Articles from Vol. 24 No. 12 - December 7, 2024

• Organizational audit context
• Detailed organizational audit
• Executive director action plan
• High performance program described
• Highlights

By Jackie Burhans

The Monument Academy (MA) board held two meetings in November. Its first meeting on Nov. 18 consisted solely of an executive session for legal advice regarding matters related to contract compliance, policies, and human resources matters regarding administrator roles and responsibilities of school and central office leaders. No action was taken on return from the executive session.

At its regular meeting on Nov. 21, the board set the context of its organization audit, heard a more detailed presentation, and discussed the executive director’s action plan. The board also listened to a proposal for a proposed high-performance program.

Organizational audit context

Board President Ryan Graham read a prepared narrative explaining that after hiring Collin Vinchattle as executive director (ED) in May of this year, the MA board contracted with Helping Schools Thrive LLC (HST) to provide an extensive audit of the school’s academics, operations, and governance based on the school’s charter and philosophy documents.

The goal, he said, was to help the board and the ED to have a clear understanding of where the school finds success and to identify areas to improve. This information is invaluable to creating a strategic plan, and it’s worth noting, he said, that placing blame has never been the focus or goal of this audit.

He quoted Jim Collins, author of From Good to Great, saying the difference comes from avoiding complacency and loss of identity and instead remaining laser-focused on an organization’s foundational core or center. Graham noted that MA’s academic and philosophical components were, in essence, its constitution as described in its charter application. The documents put forth MA’s values and distinguishing attributes; all MA policies and practices should stem from it, he said. As a result of the audit, MA has a call to action, Graham said.

He said that moving forward, MA’s goal is to realign the school in every way with its foundational academic and philosophical components. Graham noted that MA will re-establish and maintain proper order within its organization, ensuring that any proposed changes are supported by the direction outlined in its charter and that current practices not in alignment will be removed. He acknowledged that MA has seen at least nine turnovers in top leadership positions in the past seven years, which has caused unease, confusion, a lack of consistency, and a lack of trust.

Graham acknowledged the need for a renewed focus on academic achievement and philosophical alignment, which the board had not clearly understood. There has been a sense of the “tyranny of the urgent” in recent years with a focus on protecting MA from legislative attacks as well as financial burdens, Graham claimed.

Graham declared that MA would achieve a charter and educational philosophy alignment on both campuses, prioritize academic achievement and excellence, and return to clearly defining what distinguishes and makes MA different. MA will build a culture of trust and leadership, he said, focusing on measures to retain and build on its current and future student body and bring clarity and simplicity back to MA’s traditional and classical approach. Graham said that MA is in a solid and stable position as it approaches its 30th year but has the potential to achieve excellence. He thanked everyone who participated in the audit.

Detailed organizational audit

Graham then introduced Lis Richard, lead consultant for HST, and reviewed her extensive experience in education. Richard, who previously served as the principal of Monument Academy, was chosen, Graham said, because of her background and knowledge of MA.

At a special meeting on Oct. 24, Richard delivered a summary of her internal review audit. See https://wp.ocn.me/v24n11d38ma/ for more information.

Richard thanked the board, noting that it had had comfortable and uncomfortable discussions. She said the board had genuine hearts and a deep desire to understand. She gave kudos to Vinchattle, who she called a special leader, and expressed gratitude that the board picked a leader from within. Richard said she would cover history, lessons learned, and the purpose of the audit and then delve into academics, operations, and governance, ending with concluding remarks.

MA was started in 1995 by a group of parents. It had humble beginnings and a pioneer spirit, Richard noted. Over time, MA moved from a dentist-owned building to its West Campus and added clubs, sports, football, cheerleading, dance, drama, and orchestra. Those were exciting times, and enrollment kept moving forward. She said what was unique about MA was parent participation, input, and trust. The curriculum was the choice of the school rather than the district, and MA chose the Core Knowledge (CK) sequence with an emphasis on core virtues. There were high expectations for students and staff, class size was small, and student achievement was notably higher than MA’s counterparts, Richard recalled.

Regarding lessons learned, Richard said that a great education does not require first-class facilities or new textbooks. She said that magic happens in the classroom with the right curriculum, teaching method, and relationships at home. It requires that staff have ongoing professional development that excites and energizes them in the mission and philosophy, she said. Success brings hope, and hope brings new students, Richard said. She noted that MA had some wonderful leaders but has struggled with leadership turnover that is higher than the state average. She said that the charter environment is very challenging and underpaid.

Richard said the audit aimed to examine academics, operations, and governance, comparing current practices and policies to the original intent of the charter and philosophy documents and offering the board and leadership some tangible reflection and resources. In addition to Richard, the audit team included HST employee Barbara Montoya as the evaluator on site and Andy Franko of the Minga Education Group who focused on operations.

For academics, Richard focused on philosophy, instructional policies, curriculum, and discipline. She reiterated that staff and leadership have only a basic understanding of MA’s philosophy and did not receive annual training. Grades 6 through 12 have a core method of instructional practice, and teachers are evaluated and expected to improve. High school staff are new to the program, and elementary school is in the adoption phase. For curriculum, her greatest area of concern was pre-kindergarten through fifth grade where many supplemental materials do not align with CK. There is strong CK implementation at the secondary level, she said, but the arts program could better follow the CK sequence and needs more budgetary support.

There is no annual training on CK for new teachers and leadership, she noted. For discipline, MA has adopted Capturing Kids Hearts, which has the support of school leadership, but it is not fully supported by all staff, and parents question its effectiveness.

Richard touched on teacher support, student achievement, and character development. Teacher support is critical to retention, professional development is lacking, teaching teams are functional but siloed, and there is no solid method for teacher improvement and ongoing coaching, she said. It is a work in progress, she said, noting that there is no instructional coaching and that while collegiality and teamwork are great, teachers do not make enough money, earning 20% less than their peers. For student achievement, Richard recommended student assessments be given once students are admitted and given to their incoming teacher. She said there is no accountability method for using assessment data with students and parents, and its purpose is unclear in preschool.

MA’s elementary school is no longer competitive with other district schools, but they are working on it, she noted. The middle school is in the upper quadrant of success but has room to improve, while the high school has performed very well in the few years it has existed.

Finally, while character development was called out as MA’s most distinguishing trait, Richard noted that most schools have a program for this. MA uses Character First in elementary school, while the secondary school has the Peak System (like Harry Potter houses) to build camaraderie and uses the Leadworthy program from Capturing Kids Hearts. It would benefit all stakeholders to see the character of the month, have parent resources posted online, and have a method of accountability for teacher implementation, she said.

Concerning Operations, Richard reported that MA has more than adequate space for Pre-K through fifth grade, with lots of empty, unused space at the West Campus. Space is needed at the secondary level. MA should consider staffing for kindergarten support, fine arts at the secondary level, and content-specific teachers at the high school. Class size needs to be addressed, especially in kindergarten and core classes; MA is very aware of this and is working on it, she said. Richard noted that Monument and Palmer Lake saw a 67% population growth from 2010 to 2021, while MA saw a 34.5% increase in those 10 years primarily by adding more grades. However, the average grade size had dipped. Adding grades also adds expenses in teachers, infrastructure, and debt, she noted.

Richard encouraged parents to support staff as they focus on MA’s foundations and move from good to excellent. She said MA is on a path to becoming the best school in the state. All stakeholders should learn to articulate MA’s programs, philosophy, and core virtues, she said. Richard recommended that MA focus on enrollment, highlight MA’s distinguishing traits, and stabilize its leadership.

Governance is about the board, Richard noted, saying that the board is made up of parents who are dedicated to the success of the school. They are willing to learn and have been doing their best, she said. Richard said that when she left MA, she left thumb drives and notebooks with information, but her mistake was not getting the school philosophy into policy. She said board responsibilities should be reviewed annually, new member training should be consistent, and the board needs a better understanding of governing by policy and setting direction. She noted that specific policies need addressing, and there should be a standard procedure for reviewing policies, which is underway. An academic philosophy policy that includes penmanship is needed, and teacher representatives to the board should be inducted, she said. The board is firmly committed to stabilizing the right leadership, which is now in place, Richard said.

Overall, Richard noted that academics has some red (bad), governance has a little red, and operations is green (good) and yellow (needs work). The MA board is aware of the audit results and is working on addressing all the issues, she said. The next steps are in place. She encouraged the stakeholders to tap into the pioneer spirit and support all efforts to move forward.

Executive director action plan

Vinchattle thanked HST and all who participated in the audit. He provided a preliminary action plan to the board for approval, changes, and adjustments. He proposed that 12 stakeholders, staff, parents, administrators, and student advisors meet in early December to create action steps, which he will bring to the board. The initial focus would be on educational philosophy and implementing policies to inform training and curriculum decisions, he said.

The board expressed support for the audit and for MA’s leadership and unanimously approved tonight’s action steps and directed Vinchattle to present the final action plan in December.

High performance program described

Franko, who, through his company Minga Education Group, provides services to charters and the choice sector, introduced Vladislav “Izzy” Izboinikov as instrumental in founding and developing the High Performance Program (HPP). The program started in D49 in the Springs Studio for Academic Excellence (SSAE), a blended learning environment. SSAE offers HPP, a hybrid program to educate students developing athletic and creative skills at the highest level. Izboinikov serves as the program coordinator. For more information, see https://ssae.d49.org/school-info/high-performance-program-hpp.

Franko explained that HPP is looking to expand into brick-and-mortar schools and that MA has some unique characteristics that make this an opportune time to consider the program. HPP shares its name with a program at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) program that provides resources and funding to national sports governing bodies to ensure competitiveness.

Franko said new opportunities within Colorado public education funding allow for an alternative instruction model. This allows the school to provide online or hybrid education without going to the state Board of Education to achieve multi- or single-district online certifications. Franko said Vinchattle noted that several students at MA fit this model.

Franko proposed developing the program by working with organizations like USA Wrestling, USA Boxing, USA Hockey, and others to bring whole teams into it. MA is unique, he said, because the Tri-Lakes area has many club sports and different opportunities for students to achieve at a high level, requiring a lot of travel and training during the school day.

He said his organization, Izboinikov, and an implementation specialist would work with MA’s team to develop the program. He noted there is room for increased enrollment but a need to be flexible with the space in the school. Students in the HPP program would not have the same space obligations as a typical student. He said he had met with the Daniels Fund, a state-based nonprofit that provides opportunities for public education and amateur sports, and it is interested in partnering on this. Franko said they are seeking funding from Daniels to incubate this program at brick-and-mortar schools.

Board member Karen Hoida wondered how HPP might impact MA’s direction of realigning its curriculum to its charter. Franko said the goal is to provide the same core instruction in an alternative structure. Hoida also asked if Minga Education Group would get 10% of the per pupil revenue (PPR) for 50 students even if they only enrolled two or three. Franko said they would only get 10% of the PPR for enrolled students and confirmed that HPP students would be funded at 100% of PPR.

Board member Jilinda Dygert asked what age ranges were covered. Franko said the program doesn’t work well at the elementary level and can work at middle school, but he expects the demand to be at the high school level.

Graham expressed concern that this not add to the current teacher workload. Franko said he identified the need for on-site staffing and the cost of facilitating the program. The director role and the implementation specialist would work with the leadership team. The director would work with partner programs. These positions would be funded via the 10% of PPR.

Board member Craig Carle asked if MA could limit the number of kids accepted into the program if MA runs into space limitations. Franko said there would be lots of flexibility, and the focus would be on partners looking for organizations close to where they are training. Board Vice President Lindsay Clinton asked if Minga’s staff would also attend training in MA’s philosophy. Franko said the goal is to work closely with staff to understand the academic piece.

Graham noted that the intent was not to take action but to get consensus on whether the board would ask Vinchattle and Interim Chief Financial Officer Glenn Gustafson to look into this going forward. Hoida expressed concern that with all the changes MA was trying to implement, this might burden the already stressed system too much. Vinchattle acknowledged that it could be additional stress or an opportunity to bring the program in and grow together. Graham directed Vinchattle and Gustafson to explore this and bring information back in December or January.

Highlights

Board meeting highlights include:

• Finance Director Laura Polen congratulated Registrar Lena Gross on winning her arbitration over two students in the October count, reducing MA from 5.1 full-time equivalent (FTE) students under budget to 2.5 FTE, thus preserving some PPR revenue.
• Vinchattle acknowledged MA’s efforts in the Harvest of Love event, collecting food and money for Tri-Lakes Cares. He thanked families for contributing and showing why MA is a special place.
• Gustafson led the discussion on the mid-year fiscal year 2024-25 budget, with a vote to come in December. There was a net income increase of $300,000, including increases in PPR, fundraising, gala, Colorado Gives campaign, athletic gate receipts, and decreases in interest and special education funding. Expenses were increased for professional development, consulting fees, bond expenses, building insurance, and initial funding of contingency reserves. Savings came from the custodial contract, parking lot, and copy machine leases. He added some money. He also added money to cover the costs of recommendations from the organization audit. Total changes netted out to $16,000, he said.
• The board unanimously approved policy GC-MA Professional staff, reflecting that MA has year-to-year contracts rather than the traditional three-year probational periods done at most schools.
• The board unanimously approved policy GBJ-NA Personnel Records and Files, which discusses the records needed for classified and unclassified staff and which parts of those files can be viewed publicly.

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The MA School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The December meeting has been moved. The next regular board meeting will be on Thursday, Dec. 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the East Campus. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/ma-boe.

Jackie Burhans can be reached at jackieburhans@ocn.me.

Other Monument Academy articles

• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 18 and 21 – Board responds to organization audit (12/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Oct. 17 and 24 – Board hears financial audit, improvement plan, internal review (11/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Sept. 12 – Board discusses parental review of library materials, adopts management system (10/5/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Aug. 8, 16, and 29 – Board sets non-legal name change policy (9/7/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, July 11 – Board resolution related to Title IX (8/3/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, June 13 – Board members sworn in, budget re-adopted (7/6/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, March 10, 14, and 21 – Board selects executive director candidates (4/6/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Feb. 8 and 22 – Board passes parental rights policy 6-1; member resigns (3/2/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Jan. 5 and 11 – Board discusses the financial risk of parental rights policy (2/3/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Dec. 14 – Board hears about midyear budget, enrollment/retention, fundraising plans (1/6/2024)
• Monument Academy School Board, Nov. 9 – Board hears first read of gender transition policy, plans to address East Campus budget issues (12/2/2023)