Lowcountry Montessori School
Minutes
Special Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday November 7, 2019 at 6:30 PM
Location
749 Broad River Drive, Beaufort, SC 29906
The mission of Lowcountry Montessori School is to provide an authentic Montessori education building a foundation for lifelong learning.
Directors Present
A. Moody, G. Alexander, J. Dameworth, K. Recchia (remote), P. Chester, S. Lemstrom, T. Vande Burgt
Directors Absent
C. Lucas, D. Fent
Guests Present
A. Horn, Ashley McElveen, Cindy McPartland, Deb Wright, James McPartland, Jennifer Dowling, Judith Blankenship, Kylie Wright, Ricky McElveen, Sarah Fox, Savannah Thomas
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
S. Lemstrom called a meeting of the board of directors of Lowcountry Montessori School to order on Thursday Nov 7, 2019 at 6:38 PM.
C.
Reading of the Mission Statement
D.
Approval of Agenda
P. Chester made a motion to Approve.
A. Moody seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Statement of Compliance with FOIA
II. Public Comment
A.
Public comment period, limited to 3 minutes per person.
III. New Business
A.
Vote on Architect Contract
The vote on the architect contract was tabled after discussion of USDA funding status and the pros and cons of proceeding with the architect's design plans before such funding is guaranteed.
P. Chester made a motion to Table the vote.
G. Alexander seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Executive Session
A.
Executive Session
All voted to move into executive session.
B.
Discuss Contractual Matter
C.
Discuss parent concern
V. Other Business
A.
Vote on matters from Executive Session, if required
P. Chester made a motion to Came out of executive session at 8:56. Board moved that the board retain a qualified outside professional to investigate the allegations with final approval of the contract to be voted on at the Nov. 21st meeting.
Patrick made the motion and Greg seconded the motion. All voted in favor.
G. Alexander seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
P. Chester made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
G. Alexander seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
A. Horn
Ashley McElveen expressed concerns about teacher qualifications and teacher and staff behaviour, including improprieties on field trips.
Savannah expressed concerns about field trip accommodations, teacher behaviour, and administrative policies.
Deb Wright expressed concerns about mandatory reporting procedure, parent-administration communication, and teacher and staff behaviour.
Ricky McElveen expressed concerns about quality of instruction and overall discipline; also disappointed by interaction with teacher.
Judy Blankenship expressed concerns about academic rigor at LMS, as well as adherence to state laws regarding teacher certification and mandatory reporting.
Kylie Wright reiterated concerns about a child left unattended two times during school days; also mentioned disappointment at lack of information or timely resolution of issues.