Board of Directors

Board Documents (for Board Member only)

2024 School Board Election

Yinghua is seeking candidates who are strong advocates for our staff and students. More information about the election process is on the 2024 School Board Elections Letter. If interested in being a candidate, please complete the 2024 School Board Call for Candidates form and send it to Governance Committee Chair Paul Haller, paul.haller@yinghuaacademy.org, by 6 p.m. on March 22. Please contact the Governance Committee Chair with any questions.

Purpose
The Board of Directors is the elected governing body of Yinghua Academy. The primary responsibilities of the Board are to develop the vision and mission of the school; to select, support and evaluate a chief executive; to ensure effective planning; to set policy that will ensure the school’s ongoing viability; and to oversee the monthly and long-term financial management of the school.

Members
The Board of Directors consists of up to thirteen members who are elected by the parents and staff of the school. The Board consists of accomplished people who represent one or more of the following constituencies: licensed Yinghua teacher; Yinghua parent; community member. Yinghua’s bylaws require that it have at least one person from each of these three groups on the Board at all times. See Board Member biographies here.

Key Documents

2023-2026 Strategic Plan
January 2017 Strategic Plan Update
Strategic Plan 2011 through 2015
Yinghua Board 2015 Continuous Improvement Plan

Committees
All board members must chair or serve on at least one committee. In accordance with school bylaws, committees do not have decision-making authority. Rather, these active working groups conduct research and make recommendations to the School Board at Regular Meetings of the Board. Committee chairs are encouraged to recruit members from the Yinghua parent and teacher community and from time to time may also recruit from outside the Yinghua community if special skills or expertise are needed. Committee meetings are open to the public in accordance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law and as outlined in the Yinghua Academy bylaws. Descriptions of Yinghua’s committees and a list of current committee members can be found on the Committee Overview Document. Please note that Personnel Committee meetings can only be attended by members of the School Board. Check the online master calendar for meeting dates and times or view the one-page Yinghua Academy School Board 2024-2025 Calendar.

Meetings
The Board of Directors meets approximately every four weeks at 6 p.m. in the school library, unless otherwise posted. Meetings are open to the public, and a public comment period is offered at each Regular Meeting of the School Board. Those who wish to make a comment must sign up at the beginning of each meeting. Regular Meetings of the School Board are listed on the school’s master calendar. In the event of a Special Meeting, 72 hour notice will be posted on the door of the school (required by law) and on the website as a courtesy. There is typically no public comment period at a Special Meeting.

Click the link for the latest Board Agenda and most recently approved meeting Minutes: Board Meeting Minutes and Agendas. Minutes are posted as soon as they have been approved by the Board, and this typically happens at the next meeting.

Elections
Parents, staff, and community members are encouraged to run for seats on the Board of Directors. Each member is elected to a three-year term, and as such, only a few seats are up for election each year. This provides stability and continuity for the Board. Elections are held annually in April/May. A call for candidates is sent home at least 60 days prior. Candidates are announced at least 30 days prior to the election.

Bylaws

See the current Bylaws, Approved August 2019

Board Copy List
All board member correspondence is public. As a courtesy, the board also maintains a “board copy list” which is copied on any substantive emails between a quorum of board members, i.e., special board meeting notices, agenda and board pre-reading packs for regular board meetings, and any other board-wide correspondence. If you want to be copied on this list, please enter your email address here. Please note: You must renew your interest every August when requested to do so, otherwise your name will be removed from the list.

Yinghua Academy formed an affiliated nonprofit building corporation, called YBC. According to Minn. Stat. 124E Subd 3(b) (3), via their websites, charter schools must share information about any affiliated nonprofit building corporations.

2018 March 8

2018 October 11

2018 November 18

2019 May 13

2019 May 14

2019 July 25

2020 November 4

2021 February 3

2021 April 7

2021 May 19

2021 October 18

2022 August 24

2022 September 27

2023 March 30 (minutes will be uploaded following approval by YBC Board)