Liberty STEAM Charter
Minutes
LIBERTY STEAM CHARTER FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS MID-YEAR RETREAT
MEETING AGENDA
Date and Time
Friday January 8, 2021 at 9:00 AM
Location
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.
Mission: Liberty STEAM Charter (LSC) works to provide all students equal access to a world-class K-12 education in an academically rigorous & student-centered learning environment, creating graduates to be thoughtful & engaged citizens prepared to take on the leadership challenges of the 21st century.
Vision: In partnership with our families & the community, Liberty STEAM Charter (LSC) will provide interdisciplinary, real-world, personalized, and project-based learning experiences through a STEAM-based academic program where graduates become the next generation of leaders, employers, and employees who contribute to the economic well-being of their communities and families.
Mission: Liberty STEAM Charter (LSC) works to provide all students equal access to a world-class K-12 education in an academically rigorous & student-centered learning environment, creating graduates to be thoughtful & engaged citizens prepared to take on the leadership challenges of the 21st century.
Vision: In partnership with our families & the community, Liberty STEAM Charter (LSC) will provide interdisciplinary, real-world, personalized, and project-based learning experiences through a STEAM-based academic program where graduates become the next generation of leaders, employers, and employees who contribute to the economic well-being of their communities and families.
Directors Present
Ben Griffith, Jr., Bronwyn McElveen, Cameron Chandler, Dexter WJ Davis, Greg Thompson, Kimberly Rauschenbach, Marion Newton, Rodney Thompson, Steve Creech
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Khalil Graham, Latasha Carter, Luna Velez, Trevor Ivey
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
Greg Thompson called a meeting to order on Friday Jan 8, 2021 at 9:35 AM.
B.
Chairman's Opening Remarks
Chairman Thompson welcomed everyone to the first board retreat and thanked directors for their continued level of engagement in the planning year process to ensure a strong launch for LSC.
C.
Invocation
Rev. Dr. Newton provided a short invocation.
II. Overview of the Board Retreat
A.
Review of the Agenda
Dr. Graham reviewed the retreat agenda with all directors, noting that the full board will be together for activities in the morning but will divide up into smaller groups for committee work after lunch for the remainder of the afternoon before closing.
B.
Review of Retreat Expectations & Outcomes
Dr. Graham noted that board retreats are one of the most important leadership efforts a governance team participates in. Research shows high-performing charter school boards have a positive impact on student achievement and executive director relations. Dr. Graham explained that today's board retreat is an opportunity for taking stock, reflecting together, assessing and refining practice, and reinvigorating specific aspects of the shared work we are engaged in to ensure a strong launch for LSC. Few other activities offer boards the opportunity to think, focus and plan the way a retreat can and shared his excitement for the group's time together today to provide an opportunity to accomplish the following items: further fulfill the mission of LSC, re-energize and re-engage the board, review roles & responsibilities, engage in strategic planning as a whole group and in committees, review fundraising goals, and to also give time to network with one another.
C.
Community Norm Agreements
The board agreed to the following community norm agreements for today's retreat discussions: be engaged, respect varying opinions, take personal responsibility for the work, assume positive intent, and to share your voice.
III. Roles & Responsibilities of the Board
A.
Board on Track Management Program: What, Why, & How
Mike Mizzoni & Rachel Ksenyak (who joined the retreat virtually), the board's executive coaches, provided a quick overview of the Board on Track program that is being used to manage the board's activities. The purpose of Board on Track is to help LSC deliver exceptional results in strategic management of the board through personalized coaching.
B.
Deep Dive into Best Practices in Board Support of the Executive Director
Mr. Mizzoni and Ms. Ksenyak then led a deep dive into best practices in board support of the executive director. They explained in detail the roles and responsibilities of the board as outlined below.
- Determine the mission & keep it clearly in focus
- Select, manage & support the ED
- Ensure effective organizational planning
- Enhance organization’s public standing
- Ensure adequate resources
- Manage resources effectively
- Determine, monitor and strengthen the programs and services
- Ensure legal and ethical integrity and maintain accountability
- Recruit diverse board members who are aligned with the school's mission, have time to give, and can offer expertise and resources
IV. Panel Interview with Renowned Charter School Leaders
A.
Purpose & Introduction of Panel Members
Katie Jones, a strategic planning consultant with KJ Consulting Group (who also joined virtually) provided an overview of the panel interview portion of the agenda. She introduced the panelists below that also joined virtually.
- Ms. Mia Howard (Partner, The Opportunity Trust)
- Mr. Rich Harrison (CEO, Lighthouse Community Public Schools)
- Ms. Laura Kelly (Founding Board Chair, University High School)
- Mr. Steve Khadam- Hir (Director, Building Excellent Schools)
- Ms. Katie Jones (Founder, KJ Consulting Group)
B.
Questions for Panelists from Host (Katie Jones, LSC Consultant)
Ms. Jones led the panelists to answer the questions below.
- Describe your experience with opening a new campus and share some of the challenges and lessons learned.
- Thinking about your experience with a Board of Directors, what best helps set a board up for successful governance?
- Can you describe a difficult situation you had to deal with regarding your board/School Leader and what key lessons were learned?
C.
Questions for Panelists from Board Members
D.
Panelist Closing Remarks
In closing the panel interview portion of the agenda, panelists provided a series of closing remarks to include additional guidance and wisdom from their individual experiences as outlined below.
- Relationship Building with Board/Executive Director
- Governance vs Management
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and having an Equity Lens with Student Achievement
- Heavy Lifts of starting a charter school
V. Lunch
A.
Lunch & Team Building
Board members were provided lunch and an opportunity to further network with one another through a few team building exercises.
VI. Committee Building
A.
Committee Breakouts: Analyzing Current State, Reflecting on Progress, & Engaging in Strategic Planning
After lunch, board members divided up into four committees to engage in the items outlined below as facilitated by a member of the Senior Leadership Team. The four committees include executive (Dr. Graham), finance (Ms. Velez), academics (Dr. Ivey), and development (Dr. Carter).
- Article Reading and Discussion
- Committees planned their 90 Day goals
- Discussed and agreed to Board Committee Goals
- Article Time
- Reviewed the proposed committee description (purpose, outcomes)
- Reviewed relevant committee documents
VII. Accountability & Next Steps
A.
Committee Sharing: 90 Day Action Plans
Each of the four committee facilitators shared the 90 day action plans. During this time, each committee also proposed their own independent meeting schedule.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Feedback Survey
Board members were provided an opportunity to complete a feedback survey from today's retreat activities.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
Dexter WJ Davis made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Marion Newton seconded the motion.
The team 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 3:31 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Trevor Ivey
Documents used during the meeting
- LSC Winter Board Retreat Agenda 2021.pdf
- FY 20-21 LSC Board Assessment Report.pdf
- Panel Information for LSC Board Retreat.pdf
- Sample Committee Descriptions Development.pdf
- Sample Key Decisions Chart.pdf
- Sample Committee Descriptions Academic Excellence (1).pdf
- Sample Committee Descriptions Governance.pdf
- Sample Committee Descriptions Finance.pdf