Liberty STEAM Charter
Minutes
FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS
AGENDA FOR REGULARLY SCHEDULED MONTHLY MEETING
Date and Time
Monday February 8, 2021 at 11:30 AM
Location
CCTC Advanced Manufacturing Training Center
Room A101
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, Cameron Chandler, Dexter WJ Davis, Greg Thompson, Kimberly Rauschenbach, Marion Newton, Rodney Thompson, Steve Creech
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Dorothy Wells, Khalil Graham, Latasha Carter, Luna Velez, Trevor Ivey
I. Establishment of a Quorum
A.
Record Attendance
Bruce Mills, reporter from the Sumter Item, was also present as a media representative.
II. 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 Feb 8, 2021 at 11:30 AM.
B.
Invocation
Rev. Marion Newton provided the invocation.
C.
Pledge of Allegiance
Dexter Davis led the board in reciting the pledge of allegiance.
D.
Chairman's Opening Remarks
During this time, Chairman Thompson thanked his fellow board directors for their continued engagement in providing support to turn the vision for Liberty STEAM Charter into a reality. He specifically commented on the significant progress that this community initiative has achieved (renewed grant funding, the first group of teachers hired, etc.) in the last month since the board met in moving the vision closer to actual reality.
III. Reading of the Mission & Vision Statement
A.
LSC Mission Statement
Bronwyn McElveen read aloud the mission statement.
B.
LSC Vision Statement
Kimberly Rauschenbach read aloud the vision statement.
IV. Approval of Consent Agenda
A.
Today's Meeting Agenda
Ben Griffith, Jr. made a motion to approve the agenda as presented.
Steve Creech seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Minutes from the January 11, 2021 Regular Monthly Meeting
Ben Griffith, Jr. made a motion to approve the minutes from FOUNDING BOARD OF DIRECTORS on 01-11-21.
Kimberly Rauschenbach seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Board Recognition
A.
Enrollment Support
Chairman Thompson joined Dr. Khalil Graham in recognizing both Rev. Rodney R. Conyers and LaShea Davis for the support both individuals provided to school leaders with community canvassing & family recruitment.
B.
Financial Support
Dr. Graham presented a check in the amount of $7,250 to Chairman Thompson for individual donor contributions received in the month of January.
VI. Leadership Team Division Updates
A.
Executive Director
Dr. Graham reviewed his one-page ED update with the board that outlined progress to goals in the following areas: teaching & learning (all on track), talent (all on track except for an evaluation system in place), family & community engagement (all on track except for the number of scholar enrollment applications and donations), communication & external affairs (all on track), operations & business administration (all on track), and additional considerations (all on track except for in-planning site).
B.
Chief of Staff
Dr. Trevor Ivey reviewed the status of his January priorities:
- 100% On-Track with SCPCSD & SCDE CSP Compliance (Complete)
- 100% On-Track with SCDE Charter Schools Program Grant Management (On Track)
- 100% On-Track with SCPCSD Pre-Opening Conditions (On Track)
- 75% of Lead Teachers Hired (Not Complete)
- Review Organizational Health Options (Complete)
- Selection & Implementation Plan of People Management Systems (Complete)
- Support Transition of New Teammates (Complete)
- Special Projects - Board on Track, Facilities Strategic Planning, Scholar Recruitment & Enrollment (Complete)
During this time, Dr. Ivey outlined his February priorities:
- 100% On-Track with SCPCSD & SCDE CSP Compliance
- 100% Lead Teacher Hires
- 75% Teaching Fellow Hires
- 100% of Goal Setting Meetings for Senior Leaders Complete & Documented
- 90% Organizational Health Survey
Directors asked several questions seeking further clarification of the status of teacher recruitment. Dr. Ivey shared that 22 additional candidates are in the selection process with an additional 44 touchpoints made in the last week, assuring the board we will meet the fully staffed expectation next month. He ended his update by thanking the board for their continued support noting that the highlight of the month was his own professional development throughout the lead teacher recruitment & selection process.
C.
Director of Advocacy & Engagement
Dr. Latasha Carter reviewed the status of her January priorities:
- 50 monthly touchpoints with stakeholders (Incomplete)
- Establish a family engagement schedule for February - July (Complete)
- 2 Grant Proposals (Complete)
- Create Family Engagement rubric (Complete)
- 10K Committed Donations (Incomplete)
During this time, she also outlined her February priorities:
- Make 67 monthly touchpoints with stakeholders
- Ensure 90% family attendance and satisfaction of monthly stakeholder event.
- Implementation and startup of Family Planning Committee (FPC) with Goals
- Develop a capital campaign plan
- Submit one grant proposal
- Select and implement a refined donor tracking system
- 15K committed donations
She ended her update by thanking the board for their support in helping her connect with potential donors noting the highlight of her month was meeting the 48 newly admitted families.
D.
Manging Director of Operations
Luna Velez reviewed the status of her January priorities:
- 18% of 50 Student Enrollment applications (Not Complete)
- 80% of 100% enrollment documents (In Progress)
- Food Service Plan (complete)
- Monthly financial systems (In Progress)
- Facilities Management Plan (Complete)
- 100% Beginning of Year (BOY) Ready Checklist (Complete)
During this time, she also outlined her February priorities:
- 90% BOY on track
- 92 Scholar Enrollment Applications
- Complete Operations Hiring Plan
- 100% Financial Accountability
- Welcome to LSC Project Plan
Questions asked by directors primarily centered around knowing whether or not LSC would qualify as a CEP site under the USDA school meals program, to which Ms. Velez stated the process for approval has begun. She also noted that enrollment paperwork is still coming in from our founding 196 scholars (91% complete). She ended her update by thanking the board for their support in the first month being with the LSC family noting that the highlight of her month was experiencing one full month of strong team professional development.
VII. Board Committee Updates
A.
Executive Committee
Dr. Graham reported out for the executive committee that the main topics of discussion from their recent meeting centered around reviewing the progress to goals tracker for year zero, continued budget refinement for year zero, teacher recruitment, as well as the bonus performance pay rewards system. Dr. Graham noted that a draft version of the year zero budget will be presented by the finance committee to the full board at next month's meeting. No action is being recommended to the full board by the executive committee at this time.
B.
Finance Committee
Ms. Velez reviewed key points from the monthly financial report provided that included expenditures and donations noting that LSC remains 100% on track with its planning year budget that is comprised entirely of philanthropic donations. She also shared that the four separate financial accounts have been created as part of refining our current practices (operations, donations, reserve, and personnel). Staff members have been properly trained in the purchasing card policy. Ms. Velez also shared out that the full planning year CSP grant allocation ($125,000) has been spent with only one outstanding claim waiting to be processed for reimbursement and that a new Grant Award Notice (GAN) has been issued for planning & implementation year one ($436,445.00) by SCDE as a result of successfully hitting all benchmarks in the first grant reporting cycle. Other committee highlights that Ms. Velez shared include education finance 101 training being organized for all directors. No action from the finance committee is being recommended to the full board at this time.
C.
Academic Excellence Committee
Dr. Rodney Thompson reviewed key points of discussion from the academic excellence committee to include the SY 21-22 academic calendar, results of the curriculum study, as well as a status update on the student & family handbook. The academic excellence committee is recommending the approval of the academic calendar that reflects the full group's belief in more time on task for scholars, additional built-in breaks, extended breaks matching the local school district, as well as an additional commitment of professional development time. Additionally, the committee recommends approval of the recommended curricula (EL-reading, Eureka-math, PLTW-STEM/Science, Open Circle - Social Emotional Learning) to be referred to the finance committee for inclusion in the budget. Dr. Thompson shared his committee's validation of the staff's intentionality in the teacher recruitment & selection process.
Steve Creech made a motion to approve the 2021-22 academic calendar with the removal of the Summer PRIDE Academy.
Marion Newton seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Development Committee
Steve Creech reviewed the highlights from the development committee's recent meeting to include an update on the creation of a donor kit, developing an LSC capital campaign, and external stakeholder touchpoints. He reported that his committee is finalizing the committee job description as they would like to include community members on their committee, as well as additional training being scheduled for how members can help with "friendraising." Dr. Carter also shared that the promotional video of LSC's story, mission, and model featuring three angles (donor, enrollment, and recruitment) is scheduled to be completed by the end of this week.
VIII. Scholar Enrollment
A.
Progress to Goals
Ms. Velez reported to the board that the founding class is 97% fully enrolled (185/192) with seven scholars cycling through the confirmation & enrollment timeline. To date, 91% of all required enrollment paperwork has been received by the 185 founding scholars enrolled to date.
B.
Founding Class Profile
Ms. Velez shared the demographics of the founding class profile to include the data disaggregated by race/ethnicity, zip code, and gender. The following statement was also read aloud to the board by Dr. Ivey: LSC is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive environment for its scholars and families. We are excited to offer equal opportunity access to scholars who need us most by serving a population representative of the community for which we are authorized to serve. The minority-majority founding class of K-1 scholars represents a diverse and talented cohort of minority scholars made up of more than 60 percent of the founding class population. In order to accomplish excellence in our strategic focus, Liberty STEAM Charter is continually innovating and examining winning habits to ensure we are providing an equitable and inclusive cause for our scholars and families.
C.
Spring Recruitment Strategy Update
Ms. Velez ended this portion of the enrollment update by sharing with the board the next steps in the recruitment strategy to ensure there is a 2:1 ratio for applications to seats available. Ms. Velez shared in her excitement for the promotional video that is being created by the development committee as well as the launch of her recruitment associates team who will assist in community canvassing during the months of February and March. The following activities are scheduled to occur in the next few weeks: Saturday community canvassing, family preview sessions at local day care centers, as well as a family preview session with Wateree Head Start families.
IX. Facilities
A.
Progress to Goals
Dr. Thompson referred the board to the four pages in the meeting packet for detailed progress updates of the renovation project but recommended tabling any further updates in light of the tour the board received prior to this meeting to inspect the renovation progress first-hand at the Primary Academy campus. He reminded the board that the renovation project is currently on track for a June 30th completion.
X. Communication with External Stakeholders
A.
Public Charter School Alliance of South Carolina
Kevin Mason, the director of communications & engagement at the Public Charter Alliance of South Carolina, shared brief remarks to the board about his organization's excitement for LSC's launch. He specifically congratulated the board on a comprehensive communications strategy.
XI. Public Participation
A.
Public Participation
No one signed up for public participation.
XII. Executive Session
A.
Purposes of Discussion of Negotiations Incident to Proposed Contractual Arrangements
Bronwyn McElveen made a motion to enter into executive session for the purposes of discussion of negotiations incident to proposed contractual arrangements.
Dexter WJ Davis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Purposes of Discussion of Individual Personnel Matters
Bronwyn McElveen made a motion to add the discussion of individual personnel matters to executive session.
Steve Creech seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
XIII. Action Items
A.
Item (s) Related to Discussion of Negotiations Incident to Proposed Contractual Agreements
Bronwyn McElveen made a motion to adopt PEBA as the school's provider for medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits.
Cameron Chandler seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Dr. Ivey noted that approval of this requires a signed board resolution which was then circulated to collect signatures from all directors.
XIV. Closing Items
A.
Good of the Order
Each board member had an opportunity to share during this portion of the agenda any final comments. Staff members thanked the full board for the opportunity in continuing to serve.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
Ben Griffith, Jr. made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Steve Creech 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
- Feb Monthly ED Updates for Board.pdf
- Chief of Staff Board Update February 2021.pdf
- Director of Advocacy & Engagement Board Update February 2021.pdf
- MDO School Leader Board Update Febrauary 2021.pdf
- February Financial Dashboard 2021.pdf
- LSC Curriculum Recommendations.pdf
- 2021-22 LSC Academic Calendar.pdf
- February 2021 Development Committee Update.pdf
- LSC Founding Class Profile.pdf