Paramount Schools of Excellence

Minutes

Board of Directors Meeting

Date and Time

Tuesday December 11, 2018 at 5:30 PM

Location

3020 Nowland Avenue Room 13

Directors Present

A. Bekele, B. Eldridge (remote), J. Amu, J. Hazzard, Jr., M. Bishop, P. Blackard

Directors Absent

C. Park, T. Rude

Guests Present

Adam Freeman, B. Richardson, Beth Marsh Bookkeeping Plus, Chris Larson, H. Okerson, J. Monk, Kyle Beauchamp, Mary Laflin, Monica Hingst, Nasreen Khan Clark, P. Purvis, Precious Jones, Rhonda Grady, Sarah Shaffer, Scott Frye, Steven Yockey, Tiffany Palacios, Tommy Reddicks, Valerie Carlisle

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance and Guests

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

J. Hazzard, Jr. called a meeting of the board of directors of Paramount Schools of Excellence to order on Tuesday Dec 11, 2018 at 5:34 PM.

II. Public Comments

A.

Public Comments

No public comment was made.

III. Consent Agenda Review and Approval

A.

Review and approve minutes.

J. Hazzard, Jr. made a motion to approve minutes as amended from the November Board Meeting on 11-20-18 November Board Meeting on 11-20-18.
J. Amu seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Correction on November minutes, Board members Mandy Bishop and Peggy Blackard were not in attendance.

B.

Voucher approval

M. Bishop made a motion to approve the voucher.
P. Blackard seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J. Hazzard Jr. recused himself from the vote.

IV. New Business

A.

Bookkeeping Plus

  • Beth Marsh provided information on the services Bookkeeping Plus (BPI) provides to Paramount.  She also spoke about the communication structure between BPI and the Navigation Team.
  • J. Hazzard Jr. noted since BPI has resumed work with Paramount, annual audits have been clean and free from comments.
  • BPI works closely with Paramount's Bookkeeper (H. Okerson) and HR Manager (T. Palacios), mostly on a daily basis, to ensure information recorded is accurate.  This includes, but is not limited to, grant allocations, reimbursements, payroll, coding, proper approval of checks, proper controls are in place, and accounting between separate campuses and corporations. 
  • B. Marsh noted the depth of knowledge Paramount's Bookkeeper and HR Manager have around their specific fields.
  • P. Blackard requested specific breakdown on grants.
    • B. Marsh noted she was able to provide this information.
  • B. Eldridge requested a more technical description of reviews that are conducted pertaining to financials.
    • B. Marsh explained the procedures BPI has in place to ensure all funds, including payroll and benefits, are reconciled and are in agreement and zeroed out on a monthly basis.
  • J. Hazzard Jr. thanked B. Marsh for her time.

B.

Parental Leave Policy Approval

P. Blackard made a motion to approve the Parental Leave Policy as written.
M. Bishop seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

V. Operations Report

A.

Operations Report

  • T. Reddicks noted that moving forward, the operations report will be shared out as highlights instead of all members sharing out.  T. Rude previously agreed to this change.  Facilities and construction project work is underway for Community Heights and Englewood campuses.
  • The Navigation Team welcomes Nasreen Khan Clark as the Administrative Assistant.
  • K. Beauchamp shared Paramount Community Heights is currently administering middle of year testing, and results are promising.  They are continuing to engage the community in a number of ways.
  • S. Frye shared Paramount Brookside is currently administering middle of year assessments.  Pillar-based professional development was recently completed by staff.

VI. Closing Items

A.

Next Meeting

The retreat is scheduled from Jan 11 from 8-12.

B.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 6:04 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
J. Hazzard, Jr.