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Center for Advanced Learning
GOVERNING BOARD MINUTES
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Regular Meeting
Center for Advanced Learning Public Charter School
4016 South Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
6:00 pm
Recorder: Debbie DePuy
Summary
Motions passed:
 To table agenda items 5-8 until next board meeting.
Handouts: GRASP Legal Training documents from Middleton, Young and Minney, LLP, Agenda,
1. The meeting was called to order by Murad Rahman at 6:30.
2. Roll Call
Present: Murad Rahman, President, Debbie DePuy, Garth Newberry, Kenneth Phillips, Frank
Banales (via teleconference), Evangelina Stockwell
Absent board members: Dafer Dakhil, Alayyi Alim
Non-board members and guests: Nadar Ali II, and Lisa Corr, James Young from MYM
A quorum was established for the meeting
3. Comments from the public
None
4. Governance Renewal Assessment Strategic Planning (GRASP) Legal Training
Lisa Corr and James Young, partners at Middleton, Young and Minney, LLP (MYM), explained
that GRASP is a dissemination project approved by the State Board of Education that will assist
CAL in preparing for charter renewal. CAL will receive 75 hours of free legal assistance to
improve board governance practice and expertise as well as strategic planning, assessment and other
assistance. MYM will look at CAL’s charter to verify that we are addressing the stated goals.
Lisa and Jim gave a presentation on the Best Practices for Board Governance. They used an article
by Brian Carpenter from the National Charter Schools Institute as a starting point to describe
Six Key Dysfunctions Of Charter School Boards.
1. Managing v. Governance
A good board hires a good administrator to go from point A to point B without
telling him/her how. CAL is moving in the right direction but needs to put more
policies in place and develop strategic goals for administrator and board
accountability. Our strategic plan will force us to make our core values and goals
explicit and should be incorporated in board agenda items.
2. Using Individual v Group Authority
An example of this would be if a board member sought a grant without board
approval.
CAL Board Minutes 09-22-09
page 2 of 3
3. Creating “Revolving Door Accountability”
If the board is explicit in describing the responsibilities of the principal, they are
more likely to be able to avoid turnover.
4. Spending Time on Administrative Details
The goal is to spend less than 50% of board time on “administrivia.” It will be useful
to get board members packets of information ahead of time and for the chair to run a
tight meeting. Time will need to be spent on developing more CAL policies.
A goal for meetings is to last 2-2.5 hours. One way to speed things up is to have a list
of routine consent items that all get approved in one vote. Also items can be
identified for board action or board discussion only.
5. Not Developing Itself
A board needs to have ongoing professional development. Perhaps once a quarter
there could be 45-minute presentations on such topics as Baldrige, IDEA, school
finance. Board binders should include bylaws, mission and other important
information.
6. Individual Members Becoming Complaint Center
Individuals should be cautious about getting cornered to try to solve problems that
aren’t theirs to solve.
Materials were also presented on sample policies such as Roles of the Board and School Director,
evaluating board meetings, effective governing boards and an Oath of Office.
Brown Act- Open Meeting Law
The purpose of the Brown act is to provide public access to information on how public money is
being spent. Meetings must be held in public, and the public has a right to access and access to
information. Private conversations about board matters between individual board members is not
appropriate. Agendas are to be posted in a place where they will be accessible 24-7 for 72 hours
prior to regular meetings and 24 hours ahead of special meetings. If a meeting is attended by
teleconference the same posting requirements apply.
Committees created by formal action such as the finance and strategic planning committees need to
comply with the Brown Act. We should consider translating our agendas into Spanish.
If an item is not on the agenda it cannot be discussed. If the public brings something up that is not
on the agenda, it is appropriate to tell them that it will be on the next meeting agenda. A policy
should be in place to set a time limit for public presentations. One cannot stop a speaker if they are
making defamatory remarks. The defamed person would have a right to bring a lawsuit.
Closed sessions are used for specific purposes such personnel, pupil discipline, and negotiations.
Specific “Safe Harbor” agenda language was provided. All discussion from the closed session is
confidential and no minutes are kept. The board adjourns from an open session to a closed session
and then returns to open session to announce the decision and vote.
Meetings are to be held in the jurisdiction of the agency. It is unclear if LAUSD is our jurisdiction
or if the state of California is.
Conflict of Interest Code
The basic tenet of all conflict of interest codes is that “public officials should perform their duties in
an impartial manner, free from bias caused by their own financial interest…” There is some
question as to which conflict of interest codes apply to CAL, in part because it is unclear if we are a
public or private entity. To be on the safe side we could assume that all the following codes apply.
CAL Board Minutes 09-22-09
page 3 of 3
1. Political Reform Act-PRA requires “designated employees” to file Form 700-Statement of
Economic Interest. In CAL’s case the board and the principal would be “designated employees.” In
addition the school should adopt a conflict of interest policy that gets filed in the CAL office and
with the LA County Board of Supervisors. The basic tenet is disclose, recuse, and leave. One must
disclosed if they have a financial interest in the outcome of a decision, recuse themselves from the
decision process and leave the room.
2. Corporations Government Code Section 87100 also applies to CAL and follows the same
disclose, recuse and leave principles.
3. Government Code 1090 goes beyond the principles of disclose, recuse and leave. There are
questions about whether this code applies to us. MYM would argue it does not. LAUSD would say
it does, and CAL’s charter does agree to abide by LAUSD guidelines.
The GRASP legal team will assist CAL in developing and revising governance policies and
handbooks. We can expect assistance with:
1. Review of legal documents such as lease
2. Review/revision of bylaws
3. Review and suggestions for all policies including 504 policies and procedures, visitor,
volunteer, independent study, health and safety (including mandatory reporting), suspension
and expulsion, conflict of interest, anti-nepotism, and an uber complaint (includes sexual
harassment, etc.) policy
4. Employee handbook
5. Parent handbook
6. Reviewing, revising and setting board agendas along with sample agendas
7. Board action cover sheet/template that includes issue, strategic plan goal, fiscal impact,
recommendation
8. Board Oath of Office
9. Role of Board
10. Executive Evaluation and Compensation
5. Motion: To table agenda items 5-8 until next board meeting: Deb
Second: Ken
Motion carries unanimously
6. Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting will be November 24 at 7 pm.
7. Adjournment at 9:21.
Items for Action:
1. Murad: Purchase CSBA guide to effective meetings and then all board should read
2. Deb, Murad and Nadar: Use new agenda format and coversheets for action for next
meeting. Include new last item: board member request for future agenda items. Distribute
packet of information ahead of time.
3. Ken: Strategic planning meetings need posted agendas