Dahime Gordon, Site Coordinator for the 21st Century Learning Program (21st CCLC), and Michelle-Kerry Khatib, Program Director presented the monthly programming and budget report.  Board Vice President Andreea Bordeianu inquired is the method strategy that other schools are using to recruit and maintain higher enrollment numbers for the program. Ms. Gordon shared that other schools offer after-school sports and tutoring programs that filter into the 21st CCLC after-school program.  Board President Cristina Stamatin questioned the status of providing transportation for students participating in the after-school program.  Ana Ulloa shared that ESSER funds could not be used to cover the cost of transportation. However, if a Teacher of English to Speakers of Others Languages (TESOL) is hired for the after-school program to teach English to immigrant students, perhaps this would assist with the language barrier gaps by providing additional support in a smaller group setting. The idea was well received by both the 21st CCLC team and the Board of Directors.

Dr. Lorilyn Coggins presented the Charter School Program Grant current month and cumulative amounts to the Board of Directors as required to be presented monthly at each board meeting. There may be a strong possibility that the MDE may authorize the school to utilize the remainder of the grant funds.   

December 2022 financial reports were presented by Dr. Lorilyn Coggins highlighting cash on hand, year-to-date revenues, year-to-date expenditures, and the current fund balance in a summarized format.   The financials are in order.

The Sanga Monthly Management Report was presented by Dr. Steven Ovares (School Principal) and Ana Ulloa (CEO, Founder).  Escuela Avancemos Academy is part of the Detroit Children's Fund SC2 Cohort.  Each year our teacher staff engage in a nationally normed survey called the New Teacher Project (TNTP) Insight Survey. A presentation of the summary detail report was shared with the Board of Directors to reflect the domain responses in relation to the national norm.  Board President Cristina Stamatin questioned the drop in results for Family and Community Engagement. Ana Ulloa conveyed that the term "Family and Community Engagement" is an abstract representation. The teachers have a different perception of Family and Community Engagement.  Ana Ulloa, with the collaboration of parents, plans to have a presentation to provide an overall insight into the meaning of Family and Community Engagement to the instructional staff.  Dr. Ovares pointed out that the survey does not provide a rubric for teachers to follow when answering the questions. Board Vice President Andreea Bordeianu requested more cultural lessons to be presented to the Board of Directors. Dr. Ovares continues to strive to make a connection with the Manoogian school for collaboration and touring their facility. The Manoogian school is part of the Central Michigan University portfolio. Jennifer Joubert will reach out to the school leaders on the academy's behalf to assist with making the connection. 

Continuing improvement efforts are made to ensure clarity with special education procedures, adherence to laws and regulations, and ensuring English language learners in special education are properly supported.  

An update on the parent request was presented to the Board of Directors.  The academy is in continuous communication with the family regarding the request of a student of concern. Sanga Management has contracted one of the Special Education Teachers with a background in Autism for a special project to monitor the student of concern.  The teacher is scheduled to communicate the findings to the parents for the best options to support the student.  

A Title IX investigation regarding a student complaint has begun.  Sanga Management will keep the board informed on the results of the pending investigation. Title IX training for leadership is on management's priority list.

The academy's Part-time Resource Room teacher may possibly resign.  Sanga Management is actively seeking to retain this teacher.

Partnerships and management company initiatives are ongoing.  A community partner Jesse Venegas is greenlighting an electrical update project at the academy.  Superior Electric Great Lakes Company has identified and corrected (1/21/2023) voltage issues in Rooms 105 and 110. This voltage issue has caused damage to cords connected to electronic equipment.

In addition, a partnership has been established with the academy's local library. The academy and Bowen Library are excited about this partnership. Every Wednesday, teachers may request books for their classes that will be delivered by the library.  The library has agreed to conduct onsite librarian visits to the school for story time reading to K-1 students in both English and Spanish. Library card processing for families is in process. Board Vice President Andreea Bordeianu requested that all grade levels visit the main Detroit Library or a university library for the ultimate experience. 

Dr. Lorilyn Coggins and Dr. Steven Ovares will begin meeting on the Michigan Integrated Continuous Improvement Process that will replace the school improvement plan formatting moving forward.  

Building maintenance and repairs are ongoing at the academy. Each classroom and staff member has received a walkie-talkie for another layer of emergency communication. Board Vice President Andreea Bordeianu requested that the sidewalk in front of the school building be replaced as it is considered to be a hazard. Shan'Ta Johnson, Director of Operations will continue to work with the City of Detroit and local vendors to meet the needs of this safety request.

No public comments at this time. 

The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools Central Michigan University Field Operations School Lead, Jennifer Joubert, thanked Board President Cristina Stamatin for attending the CMU's Board Road Table.  Board President Cristina Stamatin was the only Board President to attend this event.  The authorizer panel team was impressed with the overall Board President and Escuela Avancemos Team. The announcement of upcoming CMU Board Series events was disseminated. On January 30, 2023, Making an Impact – Understanding the Legislative Process and How to Engage with Stakeholders–Virtual event.

Escuela Avancemos Academy Board of Directors thanked the team for a great start to the school year.  Board Treasurer Trustee Linda Chittum is thankful to Dr. Coggins for providing more details on the monthly check registry descriptions. Board Vice President Andreea Bordeianu mentioned the need for a multi-cultured school library.   An Early Childhood Learning planning update request for the Board of Directors to review is needed. Board President Cristina Stamatin was elated to attend CMU's Board Round Table.  Great collaboration with the CMU team.  More information regarding the collaborative conversation will be shared at the upcoming board retreat.  A request was made for the board members to determine which date works best for their schedule to attend the board retreat. Please inform Shan'Ta Johnson of available dates for board retreat planning. Strategic planning is needed for the possibility of adding a high school, futuristic learning, and legislative bills that may impact charter schools. Members of the Charter Schools community should be concerned about the legislative bills that Congress is attempting to pass. Board President Stamatin encouraged that state representatives be invited to visit the academy.  Ana Ulloa is pleased to announce that a total of 8 Eighth Graders have been accepted to Cass Technical High School for the 2023-2024 school year.