Outline of Transcript and Recording

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Time mark in recording:

1:45   - Executive session called for to review individual student testing data – Commissioners asked not to take notes because they will be looking at student level data.  Baysigner says, “We don’t want anything to walk out of the door.”

 

2:35 – Baysinger states that the commission is working with five schools in crisis

 

3:45 – Begins review and discussion of schools under conditional review from the commission.

 

13:30 – Discussion of Idaho Science and Technology Charter School in Blackfoot

  • Low math tests scores

  • Financial situation of this school is in poor shape

 

15:15 – North Valley Academy in Gooding

  • Comments generally positive about this school and its leadership 

29:30 – The Village Charter School

  • Employee of the commission claims that a math teacher did not know how to do math properly at the school

37:10 - Bingham Academy (Blackfoot)

  • School Received STEM Certification

  • School seems to be making progress

  • Contract issues

  • Time off given to a math teacher, who is related to a commission member, due to a family illness

40:35 - Heritage Academy (Jerome)

  • Poor academic performance as measured by ISAT, lower than poorly performing school district around them

  • At 45:30 Commission President, Alan Reed states, “What do we do as a society with that town (Jerome, ID)?”

  • Reed, joking about the possibility of opening up one of his businesses ice crème shops in Jerome says, “Ice crème doesn’t make brain cells.”

  • 47:00 – Reed and commission discussing how bad the school district, and the charter school in Jerome are.  Reed adds at 47:00, “What do we do with that school? These kids are in trouble, they have no future.”

  • 48:30 A good deal of critical remarks during the exchange between the commissioners about Heritage Academy’s administrator is not doing a good job, and has caused problems at three other charter schools.

  • 49:20 A party in the meeting states, “(Heritage Academy) does not believe their kids can make it.”

  • 52:10 Heritage Academy board is, “a rubber stamp for Christine Ivey (the school’s administrator).

  • 52:40 – “Its (Heritage Academy) board is like the Village’s board, who wants to find someone who will tell them what they want to hear.”

  • 53:00 – “(Heritage) President is vacant on the board.”  Note: Vacant here does not seem to refer to the post being vacant, rather it is comment regarding a lack of leadership from the board chair.

  • 56:00 – A comment is made by the Commission executive director Tamara Baysinger that the commission should look at factors other than the legal ones when considering a school’s charter renewal. 

  • Overall, the commissioners seem to agree that the best course of action would be close Heritage Academy in Jerome.

 

Syringa Mountain Charter School in Hailey  

  • 1:04 – Baysinger shares, regarding the board that is “laisseze faire.”  They don’t seem care about academic achievement 

  • Financial issues related to the school are discussed

 

  • Idaho School Boards Association (ISBA) Discussion

 

  • 1:09 Commission President Alan Reed says, “I was a little frustrated with the ISBA.”

 

  • Commissioner Bair sharing her frustration, referring to the ISBA, “After 20 years, no thank you.”

 

  • 1:09:22 – Reed, seems to express that feels the organization is dishonest when he adds, “Come on ISBA, tell the truth.”

 

  • Blackfoot Charter Community Learning Center (BCCLC) Blackfoot

 

1:09:45 – Referring to the board of BCCLC, Baysigner says, “No one of reasonable intelligence could be on a board they are not being misinformed.”

 

1:09:50 – Commission Bair, “I feel the moment someone felt misinformed they were replaced.”

1:09:55 – Baysinger – “That is what happened.”

 

McCall Charter School – 

1:12:50 – Critical that Lori Otter, then first lady, wrote a letter of support for the school.

  • Discussion of financial issues related to school

  • 1:14:10 – Comment made which is critical of homeschoolers in Idaho

 

  • 1:15:30 – Discussion of planning regarding closing schools (Participants include Baysinger and Bair)

 

  • 1:21:50 – Discussion of enrollment sizes of schools (Scigliano and Baysigner)

 

  • 1:22:30 – Critical discussion and comments regarding Idaho Career and Technical Education agency

 

  • 1:25:00 – Discussion of online verses onsite enrollment at schools

 

  • 1:30:30 – Discussion regarding closing online virtual high schools

 

  • 1:35:10 – Discussion regarding the preparation and groundwork for closing charter schools, described by one participant in the meeting as “next steps.”

 

  • 1:43:00 – Comments made that legislators lack of basic understanding of educational data

 

  • 1:44:28 – Criticism of State Board of Education not getting commission the data need 

 

  • 1:45:30 – Fear expressed regarding how parents, governor’s office, and legislature will react to closings

 

  • 1:47:50 – It seems a staff member (Jenn Thompson) suggested to the commission that they were outside the scope of executive session.  At this point the executive session ended. Although, President Alan Reed expressed a desire to continue the discussion