Harmony Public Schools
Minutes
September 24, 2022 HPS Board Meeting
Date and Time
Saturday September 24, 2022 at 9:00 AM
Location
The Woodlands Resort
2301 North Millbend Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77380
Directors Present
H. Koc, H. Sherwood, H. Stewart, L. Gonzalez, M. Argin, O. Celepcikay
Directors Absent
O. Kanlioglu
Guests Present
C. Lambert, J. Hoffer, M. Baca, N. Bayhan, U. Alpaslan
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. Public Comments
A.
Public Comments
III. Consent Agenda
A.
Consider Approval of Previous Board Meeting Minutes of August 27, 2022.
Dr. Mehmet Argin recuses himself from voting on the consent agenda.
B.
Consider Approval/Ratification of the Minutes and of the Actions of the Finance Committee Meeting on September 9, 2022
Dr. Mehmet Argin recuses himself from voting on the consent agenda.
C.
Consider Approval/Ratification of the Minutes and of the Actions of the Academic Committee Meeting on September 9, 2022
Dr. Mehmet Argin recuses himself from voting on the consent agenda.
D.
Consider Approval/Ratification of the Minutes and of the Actions of the Governance Committee Meeting on September 9, 2022.
Dr. Mehmet Argin recuses himself from voting on the consent agenda.
IV. Approval of Grant Agreement with Charter School Growth Fund.
A.
Approval of Grant Agreement with Charter School Growth Fund.
Dr. Nihat Bayhan, HPS Deputy Superintendent of Operations and Business presents Approval of Grant Agreement with Charter School Growth Fund (CSGF). He informs the board the Charter School Growth Fund identifies the country’s best public charter schools, funds their expansion, and helps to increase their impact. CSGF has awarded Harmony Public Schools $12.95 million to open new seats through 2025 throughout the state of Texas. The new seats are a part of the 2025 Harmony Strategic Plan.
Dr. Argin asks how long we have been in CSGF and Mr. Ay states this is the first time we have been accepted into CSGF and it took two and a half years. This was approved by their board of directors in June and contract negotiations were just approved.
Dr. Celepcikay states this is very important for Harmony for their success and transparency. Dr. Celepickay would also like to thank CSGF for their support and Mr. Ay and his team for this accomplishment.
V. Approval for a Board Resolution to submit to TEA
A.
Approval for a Board Resolution to submit to TEA the Charter Renewal Application for Harmony Public Schools - Houston West (CDN: 101-862)
Ms. Baca, HPS Chief of Compliance presents Approval for a Board Resolution to submit to TEA the Charter Renewal Application for Harmony Public Schools - Houston West (CDN: 101-862). She informs the board we would like to submit to the Texas Education Agency the charter renewal application for Harmony Public Schools-Houston West (CDN: 101862) district. The current charter will expire in July 2023 and this expedited renewal will be good for 10 years. These campuses include our Sugar Land and Katy campuses.
VI. Approval for a Board Resolution to submit a non-expansion amendment
A.
Approval for a Board Resolution to submit a non-expansion amendment request to TEA for relocation of grades 6-8 at Harmony School of Excellence - Sugar Land
Ms. Baca, HPS Chief of Compliance presents Approval for a Board Resolution to submit a non-expansion amendment request to TEA for relocation of grades 6-8 at Harmony School of Excellence - Sugar Land. She informs the board we want to move HSE Sugar Land, grades 6-8 to the address of 13522 West Airport Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77498. The current HSE-SL located at 1428 Eldridge Rd Sugar Land, TX 77478 will serve 6-8. We previous submitted an expansion amendment and received approval from TEA for HSI-Sugar Land to be located at 13522 West Airport Blvd, Sugar Land, TX 77498.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
The Board initially adjourned the meeting Saturday, September 24th at 9:11am. After consultation with legal counsel the Board Chair, Dr. Celepicay, made a motion to reopen the meeting Saturday, September 24th at 1:04pm. The motion was seconded and the Board reopened the meeting. The Board then went into a workshop based on the Board Governance Committee agenda item and approval/recommendation. The Board stayed in the workshop for the remainder of the day and recessed the meeting at 5:00pm. On September 25th at 9:00am the Board reopened the meeting and workshop. The Board concluded the workshop at 1:08pm. The meeting was adjourned.
None.