Dr. Shamira O’Neal introduced the Trailblazer Showcase on February 5th, which showcased the students’ learning museum style. Kichelle Thomas-El, an 11th grader, shared about her projects presented at the showcase, which included science, English, and sports management. She appreciated the feedback she received from other students and the opportunity to share her work with other teachers.

Karen Venable-Croft discussed the new Aspire framework, a performance evaluation system used by the Public Charter School Board for Girls Global Academy and other schools in Washington, DC. The framework assesses school performance in four areas: school progress, school achievement, school environment, and a school-specific performance metric. Karen highlighted the importance of improving attendance and re-enrollment rates, as these areas could significantly impact the school's performance level. She also emphasized the significance of the 9th grade on-track metric, as a strong start in high school can lead to better performance in subsequent grades. There are subgroups within each group (racial, educational), and the team is looking at the influence these subgroups have on the metrics.  Karen concluded by noting that the school achievement area, which accounts for 50% of the evaluation, is crucial for Girls Global Academy's performance. 

In our next meeting to address strategies to identify areas needing to change, prioritize according to strategic plan, and do we need to alter based on data. Seek to answer “what exactly are the board role’s in supporting these strategies? How do we hold ourselves accountable for supporting?”

A portion of the ASPIRE dashboard includes school-specific performance measures. The Academic Committee chose two measures: the percentage of high school students participating in extracurricular activities and the engagement rate of families in quarterly parent-teacher conferences. These measures will be part of the school's accountability plan for the next three years. GGA currently has success in both, and the likelihood of continued success is high. The next steps include ensuring all procedural steps are followed and developing implementation policies. The committee will then present these policies for approval.

Nataly Bumpus and Katrina Duffy from FundEd Strategies presented fundraising efforts and goals in collaboration with Community Engagement Committee. They reviewed fiscal year 2025 fundraising targets, including $21,000 for individual and board giving, $15,000 for corporate sponsorships, and $150,000 for foundation grants. The board is currently at 66% participation in giving, with a goal of reaching 100% as this is important for grant applications. The Sisterhood Summit on March 26th is highlighted as a key upcoming fundraising event. The Community Engagement Committee recommends a full board fundraising training session in the future. Board members are encouraged to support fundraising by connecting potential sponsors, attending events, and sharing campaign information with their networks. Fundraising training for the board will be explored for the upcoming board retreat.

Resources provided by FundEd:

GGA Board Talking Points

GGA Concept Note Brief

Board Email Template Example

Foundation Prospects

Laura Bartos updated the board on the monitoring list inclusion for GGA and the 5-year review with the PSCB. The school was placed on the monitoring list due to a decrease in cash position, a decrease in enrollment from the previous school year, and a high rent for the building compared to other schools. Laura is working closely with Karen and the Ed Ops team to put together draft financial budgets for the next 5 years. The 5-year review is on April 28th, and the school will receive its report 2 weeks prior, with 7 days to view and respond. The board discussed the possibility of notifying parents about the monitoring list and the steps being taken. The Finance Committee is working on creating a draft 5-year budget and will have a vote in May. 

Laura also presented a proposal to open a new interest-earning account at City First Bank, which would generate approximately $20,000 to $30,000 in interest income annually, including adding the signatures of the current board chair and treasurer to the bank accounts.

Karen VC highlighted the school's recognition of students and staff members who embody the IB learner profile trait of 'principled'. She also mentioned the school's successful recruitment and enrollment efforts, with 96% of the application goal met. School ambassadors have been effective to draw people in. Karen also discussed the school's financial situation, including high occupancy expenses and the potential for generating funds from the building. The FFC has been instrumental in their support with PCSB requests. As for staffing, there is a  in social studies, currently filled with a long-term substitute.

March 24 board meeting Zoom
May 3--retreat in person at GGA
6/23/2024--annual meeting Zoom