Attendance, Enrollment, and Discipline

• Attendance accuracy measures and ADA outlook
  • Corrective actions implemented to improve attendance data accuracy and timeliness (teacher reminders, cross-referencing with main office).
  • Outreach to families of scholars with >30 absences (letters, certified mail, calls, meetings).
  • Anticipation that average daily attendance for February and subsequent months will rise once corrections are reflected.
  • Plan to present updated historical attendance figures next month.
• Enrollment status and applications
  • 281 scholars in ATS (93% of target enrollment).
  • 266 billable (88% of target) due to long-term absences/unreachable scholars (potentially out of state/country); discharge research ongoing.
  • 54 applications on hand; active recruitment via school visits and partnerships; evidence that on-site visits increase interest.
• Discipline trends and responses
  • In-school suspensions increased due to cheating during ELA mock testing.
  • One out-of-school suspension for drug paraphernalia; immediate response with parent and social worker; related incidents decreasing.
• Academic Performance and Instruction
• ELA mock results by grade
  • Unspecified grade snapshot: Multiple Choice Day 1—40% level 2, 60% level 1; Multiple Choice Day 2—10% proficient, 26% level 2, 64% level 1; Writing Day 1—25% proficient, 15% level 2, 60% level 1; Writing Day 2—10% proficient, 10% level 2, 80% level 1.
  • Grade 7: Multiple Choice Day 1 and Day 2—54% proficient, 27% level 2, 19% level 1; Writing Day 1—54% proficient, 6% level 2, 40% level 1; Writing Day 2—20% proficient, 13% level 2, 67% level 1.
  • Grade 8: Multiple Choice Day 1—48% proficient, 16% level 2, 26% level 1; Multiple Choice Day 2—37% proficient, 26% level 2, 37% level 1; Writing Day 1—48% proficient, 16% level 2, 36% level 1; Writing Day 2—47% proficient, 17% level 2, 36% level 1.
• Instructional response, RTI, and upcoming assessments
  • Focus areas: text analysis, evidence-based responses, foundational literacy, and writing.
  • Small-group targeted instruction and Response to Intervention embedded in Friday schedules; each middle school teacher leads a group based on data.
  • Stamina-building strategies prioritized due to 3+ hour online exam fatigue.
  • Math mock exam scheduled next Monday/Tuesday; results expected by April board meeting.
• PSAT/SAT School Day set for March 27; ongoing March college tours to John Jay and Manhattanville.
• Family Engagement and Surveys
  • Survey completion status and efforts
  • DOE survey deadline: April 1.
  • Current completion rates: Teachers 57%; Support staff 83%; Parents 11%; Scholars 22%.
  • Multiple strategies: parent “sip and paint” events, incentives, email/text/voice reminders; DOE dashboards may lag by up to two weeks.
  • Minimum goal: 75% parent completion; additional push planned Friday.
• Upcoming events and calendar
  • Eid observed this Friday (no school).
  • Spring Break: April 2–10.
  • Maker Faire highlighted on Channel 11; Advanced Placement African American Studies class Harlem tour and meeting with Melba’s Soul Food founder.
• Operations, Professional Development, and Renewal
  • Professional development focus and staffing
  • Instructional focus: strategic thinking and evidence-based responses; question quality and response analysis.
  • Ongoing coaching via internal leadership, Lavinia, and H2 Practical Solutions.
  • No staffing changes reported.
  • DOE renewal supplemental goals
    • DOE requested supplemental goals by next day; school collaborating with H2 Practical Solutions to submit on time.
    • Finalized goals to be shared with leadership, DOE authorizers, and board.
• Partnerships and Grants
  • School visits and feeder relationships
  • Parent/community events fostered engagement with leadership and social-emotional learning/operations teams.
  • Potential feeder relationships advancing: local K–8 charters visited; whole-grade tours bolster applications.
  • Brooklyn Charter’s fifth grade visited; principal expressed interest in reestablishing a feeder link.
  • Discussions with a nearby K–8 charter to route eighth graders to Summit High School.
  • Grants awarded and new programs
    • Harry Chapin Grant: $2,000 for music program.
    • Guitar Center grant: instruments awarded; additional donated string instruments; introduction to Brooklyn Conservatory of Music for potential instructors.
    • Good Sports grant: significant discount on athletic goods/uniforms over two years.
    • Cycling program grant: 30 bicycles with helmets arriving July; one staff member to attend professional development in California on integrating cycling into PE (selection likely a PE teacher; final decision by school leader).

Financial Overview (Period Ending February 28)

Cash position and balance sheet

Approximately 158 days of cash on hand as of February 28.

• Cash: -$1.8M operating account; -$1.1M industrial account.
  • Prepaid expenses: -$38K; Accounts receivable: -$112K (mainly Title funding; FS-25 submissions pending in coming weeks).
• Liabilities: -$173K equipment liability (11-month employees); -$969K unearned revenue (DOE deposits for March/April).
  • Net assets increased from -$1.8M at start of year to -$2.1M after a -$242K year-to-date surplus.

P&L and projection adjustments

• Year-to-date revenue: -$4.36M (61% of projection); year-to-date expenses: -$4.12M (57%).
• Year-to-date surplus: -$242K; projected annual deficit reduced from -$387K to -$253K.
• Adjustments: Medical insurance lowered to -$507K (from -$576K); depreciation projection set to -$219K (non-cash).
  • Continued monitoring planned; DOE cash flow seasonality noted (June typically tight for NYC charters).

Merger Exploration and Governance Actions

• Site visits and information exchange
  • Potential merger partner visited March 5 for presentations, classroom tours, and candid discussions on alignment and challenges.
  • Summit team visited the potential partner on March 12 for leadership meetings, classroom observations, and process insights.

Governance committee scheduled to meet with DOE on March 26 for follow-up feedback on renewal and merger observations; results to be reported at the next meeting.

No report at this time.

No report at this time.

DOE renewal supplemental goals

• DOE requested supplemental goals by next day; school collaborating with H2 Practical Solutions to submit on time.
• Finalized goals to be shared with leadership, DOE authorizers, and board.

The Board received an update from the Merger Committee regarding its ongoing due diligence related to a potential merger opportunity. The committee reported that reciprocal school visits were conducted between Summit Academy Charter School and the potential partner school to support information sharing and provide insight into each school’s academic program and operations. 

The committee also reported that a potential merger consultant has been identified and that a resolution to approve the engagement of the consultant will be presented for Board consideration. In addition, the Board will consider authorizing the engagement of legal counsel to provide guidance related to merger due diligence and potential restructuring considerations. 

The committee noted that school leadership had been asked to provide a follow-up report addressing questions raised after the initial report; however, the revised report had not yet been received. School leadership may provide a separate update to the Board when additional information becomes available. 

The Board acknowledged the update and noted that the committee’s work is focused on supporting the Board’s evaluation of the potential opportunity and that no decision regarding a merger has been made.