Lowcountry Montessori School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday April 22, 2021 at 5:30 PM
Location
749 Broad River Drive, Beaufort, SC 29906
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/hhs-sizn-hzr
Or dial: (US) +1 314-649-9352 PIN: 371 751 881#
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 (remote), J. Dameworth, J. Ephland, K. Recchia (remote), L. Young (remote), P. Chester (remote), S. Boggs, T. Vande Burgt (remote)
Directors Absent
S. Lemstrom
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
L. Young
Guests Present
A. Horn, Becky Shaffer (remote), M. Zappia (remote), S. Fox
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
A. Moody called a meeting of the board of directors of Lowcountry Montessori School to order on Thursday Apr 22, 2021 at 5:33 PM.
C.
Reading of the Mission Statement
D.
Approval of Agenda
Agenda approved by unanimous consent.
E.
Statement of Compliance with FOIA
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Approve minutes from 3/25/2021 regular board meeting.
J. Dameworth made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 03-25-21.
G. Alexander seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Public Comment
A.
Public comment period, limited to 3 minutes per person.
No public comment to record.
IV. Director's Report
A.
April Update
LMS will be returning to 5 days of in-person instruction on April 26.
A. Horn announced that Becky Shaffer will be assuming the assistant director role that opened up with the departure of Matt Zappia.
International Night will be on 5/20 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. K and H.S. graduation scheduled for late May.
V. Committee Reports
A.
Finance
J. Dameworth made a motion to approve the March financial reports.
P. Chester seconded the motion.
Andrew Cilone from Prestige presented the financial reports. All issues presented in the reports have been addressed in the proposed FY21 budget amendment, also to be voted on at this meeting.
J. Ephland made a motion to approve the amended FY21 budget.
J. Dameworth seconded the motion.
The amended budget was presented and reviewed.
The board reviewed the proposed FY22 budget, with discussion of ESSER funds and the recurring expenses that might be incurred with that spending.
There was also discussion of the proposal to purchase a 15-person bus for transportation, including the need to account for the salary for a driver and expenses for insurance in the budget.
A. Cilone mentioned the potential for GEER funding from the state, but amount and timeline is unknown at this point.
L. Young arrived at 6:08 PM.
B.
Governance
P. Chester made a motion to approve the addition of Amanda Thompson to the list of candidates in the spring board election.
T. Vande Burgt seconded the motion.
A. Moody and P. Chester recommended that Amanda Thompson be added to the spring election.
C.
Facilities
A. Moody summarized a recent facilities discussion of the school's permaculture efforts. The landscape of the school may change as the use of a commercial landscape maintenance company is stopped and more ecologically sound methods are employed. Benefits to the school include learning opportunities for students along with less resource consumption.
T. Vande Burgt requested that, in the future, the board be made aware of any contract issues that may be of concern (with regard to the documented issues with landscapers over the years).
D.
Academic Excellence
A. Horn reported that admin staff have been working on staff development requests, including the need for writing workshops and math help at the primary level.
E.
Fundraising
Silent auction preparations are under way (for International Night), and the Kind project is progressing. Also discussed outreach to area garden clubs to showcase the LMS garden and overall philosophy.
F.
Project Oversight and Planning
Project is still in the schematic design phase due to issues with the high school plans. The delay has pushed potential groundbreaking date from December 2021 to January/February 2022.
VI. Unfinished Business
A.
Discuss and vote on changes to PK3 and PK4 program.
K. Recchia made a motion to approve a one year trial of a free half-day PK3 and PK4 program, with a paid afternoon option, contingent upon confirmed SCPCSD approval of the paid afternoon plan, and provided all necessary charter amendments are submitted properly.
J. Ephland seconded the motion.
A. Horn presented on the free half-day proposal, highlighting benefits of the program and projected affect on bottom line.
P. Chester expressed concern about impact to budget at a time when ESSR II funding and recurring obligations may affect future expenses in FY 23.
A. Moody brought up EIA funding manual requirements regarding class size and lottery priority based on family income; LMS is still waiting for some answers from SCPCSD about those requirements.
K. Reynolds asked about how many families have expressed interest in PK3/PK4 but not applied due to fees; A. Horn said it's been a significant number over the years based on responses on tours.
There was also discussion of a proposed bus purchase as it relates to serving areas where family transportation might be an issue. More details will be needed about that plan, and can be discussed with budget review.
J. Ephland mentioned increased rates of 4 year olds qualifying/needing PK4 opportunities, and remarked that this was a particularly unique and good time to be offering expanded services (due to the pandemic and its affect on early childhood development).
P. Chester asked about timeline/deadline for vote. A. Horn requested a vote today. A. Moody mentioned the 4-week marketing plan in the proposal that would mean a lottery in late May/early June if approved today; late June/early July if approved at May board meeting.
There was agreement that a one-year trial would be more acceptable than a longer trial, and if promoted as such would alleviate disappointment if the program had to be discontinued after the trial period.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Moody |
Aye
|
| K. Recchia |
Aye
|
| T. Vande Burgt |
No
|
| J. Dameworth |
Aye
|
| S. Boggs |
Aye
|
| J. Ephland |
Aye
|
| P. Chester |
Aye
|
| S. Lemstrom |
Absent
|
| G. Alexander |
No
|
| L. Young |
Aye
|
VII. Executive Session
A.
Executive Session
No executive session was held during this meeting.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:42 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
A. Moody