The facilities report was presented by Mr. KT Thompson.

Fire & Sprinkler System: 

In December 2025, our fire sprinkler system, exterior low point drain release valve was sighted as being deficient and questionable. It was assessed and determined to be in need of removal and replaced at an alternate location inside of the building opposed to being outside and exposed to the elements. 

In January, our release valve was found to be leaking after a major freeze due to inclement weather. This compromised the apparatus and was resolved by removing and repositioning the apparatus. We have lined up other repairs to the sprinkler system for exertion in early February. Repairs were performed to the large 6 inch main rise number 2. This repair consisted of 15 ft of pipe that was replaced and additional low point drain was installed in the ceiling of the receptionist office hallway. There were two additional air leaks that were discovered during the service repairs were rendered and had to be repaired immediately to get the fire alarm system back online.

After all repairs were completed, additional locations in the sprinkler system have been identified as being out of range of the acceptable grade to keep water from being trapped in the dry system main pipes. These items have been reworked in order to yield the proper grade. The reasons for misalignment are either initial faulty installation of the system or the building settling over many years that took a toll on the grade.

HVAC:

As we prepare for a complete system upgrade of HVAC control apparatuses, we began changing out the original thermostats and sensors for RTUs number 2 and number 8. We ran into compatibility issues with the sensors and their communications to the control boards of the HVAC units. Each thermostat had to be calibrated to work in sync with the correlating sensors. We are now moving forward with completing work on the two pilot RTU communication upgrades. In the next phase, we are replacing the remaining thermostats and sensors throughout the middle school and gym buildings over the next 1-2 months. We are making updates in sections to prevent tension and discomfort.

Roof:

We have started the roof repairs and full shingle replacement for the middle school building and gym. We will begin the full project most likely next week as soon as the permit is used and weather permitting. It will last approximately 10 consecutive days.

Preventive maintenance:

Our next scheduled HVAC semi-annual preventative maintenance consists of replacing filters and any belts that need to be replaced for both the middle and elementary school will occur in April/May timeframe.

We will be doing extensive service inspections for the elevator, conducted in Category 1 testing that's related to communication (video and phone) in the elevator. The elevator will be inspected by the NC Department of Labor in April. 

We recently completed inspections of fire and safety systems of our fire extinguishers and fire door inspections. All issues were related to battery replacements and were addressed in real time during the inspection. 

A. Davis asked if we are anticipating another round of pipes being pulled out and replaced/removed and KT stated Engineering will come take a look at things to provide a quote for faulty installations that resulted from when the school was initially constructed. 

Mr. Touchette stated that we maintain a calendar very similar to Durham Public School's traditional calendar as a baseline. We want to ensure that families with older children in high school, for example, can be on similar schedules. With our calendar, we have designated 178 days of instruction, 13 faculty work days, 3 protected work days. Our last day of school is June 11th. 

There is also an opportunity to allow our faculty that participate in campus beautification day to stay home during the next teacher work day. This is a way to leverage work days and use protective work days. 

The last day of school (June 11th) was also marked as the day for Report cards. The last day for Report cards was corrected to June 4th. 

Mr. Patterson motioned for the approval. Mr. Powe seconded the motion. 

During Dr. Grubbs' numerous observations after joining Kestrel Heights, she has observed the following:

• Core components of the ELA block consists of small group instruction, whole group instruction, centers, or stations along with individualized instruction and differentiation. We need to focus on the use of instructional time, maximizing the instruction, and student engagement.
• Writing appears to be a core component of ELA that is missing. We are aiming to get teachers to incorporate writing within that ELA time since the writing block they have is not utilized the way it should be for writing. 
• We have also identified teachers that need coaching. Mrs Jackson, Mr. Touchette, and Mr. McFadden comprised a list of teachers that need coaching and Dr. Grubbs also created a list, which was compared to each other to determine who will be implementing weekly data-driven PLC meetings and a designated time where everyone gets together from that grade level to meet, discuss data, and consistent walkthroughs. So there is a combination of doing consistent walkthroughs, observations, then providing feedback. Ultimately, we confirm if what was discussed/observed was actually implemented. 
• We have also talked about implementing grade-level planning meetings so they can get together and collaborate and share insight on what they are doing. 
• We are also modeling instruction, showing them what instruction should look like and identifying what needs to be worked on. The observations are both drop-in and some are scheduled. 
• Dr. Grubbs confirmed that most of the teachers are very receptive and want to improve and learn to do better. And there are some teachers that receive the feedback and actually implement it in real time or take initiative in real time, which is very exciting to witness. 

The Executive Director's Report was presented by Mrs Tonya Jackson

• We are in the midst of federal program monitoring. Mrs Jackson team are preparing artifacts submission that is due on March 12th.
• The interview will follow and will be virtual this year compared to previous years that were on-site. 
• This is our third time since we've accepted title funds and have had federal program monitoring review.
• We have distributed intent forms for faculty to confirm who will return in their same position or be considered for another position, which are due February 27th. Our plan is to distribute employee-employment agreements by May 1st which is all hinged on school leaders completing the teacher performance evaluation process. We are on track for getting that done. 
• Due to the school calendar being approved, this is the baseline for a lot of the work. The HR team asked about the calendar to also align with upcoming pay dates. Our accounts payable representative will be on campus tomorrow to work on those details and to work on February payroll.
• School Nutrition: It's almost time to start the application process again. The application has been submitted. 
• We currently have two openings for a Data Manager and School Counselor that are posted on Indeed. Currently the Data Manager role is being outsourced to Charter Success Partners. Jen is the point of contact. Also, Mrs McNeil has components that she will take care at the school level and Jen will take care of Infinite Campus, enrolling, and helping us to withdraw students. We transitioned this way to ensure there is no lapse since the Data Management role is critical. We do intend to fill that role on the school side for the coming school year.  Interviews for the School Counselor role have been ongoing. We had two promising candidates that withdrew their applications at the last minute, so the position continues to be posted. We have used TeacherMatch to post our open positions and have had individuals apply directly as well as via referrals and staff recommendations. 
• Epicenter App: A few things coming up in April. We are 100% submitted and on time. There is only one report, which is outstanding and not he side of GPI. The enrollment packet that is reviewed annually has not been approved yet. The submission of all of our policies and procedures will start at the end of April. The policies pending submission include Grievance Policy, Board Member Residency, Employee Criminal History background check, instruction education plan, health services
• Mr. J Davis mentioned one of the application links for current job listings appears to be a broken link, Mrs Jackson confirmed she will check the job posts to ensure the links are working. 

The Finance Discussion was presented by Mrs Tonya Jackson

• Federal program funds are coming through. We just received our February and December claim funds. We submitted on Friday and had about a 2 week turnaround to receive the actual check. 
• We are 58% of the way through the school year and approximately 70% of state funds have been utilized and 38% of local funds, which is approximately, $797K from Durham County.
• Currently, we are tracking higher revenue than expenses. 
• Transportation and travel are at 61%, staff development at 68%, books and supplies at 70%, and facilities are at 83% right now. Facilities is tracking higher due to all the work we have been doing around the HVAC system, fire safety system and our plans to replace the roof. The deposit for the roof was paid last week. Also, technology is at 97% and insurance is at 113%. The initial budget was probably understated. Equipment and leases are at 118%. 
• Last year, we were incentivized to transition to a new copier company that paid out our previous lease.
• We have not exceeded the budget for our equipment and lease expense. Per our bond, we are required to keep a minimum of 60 days cash on hand and as of January, Kestrel had 215 days, exceeding the requirement by 155 days. Also, the debt service coverage ratio requirement is 1.15 and we are currently at 1.17, so we are meeting our covenant requirements.
• Mr. J. Davis asked about the Staff Development portion of the budget and what line items go in there. He also asked what items would Mrs. Jackson like to see in there that aren't happening today. Mrs Jackson confirmed there are other expenses that she would like to include there and currently the primary items in there are MBE training (funded from staff development), funding for the beginning teacher support program is a line item. One thing Mrs Jackson would like to see is to develop and pull resources to organize a professional development session with Dr. Grubbs. We would also like to allocate funds to bring in another presenter. We would also like to send people to the Hills Center for training in the science of reading and other strategies so those staff become the new trainers who support their colleagues. 
• Mr. J Davis stated that Aspida staff may be open to conducting training and development for areas that might be of interest. Their department could facilitate trainings at no cost. We can explore this conversation more. 

• During a previous meeting, the board approved funds for the roof replacement and for the purchase of some computers. The initial quote increased by about $8K because the previous quote was only good for 30 days, so it was adjusted for the cost of materials.
• The initial quote was $154, 850 to replace the roof. We negotiated a payment plan to pay in thirds. Last Wednesday, $55, 450 was paid. Mrs Jackson wants to ask the board to approve ratification of the actual invoice. We anticipate a fast turnaround for the roof to be completed, so the remaining balance would be paid

• Rebecca Barr is the auditor that we work with each year.
• The actual audit would cost $7, 500
• The cost to file our tax returns is $950

D. Powe made motion to approve re-hiring Rebecca Barr, Motion was seconded by J. Davis.

• Picnic Table Initiative: We need to replace our picnic tables and benches on campus. We plan to create a landing page where people could come and learn about the initiative with an electronic payment. 
• We want to engage families to contribute to the initiative and also local businesses and other organizations in our community to help us raise the money to fully replace all picnic tables. 
• We can also share the information for the initiative via email blast and social media postings about launching Mar 1st. We can also re-engage around building up our outdoor space to be a learning space. 
• Food Sustainability & Insecurity: A. Davis states she will discuss service-oriented and community engagement around hunger and food security with Ms Kennedy
• School-wide Wax Museum: Social Studies and ELA teachers have organized a program for Black History Month and they also want to host one to celebrate other forms of history, such as Women's History Month in order to encourage well rounding of our scholars. This will be held during Show What you Know Night