Erik C. Makrush, a newly appointed board member to the Nampa Classical Academy, has been appointed chairman of the Public Relations Committee. It was issued Sunday night. I'm sharing it here, unedited.

— Vickie

Nampa Classical Academy looking forward to addressing Public Charter School Commission on November 12th.

Nampa Classical Academy's school board is taking proactive measures to ensure that recommendations from the Charter School Commission are effectively and expediently put into place. During the October 30th School Board meeting, Acting Chairman Michael Moffett addressed many issues for which the Academy has been recently criticized. As part of the Board's actions, Mr. Michael Moffett has ordered a complete internal audit be conducted to ensure continuing compliance with all Charter School Commission requirements and recommendations. Additionally, he is aggressively working to bring the four recently-elected Board members up to speed as quickly as possible.

The newly-elected board members constitute a change that has been highly-praised by the staff, parents, and stakeholders of Nampa Classical Academy. The Board is aggressively addressing the damage caused by recent unfounded allegations of misconduct, and eagerly awaiting the opportunity to directly address these at the Idaho Public Charter School Commission on November 12th.

The School Board has created a number of new advisory committees to monitor a myriad of school operations, in order to ensure the best possible performance of the school. Mr. Michael Moffett earnestly asked for volunteers from stakeholders and the community to assist in the execution of these committees' responsibilities, including handling inquiries from the state, internal financial auditing, the continuing planning and construction of school buildings and facilities, and improving public and media relations.

One immediate concern facing the Board is the current need for additional curriculum. One unique challenge for NCA is that, unlike many public schools, students at NCA are progressed through curriculum individually once the material has been mastered, rather than collectively at the end of the school year. Thus, the faster an individual student progresses, the more quickly new curriculum needs to be introduced to that student. The teachers are having impressive success, which is resulting in the students' rapid progress and now there is a need to bring in curriculum at a faster rate than was previously anticipated. Mr. Isaac Moffett said he is "proud of the kids and how well they are doing. They are performing much better than we initially thought they would. This proves that the Classical model of educating is [one of the best models] available."

However, before moving ahead with the purchase of the needed curriculum, the Board is waiting for the results of the internal audit to determine which areas of the budget can be reduced in order to free-up funds. The original budget for curriculum was reduced, and as the Board moves forward, it is committed to remaining debt-free while providing for the educational welfare of all staff, students, and stakeholders of NCA.

In response to recent allegations against NCA, the Board offers the following response:"It is saddening that a divide has occurred between former Board members and Isaac and Michael Moffett, and that inaccurate allegations have been made. Mrs. Tamara Baysinger stated the following in an email to the NCA Board:

"I would like to confirm that at 4:06 pm on October 28, 2009, the outstanding items from NCA's required report were received by the Public Charter School Commission office. Therefore, the defect identified in the Notice of Defect issued to NCA on October 23, 2009, is considered resolved. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter; it is much appreciated."

Additionally, we have recently met with our contracted development and management companies, and are greatly encouraged that our relationship with them remains strong, and that all parties involved in the project are completely committed to the continued success of Nampa Classical Academy. We are eager to listen to any additional suggestions offered to us by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission, and greatly value the contribution of their experience and guidance as we break new ground with NCA. With our continued success and new leadership, we will be able to quickly to put the recent allegations and divisions behind us, moving forward with all of the exceptional and rewarding achievements being accomplished on a daily basis by NCA's faculty and students. This is truly an exciting project to be a part of!"