• Gina Fafard presented on Board on Track tutorial for ADCS BoT Members.
• Institutional documents
  • Encouraged to upload ADCS':
    •  By-Laws
    • Charter Promises
    • Compliance Documents
    • Audits

• All accounts reviewed by N. Gallagher.

M. Melkonian 

• Started Seal of Biliteracy Presentations today. 
  • 62% of ADCS seniors graduated with Seal of Biliteracy last school year.
  • Aiming for high 90% this school year.
  • Today's presentation a students parent assisted. Will be shared with Board members because it aligns with our mission.
    • L. Rojas look forward to receiving the videos to see a different perspective. 
• School year reaching mid-year. Interim assessments and regents this week.
• Better place with our students this year including a decrease in bringing in substances.
• College acceptances are coming in. Early decisions Tufts & Barnards full rides.

N. Gallagher

• February 2019 schedule plus a percentage. 
• Our school Leadership and Accounting Solutions want to ensure we remain competitive. 
• Our team would like to revisit the schedules. 
• Accounting Solutions will prepare an analysis for BoT review.
  • Open positions - many individuals request the salary range prior to the demo. After the demo we offer them a salary and anecdotally they do not want to accept because it is not much more money than they are currently earning.
  • Do not want to lose any current staff to other opportunities.

N. Gallagher/M Melkonian

• Social Emotional Learning - feedback from our site visit.
  • We will gauge how they are doing and put systems in place to support our students.
  • Will be administered in beginning of February and again at the end of the year.

M. Melkonian 

• Site visit 8 months ago, observed, leadership team interviewed, interviewed Board members and some students.
• 166 page report was provided last Friday. 
• A few areas of factual corrections/revisions
  • Some areas need clarity and needs to be synthesized. Most does not capture who we are and some contradictory data points.
  • Benchmark 1 - data used has not been updated since SY1819 however, it moved our rating down. Not using as a data point and it stays as it is but it has brought us down.
  • 4 areas of approaches (6 meets, 4 approaches student performance, board oversight and governance, enrollment/retention - overenrolled, legal compliance)
    • Z. Martinez - The report has ZM not an actual BoT Member which needs to be fact checked.
  • Full story is not being told/represented here.
    • Only BoT Chair & BoT Treasurer were available to meet with NYSED after NYSED changed the meeting date. Helpful to reflect areas of development, strengths and where we are. 
      • Concern - Did not fully capture ADS' work with students and families especially during the pandemic which was completed during the pandemic.  
        • NYSED either does not provide the report/findings or provide it extremely late.
        • BoT member is concerned that NYSED is nitpicking.
          • M. Melkonian:
            • Report stated that ADS does not have a lawyer and real estate expertise on our Board. 
            • No strategic plan of growth for ADCS. Questionable because we never stated we would grow as an organization.
            • Board did not conduct an onboarding process and no professional development.
            • Board is not highly familiar with 10 benchmarks. 
            • BOT Members:
              • Governance unsure why NYSED does not think that we do not govern.
              • Metrics are showing differently. We have been recognized and on the map. 
              • During the last 10 minutes of the NYSED meeting ADS BoT was drilled on the 10 benchmarks. Unsure based off of this, why NYSED would provide ADCS with another opportunity for a charter. A narrative is created. ADCS must respond back to NYSED about reporting, no support systems put into place.

M. Melkonian

• Liaison Update
  • Paula Orlando has transitioned out of the office.
    • Other school has Vickie Smith and transitioned out.
      • No Liaison for either school. Only two (2) Liaisons left in the office.
        • We have an email provided to us if we need any support. 
  • Lisa Long Meeting 
    • December 2022 Lisa Long and David Frank met with our Legal team. Political landscape is anti-charter at this time. 

N. Gallagher

• Applications look healthy.
  • Applications:
    • 6th grade - 121
    • 7th grade - 11
    • 8th grade - 17 
    • 9th grade - 260
    • 10th grade - 15 
    • 11th grade - 10
    • 12th grade - 7 
      • Total to date: 441 applications for all 7 grades.
        • 600 enrollment next SY2324.
          • Reruitment:Using Univision, Vangard (Postcard sent out for Sp Ed services 6k households) & Bronx Times. 
            • We won't use Pix11. 
              • Attend Recruitment Fairs.

N. Gallagher

• Thinking of mechanisms to keep staff engaged.
  • Financial would like to propose offer staff a spring break bonus. ($500 per staff) ($52k total)
  • Propose a performance based bonus offered at the end of the school year ($1,500 per staff) ($156k total) focused around professional responsibilities. 
  • M. Melkonian - Other charters are offering comprehensive bonuses. 
    • Think through as a Board & Committee - reflects ADCS and keeps us competitive in the field.
  • We have a surplus which this make this feasible financially.
    • Treasurer
      • Finance Committee will be willing to have the conversation once the team met with Accounting Solutions Team. Is it default, how will this look being implemented? Performance requires a bit more to lift off the ground.
        • Performance - 
          • Short term - Framework evaluation tool. Rubric will be used. Low level performance not based on test results.
          • Long term - Based on student performance in the future.
            • Non-instructional staff should also be provided bonuses - school aides, receptionists, maintenance 
              • T. Hernandez - would like to assist with this she has experience within her HR role.