Paramount Schools of Excellence
Minutes
Paramount Board of Directors Public Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday September 20, 2022 at 5:30 PM
Location
Paramount Online Academy Training Room
1203 E. St. Clair Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
*Enter through Door 8
Directors Present
A. Bekele (remote), B. Eldridge, J. Amu, M. Bishop (remote), P. Blackard, T. Rude
Directors Absent
E. Mendez, J. Hazzard, Jr.
Guests Present
Anthony Moore (remote), Brent Eskridge (remote), Case Calvert (remote), Dexter Taylor (remote), Hanan Abdelmasseh (remote), Heather Brooks (remote), J. Hurley, J. Smith, Justin Braun (remote), K. Beauchamp, K. Sherrow (remote), Keith Thomas (remote), Lindsay Omlor (remote), M. Miller, Madison Livergood (remote), Megan Bouckley (remote), Nicole Tredway (remote), Rebecca Norman (remote), S. Kuhn, T. Gustin, Tiffany Palacios (remote), Tommy Reddicks, V. Hereens (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. Public Comments
A.
Public Comments
III. Consent Agenda Review and Approval
A.
Review and Approve Minutes
Each consent agenda includes minutes from the prior meeting and the monthly financial packet, including monthly vouchers.
B.
Voucher Approval
IV. New Business
A.
Executive Benefit Retirement Investments
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| M. Bishop |
Aye
|
| B. Eldridge |
Aye
|
| J. Amu |
Aye
|
| P. Blackard |
Aye
|
| T. Rude |
Aye
|
| J. Hazzard, Jr. |
Absent
|
| E. Mendez |
Absent
|
| A. Bekele |
Aye
|
B.
Financial Policy Review
Initial changes to the position names have been updated and the deep dive for policy review will take place in the finance committee later this month.
C.
Debt Policy Discussion
If we want to capture the construction in South Bend and Lafayette as debt that can be reimbursed for future loans, creating a debt policy would be a plan we could put into place. The legal team is looking over this policy and seeing if this might be a good pathway for us moving forward. This would not be anything that we must commit to but would be a policy we have in place if we would want to take this path moving forward.
D.
Grade Configuration at PCH
The board discussed whether not offering 5th grade is holding back enrollment for PCH. There was discussion surrounding what adding 5th grade would look like spatially within the building as well as the number of student per grade level. It was noted that PEN, PBR and PCH would all have 5th grade.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Hazzard, Jr. |
Absent
|
| P. Blackard |
Aye
|
| E. Mendez |
Absent
|
| B. Eldridge |
Aye
|
| J. Amu |
Aye
|
| T. Rude |
Aye
|
| M. Bishop |
Aye
|
| A. Bekele |
Aye
|
V. Operations Reports
A.
Navigation Team
The Navigation Team has been focusing on preparing for the TURN Festival and Dinner, taking place on Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25, respectively.
B.
Principal Reports
Korry Sherrow presented the school's beginning-of-year academic data and end-of-year goals for students. Paramount Brookside decreased from seventeen to five first-year teachers from last year to the current school year, and eight teachers in the building are currently in a higher observation tier than they were last year. The school reviewed their discipline data and the behavioral and social-emotional supports that the school has been initiating to assist students with behavior management and coping skills. The FACT team at Paramount Brookside has conducted over 60 family meetings this school year. The school continues to plan for family events like Donuts with Dads and Coffee Chat with Moms to get parents involved. Fall athletics and clubs are underway, including volleyball, football, cross country, scouts, art club, space club, and robotics.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Next Meeting
November 15 @ 5:30 p.m. (1203 E. St. Clair Street Indianapolis, IN 46202)
No members of the public were present.