The meeting will be called to order by the President of the Board of Directors.

Please sign up for public comment, given the virtual setting, please enter your name in the comment section.  Please note the Public Comment expectations.  The Board will first record those in attendance and approve the minutes, after that process, the Board will listen to public comments.  

Public/employee comments and questions shall be:
1) Limited to two minutes (2 minutes).
2) Directed to the Board and not to individual members.
3) Presented in a professional demeanor and not in a threatening, profane, vulgar or abusive manner.
4) Topics that are relevant to the business matters of the Kestrel Board of Directors.
5) Recognized after speaker provides their name to the Board President prior to addressing the Board.

 

Please note which Board Members are present and absent for the Secretary. 

At each regular and special meeting which are open to the public, members of the public and employees of Kestrel Heights shall be afforded time, subject to reasonable constraints, to comment to the board.

It shall be the decision of the Board if it is appropriate to respond to a question and which Board member will respond. The Board encourages all comments/questions to be submitted in writing to the board after the two minutes to ensure the entire message is heard by the board.

Out of respect of time, individuals who engage in repetitive comments/questions will be asked to refrain and/or yield the floor.

The Board has prioritized the agenda to start the meeting with the most impactful agenda items to the school's mission and goals.  The Board has also strategically placed all presentations at the onset to allow staff and visitors the opportunity to present at the onset of the meeting. 

Presentations may be taken out of the larger Sections and thus may not be directly aligned or not provided when other Sections are discussed.

Jerod Cohen, VP of Employee Benefits with Snipes Insurance, will propose Kestrel's 2026-2027 Benefits Package.

Mr. KT Thompson will present a facilities update for June 2026, providing an overview of recent maintenance activities and any current issues that impact operations. Mr. KT will highlight completed work and prioritized work.

June 2026 Facilities Report

Strategic Plan Alignment - Goal 3:  Kestrel will develop and implement a plan to ensure long-term financial and operational viability, as measured by attainment of annual enrollment targets, acquisition of loan/bond to finance facilities, and alignment of annual budget with school staffing and programming.

Mr. Touchette will present the Enrollment and Marketing Report for June 2026, highlighting current enrollment, projections, and key data points that will inform planning for the upcoming school year.  The presentation will highlight strategies implemented to support enrollment efforts and identify indicators of impact. 

Enrollment and Marketing Report

Strategic Plan Alignment - Goal 2:  Kestrel will leverage its new and innovative school model to achieve its full potential and set the school apart in Durham and the surrounding area, as measured by increased enrollment, retention, and parent satisfaction by developing and implementing a detailed plan, including the following key elements: Objective D.  A comprehensive marketing/branding plan, touting what makes Kestrel unique. 

The Board will introduce Mr. Shawn Yarbrough, Kestrel's Enrollment and Community Partnerships Specialist. 

Dr. Grubbs will discuss insights from classroom observations, highlighting trends observed, and share how this work informs decision-making. The report will be presented by Ms. Oliver. 

Academic Presentation

Mr. Touchette will present an overview of preliminary EOG data. 

Preliminary EOG Data

This presentation aligns with Strategic Plan Goal 1:  Kestrel will ensure students are academically prepared for success in high school and beyond, as evidenced by short and longer-term student learning gains.

Mr. McFadden will present a year end Culture Report and highlight end of year activities and events planned for the opening of the 2026-2027 school year. 

School Culture Report

Reimagine Kestrel: The House Structure

The committee will provide an update about the Reimagine Kestrel campaign. Focus: The House Structure.

The Administrative Team will provide monthly updates pertaining to the operation of the school. 

Mrs. Jackson will present the Executive Director's monthly report highlighting priorities, opportunities, and actions taken. 

Executive Director's Report and 

Executive Director's Presentation

This presentation aligns with Strategic Plan Goal 4: Kestrel will expand upon its strong and positive school culture as evidenced by high attendance rates, low student discipline rates, improved parent satisfaction, and high student retention (re-enrollment) rates, high retention of effective staff, improvement to NCTWC Survey results -

Mrs. Jackson will propose the FY2027 Budget for Board Vote.

Mrs. Jackson will present the Finance Committee Report, providing an overview of the school's financial position, key budget indicators and notable variances. The presentation will highlight financial priorities and note an item requiring ratification by the Board. 

Finance Committee Presentation

Board Report

Strategic Plan Alignment - Goal 3: Kestrel will develop and implement a plan to ensure long-term financial and operational viability, as measured by attainment of annual enrollment targets, acquisition of loan/bond to finance facilities, and alignment of the annual budget with school staffing and programming needs-
 

 Mrs. Jackson will propose the FY2027 Budget for Board Vote.

The Board of Directors has developed four Sub-Committees to help meet the goals established by the Board and to ensure our school is living up to our mission. Each sub-committee will provide a monthly update on the progress that has been made since the last meeting.  

2025-2026 Board of Directors Committee structure.

Community Engagement 

• Rhodes and Hernandez

Development

• A. Davis and Jacks

Finance

• Patterson and J. Davis

Governance

• D. Powe

Academic Excellence

• Allen and Oliver

KHCS Board of Directors Committees 25-26

§ 143-318.11.  Closed sessions.

(a) Permitted Purposes. - It is the policy of this State that closed sessions shall be held only when required to permit a public body to act in the public interest as permitted in this section. A public body may hold a closed session and exclude the public only when a closed session is required:

1) To prevent the disclosure of information that is privileged or confidential pursuant to the law of this State or of the United States, or not considered a public record within the meaning of Chapter 132 of the General Statutes.

(3) To consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body, which privilege is hereby acknowledged. General policy matters may not be discussed in a closed session and nothing herein shall be construed to permit a public body to close a meeting that otherwise would be open merely because an attorney employed or retained by the public body is a participant. The public body may consider and give instructions to an attorney concerning the handling or settlement of a claim, judicial action, mediation, arbitration, or administrative procedure. If the public body has approved or considered a settlement, other than a malpractice settlement by or on behalf of a hospital, in closed session, the terms of that settlement shall be reported to the public body and entered into its minutes as soon as possible within a reasonable time after the settlement is concluded.

(6) To consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee or prospective public officer or employee; or to hear or investigate a complaint, charge, or grievance by or against an individual public officer or employee. General personnel policy issues may not be considered in a closed session. A public body may not consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, appointment, or removal of a member of the public body or another body and may not consider or fill a vacancy among its own membership except in an open meeting. Final action making an appointment or discharge or removal by a public body having final authority for the appointment or discharge or removal shall be taken in an open meeting.

The Board will discuss an incentive plan to increase enrollment. 

This Board Meeting Agenda includes the month-by-month listing of topics that the Board of Directors plans to cover during the year.

Mrs. Jackson will share the Cohort 2028 Charter Renewal Letter. 

Renewal Letter for Entering Cohort 2028

Report out on closed session.