Board Chair reviewed public comment protocol:

• Two-minute limit per speaker
• Maximum of 10 speakers
• No dialogue between speakers and Board during comment period

Parent Concerns Raised
 

Staff Turnover & Vacancies

• Concern regarding mid-year staff departures, including college counselor and principal.

Administration reported:

• All vacancies filled except:
• High School ELA SPED Teacher (in process)
• Middle School Social Worker (final hiring stages; new counselor model)
• Middle School currently without a principal.
• Executive Director overseeing instructional leadership with support from STEAM and Humanities coaches.
• Hiring process for Middle School Principal to begin late March/early April.

College Counseling

• Students expressed concern about impact of College Counselor departure.

Administration noted that new counselor model will support dual roles aligned to 6–12 structure.

Mental Health Coverage

• Question raised regarding social worker coverage across both campuses.

Administration confirmed new hire is in final stages to support both schools.

Board Accessibility & Communication
Parents and staff raised concerns about:

• Limited awareness of Board meeting dates.
• Lack of automatically posted Zoom links.
• Language access and translation needs.
• Need for paper flyers and non-digital communication for families not tech-proficient.
• Perception of division within school community.

Board clarified:

• Meetings are publicly posted on website.
• Virtual access must be requested in advance per policy.

Action Items:

• Review process for posting Zoom links for public meetings.
• Explore translation services and improved multilingual communication.
• Strengthen outreach strategies to increase family participation.

Presented by: Dr. Karen Valbrun, Executive Director

Upcoming Events

• Black History Month Celebrations (MS: 2/26; HS: 2/27)
• Open House (2/28)
• Kindness Closet & Parent Workshop (Mid-Year Reset)
• Scholastic Book Fair (March 6)
• Pi Day (March 13)
• Career Day & 30th Precinct Basketball Game (March 18)
• Literacy Night (March 19)
• Monthly Family Zoom (March 23)

Enrollment & Attendance

• Total Enrollment: 595 students
• January Student Attendance: 92.7% (Goal: 95%)
• Staff Attendance: 92%

Student Demographics

• Students with IEPs: 99
• ELL Students: 91
• January–February: 10 enrollments, 19 discharges

Compliance

• Meeting held with authorizer and CSE to ensure continued compliance.

Family Engagement Highlights

• New Year’s Breakfast
• Family Zoom Sessions (with translation)
• Credit Recovery Family Meeting
• Monthly Newsletter
• 20-Year Anniversary Video
• Community Open Houses

Office Data Tracking

• Main Office tracking trends in parent calls (attendance, letters, general information) to identify service gaps.

Recruitment & Enrollment Efforts

• Harlem Charter School Fair
• City Expo
• Cardinal McCloskey Fair
• Upcoming Bronx recruitment event
• Partnerships with community-based organizations
• Canvassing & tabling initiatives

HR Updates

Current Vacancies:

• Science Co-Teacher
• Humanities Co-Teacher
• Middle School Social Worker (final stages)

Presented by:  Li'Esha Garcia, Chief Financial & Operations Officer

• Operational restructuring implemented to offset under-enrollment.

Financial Snapshot (Through January)

• Revenue: $8.49M
• Expenses: $8.12M
• Current Surplus (temporary)

Notes:

• Cash flow remains tight.
• Positive net equity maintained.
• Under-enrollment continues to impact revenue.
• Savings achieved in:
• Salaries (position consolidations)
• Professional services (renegotiated contracts)
• Fundraising expenses (shift from consultants to internal strategies)

Action Item:

• Continue identifying diversified funding streams (grants, philanthropic sources).

Presented by: Fred Givesn, High School Principal

Regents Performance (January 2026 vs January 2025)

• Overall improved performance year-over-year.
• Small testing groups may impact percentage swings.
• SWDs and ELLs remain lower performing across subjects.
• Identified Trends
• Stronger performance in History.
• Persistent challenges in:
• Biology (9% proficiency on IA)
• Science & Math application skills
• ELL & SWD subgroups
• English Regents performance
• Instructional Adjustments
• Restructured 9th Period intervention groups (skill-based groupings)
• Saturday Academy launched
• Differentiated small-group support
• Coaching & curriculum adjustments
• Color-coded annotation strategy in Math
• Targeted re-teaching in English (rhetorical analysis, tone)
• Writing scaffolded into smaller skill-based components
• Full-time Spanish teacher hired (replacing long-term substitute)
• Board Requests (Academic Accountability)
• Board Member requested:
• Enrollment numbers per course
• Mini-IA scheduled for April (all subjects)
• Clear benchmark targets for April progress
• Justification for set performance benchmarks
• Updated reporting at April Board meeting

Action Items

Admin to provide:

• Exact student counts per IA
• April Mini-IA dates
• Subject-specific benchmark goals
• Rationale for targets
• Progress report at April meeting
• Board expressed strong concern regarding low proficiency rates (e.g., 9%, 12%, 32%) and emphasized urgency in improving outcomes.