurs throughout the year

PD on the student experience/perspective

Monthly PD centered on apps/integration/student engagement

Our program has grown from zero chrome book classrooms in July of 2014 to 130 classrooms

and 3,400 chrome books in August 2016. Every classroom teacher in grades 3-8 has a

classroom set of chrome books as do English, Math, Science and Social Studies teachers at the

high school.

Curriculum and Instruction Confluence Academy has worked to develop a curriculum built on essential content knowledge

and skills delineated by the Missouri Learning Standards, Grade Level Expectations, and Course-

Level Expectations. The curriculum was developed over the past two years by teachers and

consultants. It was developed based on the Understanding by Design (UBD) model by Grant

Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Curriculum at each grade level (Pre-K through 12) is accompanied by

a curriculum calendar to allow staff members to pace instruction as well as implement effective

common formative assessments.

Instructional Approaches and Practices

At Confluence Academy, our instruction in traditional academic subjects rely on a set of

instructional approaches and practices designed to engage students to be active in their

learning. Teachers will draw on multiple strategies in planning, delivering, and adjusting their

instruction. Confluence Academy will employ the following instructional practices:

Balanced Literacy

Teachers present a mini-lesson to the whole class which briefly demonstrates a specific

technique. After the mini-lesson students are given the opportunity to apply that technique on

an independent basis. Teachers’ conference with students and lead small groups for students

who are likely to need more support, based on previous assessment. During these lessons, the


teacher observes and assists as needed, coaching students in applying the technique to their

work. The balanced literacy instructional methodologies that make up that approach serve as

the core teaching for reading and writing. They are as follows:

Reading:

Interactive read-aloud: The teacher reads the text aloud and takes the opportunity to

engage students with texts that are more complex then they read for themselves.

Shared reading: Students read aloud from a common text.

Guided reading: The teacher brings together a group of students who are similar in

reading level based on assessment.

Reading Conferences: Teachers meet with students individually about their reading and

provide descriptive feedback usually focusing in a specific technique.

Writing:

Modeled writing: The teacher demonstrates the process of writing in a particular genre,

while thinking aloud to reveal his/her mental processes while writing.

Shared writing: The teacher and students compose a text together. The teacher serves

as the scribe. Once completed, the text is used as a model example or reference for the

students to refer to when writing independently.

Writing conference: Teachers will meet with students individually about their writing

and provide descriptive feedback usually focusing on a specific technique.

Differentiated Instruction

This instructional technique allows for teachers to provide instruction that is appropriate for

students at different levels of understanding. It allows students to address challenging learning

objectives at a level they can have success. This serves as a building block to help students get

to the level of expectation. Strategies for Differentiation include flexible grouping and using

technology.

Data Informed Instruction

Teachers, supported by school administrators and Instructional Coaches, will analyze data

obtained from LEA administered assessments as well as classroom common formative

assessments. Through this analysis, teachers will be able to identify standards and skills that

students have mastered and those in which students will need more assistance. Students

needing additional assistance can receive it through whole group, small group, or individual

tutoring. In our elementary and middle school grades, time is set aside at the beginning and

end of each school day for students to receive remediation or enrichment.

Project-Based Learning


Gradual Release of Responsibility: I do, We do, You do

Scaffolded instruction for moving classroom instruction from teacher-centered, whole-group

delivery to student-centered collaboration and independent practice. This model proposed a

plan of instruction that includes demonstration, prompt, and practice. At the beginning of the

lesson or when new material is introduced, the teacher has a prominent role in the delivery of

the content (I do). As the student acquires the new information and skills, the responsibility of

the learning shifts from the teacher directed instruction to the student processing activities.

Singapore Mathematics

A teaching method based on the national mathematics curriculum used for kindergarten

through sixth grade. It teaches students to learn and master fewer mathematical concepts at

greater detail as well as having them learn these concepts using a three-step learning process.

The three steps are: concrete, pictorial, and abstract. In the concrete step, students engage in

hands-on learning experiences using concrete objects such as chips, dice, or paper clips. This is

followed by drawing pictorial representations of mathematical concepts. Students then solve

mathematical problems in an abstract way by using numbers and symbols.

Curricular Materials

Subject specific curriculum resources are purchased annually to support the written curriculum.

Teachers’ meet with the Director of Curriculum to discuss resources that worked well with the

written curriculum and those that did not. Based on the outcome of these discussions,

resource selection may change from year to year. All resources are reviewed by a curriculum

committee comprised of teachers, coaches, and administrators. All curricular and instructional

resources will be aligned to the Missouri Learning standards.

English Language Arts:

Teacher Created Units of Study

LLI – Fountas & Pinnell

Michael Hagarty Writing K-3

Mathematics:

Singapore K-5

Math In-Focus 6-8

Science:

MySci 1-3

Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt Fusion 4-5

Pearson Interactive 6-8


Physical Sciences, Biology

Social Studies

Teacher Created Units/Lessons 3– 6, 9 – 12 based on the Missouri Grade Level

McGraw Hill 7-8

Health & Physical Education

Teacher Created Units/Lessons PK – 12 based on the Missouri Grade Level Expectations

Assessments

In honoring its mission and vision, Confluence Academy aspires to provide the highest-quality

education to its students. To measure our progress toward this mission and vision, Confluence

Academy must undertake a consistent program of formative and summative assessment

centered on the Missouri Assessment Program. Students in grades three through eight take the

grade-level and content area MAP tests for which they are accountable. Likewise, our

secondary students take the End-of-Course assessments following the courses specified for

those assessments.

While summative assessment performance is important for any school to demonstrate

adequate yearly progress, we also consider formative assessment very important for our

students to demonstrate success toward grade-level and course-level expectations. To that

end, the following local assessments are utilized:

K-2 students take the DIBELS benchmark and progress monitoring assessments in

English Language Arts (ELA). At the conclusion of the 2015-2016 school year, the DIBELS

data identified 76.1% of our students in Kindergarten were performing at or above

grade level. The DIBELS data also identified 53.3% of our 1st graders performing at or

above grade level.

K-2 students take AIMS benchmark assessments in mathematics. The data for the AIMS

benchmark identified 76.6% of our Kindergarten students performing at or above grade

level. It also identified 72.3% of our 1st graders who are performing at or above grade

level.

Students in grades 2-12 have taken STAR assessments in mathematics and ELA for the

past three years. Beginning with the 2016 school year our students have been assessed

using Galileo. The reason for this change is an attempt to find an assessment that is

more aligned with the Missouri Assessment Program standards. After conducting

research on several products, Galileo proved to be the product that would give

administrators and staff more reliability to decide how our students would perform on

the Grade Level Assessments and End of Course Exams. The results from the first


assessment period identified 28.9% of our students performing at or above grade level

in ELA. In the area of Math, Galileo identified 27.8% of our students were performing at

or above grade level. Following each of our assessments, we aggregate this data to

determine what need patterns are demonstrated and then disaggregate this data to

determine where these patterns exist.

Since 2014, our faculty have developed and continue to refine common formative

assessment. These assessments are written to assess specific Missouri Learning

Standards that are imbedded in the LEA curriculum. After each assessment is

administered, Professional Learning Community (PLC) teams analyze the data using

Mastery Manager Software. Mastery Manager allows staff members to see what

standards students are mastering, broken down by standard, specific teacher, and

individual student. After the data is analyzed, teachers are able to discuss the need to

reteach standards and specific instructional strategies that proved to be successful.

The results from both the common formative assessments and the LEA administered

assessments will be compared with other key performance indicators including

attendance, discipline, and grades. Then, these collective data points are disaggregated

by minority status, free and reduced lunch status, IEP status, and English Language

Learner status. Because Confluence Academy is accountable to each of these subgroups

for the Missouri Assessment Program, instructional strategies should be measured by

their impact on learning progress within each of these accountable subgroups.

As mentioned previously, Confluence Academy internally administers the Galileo assessment

three times a year. It is first administered in the fall when students return to school. The data

from the fall assessment is used as a universal screener. This helps us identify areas in which

students are not performing at their particular grade level. The assessment is also administered

in the winter and again in the spring. The results from the second and third assessment are

used to determine if students are making progress in the areas in which they were deficient

from the universal screener in the fall.


Section B: Organizational/Governance Plan

Governing Body

Confluence Academy, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization is registered with the State of Missouri (Appendix B.3), will hold the charter and be responsible for governing all schools in the LEA. Confluence will act as a Local Education Agency (LEA). Confluence’s Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws can be found in Appendices B.1 and B.2. Confluence Academy is a tax-exempt entity as noted by the Internal Revenue Service (see documentation in Appendix B.4). The Confluence Academy Inc. Board of Directors (Board) holds the charters of and governs the local education agency: Confluence Academy Schools. Confluence Academy, Inc. was formed in 2000 and became a non-profit corporation in 2003. Confluence’s initial sponsor was the University of Missouri-Rolla and started with one elementary school for the FY2003-04 school year and added two other elementary schools over the following years. Confluence Academy was granted its own LEA designation in 2007. In 2009, Confluence opened a high school, Confluence Preparatory Academy. In 2014, the University of Missouri-Columbia took over the sponsorship of all four Confluence Academy schools from UM-Rolla. The Board governs all four schools under the LEA and is subject to the same liability for acts in office as if they were a duly elected school board or any other public school district in the state; the board must have appropriate liability insurance; and the Board may vote to amend the school’s charter with the approval of the sponsoring institution. Confluence will be exempt from all laws and rules related to schools, governing boards and school districts, except for those provided in 160.400 to 160.425 RSMo. In compliance with Missouri Department of Secondary and Elementary Education specifications, Confluence Academy performs a background check on all of its Board Members and employees (Appendix B.5). Additionally, in accordance with 105.450(6) RSMo, the Board understands our responsibility as “decision making public servants”. All board meeting minutes and board meeting attendance rosters will be maintained and kept for the purpose of public record. See three months of Board meeting minutes at Appendix B.6. Further, on 12/16/2016 a copy of this application was submitted to the St. Louis Public School District (see Appendix B.9). The Board delegates authority to manage the operations of the schools to the Resource Office’s Chief Executive Officer. The current Board of directors created the position of Interim Chief Executive Officer pending a search leading to the employment of a full-time CEO. As of February 1, 2016, the Board entered into contract with LDR ADMServices for the employment of Peter T. Kachris as Interim CEO. Dr. Kachris’ charge was to assess the abilities and performance of Confluence Resource Office personnel and the building Principals. Dr. Kachris completed the first ever written evaluations of the individuals in these positions.


On November 18, 2016, the Confluence Board of Directors entered into a three (3) year contract, effective January 3, 2017 with Dr. Candice Carter-Oliver as its Chief Executive Officer. Formerly Assistant Superintendent in the Normandy Schools Collaborative, Dr. Carter-Oliver has a well-earned reputation as an instructional leader, whose focus is school improvement and academic achievement. Centralizing management functions within the Resource Office allows the schools to benefit from economies of scale and synergies obtained by consolidating school level functions such as accounting/finance, accounts payable, human resources, facilities management, information technology, etc. in one dedicated staff and at one physical location. Exhibit B.1.1 depicts the high level governance structure of the organization while Exhibit B.3.1 depicts the management structure of the organization. School organizational charts exist at the building level and represent the roles/functions necessary to operate each school. The schools have a small number of non-instructional personnel (secretaries, data specialists, security, etc.) but are predominately staffed with certified instructional personnel. See Appendix B.7 and B.8 for further information. Exhibit B.1.1 High Level Organizational Chart

Confluence Academy Board

of Directors

Chief Executive Officer

Resource Office

Confluence Academy - South

City

Confluence Academy - Old

North

Confluence Academy -

Aspire

Confluence Academy -CPA/Elite


Board Composition Members of the Board are selected according to the terms and conditions set forth by the Board’s bylaws (Appendix B.2) and board policy. Further, no member of the Board of Directors is employed by the charter school while serving as a member of the board. Additionally, no board member has a substantial interest in an entity that is employed by or contracting with the school board and no board member will be an employee of any company providing substantial services to the school. Confluence Academy’s board representative posts board agendas and minutes on the schools website in accordance with requirements outlined in the Missouri Sunshine Law. The agenda is posted at least 24 hours in advance of board meetings and minutes are posted after each board meeting. All documents subject to Sunshine Law are available in the Resource Office three days after each board meeting. The board reviews the school’s finances, academic progress and check registry at every board meeting. Exhibit B.2.1 on the following page provides information about all current board members, their terms and their relevant educational and professional backgrounds.


Exhibit B.2.1: Board Composition

Board Member Qualifications: Education & Professional Experience Term/Office

Lance LeComb Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs from Wayne State University

Graduate Certificate from University of Missouri- St. Louis in Local Government Management

Manager of public information for Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District

Experience in press relations for the Office of Press Relations, Washington D.C.

President of the Board of Directors of Heat Up/Cool Down St. Louis

Secretary of the Board Joined Board in June 2014 Current Term ends June 2016 Eligible for additional three year

term ending 2019

Leona Lucas Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Lindenwood University

Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Lindenwood University

Senior Technical Director at AT&T

Joined Board in June 2014 Current Term ends June 2016 Eligible for additional three year

term ending 2019

Jose Pineda, MD

MSc

Bachelor and Medical degrees from Francisco Marroquin University

Pediatric Critical Care Physician at Washington University School of Medicine

Associate Professor of pediatrics and neurology

Parent of former Student at GCAA

Joined Board in June 2014 Current Term ends June 2016 Eligible for additional three year

term ending 2019

Essence Owens Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Columbia College

Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Lindenwood University

Customer Service Supervisor at the City of St. Louis Dept. of Public Safety

Parent of Student at Old North campus

Joined Board in April 2016 Current Term ends April 2019 Eligible for additional three year

term ending 2022

Holston Black III Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University

MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School and Wissenschaftliche Hochschule fur Unternehmensfuhrung in Germany

Senior Manager of Learning, Training and Development at Boeing

Joined Board in June 2014 Current term ends June 2017 Eligible for additional three year

term ending 2020

Katherine Casas Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science from Milliken University

Master of Arts in Teaching from Webster University

Vice- Chair of the Board Joined Board in June 2014 Current Term ends June 2017


Managing Director, Public Policy and Regulations practice - Dentons

Former teacher in St. Louis Public Schools

Eligible for additional three year term ending 2020

Craig Larson, Ed.D. B.S. and M.A. in Education from University of Kansas

Ed.D. from Saint Louis University

Retired Rockwood Public School Superintendent

Chair of Board of Trustees for St. Louis Community College

38 years of experience in K-12 education

Adjunct faculty at Maryville University

Treasurer of the Board Joined Board in June 2014 Current Term ends June 2017 Eligible for additional three year

term ending 2020


All new and prospective Confluence Academy Board members receive a comprehensive Board packet that includes all pertinent information (organization charts, Board policies, sponsor contracts, etc.) regarding our schools. Additionally, in July 2014 all Confluence Board members participated in several Board orientation and training sessions conducted by a leading Missouri educational law firm and our sponsors. Sessions were specifically related to information and topics required by DESE and our sponsors, including the Missouri Sunshine Law and general rules for serving on school boards. Board members also attended the October 2014 Missouri Public Charter School Association (MCPSA) conference in St. Louis and have participated in MCPSA Board training sessions in the past. Additional Board training sessions will be scheduled as required or as new Board members are added.

Management and Operation

As described earlier, the Board of Directors employs a resource office staff who work with all four of the schools the board governs. The resource office staff are responsible for the academic, administrative, operational and financial support services for each school. Exhibit B.3.1 displays the current reporting structure and positions. See Appendix B.8 for summary job descriptions, qualifications and executive bios for key leadership positions at the Resource Office and Schools.

Exhibit B.3.1: Confluence Academy Management Structure Organizational Chart

Confluence Academy, Inc.

Board of Directors

Chief Executive Officer

Director of Operations

Chief Financial Officer

Director of Academics

Building PrincipalsDirector of

Curriculum & Instruction

Director of Teacher Training/Support

Director of Human Resources


Staffing and Professional Development Confluence also requires that all instructional and support staff have passed a background check through the State of Missouri as required by DESE. Confluence will not employ any teacher whose certificate or license to teach has been revoked or is currently suspended by the State Board of Education. Confluence provides ongoing professional development of school leadership through access to state and national conferences related to curriculum and instruction, assessment, public policy, and special education. Current leaders as well as potential future leaders are also encouraged to attend the state and national charter school conferences. Ongoing professional development opportunities are provided to both building leadership and staff. Schools utilize Instructional Coaches to help teachers learn hands-on best practices to improving and providing quality instruction and to increase teacher retention. All efforts are made to support and retain teachers and ensure the highest level of instruction is provided. Results from NEE evaluations are used to rate teacher’s performance and staff who have not improved to meet expectation levels are not renewed. In many instances, younger staff who choose to leave do so to obtain experience in another district. Exhibit B.4.1 illustrates the instructional staff turnover at Confluence. Exhibit B.4.1: Confluence Academy Staff Attrition

School Year Attrition rate

2012-2013 31.2%

2013-2014 31.7%

2014-2015 25.5%

2015-2016 31.4%

As noted, staff attrition levels have been historically high at the Confluence Academy schools.

Confluence saw a slight improvement in levels during the FY14-15 school year, but turnover

spiked back up to historic levels in FY15-16. In FY15-16 increased teacher attrition was a result

of the administration taking instructional accountability to higher levels. As Confluence

continues to grow, it has been necessary to add more staff to continue to meet our Curriculum

requirements and to meet the DESE Appropriately Certified standard.


LEA Leadership Changes

In February 2014 the organization hired an interim CEO – Dr. Peter Kachris to lead Confluence

Academy. Dr. Kachris, whose bio can be found at Appendix B.8, brought experience and stability

to the organization. Dr. Kachris will be in the interim leadership role until January 1, 2017 at

which time Dr. Candice Carter-Oliver will take over as permanent CEO. Dr. Kachris will provide

support with the transition with the new CEO during the first month or two of 2017. The

Confluence CEO role will be responsible for all aspects of the Confluence Charter Schools

including hiring and evaluating leadership staff at each school and at the Resource Office. The

CEO will be responsible for implementing Confluence’s strategic plan, which focuses on

improvements to student achievement, teacher retention, positive culture and maintaining

financial stability. The CEO is the only employee who reports directly to the board; all other staff

will report to the CEO.

Partnership Efforts

Over the course of 14 years of operation, Confluence Academy has formed strong partnerships

with many high quality providers in the St. Louis area. We have a partnership with St. Louis

Community College which allows us to offer dual-credit coursework for our CPA high school

students, along with partnerships with the YMCA of St. Louis. We also partner with the Little Bit

foundation which provides shoes and clothing to our high needs population at our Old North

campus. We also partner with the Sofia Project which provides mentoring for our teenage girls

at CPA as well as partner with Alive and Well St. Louis on mental and socio-emotional health for

our students. We also partner with the Brown School of Washington University in filling social

worker roles as well as provide other building supports to our schools.


Section C: Student Performance

School Specific Goals and Objectives

Confluence Academy is committed to the academic performance of our students. In an effort to

achieve our Mission and Vision, it is important to monitor progress toward meeting or exceeding

our performance goals established by our sponsor, University of Missouri-Columbia. As the

official charter school sponsor of Confluence Academies, the University of Missouri-Columbia

(MU) is legislatively required to monitor compliance and performance of the school, recommend

sanctions, if necessary, and closure when the school demonstrates an inability to meet

standards. The following represent the Teaching and Learning goals outlined in the performance

contract. The full performance contract can be viewed in Appendix C.1.

Maintain a professional development system that includes: a teacher evaluation system

that meets state requirements, retention of excellent teachers, and removal or

development of teachers that are not meeting expectations.

Meet map performance index (MPI) academic achievement targets and 2015-16 results

for the individual schools in the LEA:

2016 2016

o South City Target Actual B/<W>

ELA – 290 288 <2>

Math- 250 262 12

Science- 265 232 <33>

o Old North

ELA- 260 254 <6>

Math- 220 222 2

Science- 235 211 <24>

o Aspire

ELA- 270 273 3

Math- 225 253 28

Science- 235 261 26

o Confluence Prep Academy

ELA- 300 305 5

Math- 235 212 <23>

Meet MSIP-5 academic achievement targets below for entire LEA:

o Academic Achievement: On Track

o Subgroup Achievement: On Track

o High School Readiness: On Track


o Attendance: On Track

Maintain results on annual performance reports that meet or exceed the district in which

the charter school is located based on performance standards that are applicable to the

grade-level and enrollment configuration of both the charter school and schools in the

district in which the charter school is located containing similar student populations and

demographics.

Based on the results of Missouri Assessment Placement (MAP) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests

along with attendance and college career readiness (CCR) measures during the prior school

years, i.e. the FY2013-14, FY2014-15 and the FY2015-16, Confluence Academy scored as follows

on the Missouri School Improvement Plan 5 (MSIP5) Annual Performance Review (APR).

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Confluence Academy LEA 28.3% 43.2% 54.6%

As to each of the specific schools within the Confluence Academy LEA, the performance was:

Aspire 10.7% 64.3% 64.3% Old North 75.0% 63.6% 67.1% South City 71.4% 60.7% 60.7% Confluence Prep 34.6% 41.1% 58.9%

While Charter Schools in Missouri are not “officially” accredited, MSIP5 rates schools scoring 0%

to 49.9% unaccredited, 50% to 69.9% provisionally accredited and schools scoring 70% and

above fully accredited. Based on this analysis, all schools, as well as the LEA would be

considered at least provisionally accredited at this time.

Why did the school perform below 70%?

The LEA performed below 70% on its APR due to having a “mixed bag” of results from its

MAP/EOC exams from the spring 2016. ELA, Math and Science scores at our Old North campus

weighed down the LEA’s overall average. Scores were strong at the Aspire campus as well as

South City and CPA. High staff turnover at the Old North campus contributed to the low scores

along with a large contingent of new students, who were multiple grade levels behind, enrolling

in the schools.

Based on our performance, the following interventions were put into place for the current

school year, 2016-17:


Strategies and Programs to Improve Student Performance Student performance is not the result of a single factor or individual action. Rather it is the cumulative

effect of a myriad of events both inside and outside the classroom. To change the environment, change

performance, Confluence has implemented specific targeted approaches to impact student performance.

These approaches are:

1. Curriculum

2. Instructional Coaches and external consultants

3. School Climate and Culture: PBIS and Trauma Informed Schools

4. Attendance

5. Strategic Plan focused on Teacher Recruitment, Development and Retention

Curriculum

In 2012, Confluence Charter schools had no written curriculum. As a result, there was no way to monitor

the implementation of curriculum, no way to ensure that the Missouri Learning Standards were

addressed, and no way to monitor student achievement in relation to those standards. Since our last

renewal, Confluence has written curriculum (Curriculum Map, Units of Study, Common Unit Assessments)

in the following curricular areas:

ELA K-12 Math K-7, Algebra 1 Science 4-8, Biology Social Studies 7-8, American History, World History, Government Health K-6 By the fall of 2017, we plan to have written:

Math 8, Algebra 2 Science K-3 Social Studies 3-6 We are also working on Music, Art, and PE. We are currently in process of revising both Math and ELA

curriculum to reflect the newly approved Missouri Learning Standards for implementation August 2017.

Through the use of the online program Mastery Manager, our Instructional Coaches and building

principals monitor implementation, evaluate data, and work with grade level teams on adjusting teaching

based on formative and summative assessments. We began using Mastery Manager last year and our

ability to have data-informed discussions and data-driven decision in regards to teaching and re-teaching

improved noticeably. Knowing what the students know, what they don’t know, and what we need to re-

teach has improved, and will improve the ability of our teachers to hone in on our struggling students, as

well as to plan for the class as a whole.


Monitoring/tracking effectiveness: we will monitor the ongoing impact through Mastery Manager and

Galileo testing and monitor overall impact through State assessments.

Instructional Coaches and Content Specific Consultants

We have expanded our use of Instructional Coaches and content specific consultants throughout the

network. Each building has at least two Instructional coaches, with one building supporting three. These

coaches work with grade level, or content specific teams on lesson planning, data analysis, classroom

management, best practices, etc. We use the Jim Knight philosophy of coaching throughout the network.

Coaches analyze data with teams, as well as teaching them how to do so themselves. They model lessons

in classrooms, provide feedback from observations, and generally provide job-embedded professional

development for our teachers on an ongoing basis. Coaches meet with teams in a PLC structure weekly,

as well as working on individual bases through the week. In addition, we have contracted with

consultants in literacy, math and science to work with both our teachers and our coaches to ensure the

appropriate level of rigor, curricular content, and content-specific knowledge is taught.

Monitoring/tracking effectiveness: it is difficult to monitor the impact on student achievement of our

Instructional Coaches. We will look to teacher feedback as a component of effectiveness as well as

student achievement on our benchmarks, common assessments and state assessments.

School Culture and Climate: Trauma-Informed/PBIS

Since 2013 school teams have been trained in the PBIS approach to creating positive school climate. This

year Confluence has added the additional resource of an internal trainer to work with buildings and

teams on their universals, as well as on tiers two and three. The tremendous teacher turnover that

Confluence experiences has impacted the ability to build upon successes year over year. A tremendous

amount of time is spent each year on universals and starting from square one, rather than building upon

teacher’s knowledge and taking the program to the next level.

Beginning in the 2015-16 school, the Confluence schools began to look at the research on Trauma and its

impact on student learning and achievement. Beginning the summer of 2016, Confluence began

participating in an 18 month collaboration with Alive and Well St. Louis to turn all of our schools into

trauma-informed/trauma-sensitive schools. In the past, Confluence responded to the effects of trauma

and complex childhood trauma with suspensions. As a result of our learning we have made changes to

incorporate the necessary components to becoming trauma informed/sensitive:

1. Trauma-sensitive professional development

2. Restorative practices

3. Mental health support from trained providers

We have increased the number of social workers in our buildings and our trauma teams meet weekly in

addition to ongoing work within buildings.


In the short time that we have implemented these practices we have seen a slight impact in some of our

schools with the reduction in in-school and out-of-school suspensions. As the practices become more

refined and as our teachers and administrators increase their understanding we believe that we will see a

significant drop in our suspension rate, particularly at the younger grade levels, thereby improving

student performance.

Monitoring/tracking effectiveness: We will monitor the impact of these efforts by our In-School and Out-

of-School suspension rates as well as our attendance rates—both ADA and 90/90 using our student

information system (Infinite Campus).

Attendance

Students can’t learn when they aren’t present in school as classroom experiences cannot be replicated

exactly. Every building has an attendance committee that meets weekly to review student attendance

and create a plan for addressing ongoing issues. One building even has daily meetings when they see

issues beginning to increase. These meetings are important, and the approach is effective, unfortunately

our yearly ADA does not necessarily reflect an increase in attendance. However, we believe that our

work on attendance, combined with our work on becoming more trauma aware and informed, should

result in students remaining in school and therefore improving performance.

Monitoring/tracking effectiveness: We will monitor the impact of these efforts through our ADA and our

90/90 rate using our student information system.

Strategic Plan: Teacher Recruitment, Retention and Reward:

The Board of Confluence initiated a Strategic Planning process in fall of 2015. The process has taken over

a year and we are in the final stages of creating the plan to direct our program moving forward. One of

the key components will be around teacher recruitment and retention. This past year Confluence

experience over a 33% turnover in teachers. The inability to retrain quality teachers and to develop

young teachers into effective teachers has a significant impact on student achievement. We know that

the single most important element that we can do to effect student achievement is to recruit, develop

and retain quality teachers. We will begin implementing the strategies this spring and we hope to see the

impact of our program on student achievement in the strong of 2018 and beyond.

Monitoring/tracking effectiveness: We will monitor the impact of these efforts in our teacher turnover

rates, teacher satisfaction surveys, as well as by student achievement on benchmarks, common

assessments and state assessments.

We believe through this multi-pronged approach that we will see a positive impact on student

achievement.

What performance goals are expected to improve first?


As outlined in the first several paragraphs of this section, a large amount of time and effort is

being spent to keep students in classrooms as opposed to being put out of school altogether.

Therefore, we believe we will first see improvements in our attendance data. We have also put

more emphasis on our CTE programs and believe we will receive additional points in the College

Readiness section. Finally, we believe that with increased classroom time, ELA, Math and

Science scores will also see improvement.


Section D: Financial/Business Plan and Projected Budget

Budget Since severing ties in 2012 with EdisonLearning, the educational management organization (EMO) that was originally contracted to operate the schools, Confluence has been self-managed by the Academy’s Board of Directors who have delegated the running of day-to-day operations to its Resource Office management team (see details about organizational structure, job responsibilities, and current staff in Section B and Appendices B.7 and B.8). Annual budgets are developed during the late winter/early spring with input from each building’s leadership team (Principal and School Operations Managers), Resource Office leadership as well as Board members. Each year, the budget process begins by establishing targeted building-level enrollment numbers by the Director of Operations and Chief Financial Officer with essential input from each site’s Principals. Once enrollment projections are set, anticipated revenues (State, Local, Federal and Miscellaneous) for each school are derived. Once initial revenues are calculated, personnel and non-personnel expenses are reviewed. Additions or eliminations of staffing at the building level are typically discussed between Resource Office leadership team members and building Principals. The main driver of any planned staff increases or reductions is student enrollment. Prior year budgeted and actual expenditures by school are reviewed and targets are set for the current year – on an account-by-account, or line-item, basis, per site. These line-item budgets are reviewed with Principals and School Operations Managers. The schools’ finance committee will review budgets by April 30th of each year. The finance committee, once the proposed budget has been approved, will recommend it to the Board for full approval and adoption prior to July 1st.

Summary: Budget priorities for Confluence Academy ensure that the Confluence schools achieve their educational goals and overall vision, and exhibits fidelity to its mission. Confluence has carefully planned the next five years to provide both a solid foundation for academic achievement and strong financial management. Assumptions used to develop the five-year financial projections offered in Appendix D.1 are as follows:

Revenue:

State revenues based on an estimated per unit WADA payment of $8,150 in FY16-17 expected to grow modestly each year. Prop 1 revenues received in FY18-19 onward will go towards offsetting any reductions in State aid.


Maximum enrollment of 3,075 Pre-K through 12th grade students starting in FY16-17 reduced to 2,725 in FY17-18 and then held fairly consistent over each of the remaining three years.

Annual WADA units in FY16-17 of 3,602 with FY17-18 at 3,447 then held constant the next three years at approximately 3,450 (based on projected enrollment and student mix, as well as free/reduced lunch percentage of 100%).

Local Prop C revenues are budgeted at $979 in year 1 with 1.0% increases built in year-over-year.

Federal program Title I, Title 2, Title III and SPED Part B amounts have been budgeted based on amounts received as preliminary allocations for FY16-17. Food service revenue has been projected using published NSLP reimbursement rates.

Expenses:

Salaries expense represents slight increase in staffing anticipated in FY16-17 in order to service Pre-K grade expansion, with minimal staffing increases projected thereafter. 1.0% annual blended cost of living increase projected for administration, instructional, and support staff.

Benefits expense of 7.45% of salaries for Medicare/FICA, 15.5% retirement, 1.3% unemployment and 1.0% workers comp. as well as 15% of salary for medical, dental and vision benefits.

Classroom instruction (1111, 1121 & 1131) represents salaries which are mainly instructional staff related costs. Purchased services reflect classroom textbooks and instructional materials.

Special Education Services (1221) we have budgeted for our internal special education services throughout the five year term. Supplies are projected at $25 per special education student.

Financial Accounting Services (2520) represent resource office allocation charges for educational support and back-office services required during the five year period – assumed to be between 6.5% - 8.1% of revenues.

Facilities related costs include a plan to purchase the Library building (CPA) in October 2016 using a bank facilitated bridge loan ($9.5mm) with a 20 year amortization.

Transportation to the school for the general student population, as well as any special education student transportation requirements resulting from an IEP or homeless (McKinney-Vento act) requirements will have to be met by the school. Therefore projections could change for this unknown variable. Financial plans and projections call for the maintenance of at least a 10.0% minimum General Fund reserve balance in accordance with State guidelines.


Financial Management

Like most charter schools, Confluence Academy has faced multiple organizational and operational challenges throughout its thirteen plus years of existence. Actual expenditures – facility non-personnel and personnel costs— have climbed along with budgeted revenue forecasts from the most recent charter renewal. Additionally, revenues have managed to keep up with rising costs, due to rising enrollments as well as increasing WADA $ rates. Per pupil state funding as well as enrollments have consistently reached originally-designated levels. The benefit of meeting enrollment targets has provided the ability to accomplish a large number of high priority projects in recent years. For example, key capital expenditures have been made in the fully rehabbed Confluence Preparatory Academy and Junior Elite Academy. These facilities, along with our three elementary buildings have allowed enrollment levels to steadily climb over the past five years. Confluences finances are managed by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with support from the Company’s Senior Accountant as well as a Staff Accountant. These individuals are responsible for generating the accounting transactions of the organization. Since 2012, Confluence has utilized the SISFin Financial General Ledger accounting system to input entries and report on financial results. This system allows the LEA to upload final amounts directly to DESE for Annual Secretary of the Board (ASBR) reporting purposes. Confluence also ensures that it carries full and comprehensive insurance coverages for adequate risk mitigation. See listing of full coverages at Appendix D.2 Confluence also follows generally accepted accounting practices and the Missouri Financial Accounting Manual. The Academy has regular annual external audits by independent firms each year since June 30, 2004. The audit reports are posted to the schools website in January of each year in accordance with Missouri statute section 165.121.5(3), RSMo.

Each year, both a Single Audit and Compliance report are prepared and presented for acceptance by the Board. These reports present the Academy’s financial statements in accordance with the Missouri Financial Accounting Manual (MFAM) each year. Further, these reports are provided to the Sponsor, as well as to the DESE Finance department prior to December 31st annual deadline. Audit reports of both the financial statements and the federal programs revenues (Single Audit), as warranted, have been completed annually. Confluence’s CFO provides accurate and concise financial updates to the Board each month. Additionally, the Board fully complies with the requirement to approve Confluence’s budget by June 30th each year. All budgeted expenditures are properly approved and signed off on by the CFO. Non-budgeted expenditures, which arise infrequently, are approved by the Board through the Finance sub-committee.


Current Financial Metrics During the 2014-15 fiscal year, costs related to the Operation of Plant equaled 5.0% versus the State average of 8.21%. Confluence fares favorably when compared to the State in this category. Expenditures (2014-15) on Instruction as a percentage of revenues equaled 44.28% versus the State average of 48.07%. While Confluence’s percentage is lower than the State, it is generally ranked in the middle of the 17 St. Louis Charter Schools and compares favorably to Saint Louis Public Schools which expended 43.8% of its funds on Instructional Costs. 2014-15 expenditures on Administration as a percentage of revenues equaled 12.07% versus the State average of 7.91%. While higher than the State average, it should be noted that Confluence has the fourth lowest percentage spent on administration when compared with the 17 other St. Louis Charter Schools.

Building/facility plan changes anticipated in the next three-five years The Academy has four campuses within the Confluence LEA as follows: South City – Meramec Building (61,482 Sq. Ft.) South City – Compton Building (31,263 Sq. Ft.) Old North (83,776 Sq. Ft.) Aspire Academy – Main (55,560 Sq. Ft.) Aspire Academy – Annex (25,473 Sq. Ft.) Confluence Preparatory Academy (141,162 Sq. Ft.) Confluence either owns and/or rents multiple facilities that serve their student populations. Each of the Aspire Academy and Old North Academy buildings are owned while the Confluence Preparatory (CPA) campus is leased. Confluence also leases one of the two buildings at their South City campus. Debt costs on the owned buildings as well as lease costs are factored into annual budgets. Confluence is working closely with its CPA building landlord to purchase this facility in the near future. The cost of ownership on an annual basis will likely be reduce by $100,000 - $150,000 after utilities and maintenance is taken into consideration.


Section E: Intervention, Renewal, Revocation, or Closure

Academic Interventions Confluence Academy has consistently scored below 70% as an LEA in accordance with MSIP APR scoring guides. However, it should be noted that several of their buildings (Old North and South City in particular) have scored in either the provisionally accredited or fully accredited categories within the past three years. In addition, the Walnut Park (Aspire) campus scored in the provisionally accredited category in FY14-15. The main driver of the low LEA MSIP5 score has been and continues to be the high school (Confluence Preparatory Academy or CPA). However, the high school has seen steady improvement in each of the prior three years as their APR scores have gone from 34.6% in 2012-13 to 40.8% in 2013-14 to 41.1% in 2014-15 and 58.9% in 2015-16. While CPA’s graduation rates in FY16 were high enough to receive 100% of available MSIP5 points, it under performed in both academic and subgroup achievement as well as the college and career readiness and attendance sections. Interventions to promote growth in these categories are as follows:

Hiring of a part-time CCR coordinator at the high school

Hiring of a full-time math coach at the high school

Hiring of an additional full-time social worker at the high school

Other Performance Measures While student academic performance has not been as high as hoped for on the Missouri Assessment Placement (MAP) tests or End of Course (EOC) exams, it has rivaled, and in many cases exceeded, the performance of Saint Louis Public Schools (SLPS) with similar demographics. In 2016 Confluence Academy’s gap between all SLPS schools in English Language Arts (ELA) went from 2.4% to 4.6%. Performance in Math was not as high as anticipated and the GAP also increased from 4.5% to 8.8%. This underperformance was attributed mainly to the results at our Old North campus. That being said, two out of our three elementary sites (South City and Aspire) significantly outperformed the average of SLPS non-magnet schools in ELA and these same schools also outperformed in Math, with South City significantly outperforming. See Appendix E.2. When comparing the elementary building scores to SLPS neighborhood schools, it was noted that South City’s 3rd – 8th grade ELA and Math MAP scores ranked second highest out of 13 schools and third highest in Math. Aspires 3rd – 8th grade scores were also second highest when compared to 11 other SLPS neighborhood schools which was an increase of two spots compared


to 2015. Aspires math scores placed them 3rd out of 11. Old North’s scores were 5th in ELA and 7th in Math out of 12 schools. 2016 End of Course examination scores at Confluence Preparatory High School (CPA) came in fourth when compared with five (5) other SLPS non-magnet, comprehensive high schools on the English 2 test and also came in second when compared to these same five (5) schools on the Algebra 1 test. See Appendix E.2. While performance on the MSIP5 APR DESE scoring guide is important, we feel that performance against schools with similar demographics is ultimately the most relevant and pertinent comparison. As a public charter school within the City of St. Louis, it is unlawful for Confluence Academy to set selective admission standards in the same fashion as SLPS does for their magnet/choice schools; therefore, it is unfair for us to compare ourselves to these types of selective admittance schools. Confluence Academy will continue to function as an LEA so long as it performs in the top quartile of truly public non-magnet schools in the future. Having said this, we feel plans are in place to achieve the 70% fully accredited scoring related to MSIP5 by the FY18-19 school year.

Closure Plan In the event that Confluence does not meet performance or organizational requirements as outlined in the charter contract with University of Missouri-Columbia, the University may, per the contract with Confluence, close the school. Parents will be kept informed of, and provided a forum to discuss concerns about, any closure decision. The University and the Confluence Academy Board of Directors have agreed to adhere to the closure requirements and procedures as outlined in chapter 355, RSMo, and in full compliance with 160.405.1(17). The Board and University will ensure that:

All assets will first be utilized for the purpose of student relocation, record distribution and retention, and payment of outstanding liabilities/debt.

Remaining assets purchased with Confluence state and federal funds will be redistributed in accordance with state and federal statutes, regulations and guidelines.

Assets for which origin cannot be determined will necessarily be assumed to be state funded assets.

Any assets acquired through documented donations, gifts, grants or other sources shall be disposed of upon dissolution of Confluence in accordance with the articles of incorporation of and the Missouri Nonprofit Corporation Act.

A detailed checklist and timeline has been provided in Appendix E.1. The document includes detailed information on each of the following required items:

Transfer of Student Records Communication and Notification of all Stakeholders


Archival and Transfer of Business and Personnel Records Financial Reporting Disposition of Assets

The Board of Directors and staff of Confluence Academy understand that closure of a charter school can be very difficult for school stakeholders, particularly students, families and school staff. If closure of Confluence is determined as necessary, for any reason, the Board will work with our charter sponsor and resource office and school management to ensure the orderly closure of the school or schools to protect the best interests of displaced families and staff with a focus on assisting successful transitions for all parties involved. Some actions will take place within one week of the decision to close while some will be completed within 30 days. Others will be ongoing until the school closure is complete. See full closure plan at Appendix E.1.


APPENDICES


Appendix B.1 – Articles of Incorporation






Appendix B.2 – Corporate Bylaws











Appendix B.3 – Missouri Certificate of Good Standing


Appendix B.4 - Confluence Academy Evidence of Tax Exempt Status




Appendix B.5 – Board Conflict of Interest and Background Checks

ORGANIZATION, PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS Policy 0342

(Regulation 0342)

School Board Organization

(Form 0342)

Conflict of Interest

Section 1: Purpose

Confluence Academy (“Corporation”) is a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to

organize and operate charter schools within the City of Saint Louis, Missouri. The Board of

Directors, officers, faculty and staff owe the Corporation an undivided duty of loyalty and

fidelity. They shall not use their positions with the Corporation or any knowledge gained

therefrom for their personal benefit.

Section 2: Applicability

This policy applies to Directors and Officers of the Corporation as well as to the faculty and

staff (‘employees’) of the Corporation, and all employees of the management company, who

have access to proprietary information concerning the Corporation.

Section 3: Prohibitions

The following are prohibited –

(a) No Officers or Directors shall, directly or indirectly, receive any compensation from

the Corporation. This shall not prevent the reimbursement of cash outlays expended

by an Officer or Director in the performance of duties for the Corporation, provided

that the Board of Directors authorizes such expenditure in advance.

(b) No Officer, Director, or employee shall solicit or accept any gift or loan from any

third party dealing with or proposing to deal with the Corporation.

(c) No Officer, Director or employee shall use or disclose any information obtained in

the course of his or her official capacity for the financial benefit of such a person or

any affiliated person (which shall include, but not be limited to, spouse, domestic

partner, parent, child or sibling).

(d) No Officer or Director shall hold any office or employment from the Board or

Corporation while serving as a member of the Board, nor shall any member have a

substantial interest, as defined in Section 105.450 R.S.Mo., in any entity employed by

or contracting with the Board. No board member shall be an employee of a company

that provides substantial services to the corporation.


Section 4: Areas In Which Conflicts May Arise

Conflict of interest may arise in the relations of Directors, Officers, or employees or their

affiliated persons with any of the following third parties -

• Firms supplying, or proposing to supply, merchandise, equipment or services to the

Corporation.

(e) Firms with whom the Corporation considers dealing or is dealing in connection with

the purchase or lease of real property, equipment or other personal property or any

construction projects for the Corporation.

Section 5: Nature of Conflict of Interest

A conflicting interest is defined as an interest, direct or indirect, in any firm identified

in Section 4. Such an interest may arise through;

(f) An ownership or investment interest, (excluding any such interest in any publicly traded

corporation or other entity or in any institution lender), in any third party dealing with

the Corporation.

(g) Holding office, serving on the board, participating in management, or

being otherwise employed with any third parties dealing with the Corporation. (h) Receiving compensation from any third party dealing with the Corporation.

It is recognized that the Corporation may enter into an agreement or agreements with third

parties, which require such third parties to provide insurance covering the Officers, Directors

or employees of its Corporation or to provide payment of the salaries and benefits of the

Corporation’s employees. The circumstances and conditions listed in Section 4 and 5 are not

exhaustive. Conflicts may arise in other circumstances. Directors, Officers and employees are

expected to be sensitive to any areas and relationships which could generate a conflict on their

part.

Section 6: Duty to Disclose

A Director, Officer or employee shall disclose to the Board of Directors the existence of any

actual or possible conflict of interest and shall provide to the Board all material facts. Such

disclosure shall be made as soon as the Director, Officers or employee becomes aware of

actual or possible conflict of interest.

Section 7. Determining Whether a Conflict of Interest Exists

The Director, Officer or employee shall, at the request of the Board, appear before it to provide

the Board with such additional information as the Board requires for a discussion of and vote on

the determination as to whether a conflict of interest exists.

Section 8: Procedures For Addressing the Conflict of Interest


If the Board determines that a conflict of interest exists, the following procedures shall apply-

(i) The Director, Officer or employee shall at the request of the Board, appear before it to

provide the Board with such additional information as the Board may request, but shall

not be present during the discussion of, or vote on, any action to be taken by the Board

in connection with an existing or proposed contract, arrangement or other transaction

that involves the conflict of interest.

(j) The Board shall exercise due diligence in determining whether a contract, transaction or

arrangement with an entity can be obtained that would give rise to a conflict of interest.

Section 9: Violation of Conflict of Interest Policy

(k) If the Board has reasonable cause to believe that a Director, Officer or employee has

failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall inform such a person of

the basis for such belief and afford such a person an opportunity to explain the failure to

disclose.

If, after receiving the response of the person and making such further investigation as

may be warranted in the circumstances, the Board determines that such person has in

fact failed to disclose an actual or possible conflict of interest, it shall take such action

as it deems reasonable and appropriate.

Section 10: Annual Statement

Each Director, Officer and employee shall sign a statement by the time of the annual

June meeting which affirms that such person -

(l) has received a copy of the conflict of interest policy.

(m) has read and understands the policy; and has agreed to comply with the policy.

(n) will disclose to the Board, as soon as such person becomes aware of any

circumstances which may involve an actual or possible conflict of interest, all material

facts.

Note: As of July 31, 2016 all Confluence board members have signed

conflict of interest statements and undergone criminal background

checks as required by Missouri Law.


Appendix B.6 – Three Consecutive Months Board Meeting Minutes

MINUTES CONFLUENCE CHARTER SCHOOLS BOARD OF DIRECTORS’

MAY 19, 2016

Board Members in attendance: Board Members not in attendance: Jose Pineda, Chair Leona Lucas, Excused Dr. Craig Larson, Vice-Chair & Treasurer Katherine Casas, Excused Essence Owens Rob Goldson, Excused Lance LeComb, Secretary Holston Black III, via AT conference Confluence Charter Schools Staff: Dr. Peter Kachris, Interim CEO Jeff Kuntze, Chief Financial Officer, via AT Conference Terry Noble, Director of Human Resources Dr. Phil Kennedy, Director of Academics Dr. Louise Losos, Director of Curriculum Resource Dr. Jim Walters, Director of Professional Learning and Teacher Support Greg Allerdissen, Senior Accountant Mike Baker, Facilities/Transportation Marcy Dotson, Instructional Technology Nez Savala, Director of Public Relations John Klein, Director of Operations and Enrollment Angela Carpenter, Co-Principal, Aspire Academy Dr. Sonya Murray, Principal, Old North Campus Pam Davenport, Principal, South City Campus Dr. Matt Frederickson, GCAA, Head of School Mr. Mike Powers, Principal, Confluence Preparatory Academy Dr. Ronald Ferrell, Principal, Elite Academy Joleen Ploeger, Administrative Assistant, Board of Directors Guests: Margaret Hesse of Tueth, Keeney Law Firm Martha McGeehon, Saint Louis University Shanika Harris, University of Missouri Earl Simms, University of Missouri Steve Langhorst Rhonda Holt William Rebore, BAFC Consultants Barbara Shumard Tanisha Stanciel


Dr. Jose Pineda called the meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. Dr. Craig Larson motioned to approve the Tentative Agenda of May 19, 2016; seconded by Lance LeComb . The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Mr. Lance LeComb motioned to approve the Minutes of April 20, 2016; seconded by Ms. Essence Owens. The motion carried (5-0). General Board Business Introductions and Public Comment None. Other General Board Business None. Finance March, 2016 Financial Mr. Greg Allerdissen reported the Confluence net change in funds as $243K. We are ahead of budget by $47K. Mr. Allerdissen provided changes to the notes. Proposition C and basic state revenue are currently running favorable; new note #3 reflects an extra $75K received from the Focus Federal Grant; new note #4 is the capital lease adjustment in revenue and expense of $214K but the net effect is $0. Mr. Allerdissen completed his review of the remaining notes. Grand Center Arts Academy has a net change in funds of ($284K) with a variance of ($210K) behind budget. Mr. Allerdissen reviewed the notes affecting GCAA including higher property services and security expenses. On a consolidated basis, Confluence is ($162K) behind budget in net change in funds. FY2016-17 Budget Assumptions Mr. Allerdissen reviewed the 2016-17 Budget Assumptions as of May 19. 2016. With the addition of Pre-K and moving the JA from Old North to Elite, enrollment for 2016-17 is estimated at 3,705 students. WADA rates are expected to stay relatively flat to slightly lower vs the current year due to inclusion of new SLPS Pre-K student counts as well as decreases in WADA thresholds. We have not received preliminary estimates for Part B revenue. Enrollment shortfalls in the June/July 2016 summer sessions could have a significant impact on our FY16-17 budgets. Personnel and/or technology reductions may be necessary if enrollment levels can’t be increased to budgeted targets. Employee benefit costs will stay relatively flat. Additional revenue could be generated from expectations built into the remediation program. Mr. Kuntze included lunch aides for the elementary buildings at a cost of $40K per building or $120K built into the latest budget. Painting, weight room rehab and furniture at CPA/Elite were added to the capital projects for FY16-17. With the SLPS/Liddell motion, it may push back the timing for


purchasing the CPA and Beaux Arts buildings. A final version of the 2016-17 Budget Assumptions will be presented to the Board of Directors for approval at the June meeting. Pre-K Funding Thank you to Katherine Casas for her legislative expertise. Bond Refunding Status and Bond Underwriter(s) Recommendation The necessary parties, including bond counsel, have been selected to assist in bond refunding; however, the SLPS/Liddell lawsuit has delayed this process. A conference call is scheduled for Tuesday, May 24. Ms. Hesse reported we do have time to complete this matter. Committee Updates Academic While we will not have MAP results until September, Dr. Phil Kennedy will report on STAR and EOC data at an upcoming Academic Sub-Committee Meeting in June. The administrative team has been working on the elementary schedule. They are trying to be more focused on instruction and increased academic rigor. Lunch periods/recess will be 40 minutes. This will allow teachers to get a break and provide protective time for planning. New lunch monitors will be added. Dr. Kachris agreed that teachers deserve some uninterrupted time. They will focus on priorities such as PBIS and being trauma informed. GCAA Advisory Rhonda Holt shared that May 24th will be the first graduating ceremony for Grand Center Arts Academy seniors. They recently held a senior showcase and award ceremony. Enrollment for 2016-17 is 707 but, they will continue to work on increasing that number. Personnel New Board Member Essence Owens reported the committee will delve into the NEE evaluation process. Charter Renewal Dr. Kachris reported the charter renewal committee met last week. A draft of the Charter Renewal will be prepared and ready to submit by late summer. Action Items Calendar for 2016-17 School Year John Klein provided a draft of the 2016-17 Calendar for approval. Staff from each building helped develop this calendar. Focus groups from each campus along with our Professional Development


Committee overwhelming support this calendar. Mr. Klein reported on the required hours needed in order to be funded. Dr. Craig Larson motioned to accept the 2016-17 Calendar; seconded by Mr. Lance LeComb. The motion carried (5-0). Custodial and Maintenance Contract John Klein provided an overall summary of the Custodial/Maintenance RFP. Nine (9) companies attended the pre-meeting; five (5) of those companies responded. The Board discussed the results of the summary with the top two (2) being highlighted for Board consideration. Dr. Kachris expressed the RFP committee would like to proceed with WFF, as change is appropriate. There is, however, concern with the additional cost. We need a clean, orderly environment for the kids. Following some discussion, the Board expressed concern with the additional impact on the schools. This topic has been tabled at this time until further conversations may be held with the Chief Financial Officer. Mr. LeComb noted that in future contracts, a clause should be included to extend a contract or agreement on a month-to-month basis. District Assessment Plan Dr. Louise Losos provided a draft of a new District Assessment Plan required by DESE. In the past, Confluence has not had one. The purpose of this plan is to be a summary of the standardized student assessments we do. Mr. LeComb motioned to approve the District Assessment Plan noting his interest to know more about how assessment results are used; seconded by Dr. Craig Larson. The motion carried (5-0). New Business and/or Updates Food Service Contract RFP John Klein announced the preparation of an RFP for food service in 2016-17. He will provide a recommendation to the Board at the June Board of Directors’ Meeting. Enrollment/Attendance The SLPS lawsuit has been negatively impacting our enrollment. We will continue to push forward. John Klein will provide enrollment data to Mr. Lance LeComb. All Confluence schools will be open for the upcoming 2016-17 school year. Other Business Communication/PR Update Commencement exercises are scheduled for Confluence Preparatory Academy and Grand Center Arts Academy. CPA is graduating its fifth class in school history, while GCAA is graduating its first class in school history. A list of other ceremony dates and times was provided. Limelight 2016, a fundraiser celebration for GCAA, is May 20 at 6:30 pm at the Sun Theater.


Confluence Academy – Old North participated in the 128th Annual Annie Malone May Day Parade. Royce Martin, a sophomore at GCAA, is the winner of the 2016 St. Louis Teen Talent Competition at the Fox Theater held in late April. Royce earned first place for his original piano piece. Julian Williams, a junior at GCAA, pitched a business idea at the “Angels in the Outfield” competition with Saint Louis University in late April. He was one of 10 high school students from the area selected for the youth entrepreneur event at Gateway Grizzlies Stadium. Congratulations Royce and Julian. Congratulations to Mr. Keith Davis, assistant principal at Old North, for completing his doctorate of education in educational leadership from Saint Louis University. Approval of Check Register Mr. Lance LeComb motioned to approve the check register; seconded by Ms. Essence Owens. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). At 9:34 am, Mr. Lance LeComb motioned to enter into Closed Session pursuant to the Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 610.021, subsections (1), (2), (3), (9) and, (13); seconded by Dr. Craig Larson. With a roll call vote of Rob Goldson – excused; Dr. Craig Larson – yes; Katherine Casas – excused; Holston Black III – yes, via video conference; Lance LeComb – yes; Leona Lucas – excused; Essence Owens – yes; and, Jose Pineda – yes; the motion carried unanimously (5-0). The open session reconvened at 11:03 am with a motion by Lance LeComb; seconded by Dr. Craig Larson. With a roll call vote of Rob Goldson – excused; Dr. Craig Larson – yes; Katherine Casas – excused; Holston Black III – yes; Lance LeComb – yes; Leona Lucas – excused; Essence Owens – yes; and, Jose Pineda – yes; the motion carried unanimously (5-0). Mr. Lance LeComb motioned to adjourn at 11:03 am; seconded by Dr. Craig Larson. The motion carried unanimously (5-0) and the meeting adjourned.



APRIL 20, 2016

Board Members in attendance: Board Members not in attendance: Dr. Craig Larson, Vice-Chair & Treasurer Rob Goldson, Excused Jose Pineda, Chair Katherine Casas, Excused Lance LeComb, Secretary Leona Lucas Holston Black III Essence Owens Confluence Charter Schools Staff: Dr. Peter Kachris, Interim CEO Jeff Kuntze, Chief Financial Officer Terry Noble, Director of Human Resources Dr. Phil Kennedy, Director of Academics Dr. Louise Losos, Director of Curriculum Resource Dr. Jim Walters, Director of Professional Learning and Teacher Support Greg Allerdissen, Senior Accountant Mike Baker, Facilities/Transportation Marcy Dotson, Instructional Technology Nez Savala, Director of Public Relations John Klein, Director of Operations and Enrollment Angela Carpenter, Co-Principal, Aspire Academy Leslie Muhammad, Co-Principal, Aspire Academy Dr. Sonya Murray, Principal, Old North Campus Pam Davenport, Principal, South City Campus Dr. Matt Frederickson, GCAA, Head of School Dr. Laurie Milburn, ELL Coordinator Mike Powers, Principal, Confluence Preparatory Academy Dr. Ronald Ferrell, Principal, Elite Academy Dion Edwards, Director of Athletics Joleen Ploeger, Administrative Assistant, Board of Directors Guests: Margaret Hesse of Tueth, Keeney Law Firm Shane Jones, Tueth, Keeney Law Firm Martha McGeehon, Saint Louis University Shanika Harris, University of Missouri Gerard Kettenbach, University of Missouri Steve Langhorst Damen Martin Jess Dewes Rhonda Holt Ashley Tate


Jose Pineda called the meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. Lance LeComb motioned to approve the Tentative Agenda of April 20, 2016; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). Holston Black III motioned to approve the Minutes of March 28, 2016 and April 1, 2016; seconded by Leona Lucas. The motion carried (5-0) with Lance LeComb abstaining. General Board Business Introductions and Public Comment Damen Martin, Jess Dewes and Ashley Tate, all employees of Grand Center Arts Academy, invited the Board Members to upcoming Grand Center Arts Academy events. Mr. Martin and Ms. Tate are in support of the bargaining team. They stressed the importance of supporting their teachers. Other General Board Business A reminder was given to the Board of Directors to complete their Personal Financial Disclosures with the Missouri Ethics Commission no later than the May 2, 2016 deadline. Essence Owens completed her Oath of Office on April 19, 2016, in the Resource Office. Committee Updates Academic MAP and EOC testing are underway. Dr. Louise Losos and the testing coordinators have done a fantastic job. Dr. Phil Kennedy expects EOC testing results in May with MAP results following in September. Dr. Kennedy reported the completion of 1100 classroom observations. He is currently reviewing trend data reports with the principals. GCAA Advisory Rhonda Holt announced the national qualifying round for the GCAA poetry team is this Saturday. GCAA has seven (7) students out of the 25 competing for a national position. GCAA will celebrate their first prom this Friday, April 22. Board members planning to attend graduation are to rsvp to Lisa Kaczmarczyk as soon as possible. Ms. Holt asked the board to share updates regarding an LEA merger. Board Chair Jose Pineda responded there is nothing new to report regarding this topic. Finance


February, 2016 Financial Mr. Greg Allerdissen reported the Confluence net change in funds as $84K. We are ahead of budget by $215K. Mr. Allerdissen reported no changes to the current notes. Grand Center Arts Academy has a net change in funds of ($276K) with a variance of ($209K) behind budget. Mr. Allerdissen highlighted expenditures such as purchased services, nurse services and discipline hearings. The Board inquired into higher electric bills. The consolidated report is running in line with the budget totals. FY2016-17 Budget Assumptions Mr. Jeff Kuntze provided the latest budget assumptions for 2016-17. Based on conversations Mr. Kuntze had, he did make a slight change to the 2016-17 WADA rates. He explained the two (2) scenarios provided for Pre-K and transitioning the Old North students to the Elite Academy. The principals are working aggressively to enroll students into the June/July summer sessions. South City has reached an enrollment target of 500 students as well as Old North. The Aspire Academy currently has enrolled over 350 students. Students are being identified through STAR data. The second round of budget meetings have been held and a third round has been scheduled for the last week of April. The principals agreed the budget reviews have been more effective and they appreciate the level of detail shared. Jeff clarified for the Board that repair and maintenance is built into the budget under a separate category from capital expenditures. Pre-K Funding Both the House and Senate have passed the Pre-K funding bill (HB1451; 1667; Senate Bill 651 and SB586) and it is now awaiting Governor Nixon’s approval. Governor Nixon says he will veto this bill but, because there may be time left in-session, they may be able to override the veto. The Board will continue to monitor this outcome. Bond Refunding Status and Bond Underwriter(s) Recommendation The Finance Sub-Committee recommended and selected Stifel Nicolaus as lead manager and Piper Jaffray as co-manager. Mr. Kuntze feels the bond refunding is moving along smoothly while monitoring for the most optimum time. Action Items None. New Business and/or Updates Custodial/Maintenance RFP Mr. John Klein met with ten (10) potential candidates for our pending Custodial/Maintenance RFP. Five (5) candidates responded and the selection committee has been reviewing those proposals. Mr. Klein


will invite the top two (2) for further review and discussion. He intends to provide his recommendation to the Board at the May Board Meeting. Charter Renewal Sub-Committee Dr. Peter Kachris chose to provide no comment at this time. The budget meetings have taken precedence at this time. Personnel Committee Ms. Leona Lucas asked to reconvene the Personnel Committee to establish goals, objectives and tasks. She asked the Board administrative assistant to provide an email/doodle poll for establishing a meeting date. She wants to confirm compliance in our policies and procedures. Other Business Communication/PR Update The St. Louis American visited Aspire Academy to see how we are using yoga in our classrooms. Their organization is presenting an award to the St. Louis Regional Health Commission/Alive and Well STL at the end of April. The video will be shown at a special event and posted on the newspaper’s website. Reporters from St. Louis Public Radio met with Dr. Kachris, Dr. Jim Walters and Nez Savala about a story on suspension rates and racial disparities in public school districts and public charter schools. Ms. Savala will provide the date that the segment will air. Grand Center Arts Academy will host a career fair on April 27, 2016. Approval of Check Register Mr. Lance LeComb motioned to approve the check register; seconded by Mr. Holston Black III. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). At 6:23 pm, Mr. Lance LeComb motioned to enter into Closed Session pursuant to the Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 610.021, subsections (1), (2), (3), (9) and, (13); seconded by Dr. Craig Larson. With a roll call vote of Rob Goldson – excused; Dr. Craig Larson – yes; Katherine Casas – excused; Holston Black III – yes; Lance LeComb – yes; Leona Lucas – yes; Essence Owens – yes; and, Jose Pineda – yes; the motion carried unanimously (6-0). The open session reconvened at 8:37 pm with a motion by Mr. Lance LeComb; seconded by Ms. Leona Lucas. With a roll call vote of Rob Goldson – excused; Dr. Craig Larson – yes; Katherine Casas – excused; Holston Black III – yes; Lance LeComb – yes; Leona Lucas – yes; Essence Owens – yes; and, Jose Pineda – yes; the motion carried unanimously (6-0). Leona Lucas motioned to adjourn at 8:38 pm; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried

unanimously (6-0) and the meeting adjourned.



APRIL 1, 2016

Board Members in attendance: Board Members not in attendance: Dr. Craig Larson, Vice Chair & Treasurer Lance LeComb, Secretary Jose Pineda, Chair Katherine Casas Rob Goldson Leona Lucas via AT Conference Holston Black III Confluence Charter Schools Staff: Dr. Peter Kachris, Interim CEO Jeff Kuntze, Chief Financial Officer Terry Noble, Director of Human Resources Dr. Phil Kennedy, Director of Academics Dr. Louise Losos, Director of Curriculum Resource Dr. Jim Walters, Director of Professional Learning and Teacher Support Greg Allerdissen, Senior Accountant Mike Baker, Facilities/Transportation Marcy Dotson, Instructional Technology Nez Savala, Director of Public Relations John Klein, Director of Operations and Enrollment Angela Carpenter, Co-Principal, Aspire Academy Leslie Muhammad, Co-Principal, Aspire Academy Dr. Sonya Murray, Principal, Old North Campus Pam Davenport, Principal, South City Campus Dr. Matt Frederickson, GCAA, Head of School Dr. Laurie Milburn, ELL Coordinator Dr. Ronald Ferrell, Principal, Elite Academy Joleen Ploeger, Administrative Assistant, Board of Directors Guests: Margaret Hesse of Tueth, Keeney Law Firm Martha McGeehon, Saint Louis University Earl Simms, University of Missouri Paul Doerrer, BAFC Steve Langhorst Jennifer Adams Deborah Meng Many teachers/staff from CPA and South City Dianne Gray


Jose Pineda called the meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Rob Goldson motioned to approve the Tentative Agenda of April 1, 2016; seconded by Dr. Craig Larson. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). Rob Goldson motioned to approve the Minutes of March 5, 2016; seconded by Katherine Casas. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). General Board Business Introductions and Public Comment Dianne Gray introduced Jennifer Adams as the new development coordinator for the GCAA Fund. Ms. Adams has 20 years of experience and will work to prepare a development plan. She announced an annual fund awareness event in May. Ms. Adams will provide a report at the next Board of Directors’ Meeting. A second public comment was made by Ms. Deborah Meng. She provided a memo from the South City Compton staff regarding a protest of the removal of the library and librarian from the South City Compton Building. Dr. Kachris will follow-up with administration. Governance Nomination and Election of New Board Member(s) Leona Lucas introduced Ms. Essence Owens. Ms. Owens submitted her application for nomination with the Board. Ms. Lucas recommended Ms. Owens for board membership. Dr. Craig Larson motioned to nominate Essence Owens for board membership; seconded by Katherine Casas. The motion carried (6-0). Committee Updates Academic Wrap-Around Services Dr. Phil Kennedy was asked to provide a summary of wrap-around services provided by Confluence during the February Board Meeting. Dr. Jim Walters and his team provided a compelling video documenting the journey that Confluence has had since the inception of these services. Leona Lucas challenged Dr. Walters to develop a plan by this fall to phase in all of the Confluence schools. Holston Black suggested this be added to the strategic plan currently being developed. Dr. Walters accepted the challenge and will be gathering his team in June to work on this plan. GCAA Advisory


In Rhonda Holt’s absence, Dr. Matt Frederickson shared news of a busy month for Grand Center Arts Academy. He highlighted upcoming events such as ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’; a chess competition; dance concert and GCAA’s first prom. Strategic Planning Dr. Louise Losos met with Dr. Keith Marty and Dr. Kachris to review the status of the strategic plan. There are five (5) planning committees. These committees are close to bringing this to a close. The plans are due to Dr. Losos by April 25. The full strategic plan will be presented May 3rd from 4:30 – 8:00 pm. Each committee will take 25-30 minutes to present. Next, the Board will determine the guiding path going forward. Leona Lucas suggested a retreat session be scheduled for prioritization and implementation. Jose Pineda took responsibility for scheduling this retreat session. Finance January, 2016 Financial Mr. Greg Allerdissen reported the Confluence net change in funds as ($18,000). We are ahead of budget by $218K. Mr. Allerdissen highlighted note #6 of $126K in expenditures on food service equipment. Grand Center Arts Academy has a net change in funds of ($259K) with a variance of ($177K) behind budget. Mr. Allerdissen highlighted higher electric expenditures and $13K in security upgrades. The board inquired into the expenditures for student discipline hearings and the use of a hearing officer. This expenditure was not assigned to the GCAA budget last year, but it is now. FY2016-17 Budget Assumptions Jeff Kuntze continues to provide updates for the 2016-17 budget every month until it is brought before the Board in June. Two scenarios were provided; one with the inclusion of Pre-K funding and the other no funding for Pre-K. Old North, South City and the Aspire Academy will each have one section of Pre-K in 2016-17. Mr. Kuntze explained potential challenges in revenue. Jeff will be meeting with each principal for a third round of budget discussions later this month or in early May. New technology equipment in the classrooms has been a major focus in this budget preparation. Capital projects include new windows at South City; a new roof at Old North and fresh paint at the Aspire Academy. Additional staff will be added for the pre-K classrooms and at CPA for the additional seventh and eighth grade students. Pre-K Funding Pre-K funding was addressed earlier in today’s meeting. Bond Refunding Status and Bond Underwriter(s) Recommendation Three evaluation summaries were provided for Bond Underwriting Services from Crews & Associates; Piper Jaffray and Stifel. Dennis Lloyd from Columbia Capital shared a memorandum providing their recommendation. They believe that a team consisting of Stifel as senior manager with Piper Jaffray as co-


manager will provide Confluence Charter Schools with the underwriting team most likely to achieve a successful underwriting of the contemplated bond issue at the lowest overall borrowing costs. This recommendation will be presented to the Finance Sub-Committee on April 6th for approval. Rob Goldson motioned to accept the recommendation, contingent on the Finance Sub-Committee authorization on April 6th; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried. Action Items Bond Counsel Recommendation Mr. Kuntze announced plans to utilize Gilmore & Bell as bond counsel. Following some discussion, Rob Goldson motioned to approve Gilmore & Bell as bond counsel for Confluence Charter Schools; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried (5-0). Old North Roof Replacement John Klein provided a bid summary for roof repair at the Old North campus. Following some discussion, Dr. Craig Larson motioned to approve Mr. Klein’s recommendation for John Beal to provide this service; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried (5-0). Policy 3170 and 3440 In order to stay compliant and per the request of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Policies 3170 and 3440 have been revised and reorganized to include the Perkins Grant and the Every Student Succeeds Act. Following the assurance of a review by the Perkins Office and our legal counsel, Dr. Craig Larson motioned to waive a second reading and approve Policies 3170 and 3440; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried (5-0). New Business and/or Updates Custodial/Maintenance RFP John Klein advised an RFP has been issued for custodial/maintenance services. Ten (10) companies responded and attended a pre-bid meeting. The Board discussed other options for maintenance. Mr. Klein will reach out to Robert Goltermann as an additional resource. Charter Renewal Sub-Committee Dr. Kachris met with Jeff Kuntze to discuss our upcoming charter renewal. Assignments have been delegated to members of the administrative staff for completion by the end of August. Friends of Confluence The Board of Directors’ for Friends of Confluence met Thursday, March 31. Board Member Burl Stamp and his wife have volunteered to lead a capital campaign for the Confluence schools. Dr. Pineda requested collaboration in the effort to support our schools. Mr. Robert Goltermann was nominated and elected as a new board member for Friends of Confluence.


Friends of Confluence approved a new grant program for all six (6) of the Confluence schools. Notification of the new grant application and the rubric for scoring and selection of applicants will be provided to the principals. A deadline date for grant applications of June 1 has been set. Other Business Communication/PR Update Andrew Goodin is a semi-finalist for the New Teacher Project’s Fishman Prize for Superlative Classroom Practice. He is one of 21 applicants. Winners will be announced this spring. Patricia Henry, sixth grade science teacher at Old North, was selected as the 2016 Academy of Science St. Louis-Monsanto Science Teacher of the Year. She will receive her award on April 7. School bus safety is a priority for our schools. Schools were provided key messages and bus safety reminder cards prepared by transportation and public relations staff. Aspire Academy sent 23 fourth graders to the Sheldon Concert Hall to see “Nothin but the Blues” in late February. The Titans girls and boys basketball teams donated to the Susan G. Komen and American Cancer Society. Approval of Check Register Rob Goldson motioned to approve the check register; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried (5-0). At 9:48 am, Dr. Craig Larson motioned to enter into Closed Session pursuant to the Missouri Revised Statutes, Section 610.021, subsections (1), (2), (3), (9) and, (13); seconded by Rob Goldson. With a roll call vote of Rob Goldson – yes; Dr. Craig Larson – yes; Katherine Casas – yes; Holston Black III – yes; and, Jose Pineda – yes; the motion carried unanimously (5-0). The open session reconvened at 11:08 am with a motion by Dr. Craig Larson; seconded by Katherine Casas. With a roll call vote of Rob Goldson –exited at 10:25 am; Dr. Craig Larson – yes; Katherine Casas – yes; Holston Black III – yes; and, Jose Pineda – yes; the motion carried unanimously (4-0). Katherine Casas motioned to adjourn at 11:09 am; seconded by Holston Black III. The motion carried

unanimously (4-0) and the meeting adjourned.


Appendix B.7 – School Level Organizational Chart

Prinicpal

Instructional Coaches

Assistant Principals

Teachers

School Operations Manager

Office Staff

Dean of Students


Appendix B.8 – Job Descriptions

Chief Executive Officer This position is responsible for leading and managing the entire organization. Primary responsibilities include providing guidance and leadership to ensure sound decision making is made throughout the organization.

Current Chief Executive Officer: Dr. Peter Kachris Dr. Kachris joined Confluence Academy as interim CEO February 1, 2016. Dr. Kachris has over 40 years of experience working in a diverse number of roles within the education sector. Dr. Kachris’ first administrative role was as in 1970 as an assistant high school principal within the Auburn Enlarged City School District in Auburn, New York. In 1988, he became a District Superintendent for the Orleans-Niagara Board of Cooperative Educational Services in Medina, New York. In 2000 Dr. Kachris became Superintendent of Schools for the Special School District in St. Louis County where he served for eight years. In 2013 Dr. Kachris became the President of the St. Joseph Institute of the Deaf in St. Louis, Missouri and in 2014 he served as DESE’s Transition Officer for Normandy School Collaborative where he helped organize the Joint Educational Governing Board. He worked with two superintendents and staff to meet state accreditation standards.

Chief Financial Officer This position is responsible for leading and managing the finances for the schools. Primary responsibilities include providing financial decision making and support across all departments within the organization as well as the development of organization-wide processes and procedures to ensure good stewardship of financial resources. Key Job Responsibilities

Serves as Confluence’s expert on Missouri school funding and revenue rules and acts as Confluence’s primary liaison with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and sponsors.

Works closely with the Board of Directors (BOD) and sponsors to help implement the strategic direction for the schools.

Performs annual and monthly review and analysis of business operations; identification of business reasons underlying the results of operations.

Works closely with Enrollment Director on setting annual target enrollments by building, as well as supporting recruiting drives and marketing campaigns.

Works with Facilities and Transportation Manager to ensure facilities are adequate and support the strategic direction of the schools as well as recommends transportation policies to the Board.

Collaborates with Directors of Academics and Human Resources, Senior Accountant, Site Operations Managers (SOMs) and other department personnel to develop resource office and individual schools’ annual budgets and monthly forecasts.


Reviews monthly site forecasts using site management estimates for accuracy and analyze monthly operating results. Summarizes major variances versus budget and forecast and highlights problem areas and trends; recommends operational and financial improvements including revenue optimization and cost reconfiguration.

Performs balance sheet, cash flow and P&L account analyses, on a recurring and ad-hoc basis and prepares fund accounting based statements on a quarterly and annual basis for each LEA/school site.

Assists the Senior Accountant in preparation and submission of the Annual Secretary of the Board Report for the State of Missouri.

Provides direct support to the schools for the annual external audit, as well as any State or Federal audits that may arise.

Supervises payroll processing, order processing of furniture, curriculum and technology procurement.

Oversees internal site audits to ensure SOMs are in compliance with operational policies and procedures.

Qualifications

Master’s degree or higher or Bachelor’s Degree (if coupled with CPA) Ten years of successful finance and/or accounting experience Experience supervising employees CPA preferred

Current Chief Financial Officer: Jeffery Kuntze Mr. Kuntze joined Confluence Academy in March 2010. He has over 25 years of work experience in the public and private business community within the St. Louis area. After graduating from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale with a BS degree in Accounting, Mr. Kuntze began his career in 1989 with the audit firm KPMG Peat Marwick. In 1993 he joined May Department Stores International where he held a variety of financial and operational positions until leaving in 1999 to become Controller at Bridge Trading Company. He spent six years at Bridge where he ultimately rose to the level of Chief Financial Officer responsible for all non-trading operations. In January, 2008 Mr. Kuntze joined Edison, a K-12 educational management company, as Regional Controller in charge of the State of Missouri, where he managed the finances and operations for a charter school district in St. Louis (Confluence Academy) and two charter schools in Kansas City. Ultimately Mr. Kuntze was promoted to Chief Financial and Operational Officer in March 2010 and continued in this capacity until December 2015. Mr. Kuntze is a Certified Public Accountant who has obtained his FINRA series 7, 27, 65 and Mo State Insurance designations.

Director of Human Resources This position is responsible for leading and managing the Department of Human Resources in addition to providing oversight for student achievement and student discipline. Key Job Responsibilities


Oversees recruitment and hiring of employees. Assures that employee contracts are issued and secured in personnel files. Develops and updates the employee and code of ethics handbooks. Develops and maintains the Board Policy Manual and ensures appropriate updates are

presented for Board approval. Communicates and enforces Confluence policies and regulations. Serves as the Board Administrator for student discipline/suspensions. Chairs and facilitates the Student Management Committee. Works with the Director of Academics and building principals to ensure the proper

implementation of accountability plans at each school. Supervises and evaluates the SES/Homeless Coordinator, Payroll/Benefits Analyst, Director

of Public Relations, and Human Resources Assistant. Conducts investigations in response to employee, parent or student complaints and

concerns. Serves as the Confluence Safety Coordinator and leads the implementation of company

safety and health programs as well as the implementation of the crisis management plan. Assists the Chief Financial Officer with the health benefits program, including the bid and

selection process for providers. Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree or higher or equivalent experience in Human Resource Dept. Ten years of successful administrative experience

Current Director of Human Resources: Dion Edwards Dion Edwards was selected as the director of human resources, effective July 1, 2016. Edwards was the director of activities and athletics for Confluence. Since joining Confluence in 2007, he has held roles such as project manager and school operations manager. His responsibilities have included working with principals to hire new teachers; evaluating non-instructional staff to help improve quality of work; serve as liaison to contract vendors in security, maintenance, transportation and food service; assist principals in hiring athletic coaches; budgets and payroll. Before working in public education, Edwards worked for CorVel Corporation and Cessna Aircraft, both in Wichita, Kan. His career experience includes corporate risk management and loss control for group health and workers’ compensation, labor grievances, collective bargaining, sales, and recruiting and retaining staff. Edwards has a Master of Business Administration from Webster University, a Bachelor of Science in economics from Southwest Missouri State University and Six Sigma Black Belt Training.

Director of Academics This position is responsible for directing the planning, implementation and evaluation of programming related to education for students Grades K through 12 and its accompanying routines and activities in accordance with Confluence policies and procedures. The Director of Academics also leads and manages the academic program for Confluence Charter Schools.


Key Job Responsibilities

Oversees the collection, review and analysis of relevant student data and ensures its distribution to appropriate personnel.

Reports academic progress to the Board. Manages and facilitates federal programs to ensure continuity with the overall academic

program. Supervises and coordinates the work of the Curriculum Resource Director, Director of

Professional Learning and Teacher Support, Director of Special Education Services, and Principals to ensure accountability standards are met.

Coordinates with the Director of Curriculum and Director of Professional Learning and Teacher Support to ensure fidelity with the use of and response to student data.

Works with CFO and Finance Department to plan and monitor budget resources as it relates to the academic program.

Facilitates the development of an accountability plan for each school and works with principals to ensure its implementation.

Provides leadership in the planning and implementation of professional development training (PDC).

Provides leadership in the planning and evaluating of building professional development activities.

Assist the building administration in conducting the observation of instruction on an ongoing basis to insure proper implementation of curriculum and assessment.

Supervises and evaluates building principals. Monitors weekly (with building principals) progress toward achievement of the goals

included in school improvement plans. Works with and provides input to special program personnel (technology, library-media,

SPED, ESL, Title I, etc.) on issues of concern. Assists others in the design and development of programs serving students outside the

normal school structure. Directs and supervises external instructional resources to ensure proper utilization and

focus is maintained. Qualifications

Master’s Degree or higher Five years of successful administrative experience Valid administrative certificate from DESE Valid Teaching Certificate

Current Director of Academics: Phillip Kennedy Dr. Phillip Kennedy is entering his fifth year with Confluence Charter Schools. Prior to coming to Confluence, he served for 10 years as an Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in the Windsor C-1 School District. During his tenure at Windsor, the district went from earning 72 out of 100 MSIP points to earning 100 out of 100 MSIP points and earning the Performance


with Distinction designation. As Assistant Superintendent, he not only oversaw the district’s academics but assisted the Superintendent with the district’s finances and human resources. He has served as a high school principal, assistant principal, and A+ Coordinator. Dr. Kennedy began his 23-year educational career as high school social studies teacher and a coach of multiple sports. Dr. Kennedy holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Missouri State University, Master’s Degree from University Missouri-St. Louis, and Specialist and Doctorate Degrees from Lindenwood University.

Director of Operations This position is responsible for: general setup/management of data related to student management; examining the database for accuracy for Core Data; coordinating and submitting all Core Data information; training Student Information System (SIS) trainers; working with the vendor to develop custom imports/exports from the database; supervising SIS support personnel; collecting, analyzing, and reporting on data that will that help teachers and administrators assess and monitor the academic needs and progress of all students. This position is also responsible for recruitment of students to meet assigned enrollment goals. Key Job Responsibilities

Supervise Resource Office Core Data staff and Achievement Analyst. Work with SIS process owners to define their reporting needs and with ITS Director to

formulate database solutions. Perform help desk or Level II support duties for SIS. Perform data audits to ensure consistency and accuracy of data in all areas for Core Data. Update record for students in SIS programs and add table entries as necessary. Collect and submit data required by the core data collection system. Monitor and analyze

school and Confluence Core Data in order to maintain accuracy of data. Develop, streamline, and support key Confluence-wide data collection/reporting activities

related to Core Data, school-wide and targeted programs and school improvement. Help principals and SOMs at the building and Resource Office level analyze and disseminate

Core Data. Maintain data for review and auditing purposes as required by the State. Prepare and format reports/presentations in audience-ready profiles for identified

audience/purpose at the request of the achievement committee. Work with data owners to ensure consistency through the creation of uniform attendance

policies and procedures. Upload student attendance information in proper format to DESE website for financial

reimbursement. Maintain copies of all attendance records including late arrival, early dismissal, and

classroom teacher attendance lists. Work closely with principals, SOMs, and LEP, SPED and Homeless coordinators to ensure

critical data projects are prioritized and timely disseminated to appropriate state, federal and Confluence departments.


Coordinate Confluence efforts for recruitment of students to meet student enrollment goals.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s Degree or higher Three years of successful administrative experience Experience directing or assisting with student service programs

Current Director of Operations: John Klein John Klein is entering his 8th year with Confluence Charter Schools. Prior to coming to Confluence, he served for 11 years in higher education. During his tenure in higher education John was involved in student services and operations. He managed and implemented budgets for various departments, participated and planned student recruitment activities, managed student housing/campus activities, implemented student information and accounting software, managed human resource functions for the division, managed a portion of the campus facility/custodial staff as well as developed plans for capital repair needs for campus housing and other departments within student services. Before moving to the Resource Office, he served two and half years as a School Operations Manager for the Walnut Park campus. Mr. Klein has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Henderson State University. Job Description Confluence Charter Schools

Principal -Elementary DEPARTMENT:

Director of Academics Instruction

POSITION SUMMARY: This position is responsible for (1) providing

instructional leadership to staff including curriculum planning , review and

implementation; (2) using data to progress monitor student performance and to

inform instruction ; (3) supervision of professional staff; (4) providing appropriate

quality professional development opportunities for staff; (5) supervision of

students; (6) creating and maintaining a school climate and culture that ensures

the safety and welfare of students and staff; (7) serving as the liaison between the


school and community and between the school's staff and the Board/Resource

Office.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

1. Leads the development and implementation of a rigorous and

relevant academic arts curriculum aligned with Common Core State

Standards.

2. Recruits, develops and supports an energetic, innovative, collaborative

and committed model teaching staff whose members work

continuously to improve teaching quality and student learning.

3. Supports continuous improvement of teaching staff through

visibility, collaboration, engagement, innovative professional

development , frequent shared analysis of multiple points of data,

appropriate classroom observations, and clear communication with

staff and partners.

4. Invites participation and engagement with the school from parents,

community members, and other key stakeholders through reports on

school and student progress via letters, social media, public

performances and demonstrations, newsletters, and other means.

5. Assists in the preparation of the school budget by working with the

Resource Office, staff, parents and the community to determine

budget priorities.

6. Networks with school leaders in St. Louis and with the broader school community.

7. Maintains a safe and positive learning environment for students,

coordinating and implementing student safety and disciplinary

procedures in the regular school day as well as during school

activities.

8. Maintains knowledge of current educational issues and trends.

9. Recommends educational policies and procedures to the Board,

Resource Office and implement its policies within the school.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: To perform this job successfully, an

individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The

requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or

ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals

with disabilities to perform essential functions

Education/Experience: Master's degree or higher. Five years of successful

administrative experience at the school or district level preferred.


Certification: Valid teaching certificate. Valid principal’s certificate from

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or possess

appropriate credentials to prove eligibility for Missouri certification.

Language Skills: Ability to read , analyze, and interpret general business

periodical s, professional journals, technical procedures, or government

regulations.. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure

manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions

from groups of mangers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts,

interest, commissions, proportion s, percentages, area, circumference, and volume.

Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to define problem s, collect data, establish facts, and

draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical

instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and

concrete variables.

Other Skills and Abilities: Must be able to transport between school buildings,

Confluence schools and cities. Ability to apply knowledge of current research

and theory in specific field. Ability to establish and maintain effective working

relationships with students, staff and the community. Ability to communicate

clearly and concisely both in oral and written form. Ability to perform duties with

awareness of all Confluence requirements and Board policies. Ability to utilize

technology in establishing appropriate record keeping program for students,

programs, and staff.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are

representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform

the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities

to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit

and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to

adjust focus. The position requires meeting deadlines with severe time

constraints, interacting with the public and staff, irregular or extended work

hours. The employee is responsible for safety, well-being, and work output.


Appendix B.9 – Evidence of Application Submission to SLPS


Appendix C.1 – MU Performance Contract




Appendix D.1 – Confluence five year Budget

FY16-17 FY17-18 FY18-19 FY19-20 FY20-21

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Budget Budget Budget Budget Budget

Revenues

5100 Local 3,714,100$ 3,473,492$ 3,508,227$ 3,543,309$ 3,578,742$

5300 State 29,932,594$ 29,163,890$ 29,455,529$ 29,750,084$ 30,047,585$

5400 Federal 5,310,804$ 5,020,000$ 5,070,200$ 5,120,902$ 5,172,111$

5899 GRAND TOTAL REVENUES 38,957,498 37,657,382 38,033,956 38,414,295 38,798,438

Expenditures

1121 Elementary School 7,944,243 7,793,303 7,871,236 7,949,948 8,029,447

1131 Middle School 5,043,726 4,942,852 4,992,280 5,042,203 5,092,625

1151 High School 2,862,010 2,804,770 2,832,818 2,861,146 2,889,757

1200 Special Programs 2,427,698 2,379,144 2,402,935 2,426,965 2,451,234

1999 TOTAL INSTRUCTION (K-12 Only) 18,277,678 17,920,068 18,099,269 18,280,262 18,463,064

2100 Support Services - Pupils 1,523,824 1,531,443 1,546,757 1,562,225 1,577,847

2200 Support Services - Instructional Staff 111,000 111,555 112,671 113,797 114,935

2220 Educational Media Services - Library 7,000 7,035 7,105 7,176 7,248

2310 Board of Education Services 527,431 530,068 535,369 540,723 546,130

2400 Support Services - School Administration 3,256,426 3,272,708 3,305,435 3,338,489 3,371,874

2520 Financial Accounting Services 3,344,724 3,361,448 3,395,062 3,429,013 3,463,303

2540 Operation and Maintenance of Plant Services 4,047,469 3,779,526 3,817,322 3,855,495 3,894,050

2550 Pupil Transportation 2,982,000 2,960,000 2,989,600 3,019,496 3,049,691

2560 Food Services 1,884,988 1,750,000 1,767,500 1,785,175 1,803,027

2642 Recruitment and Placement 160,000 160,800 163,216 164,848 166,497

2661 Data Processing 459,475 461,773 468,711 473,398 478,132

2998 TOTAL SUPPORT SERVICES 18,304,337 17,926,356 18,108,748 18,289,835 18,472,734

5000 Long and Short Term Debt 2,264,781 1,757,538 1,775,113 1,792,865 1,810,793

9998 TOTAL NON-INSTRUCTIONAL AND SUPPORT 2,264,781 1,757,538 1,775,113 1,792,865 1,810,793

9999 GRAND TOTAL EXPENDITURES 38,846,796 37,603,962 37,983,130 38,362,962 38,746,591

Total Revenue Over/(Under) Total Expenses 110,702 53,420 50,826 51,334 51,847

Beginning Balance, July 1 (est.) 6,581,437 6,692,139 6,745,559 6,796,385 6,847,718

Ending Balance, June 30 (est.) 6,692,139$ 6,745,559$ 6,796,385$ 6,847,718$ 6,899,565$

General Fund Reserve % 17.2% 17.9% 17.9% 17.8% 17.8%

Confluence Academy, Inc.

FIVE-YEAR OPERATIONAL BUDGET


Appendix D.2 – Insurance Coverages

Confluence Academy Insurance Policies Maintained

Type Carrier Policy # Effective Date

Commercial Property/EDP Hartford Ins. Co. 84UUNAU2945 7/31/2016-2017

Commercial Excess Liability Hanover Ins. Co. UHKA19175502 1/1/2016-2017

Premises and Operations Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Contractual Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Broad Form Property Damage Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Garage Liability Not Applicable

Owned, Non-Owned or Hired Auto Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Underground, Explosion & Collapse Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Products/Completed Operations Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Nurses Malpractice Liability Not Applicable

Public Officials Error & Omissions Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Personal Injury Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017

Workers Compensation Insurance Missouri Employers MEM2021576-00 7/1/2016-2017

Public Official Bond Travelers Ins. Co. 105738270 2/1/2016-2017

Public Official Bond Travelers Ins. Co. 106226620 1/5/2016-2017

Crime/ERISA Travelers Ins. Co. 105797025 5/24/2016-2017

D&O/EPLI Hanover Ins. Co. RBKA19175702 1/1/2016-2017


Appendix D.3 – Public Officials Surety Bond Coverage



Appendix E.1 – Confluence Academy Closure Plan

College of Education Office of Charter School Operations

Closure Guide Closing a charter school is a drastic decision made after significant due diligence on the part of either the governing board, sponsor, or both. The decision to close sets in motion a chain of related actions. The MU Office of Charter School Operations has developed this guide for schools in or approaching closure status. Responsibility for all tasks falls on the governing board. The Operations Office is available for assistance and will monitor all aspects of closure.

This guide has six sections:

(a) Decision (b) Appeal Process (c) Immediate Actions (d) Notifications (e) Ongoing Closure Duties (f) Financial Obligations

1. DECISION Charter school closure is “accountability in action.” It is the cessation of school operations and is triggered by:

Board relinquishing the charter; Non-renewal of the school’s charter by either party; or Revocation of the charter by the sponsor;

Areas of consideration for school closure include, but are not limited to:

Academic underperformance; Financial mismanagement; Organizational incompetence; Non-compliance with state statutes; Non-academic charter violations; Low enrollment; Illegal behavior; and Fear for the health and safety of students and staff.


A. Voluntary Closure If the board decides to close a school, or the board and the Operations Office decide together that closure is the best option for a school, the Operations Office will support the board through closure, following the steps in the next section of the guide.

B. Non-Renewal

The decision to non-renew a school’s charter will be made in the year prior to the last year of the charter (generally year 4, though contracts and charters vary) to ensure a smooth transition for staff and students. In the fall of the last year before the final year of the charter period, the Operations Office will decide if it has sufficient evidence to bring the charter to the State Board of Education for renewal. If the Office decides sufficient evidence does not exist, or the University no longer sees a mission fit, it will work with the governing board to ensure a smooth transition of sponsor records to a new sponsor. The decision not to renew is not a revocation decision but a decision of lack of mission fit for the Operations Office, and taken at the end of a contract period, there is no appeal.

C. Revocation

Finally, revocation by the sponsor can occur at any time:

“if the charter school commits a serious breach of one or more provisions of its charter or on any of the following grounds: failure to meet the performance contract as set forth in its charter, failure to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management, failure to provide information necessary to confirm compliance with all provisions of the charter and sections 160.400 to 160.425 and 167.349 within forty-five days following receipt of written notice requesting such information, or violation of law.” RSMO 160.405.7(1)

When the sponsor elects to revoke a charter, statute requires certain actions of the sponsor:

1. “At least sixty days before acting to revoke a charter, the sponsor shall notify the

governing board of the charter school of the proposed action in writing. The notice shall state the grounds for the proposed action. The school’s governing board may request in writing a hearing before the sponsor within two weeks of receiving the notice.” RSMO 160.405.7(3)

2. “The sponsor of a charter school shall establish procedures to conduct

administrative hearings upon determination by the sponsor that grounds exist to revoke a charter. Final decisions of a sponsor from hearings conducted pursuant to this subsection are subject to an appeal to the state board of education, which shall determine whether the charter shall be revoked.” RSMO 160.405.7(4)


2. APPEAL PROCESS A revocation is a serious action and the University of Missouri is committed to fair due process. Appeals can be of two types:

Procedural, claiming that the sponsor did not follow proper process; Substantive, claiming that the sponsor made a bad decision on the merits.

Regardless of the type of appeal, the Board and Operations Office will observe the following guidelines:

Written notice will be provided at least 60 days before acting to revoke the charter. The notice shall state the grounds for the proposed action and information about the school’s right to appeal. RSMO 160.405.7(3)

Summary of recommendation to revoke a charter presented to the MU administration.

A written request for a hearing may be submitted by the charter school governing board within 2 weeks of receiving the 60 day notice. RSMO 160.405.7(3)

A hearing, with oral testimony and written argument challenging the evidence against the school, before MU Administration will be held within 2 weeks of the written request from the board. Hearing may include the following:

- Legal representation; - Written record of the proceedings; - Right to call witnesses and challenge evidence.

Written notice from the sponsor of final revocation decision presented prior to the 60 day final notice.

Revocation shall only be effective at the conclusion of the school year, unless the sponsor determines that continued operation of the school presents a clear and immediate threat to the health and safety of the children. RSMO 160.405.7(5)

A decision by the University of Missouri System to revoke a charter may be further appealed, as statute allows.

A Closure Transition Team, consisting of representation from the sponsor, board, and school, shall be appointed to follow the Closure Process to ensure a smooth transition for students and staff.

3. IMMEDIATE ACTIONS Notify DESE’s Office of Charter Schools and the School District of the closure decision.

Provide a copy of supporting documentation. Establish a Transition Team. Team members should include:


“School Closure Coordinator(s)” (representative(s) of the sponsor); Representative(s) of the Board of Directors, including chair;

Lead administrator of the school; Lead finance person; Faculty representative (i.e. principal);

Parent/student representative (i.e. Dean of Students); Regional DESE Oversight staff member; Parents (optional); Member of local charter support organization (optional); Member of the local school district administration (optional).

Communicate with a representative from the local school district for the purpose of coordinating the transfer of student records.

Develop talking points for a single consistent message.

Used to ensure consistent, accurate communications to the school community, the media, and the public.

Schedule dates to notify the staff and parents of the school’s closure.

Staff and parents are notified prior to media notification. Staff meeting should occur within 24-48 hours after the official notice of closure has

been issued. Parent meeting should occur within 24 hours after the staff meeting. (It is advisable

to offer multiple parent meetings to accommodate varying schedules.) Schedule dates, times, and locations of school choice fairs for students/parents, and job fairs for teachers.

Write a press release.

Should be issued by the Board of Directors or the sponsor. Explain reasons for closure. Offer assurances and evidence that student interests are the top priority. Announce plans, if any, to replace the closing school.

Secure the school facility, property, equipment, supplies, and records.

Secure assets. (responsibility of the Board) Consult legal counsel about options and potential liabilities.

Terminate summer school plans for the summer following closure.

4. NOTIFICATIONS


Written notification to the school staff, parents, and public must be provided by the Board, with support from the sponsor.

A. Staff letter, addressed individually. Letter should include the following information: A brief history of the school; The reason(s) for closure; Commitment to continuing school operations throughout the closure process;

Information on the scheduled staff meeting concerning the closure;

Timeline for transition details;

Affirmation of the Board’s commitment to the staff (i.e. information on a job fair);

Information related to pay and benefits;

A reminder of the importance of staying in the classroom and servicing students through the end of the school year;

Information on the Transition Team and its faculty point person, including the individual’s contact information;

A calendar of important dates between the closure announcement and the end of school;

A plan for assisting students in the transition;

Help Line/Help Site information (800 number and/or website).

B. Staff meeting.

Facilitated by Transition Team.

Staff letter reviewed and rational for closure discussed.

Staff may voice questions/concerns.

Utilize talking points.

C. Parent letter, addressed individually and sent prior to parent meeting(s). Letter may come from the school or the sponsor and should include the following information:

Brief history of the school;

Reason(s) for closure;

Clear timeline for the closure process;

Date of the last day of regular instruction;

Notification of mandatory enrollment under state law;

Information on the scheduled parent meeting(s);

The school’s commitment to successful transition for students and parents (including information on any school choice fairs planned);

Procedures for ensuring transfer of student records, as well as notice of the right to access student records under the Freedom of Information law;

Information on the Transition Team and the parent/student point person, including contact information;

Help Line/Help Site information (800 number and/or website).

D. Fliers in appropriate languages notifying parents of scheduled meeting(s).


E. Parent meeting(s).

Purpose – to focus on successfully transitioning students to a school that will provide a demonstrably better education.

Held shortly after the staff meeting at the school site.

Possibly offer multiple dates/times to accommodate parents’ varying schedules.

Letter should be discussed. (Have extra copies available.)

Reasons for closure should be discussed.

Facilitated by Transition Team.

May be attended by the media. Discuss the closure process. Talk about educational options. Assure parents of the privacy of student records and provide information about the

transfer of these records. Provide concise talking points (verbal/written). Possibly provide on-site child care. Possibly provide on-site translators.

F. Media notification - press release to local news outlets (print, radio, television).

Responsibility of the governing board. Post release on school and sponsor websites. Include history of the school; closure procedures/timeline; reason(s) for closure;

outline of support for students, parents, and staff; and contact information. G. Utilize counsel to dissolve the 501(c)3 nonprofit at state and federal levels.

5. ONGOING CLOSURE DUTIES The school administration is expected to run a fully compliant school through closure and the board must still operate in compliance with sunshine laws and their own policies. In addition, they will assist the transition team with the following closure activities.

A. Meet regularly with the Transition Team.

Utilize an agenda. Weekly meetings recommended. Hold meetings at sites accessible to the school community. Monitor the school environment through the closure process.

B. Organize school choice fairs for students and parents.

Include local district, charter, and private schools. Hold at the school or at another location convenient to families. Request assistance from MCPSA.


Publicize fairs through many means: fliers sent home with students, letters/postcards mailed to parents, e-mail, postings at the school, and postings on the website. (Include date, time, location, purpose, and list of participating schools.)

C. Monitor staff benefits.

Responsibility of the Board. Monitor contributions to the Retirement System. Inform staff of:

- Benefits available after closure (e.g., COBRA); - Termination date for benefits;

- Schedule for teacher/staff pay. D. Monitor professional development.

Ensure that professional development continues to meet all state requirements related to professional development and certification/licensure.

E. Ensure continuation of accurate and timely data reporting.

Submissions to include: - MOSIS data; - Core data; - Annual Secretary of the Board Report; - Annual audit; - Federal Programs Reporting; - Federal Expenditure Report (FER); - Annual Performance Report (APR). - All requested MU submissions; - All required DESE submissions.

F. Monitor transportation.

Avoid disruption of service. Avoid miscommunication about service.

G. Transfer student records.

Student records are private and must be handled in accordance with privacy rules set forth in the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Ensure that all student records, including IEP’s, are up-to-date. Obtain from the school a complete inventory of all student records, including

SPED records, their location, and security measures taken to ensure record safety.

For students enrolling in another school prior to the school closing, records will be transferred in the normal manner. (A priority for the office personnel.)

For students who have not enrolled in other schools prior to the school closing, records will be transferred to each student’s district of residence following the


conclusion of the last day of classes. Verify transfer of records.*

- Records may be shipped or transferred person-to-person. Regardless of how the records are transferred, a verification form with the following information must be maintained, with a copy being sent to the sponsor:

o The number of general education records released; o The number of special education records released; o An inventory of all student files; o The date of transfer; o The signature(s) and printed name(s) of the district representative(s)

collecting the records; o The signature(s) and printed name(s) of the charter school representative(s)

releasing the records.

*Both the sponsor and the school will retain a copy of the release for their records. H. Ensure proper retention of student and non-student records.

All records should be retained according to the public school records retention schedule found on the MO Secretary of State’s website.

All records related to the following should be maintained: - Loans, bonds, mortgages, and other financing; - Contracts; - Leases; - Assets and asset sales; - Grants; - Governance (minutes, by-laws, policies); - Employees (background checks, personnel files); - Accounting/audit, taxes and tax status; - Employee benefit programs and benefits.

Sponsors will consult with legal counsel about the best way to handle retention of non-student records. This may vary case-by-case. For example, if the governing board chooses to suspend its own operations and close the school (leaving the charter still “alive”), it may be best to have the records remain with the governing board. If, on the other hand, a governing board abandons all responsibilities related to closure, including the handling of records, it may be wise for the sponsor to secure the records.

All records must be housed in a locked, fireproof file for safety purposes.

6. FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS The school finance officer should be included in the transition team meetings, and should provide a regular update to the team, sponsor and Board on how the financial closeout is progressing.


A. Scheduling the final audit. Scheduled by the Board with an independent auditor. Ensure that funds are retained to pay the auditors. Ensure that all records are properly, securely maintained and available to auditors.

B. Termination of vendor contracts.

Compile a list of all current vendors. Review the termination provisions in each vendor’s contract. Contact each vendor to terminate the contract. Instruct vendors to remove all contractor property from the school by a set date. Retain records of past contracts as proof of full payment.

Maintain utilities long enough to cover the time period required for all closure

procedures.

Maintain liability insurance long enough to cover the time period required for all closure procedures.

C. Termination of benefits.

Compile a list of all benefit providers, including: - Health insurance; - Life insurance; - Dental plans; - Eyeglass plans; - Cafeteria plans; - 401(k) retirement plans; - Disability insurance; - Pension plans.

Review the termination provisions in each provider’s contract. Contact each provider to terminate the contract.

D. Development of or update of the fixed-assets list (by school finance office).

List should separate state and federal funds, while noting the source of the funds and the fair market value (FMV) – initial and amortized – for every fixed asset in the inventory.

For items purchased with federal funds, the school must comply with the guidance in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) regarding the disposition of property.

Sponsor will retain a copy of this inventory.

E. Establishment of a plan for the disposition of property. Follow school policy regarding disposition of property. Dispose of property in 2 phases:

- Disposal of the inventory; - Disposal of real property (i.e., the school building).


Establish methods and procedures for receipt of payment (e.g., cash, check, credit card) for the disposed inventory.

Note obligations specific to items purchased with federal funds via the Public Charter School Program (PCSP) grant or Title Programs. Property purchased with PCSP funds must first be offered to charter schools located within the same region as the school that is closing. If the property is offered and offers are declined, the property must be disposed of at auction.

F. Filing of Federal form 269 or 269a if the school was receiving funds directly from the U.S.

Department of Education. (See 34 CFE 80.41) G. Compilation of itemized financial statements and lists.

After disposition of assets, the school should prepare itemized financial statements. Sponsors should have access to the following:

- Fiscal year-end financial statements;

- Cash analysis;

- List of compiled bank statements for the year;

- List of investments;

- List of payables (with any outstanding payables);

- List of all unused checks (which should be collected and voided);

- List of petty cash; - List of bank accounts (accounts should be closed once transactions have cleared);

- List of all payroll reports, including taxes, retirement, or adjustments on employee contracts;

- List prioritizing the payments from the proceeds of the disposal based on the charter governing board’s policy.

H. Notification to creditors.

Request a final accounting from all creditors.

Negotiate a settlement of debts and release from existing obligations.

Maintain all records related to payment of debt.

I. Notification to debtors.

Prepare a final accounting for all debtors.

Demand payment. If collection efforts are unsuccessful, consider turning the debt over to a commercial debt collection agency.

Maintain all records related to these debts.

- J. Work with DESE to ensure payments stop appropriately and that the school receives all entitled funds

and any unobligated funds are returned to DESE.


Appendix E.2 -Neighborhood School Comparison Data

Chart below represents the percentage of students at proficiency on the 2016 state English Language

Arts test when compared with the SLPS non-magnet students.

Chart below represents the percentage of students at proficiency on the 2015 state English Language

Arts test when compared with the SLPS non-magnet students.

Chart below represents the percentage of student at proficiency on the 2016 state Mathematics test

when compared with the SLPS non-magnet students.

39.1%

33.2%

29.2%26.1% 25.5%

South City [514] Aspire [310] CPA HS/MS [257] SLPS [4,831] Old North [475]

36.7%

29.5%26.5%

21.3%

South City [482] Walnut Park [387] Old North [501] SLPS [5,637]


Chart below represents the percentage of student at proficiency on the 2015 state Mathematics test

when compared with the SLPS non-magnet students.

Chart below represents the number of students at proficiency on the 2016 state English Language Arts 2

test compared to SLPS non-magnet neighborhood high schools.

24.1%

18.1% 17.7%

13.6%

10.8%

South City [514] Aspire [310] SLPS [4,868] CPA HS/MS [243] Old North [474]

23.0%

15.3%

12.7%11.2%

South City [486] Walnut Park [386] SLPS [5,728] Old North [500]


Chart below represents the number of students at proficiency on the 2015 state English Language Arts 2

test compared to SLPS non-magnet neighborhood high schools.

Chart below represents the number of students at proficiency on the 2016 state Algebra 1 test compared

to SLPS non-magnet neighborhood high schools.

47.7%45.2%

40.5% 39.5%

32.2%

Sumner [86] Roosevelt [93] Vashon [111] CPA [147] Beaumont [90]

36.4%34.8%

30.9%

22.4% 21.3%

Roosevelt [66] CPA [161] Vashon [81] Sumner [67] Madison Prep [80]


Chart below represents the number of students at proficiency on the 2015 state Algebra 1 test compared

to SLPS non-magnet neighborhood high schools.

40.5%

19.4%17.3%

11.5%

15.8%

Roosevelt [79] CPA [134] Vashon [81] Sumner [57] Beaumont [81]

36.0%

25.7%

9.7%6.9% 5.7%

Roosevelt [75] CPA [140] Vashon [103] Madison Prep [29] Sumner [70]


Chart below represents South City and SLPS neighborhood schools 2016 MAP proficiency rates for

English Language Arts.

Chart below represents South City and SLPS neighborhood schools 2016 MAP proficiency rates for Math.

44.7%

39.1%

34.7% 34.3%

30.5% 30.4%28.2%

26.5%

18.7% 18.7%15.3% 14.7%

10.3%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

29.3%

24.8% 24.1% 23.5%

20.4% 19.2% 19.2%

12.7% 11.8%10.5%

9.2% 8.8% 7.9%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%


Chart below represents Old North and SLPS neighborhood schools 2016 MAP proficiency rates for English

Language Arts.

Chart below represents Old North and SLPS neighborhood schools 2016 MAP proficiency rates for Math.

37.9%

34.3%

31.4%29.3%

25.5% 25.0%23.3% 23.2%

22.0%

15.6%

12.5%10.9%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

56.1%

24.1%20.7%

18.9%

13.7% 13.4%10.8% 10.0% 9.1% 8.5%

5.5%

0.0%0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%


Chart below represents Aspire and SLPS neighborhood schools 2016 MAP proficiency rates for English

Language Arts.

Chart below represents Aspire and SLPS neighborhood schools 2016 MAP proficiency rates for Math.

33.9% 33.2% 32.3%

25.0% 24.6%

20.3% 20.0%

15.6% 15.2%

10.6%

7.6%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

33.9%

18.8% 18.1% 17.6%16.4%

13.3%11.6%

4.8% 4.8% 4.2% 3.1%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Documents

MISSOURI STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION AGENDA ITEM: … · The Department recommend s that the State Board of Education authorize Confluence Academies to continue operations pursuant to