Explorations Charter School

Minutes

Governing Board Regular Meeting

Date and Time

Thursday June 22, 2023 at 5:30 PM

Directors Present

Hilary Paden (remote), Lori Noto (remote), Robert Peterson (remote), Sarah Annis Haynes (remote)

Directors Absent

Bill Hallam, Ginni Block, Melony Brady-Shanley

Guests Present

Jill Johnson, Susan O'Rourke (remote)

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

Sarah Annis Haynes called a meeting of the board of directors of Explorations Charter School to order on Thursday Jun 22, 2023 at 5:34 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes - 5/18/2023 Regular Board Meeting

Hilary Paden made a motion to approve the minutes from Governing Board Regular Meeting on 05-18-23.
Sarah Annis Haynes seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

D.

Approve Minutes - 6/12/2023 Special Meeting of the Board

Hilary Paden made a motion to approve the minutes from Special Meeting of the Board on 06-12-23.
Sarah Annis Haynes seconded the motion.

Lori Noto abstained.

The board VOTED to approve the motion.

II. Financial

A.

Monthly Report

Lori Noto motioned to approve the May Monthly Financial Report.  Hilary Paden seconded.  Motion passed unanimously. 

III. Committee Updates

A.

Finance Committee

Hilary Paden made a motion to approve the minutes from Finance Committee Meeting on 05-11-23.
Lori Noto seconded the motion.

 - School switched health insurance companies which was a saving for both the teachers and the school. 

- Waiting on tax rebate on employee retention tax credit

- Moving forward with the mortgage.  

The board VOTED to approve the motion.

B.

Policy Committee

Policies 5431.911; 5113; 5133.2 tabled to next month. 

Hilary Paden made a motion to approve policy 4148/4128.
Lori Noto seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Hilary Paden made a motion to approve policy 5144.4.
Lori Noto seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.

C.

Personnel Committee

No update at this time. 

IV. School News

A.

Attendance/Chronic Absenteeism/Corrective Action Plan Update

Daily attendance rate 87.58%

Chronic Absenteeism Rate 48.8%

School will be collaborating with Silver Hill.  They received grant money for community outreach.  Silver Hill be presenting workshops for both staff and parents. 

This summer, policies will be worked on for stronger attendance for next year. 

V. Other Business

A.

Staffing Update

Lori Noto made a motion to accept the resignation of Mathew Harris as July 1, 2023.
Hilary Paden seconded the motion.

Matt is thanked for his years with Explorations as an English and Special Ed teacher as well as his work to develop our 3-D Printing Lab.  The board wishes him well.

The board VOTED to approve the motion.

Policy/Agreement to be created in the future if school helps pay for staff to receive certification what the expectation will be for retention. 

B.

Corrective Action Plan & State Meeting

Meeting held on 6/5/23 with SBE Accountability and Support Subcommittee.  Meeting went well.  They were impressed with the student enrollment/involvement in the Black and Latin Studies class.  Updates were provided about work on curriculum and work with the Attendance Peer Learning Network during this meeting.

State came to visit on 6/13/23 for Corrective Action Plan and Next Steps.  States big concern continues to be attendance.  State is coming back on 8/23/23 to look at updated policies and plans regarding this issue. 

C.

2023-2024 Meeting Schedule & Retreats

Tentative looking at Tuesdays in the Fall for Board Meeting. 

No Board Meeting in July. 

Staff Retreat tentatively 8/5/23 or 8/12/23. 

VI. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 6:25 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jill Johnson
Documents used during the meeting
  • May 2023 Monthly Report.pdf
  • 4148 _ 4218 - Liability Protection for School Employees.pdf
  • 5144.4 - Physical Exercise and Discipline.pdf
  • Explorations - end-of-year data (EOY).pdf