Liberty STEAM Charter
Minutes
LSC FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MEETING AGENDA
Date and Time
Monday December 14, 2020 at 11:30 AM
Location
CCTC Advanced Manufacturing Training Center
853 Broad Street
Sumter, SC 29150
This meeting is held in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act. A copy of the agenda has been made available to the local media & general public.
Directors Present
Ben Griffith, Jr., Bronwyn McElveen (remote), Cameron Chandler, Dexter WJ Davis, Greg Thompson, Kimberly Rauschenbach, Marion Newton, Steve Creech
Directors Absent
Rodney Thompson
Guests Present
Khalil Graham, Latasha Carter, Trevor Ivey
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
Greg Thompson called a meeting of the board of directors of Liberty STEAM Charter to order on Monday Dec 14, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
B.
Invocation
Rev. Dr. Marion Newton provided an invocation.
C.
Pledge of Allegiance
Greg Thompson led the board in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
D.
Chairman's Opening Remarks
Greg Thompson thanked directors for their continued effort in supporting the work of Liberty STEAM Charter and shared in his excitement for the new momentum received in the last few weeks since conducting the first annual enrollment lottery.
II. Reading of the Mission & Vision Statement
A.
LSC Mission Statement
Cammy Chandler read aloud the mission statement for Liberty STEAM Charter.
B.
LSC Vision Statement
Steve Creech read aloud the vision statement for Liberty STEAM Charter.
III. Order of Business
A.
Approval of Today's Meeting Agenda
Ben Griffith, Jr. made a motion to made a motion to approve today's meeting agenda as presented.
Dexter WJ Davis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Approval of Minutes from November 9, 2020 Regular Monthly Meeting
Ben Griffith, Jr. made a motion to approve the minutes from LSC FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS on 11-09-20.
Kimberly Rauschenbach seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Approval of Minutes from December 3, 2020 Special-Called Meeting
Ben Griffith, Jr. made a motion to approve the minutes from SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS on 12-03-20.
Marion Newton seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Board Recognition
Dr. Graham joined Chairman Thompson in recognizing the following organizations/individuals for their support of LSC during the incubation and planning year: Barnabas Marketing (Chris Moore), Oxendine Graphic Design (Ashley Stancil Oxendine), Sumter Concerned Clergy (Rev. Gerald Fambro), Sumter Ministerial Alliance (Rev. Al Sims), & Sumter Chamber of Commerce (Chris Hardy). Each organization/individual recognized received a certification of appreciation from the Board.
IV. Leadership Team Division Updates
A.
Chief of Staff
Dr. Ivey briefly explained his November monthly priorities and progress made in those workstreams to include communication & external relations, strategic planning & growth, talent & human resources development, and special projects. Updates were provided to the board regarding community outreach to include the sharing of website metrics and social media traffic. LSC had six representatives participate in the SC Charter Schools Conference. Dr. Ivey informed the board the majority of his time in moving forward for the month of December and January will be spent continuing to build out structures & systems for LSC's talent & human resources strategies. He also informed the board that the first set of pre-opening conditions outlined in LSC's charter contract are 100% on track for the January 15th reporting deadline.
B.
Director of Advocacy & Engagement
Dr. Carter explained her November monthly priorities and progress made in those workstreams to include community engagement, consultant work, grants, and private fundraising. Updates were provided on two grants LSC applied for in funding that totals $500,000. Dr. Carter provided an update to the Board on LSC's First Annual Holiday Giving Tree and encouraged everyone to share with family & friends to financially support the project. Through the Holiday Giving Tree, a future scholar (s) served by LSC can be adopted in a myriad of ways to include uniforms, technology, and school supplies among others. To date, the project has raised nearly $8,000 in donations. Dr. Graham joined Dr. Carter in presenting a check in the amount of $5,000 to the board for its awarded grant from the Dabos All In Team Foundation.
C.
Executive Director
Dr. Graham provided a variety of updates to the Board to include the previewing of the new LSC website (website 2.0) and new hires. Dr. Graham emphasized the user-friendliness of the enhanced website complete with the newly branded logos as we continue to share the story, mission, & model of LSC with our external stakeholders. Dr. Graham shared his enthusiasm for the exceptional blend of talent & experience from both the traditional & charter setting in the final members joining LSC's senior and school-based leadership team. Dr. Graham briefly highlighted the background of each of the four new hires and the various skillsets and areas of expertise they each bring to the launch of LSC. The four new hires include Luna Velez (Managing Director of Operations), Tanya Peckham (Primary Academy Instructional Coach), Sherman Logan (Primary Academy Director), and Sally Harris (STEAM Enrichment Lead Teacher & Leader Fellow), Dr. Graham noted that Ms. Velez will assume her duties on December 15 while the other hires will all begin work next summer.
V. Financials & Vendors/Contracted Services
A.
November Financials
Dr. Khalil Graham reviewed key points from the monthly financial report provided by McCay Kiddy, LSC's external fiscal management firm, to include expenditures and donations and noted that LSC remains 100% on track with its planning year budget that is comprised entirely of philanthropic donations
B.
CSP Grant Update
Dr. Ivey provided an update on the federal CSP grant, noting that LSC is 100% on track with filing approved claims from its planning year budget. He informed the board that the second and third reimbursement claims have also been filed in the amounts of $30,694.20 and $23,071.43 respectively. Combined with the first claim, a total of 62% ($77,513.90) of the planning year allocation ($125,000) has been spent. Dr. Ivey informed the board that LSC will be submitting its first CSP benchmark report by the December 15th deadline so that a new Grant Award Notice (GAN) can be issued by the SC Department of Education for the first implementation phase. Once issued, he noted the new amount of $436,445.00 can begin being spent in the new year. A new fidelity bond is also being issued for the full amount of the first implementation phase ($436,445).
C.
Professional Development Reimbursement Policy
Dr. Graham provided an overview of a proposed policy before the board regarding reimbursement of professional development opportunities for LSC staff members. The purpose of the proposed policy is to attract, retain, and develop effective staff to educate our scholars and establish brand in the communities we serve. A total proposed amount of $15,000 is proposed to be set aside in the preliminary budget for reimbursement of these expenses. Both certified and classified staff are eligible to participate with a maximum reimbursement amount of $5,000 per employee across two periods (spring and summer). A discussion among board members and school staff was facilitated to clarify the details. Dr. Graham requested approval of the policy by the board.
Kimberly Rauschenbach made a motion to approve the professional development reimbursement policy as presented.
Marion Newton seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VI. Facility
A.
Update on Design Development Plans
Dr. Ivey shared updates from Dr. Thompson regarding progress to goals for renovation & construction at the site of LSC's Primary Academy. He noted the following: architectural drawings have been uploaded for the OSF to review and approval, demolition contractor is removing the remaining piping left in boiler room and cleaning up the stockpiled material onsite, the interior demo of the plaster ceilings has begun in the kitchen area and then will continue throughout the school, the plumber has started laying our water and sewer lines in the building and marking out what concrete needs to be removed, and the removal of rock surface on the roof is being complete.
VII. Enrollment: Progress to Goals
A.
Lottery
B.
Current Enrollment Data
Dr. Ivey noted that 33% of the total pool of lottery-selected scholars has successfully completed the enrollment process via Enrollease. Dr. Ivey reminded the board that in order for the full enrollment process to be completed, a minimum of five documents must be uploaded to the Enrollease platform, emailed, or dropped off at the office to include the two proofs of residency, the scholar's birth certificate & immunization record, and the parent's state-issued identification. Dr. Ivey noted that school leaders are working hard to follow up with parents throughout the process to make it as easy as possible. A parent planning committee is also being formed to provide an opportunity for founding parents to provide feedback on the proposed school model as we ramp up those efforts in the Spring.
C.
Next Steps
Dr. Ivey finally shared with the board next steps regarding the scholar recruitment, selection, and enrollment process. A series of four family engagement events are scheduled for December 12-15 for lottery-selected scholars & parents to have cookies and cocoa with Santa. Not only does this afford school leaders the opportunity to start building trust with its founding families, but it also offers parents an opportunity to drop off enrollment documents or complete the entire enrollment process in person. Dr. Ivey shared the procedures that will be followed for this event to ensure it is a safe environment that adheres to CDC guidelines. Parents are required to sign up for a 15-minute spot in advance, and he noted that a total of 60% of lottery-selected scholars have confirmed their participation. Dr. Ivey also shared with the board that the amendment request to the SCPCSD Board of Trustees for its proposed enrollment expansion will be addressed at their January 14th meeting. Several directors openly reflected on their experiences in being hands-on with the scholar recruitment & enrollment process.
VIII. Public Participation
A.
Public Participant #1: Bonnie Disney
Bonnie Disney spoke before the board about her excitement for the additional opportunities LSC will provide to its founding scholars and parents.
IX. Executive Session
A.
Purposes of a Discussion of Negotiations Incident to Proposed Contractual Agreements
Dexter WJ Davis made a motion to enter into executive session for the purposes of a discussion of negotiations incident to proposed contractual agreements.
Steve Creech seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
X. Action Items Related to Executive Session
A.
Item (s) Related to Discussion of Negotiations Incident to Proposed Contractual Agreements
Kimberly Rauschenbach made a motion to conclude executive session and return to open session at 12:55 pm.
Marion Newton seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
XI. Closing Items
A.
Good of the Order
Chairman Thompson extended warm Holiday wishes to the board. Dr. Ivey reminded directors of upcoming board member meetings to include the winter retreat scheduled for January 8 and the monthly board meeting for January 11.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
Steve Creech made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Cameron Chandler 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 1:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Trevor Ivey
Documents used during the meeting
- 12.14 CoS Updates.docx
- Luna Velez - Professional BiographyFINAL.pdf
- Sherman Logan - Professional BiographyFINAL.pdf
- Tanya Peckham - Professional BiographyFINAL.pdf
- Sally Harris - Professional BiographyFINAL3.pdf
- REVISED_PR_Announcing_FinalLSC_LeadershipTeam3.pdf
- 2020.11.30 Liberty STEAM Dashboard.pdf
- 2020.11.30 LSCS November Financials.pdf
- LSC CSP Year 1 Claim 2.pdf
- LSC CSP Year 1 Claim 3.pdf
- TuitionReimbursementProgram20.21DRAFT.pdf
- 12. 11. 20 LSC Construction Update.pdf