Explorations Charter School
Minutes
Governing Board Regular Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday December 19, 2023 at 5:30 PM
Directors Present
Ginni Block (remote), Hilary Paden (remote), Kristin Peterson (remote), Lori Noto (remote), Robert Peterson (remote)
Directors Absent
Bill Hallam, Melony Brady-Shanley, Sarah Annis Haynes
Guests Present
Jill Johnson, Joe White (remote), Susan O'Rourke (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Discussion and possible action to add new board member
D.
Approve Minutes - 11/21/2023 Regular Board Meeting
Vote was 4-0-1 (Kristin Peterson abstained)
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Lori Noto |
Aye
|
| Melony Brady-Shanley |
Absent
|
| Sarah Annis Haynes |
Absent
|
| Ginni Block |
Aye
|
| Bill Hallam |
Absent
|
| Hilary Paden |
Aye
|
| Kristin Peterson |
Abstain
|
| Robert Peterson |
Aye
|
II. Financial
A.
Monthly Report
Susan presented the financial report. The school currently has $135,000 taken from the link of credit. This will be repaid when the December state check is received.
Motion passed 4-0-1 (Kris Peterson abstaining)
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Sarah Annis Haynes |
Absent
|
| Melony Brady-Shanley |
Absent
|
| Ginni Block |
Aye
|
| Robert Peterson |
Aye
|
| Bill Hallam |
Absent
|
| Kristin Peterson |
Abstain
|
| Lori Noto |
Aye
|
| Hilary Paden |
Aye
|
Jill is still working with Susan on budget changes. She is waiting for the final grant award to a recent Mental Health grant and should have this information soon. She plans to present to Finance Committee and full board in January.
III. Committee Updates
A.
Finance Committee
The finance committee approved bonuses for school staff this year.
B.
Policy Committee
The Policy Committee did not meet, but they need to meet in January 2024
C.
Personnel Committee
Sarah Haynes and Bill Hallam are working on the Employee Handbook revisions and plan to have it finished to present to the board in January 2024.
IV. School News
A.
Attendance/Chronic Absenteeism
Current attendance is an overall improvement over last year. Joe White and Beth Kelley continue to discuss atendance on a daily basis Students at the schol have been affected recently by COVID, flu and stomach bug.
B.
General Updates
Enrollment - Bill Hallam has been leading an enrollment committee to discuss future planning for the school.
V. Other Business
A.
Renewal Visit Discussion Follow Up
Staff Member Representative to the Board - The state requested that the board ask a new staff member to be the representative to the board. Bill Hallam has served in this role for 9 years. The Board would like to thank Bill for his service and welcome him to continue to attend meetings and offer comments and suggestions.
Meeting with Sharon Fuller - Jill Johnson and Joseph White met with Sharon Fuller to discuss teacher certification, TEAM, and staff observations. Sharon was very pleased with our current practices, she commented that many schools she visits are not as detailed about their paperwork completion.
Sharon requested a short description of our Adventure Ed program linking it to our charter for certifcation compliance purposes.
B.
Flooding Emergency Update
All demolition has been completed on the lower level. Jill Johnson is currently waiting for the final check and approval from the insurance company to begin the next phase of the rebuild.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
- Monthly Report November 2023.pdf
Kristin Peterson introduced herself to the board and reviewed her history and desire to come onto the Board. She is the parent of a 2023 graduate from Explorations