Governance Board

The Governance Board will consist of 9 voting members. The Governance Board will include representation by:

• 3-4 parents/guardians, with preference to having those parents of differing grades
• 1-3 community members, with preference to those in the artistic community
• 2-3 teachers employed by the Appleton Area School District
• 1-2 Artists in Residence
• The total number of teachers and guest artists must not exceed four.

From this Governance Board, a President, Vice-President and Secretary shall be elected.

*Note: Per the RSA Charter, the total membership of the Governance Board shall be comprised of fewer than 50% AASD employees. AASD administrators and BOE members may not serve on the Governance Board.

The Renaissance Lead Teacher (a.k.a. Director), Principal, Community & College Coordinator, and Publicity & Social Media Coordinator will serve as non-voting Advisors to the Board.

Governance Board Nominations and Elections

The Governance Board shall serve as the nominating committee to solicit candidates for open positions. The Vice-President shall chair the nominating committee and nominations process.

Voting will be conducted at the last meeting of the school year. If the number of candidates exceeds open positions, the vote will be a paper ballot. Eligible voters shall be existing Governance Board members. Those obtaining a majority vote will be awarded the position with their term to start July 1.

Each member of the Governance Board will serve a two-year term and will serve no more than 3 consecutive terms. 

Governance Board members may resign at any time by giving written notice to the President. Such resignation shall take effect at the time specified in the written resignation.  A member may be removed with just cause by a majority vote of the entire Governance Board. Cause could be for failing to adhere to the list of responsibilities and commitments expected from Board members, as well as unprofessional/disrespectful conduct.

Midterm vacancies will be filled by appointment of the Governance Board based on a majority vote.

Officers

Officers will serve a one-year term and will serve no more than 4 consecutive years as an officer. 

The duties of officers are as follows:

President: Presides at all Governance Board meetings and is ex-officio on all of its committees.

• Works with the Renaissance Advisors to the Board in planning and directing the activities of the Governance Board
• Oversees the formation and activities of committees and appoints chairpersons
• Ensures that reports are available to the Governance Board and School Board as required

Vice-President: Oversees the continuity of the Governance Board and performs the duties of the President in their absence.

• Anticipates rotation in the Governance Board and ensures recruiting for those positions to maintain representation as stated in the bylaws
• Oversees the nominations process
• Ensures representation criteria are met in the nominations process

Secretary: Records the minutes and is responsible for key correspondence on behalf of the Board.

• The minutes shall be distributed electronically to all Governance Board members within one week of the Governance Board Meeting & posted publicly per statute.
• The annual report shall be prepared for submission to the Appleton School District Board of Education, which shall include: state testing results, enrollment data, attendance data, financial reports, student academic progress, and any other data required by statute.

Committees

The Board shall utilize committees and task forces to conduct its business. The Chair of each committee is appointed by the President. The committee chairperson serves as a liaison, unless he/she is already an officer.

The standing committees of Renaissance School for the Arts are:

•   Fundraising
•   Enrollment
•   Bylaws
•   Curriculum
•   Facilities

An ad hoc committee or task force may be established at any time at the discretion of the President.

• Fundraising Committee will plan, organize and execute fundraising events to provide supplemental funds for expenses, materials, or events not covered in the school budget. They will be aware of and adhere to AASD guidelines for fundraising.
• Enrollment Committee (a.k.a Student Recruitment) will review enrollment demographic and socioeconomic data to ensure enrollment is reflective of the community and recommends recruitment strategies to the Board.
• Bylaws Committee will review and recommend updates as necessary.
• Curriculum Committee - will review the ratio of FTE among the art genres and academic classes and recommend changes, and will review descriptions of class offerings to ensure classes are consistent with RSA mission.
• Facilities Committee will assess space and equipment needs and make recommendations as necessary.

Board meetings and standing committee meetings shall be conducted in a setting accessible to all board members and standing committee members, and shall be listed on the meeting agenda and in the minutes.

Annual Meeting

An annual meeting shall be conducted in July or August of each year for the purpose of approving the Annual Report, installing new officers, planning the regular meetings for the following school year, and celebrating successes.

Regular Meetings. Regular Board meetings shall be conducted 4 times per year at time and dates determined at the annual meeting.

Special Meetings.  Special meetings shall be conducted at any time as seen fit by the Board President or per the request of a majority of the voting members, provided that said special meetings comply with the Board noticing requirements as established in RSA bylaws.

Standing Committee Meetings.  Standing committees shall meet as deemed necessary by the committee chair, provided that said meetings comply with Board noticing requirements as established by RSA bylaws.

Notices  

• Notices shall consist of the time, date, location, and agenda of the board meeting or standing committee meeting.
• Notices of board meetings and standing committee meetings shall be disseminated at least 48 hours prior to the start time of said meetings. Email notification to the email address on record for Board members is acceptable.
• All Board and Standing Committee meetings shall be announced to all Board members, Advisors, and parents of RSA students.

Attendance 

• Board members shall be required to attend the Annual Board Meeting, all regular Board Meetings, all Special Board Meetings, and all Standing Committee Meetings for those standing committees for which they are voting members.
• Board members who will be absent for a scheduled Board Meeting shall notify a Board Officer by phone, email, or in person of said absence in advance of the scheduled Board Meeting.
• Standing committee members who will be absent at a scheduled standing committee meeting shall notify the Committee Chair by phone, email, or in person of said absence, in advance of the schedule standing committee meeting.

Format of Board Meetings

Board Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

• The Board President shall serve as parliamentarian during Board Meetings, unless specifically delegated to another individual for a specific meeting.
• The Board President shall call the Board Meeting to order as or after the meeting’s designated start time, if quorum is reached.

Format of Committee Meetings

Committee meetings shall be conducted in a manner at the discretion of the committee chair, provided that a quorum is reached and that the call to order, the motion to adjourn, and the voting be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Public Participation

At the beginning of each regular meeting of the Board, there shall be a period of time set aside for public participation.

• Members of the public may address the Board on items of school business.
• Members of the public wishing to address the Board shall sign in on a public participation sheet provided by the Board, indicating their name, address, relation to Renaissance, and purpose for speaking.
• A member of the public may have up to three minutes to address the Board.
• The Board may comment or answer questions posed to them by members of the public during public participation, but is not required to do so.

Closed Session

The Board may meet in Closed Session (closed to the public) only for purposes consistent with the Wisconsin Statute Chapter 19, Subchapter V, and after proper noticing as defined in the Statutes. Notice shall be included on the Board Meeting agenda.

Minutes 

• Minutes shall be recorded for all Board Meetings and Committee Meetings.
• Minutes shall be recorded at Board Meetings by the Board Secretary. In absence of the Board Secretary, the Board President shall appoint a Board Member to record minutes.
• Draft minutes of all Board Meetings and Committee Meetings shall be distributed electronically to all Board Members within one week of said meetings.
• Minutes shall be recorded at committee meetings by a member of the committee appointed by the committee chairperson.
• At each Board Meeting and Committee Meeting, the first order of business shall be a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting. 
• Minutes shall include, at a minimum: the time of the call to order, the public participation (or absence thereof) held at the meeting, the motion and approval of minutes from the previous
• meeting, any action taken by the Board which requires a vote, and the time of the motion to adjourn the meeting.

Voting

Quorum 

• A quorum must be reached in order for the Board or a Committee to be called to order.
• A quorum at a Board Meeting shall consist of the presence of a simple majority of those persons comprising the total voting membership of the Board.
• A quorum at a Committee Meeting shall consist of the presence of a simple majority of those persons comprising the total voting membership of the committee.
• Any action, vote, or business transacted by the Board or a Committee that lacks quorum shall be declared invalid.

Method of Voting 

A simple majority vote of voting members present shall be required for approval of action on any item at Board meetings and at Committee Meetings. A tie vote constitutes denial of the motion.

Email/electronic voting

When action is deemed time-sensitive and the vote/decision cannot be delayed until the next scheduled Board Meeting or special meeting, a vote may be conducted by email at the discretion of the President.

• Only the Board President can initiate an email/electronic vote.
• Any request for an email vote by a voting member must be forwarded by email to all four board officers with a detailed description of the item to be voted on and the reason for its time sensitivity.
• A motion and a second must be made before discussion can occur on the action in question.
• All Board Members must be copied on all discussions.
• All Board Members are permitted to participate in electronic/email discussion of the action in question.
• A minimum of 48 hours are required for discussion.
• After discussion, a motion to approve or deny, and a second must be made before voting can occur on the action in question. Voting will then be called by the Board President.
• Votes on the motion shall be submitted to the Board President and the Board Secretary within 48 hours. 

Conflict of Interest

• A Board member who has a conflict of interest regarding business before the Board shall refrain from speaking or voting on the business in question.
• A voting member wishing not to vote shall indicate to the Board President prior to the vote that he/she will abstain.

To ensure accessibility for all visitors, our school is reducing the use of PDFs and scanned documents on our website. If you need a specific document, such as meeting agendas or minutes, Governance Board handbook or bylaws, or our Charter contract, please contact the RSA Governance Board Secretary (listed above) to request a copy. We will provide requested materials as quickly as possible.