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The CAP Agency assists and empowers people to achieve social and economic well-being by providing services in partnership with our communities.

Board of Directors Meeting

February 14, 2017

6:30 – 8:00 pm

CAP Agency, 712 Canterbury Road South, Shakopee, MN 55379

Meeting Minutes

  1. Preamble

A. Call to Order – 6:42pm
B. Welcome and Introductions
C. Determination of a Quorum
Board Members Present – Nate Bostrom, Gayle Degler, Bev Higdem, Liz Carlson, Gino Businaro, Ron Ceminsky, Chris Hansen, Tanya Velishek
Board Members Absent – Mike Beard, Mike Mayer, Bill Rudnicki, Mary Korthour, Rhonda Nau
Staff Present – Joseph Vaughan, Eric Gentry, Michelle Franke, Laura Gilkey, Susan Hilla, Denise Loesch, Terry Hassan, Jackie Lara, Christie Rossow, Jeremy Casper, Gary Johnson, Stephen Quist, Jennifer Baker (minutes)
D. Amendments to Agenda
Addition of Approve the Federal Head Start Grant Award as Item 3B.
Moved by Liz, seconded by Gayle. Motion carried.
E. Public Comment

2. Consent Agenda

Board Action Requested: To review and approve Consent Agenda Items
Liz pointed out that the January 10th Board minutes have “Agenda” at the top of the document instead of “minutes.” This will be corrected.
Laura explained the Pathway scholarship grant and the fact that it helps many children who would otherwise not be able to enroll in Head Start. Joe commented that this grant will be coming before the state legislature this spring. The Board may be asked to call their legislators to educate them on the importance of these kinds of funds.
Moved by Gayle, seconded by Gino. Motion carried. / Item #
A.Board Meeting Agenda – Feb 14, 2017 / 2A
B. Board Meeting Minutes – Jan 10, 2016 / 2B
C. Financial Reports
1. Financial Summary by Fund – Dec 2016
2. VISA Card Summaries – Jan 2017Head Start, Agency, CEO
3. Head Start Financials – Dec2016
4. FY2016-17 Q1 Financial Statement / 2C1
2C2
2C3
2C4
D. Head Start
  1. November Policy Council meeting minutes
  2. January Monthly Report
  3. Policy Council Mileage & Childcare Reimbursement Policy
  4. Agency Mission Statement; Head Start Mission Statement; Head Start Program Philosophy
  5. Head Start Annual Report
/ 2D1
2D2
2D3
2D4
2D5
E. Minnesota Department of Education Pathway II Scholarship Grant
Scholarship amount: $225,000 for July 1, 2017- June 30, 2019 / 2E
F. Scott/Carver Permanent Housing Combo Grant / 2F
G. Scott/Carver/Dakota Permanent Supportive Housing Project / 2G
H. Scott/Carver HUD Rapid Re-Housing Program Grant / 2H
I. Dakota Permanent Supportive Bryant & Aldrich Operations / 2I

3. Action items

  1. Acceptance of resignation of Perry Mulcrone
Moved by Gino. Seconded by Gayle. The Board expressed their gratitude for Perry’s service. Motion carried.
  1. Acceptance of the Federal Head Start Grant award
This is the formal approval of the grant that has been in the works for the past year. These funds will allow us to continue our work in Early Head Start and our Head Start classrooms. Thank you to Laura and her team for their hard work in this program and their dedication.
Moved by Liz. Seconded by Gayle. Motion carried.

4. Updates and Discussion

  1. Head Start–Laura Gilkey
During last month’s meeting, Laura was at a Head Start conference in Washington DC. The conference’s message was to work with our local governments and legislators to thank them for the work they have done and encourage them to support Head Start and early education.
The new performance standards went into effect in November, so there is work being done to make sure that we are meeting those. There are also a few open positions that we are working to fill.
Liz asked if we are able to refer families on our waitlists to other program. Laura confirmed that we do refer them to other programs. In answer to a question about Head Start’s waitlist, Laura replied that we are working to get caught up on the waitlist. Some of the delay has been due to the need to hire teachers. Gino asked if there was any news out of the Minnesota Legislature. Laura is not aware of any breaking news, but Child Advocacy Day is coming up and Policy Council members are being encouraged to join the group meeting with legislators that day.
Chris shared that Governor Dayton’s budget has money set aside for “Expanded Help Me Grow.” This is helpful for CAP to be aware of as they continue to make referrals to families and clients.
B. Program Presentations
1. WIC- Jackie Lara
See handout. It is possible for clients to receive WIC and SNAP. In 2019, WIC benefits will be moving to a more electronic format, with benefits loaded onto a card rather than vouchers. Gary commented that funds are issued from the state system. The vouchers are paid through the USDA Farm Bill.
  1. SNAP Outreach- Terry Hassan
See handout. Joe commented on the great success that this program has had in outreach and generating applications in the last year. Terry has made great strides in finding new partners and connecting people to programs.
  1. Senior Nutrition- Denise Loesch
See handout. This will be the last Board report form Denise as she will be retiring in mid-March. There will be a going-away gathering on Wed March 15th at Dangerfield’s to celebrate Denise and Lissa’s retirement.
Joe informed the Board that as of tomorrow, Jackie will be beginning her new position as Director of Food and Nutrition, overseeing Senior Nutrition, WIC, Food Shelf, and SNAP.
Liz inquired about the fiscal solvency of the Senior Nutrition program. Gary responded that the funding sources do not cover the cost of the program, as is the case for similar programs across the state. The difference in the budget is covered by CSBG funds.
  1. Divesting and Transfer of Section 8 program – Eric Gentry
There is a section 8 program called the Mainstream Section 8. CAP administers 50 vouchers, just for Dakota county. CAP is currently losing money administering this program. HUD reimburses CAP for the portion of housing costs that CAP covers for these clients. Each year, CAP loses about $26,000 in administration costs. We asked HUD what our options would be for this program and they recommended that we reach out to other organizations in the area that administer this program. Eric and Michelle Franke have been having conversations with Mental Health Resources and they have agreed to take on the administration of these vouchers for Dakota County. Next month a resolution will be put before the Board to officially approve this transfer. A close out audit of this program will take place, most likely in July. Joe commented that this transfer will allow clients to still be served by this program, but it will be administered by another organization and allow CAP to more efficiently distribute its resources in order to better serve clients.
D. Board Committee Updates
1. Executive Committee – Nate Bostrom– 1/10/17 minutes attached
2. Finance Committee – Bill Rudnicki
3. Governance Committee –Gayle Degler
4. Program Committee – Bev Higdem
5. Technology Committee – Gino Businaro
With Perry’s resignation, the committee has lost a member. If anyone is interested in becoming a member, please let Gino know. Nate commented that with the completion of the strategic plan, there may be changes in the committees. / 4B1
4B2
4B3
4D1
E. President/CEO Report- Joe Vaughan
1. Strategic Plan
An electronic copy of the final draft of the strategic plan will be sent to all Board members tomorrow. By the end of February, the Board should have their comments and suggestions back to Jennifer to incorporate into the final product. An executive summary will then also be developed; the full plan will be posted to the website and used by staff in planning new initiatives. This plan will be the framework for our organizational plans going forward. In addition to this being a great tool for our organization, it also helps us to meet a CSBG organizational standard that we did not meet in the past.
2. ROMA Annual Report
Our organizational standards were submitted on January 19th. That submission will be reviewed over the next few weeks. Someone from the State Office will possibly be attending a Board meeting in the Spring to speak directly with the Board. The initial feedback has been that they are pleased with the progress we have made in the last year.
March 24th there will be a Bridges Out of Poverty training which Board members are encouraged to attend. This training helps people to understand the psychology of those who are living on little and how to best help and approach our work.
March 25th is the wrap-up to Sanya’s Diaper Drive. The drive goes until March 3rd and she has already surpassed her goal. On the 25th there will be a celebration of this effort. There will be a large youth presence and it will be a great educational opportunity for the community. The Board is also encouraged to attend this event.
Many of the initiatives and priorities identified in the strategic plan and community needs assessment are already in progress. For example, enhancement to healthy options in our food shelf is already in the works. We have received a $10,000 grant to our Food and Nutrition programs from Union Pacific Foundation.
A more complete ROMA report will be done at the March meeting in the interest of time.
F. Board Chair Report– Nate Bostrom
Nate handed out a copy of the performance appraisal forms for all Board members to complete regarding the annual review of the executive director. Board members will be asked to return the forms to Christie by February 22. If Board members have any questions about the form, please ask Nate or Christie for clarification.
G. Other Business
Liz asked why $450 was spent for a hotel in Burnsville. Gary clarified that the charge was for a client stay, but the charge was incorrectly attributed to development instead of housing.
H. Adjournment 8:34pm

Note: Next Board meeting will be held Tuesday,March 14from 6:30-8:00pm at the Shakopee office