Mrs. Davis invited participants to enter any public comments into the chat.

There was no public comment.

Mrs. Vargas provided the Marketing and Enrollment Update. 443 new scholars are enrolled for the 2023-24 school year with a target of 505 scholars enrolled.  Kestrel enrolled 7 new scholars in January and had 6 scholars leave (most were a result of a move).  There were new applications as a result of social media.  Lottery was held on February 5, 2024, with 160 new applications received.  All current scholars except four are planning to return, which is higher than usual.  Typically, Kestrel does have current scholars leave or move over the summer.  Enrollment typically changes frequently for the next school year many times before a final number is reached. Mrs. Vargas will provide an update at the next few meetings.

Mrs. McGarrah and Mr. Powe provided an update on the new joint Facilities and Development subcommittee meeting.  The committee is meeting every other Monday, and we are presently working on funding for the energy and security upgrades.  We may have another meeting to search for grant opportunities with the full board.  Mrs. Gordon shared that the security equipment is arriving and is nearly ready for installation.  Mr. Powe shared that he is working on a partnership with RTI.

Ms. Villegas shared the iReady Assessment data. Reading has been the strongest area for the school, and Kestrel students as a whole saw a significant increase between the first and second testing period.  Third grade saw the highest increase in reading scores between the first and second testing period.  Ms. Villegas shared the predictive proficiency in EOG scores with third, fourth and eighth grades showing the highest growth.

For math, Kestrel had lower schools overall, but there are signs of growth. Third, fifth and eighth grades showed the largest growth in scores between the first and second testing periods. Next steps are to hold check-ins and mid-year goal setting with students and staff to improve learning. 

Mr. Touchette shared the school culture report with some information about how Kestrel uses data.  The staff are trying to move the school report card grade, and one of the ways they are doing this is through professional development and working to identify students' needs and making plans to assist them (including across grade levels).  

On culture, there was an expectations reset in January community meetings while students had a chance to say goodbye to Mr. Price.  There were advisory lessons held to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, to practice active listening, and to talk about fairness and confronting prejudice.  There were book binge celebrations and weekly attendance celebrations.  There was a slight decrease in attendance in January, which seemed to be mostly a result of illness.

Office referrals for disciplinary reasons were down significantly year over year for this school year (68 referrals in 23-24 down from 122 in 22-23). This reduction is likely a result of better behavior and more empowered teachers. Serious incidents that lead to Out of School Suspension were also down in the current school year.  These incidents usually involve aggression and fighting. 

Mrs. Jackson shared the Executive Director's report. Kestrel is on track in the state's EpiCenter portal and has submitted all information on-time. In the Office of Federal Programs, Kestrel has two major accountability components in the programs that must be reported on in the spring, and they are on-track.  

Mrs. Jackson shared that the charter renewal site visit was the conclusion for the year one activities with the Board focus group and parents focus group.  Mrs. Jackson shared the preliminary feedback from the compliance specialists. 

Mrs. Jackson shared that Kestrel had ESSER and GEER monitoring by the State of North Carolina's Department of Public Instruction. There was only one finding for both funding sources, and Kestrel has a plan to resolve the finding through a survey of staff and the Board.  The State gave Kestrel a glowing report that the school has been equitable in use of pandemic funds.

Mrs. Jackson shared the financial report.  We are 58% of the way through the year, and Mrs. Jackson shared where we were more than 60% spent by category.  Facilities costs, utilities, and transportation costs are areas that are over-budget.  Kestrel is meeting the bond covenant agreements for days cash on hand and debt-service ratio.  

Ms. Gordon shared the operations report.  Numerous repairs have been made to the buses and buildings.  The building was disinfected in January because of cold and flu season.  We are still looking for a preventative maintenance contractor for the new building.

No new report.

We are waiting on legal counsel's advice for the school and community policy around custody issues, but we are ready to approve the other changes as presented.

Mrs. Davis noted that the GoFundMe for the playground is still underway, and we are going to meet with the PTA to help engage parents and families.

Mrs. McGarrah reported that the Board voted to approve a contract for the Bloomwell Group for marketing and enrollment services.