Vertus High School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday October 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Location
MCC Downtown Campus
Trustees Present
A. Bell, C. Gantt, D. Johnson, D. Paul, E. Gallina, J. Wynn, S. David-West
Trustees Absent
J. O'Connell, M. Mandina, S. Ash, V. Van Voorhis
Guests Present
A. Brisson, J. Locey, L. Bennett
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
II. Consent Agenda Items
A.
Month At A Glance
B.
Recruitment Update
C.
Board Statistics
III. Finance
A.
Budget vs Actual & Cash Flow
Early in the year, so there is little activity at this time. Michael James is back on a P/T basis at a recruiter. We are about $50K over budget but additional funding/grants are forthcoming.
We are in a healthy cash flow at this time. No concerns in this area. A question was asked about fluctuation between October and November. The fluctuation was explained as a payment from the RCSD.
Vertus Gala was sold out for this year. Currently at 208 people.
IV. Discussion Items
A.
21 Humboldt Lease-Update
Evan G. discussed call with leaser to discuss the renewal of the least for 21 Humboldt. We are also examining what an expansion for the Middle School would look like. The first goal is to lock in the renewal approval. Termination date is June 30, 2026, so a Board vote will need to take place six months in advance of the lease termination. That vote will take place in November 2025.
B.
Material Revision of Charter
Julie L. and Victoria V. met to discuss making a material revision to the Charter. It would be due December 3, 2025. It must be voted on by the Board before it can be submitted. The vote was taken at today's board meeting.
V. Committee Reporting
A.
Governance
There is some interest in additions to the Board. We are considering a survey to allow candidates to express their interests. We are currently at 11 board members for Vertus.
We reviewed the process for board members and their responsibility for attendance. Based on our policies, any board member who misses three meetings consecutively, they must be removed from the Board. A vote was taken to have an identified individual removed from the Board due to attendance as per New York State law. This is referred in the Charter School Job Description for Board Members.
There was a vote that the Board Chair will communicate to the impacted Board Member the results of the discussion at the Board Meeting in accordance with Education Law 2264. The exact language will be reviewed with legal counsel for Board.
Mr. Bennett provided an overview of the Month At A Glance. Discussion took place regarding Upstate Construction and Hall of Justice Career and College Fair. A lot of opportunities being provided to Vertus students. Julie mentioned that parent engagement has been up this semester. There was also a question about how the HBCU scholarship are applied in the event that the student applies for the respective college.