Ms. Davis invited people to make public comments in the chat.

There were no public comments.

Mrs. Vargas provided a marketing and enrollment update.  Kestrel is continuing to backfill seats throughout the school year.  The social media campaign includes information on Kestrel and the upcoming lottery.  

There are 124 new applicants to date (up from 2023 numbers).  223 scholars have confirmed they are planning to return next year, 1 is not returning and 94 have not yet responded.  Mrs. Vargas will continue to follow-up with families, who have until January 26 to respond.  The lottery deadline is January 31 with the lottery held on February 5.

Mr. Powe and Mrs. Davis provided an update for Facilities and Development subcommittee. The school team is working through the budget on the new security system, and the new playground GoFundMe has launched.

Mr. Luke Casbon presented on behalf of Steelcase and Storr Office Solutions to show some classroom solutions for the middle and elementary school classrooms to build a more collaborative learning environment.  Steelcase would like to do a case study on Kestrel Heights to promote the school and the learning environment.

Mr. Tyler Murchison and Ms. Danielle Snowhill presented on behalf of Emerge Consulting for Kestrel's annual technology report.  Kestrel Heights used $84,335 in federal eRate funds to supply cabling for the new building.  There is a remaining $11,862.35 in federal eRate funds, but nothing has been identified yet for the use of these funds.

Kestrel has 495 usable Chromebooks and 53 usable iPads.  Chromebooks cost around $240 per device and iPads cost $299 per device.  There are 50 usable devices for staff.

The phone systems was replaced this year from older 2012 system that was no longer supported.  The new phone system is working well.

Team recommends a $2,000-$5,000 miscellaneous IT hardware replacement for budget along with purchasing touchscreen devices.  

Mr. Touchette provided the School Culture Report. Scholars were reminded of expectations in an assembly after the break.  There were 50 referrals, and Mr. Touchette covered the transition for scholars after Mr. Price's departure.  He also discussed the transition of duties for transportation.

Ms. Villegas provided an update on assessments.  The school spelling bee is coming up in February as well.

Mrs. Jackson provided the Executive Director's report.  EpiCenter submissions are up-to-date.  The federal monitoring process is underway for federal programs.  

The Kestrel Heights Charter renewal process is underway.  Board members need to be available on February 8 for the interview and visit as part of the Charter renewal process with the State of North Carolina.

Mrs. Jackson provided a monthly budget update.  We are halfway through the school year, and the budget is on track to date.  She highlighted budget line items that were slightly over and under.  Lastly, Mrs. Jackson shared that we were in compliance for days cash on hand and debt service ratio in regards to our bond covenant.

Mr. Kimanthi Thompson provided the Operations update.  There was some damage to a gutter on the school, and it will need to be replaced.  The school had to purchase a new compressor for the riser room.  Lastly, the school is awaiting information from the claims agent on the damage to the mini-bus from a minor fender bender.  Preventative maintenance is on schedule for the facilities and buses.

No academic subcommittee report at this time.

The school and community policy was reviewed.  There needs to be language added with Attorney Bowens to address issues around custodial and non-custodial parents.  Mrs. McGarrah noted that there may need to be additions around library books and how the school will handle book protests.  Mrs. Goram has reviewed the fiscal policy for the initial time, and she will update Google Drive version with track changes.

Development and facilities subcommittees are working on regular meetings together moving forward.

Mrs. McGarrah reported that the Board discussed a contract issue and a legal issue.  The Board voted to release an RFP for a consultant.