Reviewed school priorities: 7% increased reading and math proficiency ILEARN scores, no more than 10% difference between racial/ethnic groups on ILEARN, 82% retention for licensed teaching staff, 94% daily/yearly attendance, 200% increase in ethnically and racially diverse student-serving partnerships.

Attendance update: YTD attendance is 90.3%. Historical challenge, particularly during COVID. Highlight of 94.1% in third grade and growth area in 8th grade at 84.3% and 7th grade at 88.6%.

• No variance greater than 2 percentage points for differences across racial/ethnic lines, male female, free and reduced lunch/non FRL. Majority of chronic cases of absenteeism or truancy come from white scholars.
• Question from Kristy: To what do we attribute growth in attendance? Increase playbook for absences, less concern over COVID, stronger at following up with families who are absent and intervening before it becomes chronic.
• Celebrations that are projected in hallway screens, highlighting high attendance homerooms. Intentional about sending regular messages regarding attendance or celebrating 100% homeroom attendance. Perfect attendance students for August had cotton candy.
• Strategies: daily attendance calls and texts, weekly attendance meetings with clear next steps, and positive initiatives.
• Barb: dates for the celebrations? Rooney will follow up.
• Nelson: What is leading factor leading to absenteeism? Inconsistent housing can be a factor, some families that there is an intergenerational challenge with attending school, recovering from pandemic and not used to attending or being held accountable. Families work multiple jobs and not home in morning, kids who are older and are asked to care for younger siblings. line to walk to provide supports to get kids here and not let educational neglect go unaddressed.
• Kristy: Is the van up and running? Yes, but no clear protocol for when the van will be utilized.

K-6 update on academics:

• Partnership with 2nd grade Ignite reading tutors
• Pulled scholars based on data to meet on Zoom with a tutor who works with the student virtually.

K-6 Culture update

• Teachers providing peer observations and support
• School clubs have built excitement
• All k-6 students are receiving art class
• Suspension update: 2 in k, 3 in 2nd, 1 each in 3-6th grade.
• Barb: commenting on teacher camaraderie

7-8 Culture update

• Teachers have started a peer observation and support system
• Clubs have increased excitement
• New uniform has high compliance
• Areas for growth in attendance
• Homework completion increased from 35% in August to 54.5% in September.
• Question: is this the first year for a volleyball game? Yes. Monday is pack the house night for girls MS volleyball
• Shared celebration of locker decorations

IPS Rebuilding Stronger Update:

• Reviewed IPS principles and framework for the rebuilding stronger plan.
• Reviewed student movement in and out of Emma Donnan in the 2021-2022 school year. Lost 130 students and gained 109 students due to transportation and movement in and out of the middle school.
• IPS is moving to k-5 and 6-8 schools.
• Emma Donnan will become a K-5 school in the 2024-2025 school year.
• No staff would lose their roles. Hoping for board support to become credentialed in K-5 if desiring to stay or connecting with opportunities if wanting to go.
• K-5 enrollment will grow from other closures in the community.
• Question: schools that are slated to close will close when? At end of this current school year. Reviewed list of schools closing.
• K-5 model will add in digital literacy, computer science, and athletics for k-5.
• Reviewed zone 4 boundaries and transportation ramifications
• Reviewed middle schools available within zone 4
• Co-location of Step Ahead in the Emma Donnan building (will begin in Fall 2023)

Staten asked what we can expect with increase in K-5 enrollment. Rangel stated it depends on which families choose to come to Emma Donnan if their Zone 4 school closes. The three nearby schools that close have nearly 1,000 students looking for schools. Phase out options of current grade levels would likely not be approved by the school's authorizer, the Mayor's Office, due to past enrollment difficulties with the phase out model.

Smith asked if the school would be setting in enrollment caps. Rangel stated that beginning next year, the school would not due to the enrollment zones not beginning until SY24-25. For next school year, there would be no enrollment caps in line with the current neighborhood open-enrollment model. Enrollment zones would go into effect the following year (24-25) and caps on enrollment would be in place. The district would set expectations on what caps schools may set to ensure all children in the community would still have access. 

The final Board of Commissioners vote at Indianapolis Public Schools will occur in November. The school encourages families to share feedback directly with the IPS family survey links posted on the website.

Parent asked if a child is currently in the 6th grade, would continue to the 7th grade next year, and then the same student would have to attend an 8th grade at a separate school. Rangel confirmed that this is the situation if the Rebuilding Stronger plan is approved. Rangel stated that current non-innovation charter schools are not currently affected by this plan.

No update at this time.

Final statements for the year are set to come in September and have not yet been received. The former fiscal year as closed out and the committee is awaiting the report. 

The financial statements will be sent out via email to the board once received from CIES.

Kainrath highlighted financial requests of individual board members to support individualized needs of students and staff (i.e. uniform assistance, classroom assistance, etc.) Kainrath lifted the possibility of potentially setting up a separate fundraising account for these purposes. Kainrath informally asked if the board would be interested in exploring this option and present board members answered in the affirmative.

Once the number of board members is expanded, the Finance & Development committee would be separated to focus more on these key priorities.

Burcope first welcomed the new board members. Snaps all around.

To support board development, each committee would select a month to present development to the board that could include guest speakers, presentations of information, and more detailed committee updates. Board members have responded in feedback surveys that they would like more development opportunities and this step would be in-line with that feedback.

The Governance committee chooses November for DEI.

The Finance committee would choose January.

Academic committee could invite an outside speaker, Josh Grace from Teach for America, to talk about a macro perspective on education in America in March.

Development committee chooses May.

Upcoming submission requirements:

• Approval of June and August board minutes. Completed.
• Quarterly report using excel template, an academic upload, which includes attendance data, etc.
• Evidence of board-approved minutes on the website. Completed.

Metrics are posted on Board on Track under Board Documents, including:

• Governance Indicators (DEI)
  • Board education opportunities
  • # of Board Members
• Non-Academic Indicators
  • # days cash on hand
  • School leveL current ratio
  • # students educated
  • % of instructional staff are people of color
  • OEI non-academic goal 1: % of families responding "Agree" or "strongly agree" to: "The teachers do their best to help my child learn."
  • OEI non-academic goal 2: % renewed, licensed teachers retention.
• Academic Indicators
  • OEI Academic Goal 1: % of students proficient on ILEARN
  • OEI Academic Goal 2: % of students proficient on ILEARN Math
  • K-8 Average daily attendance

An executive session will be held with board members only.