Laureate Academy Charter School Board of Directors
Minutes
Academic Committee Meeting
March 2026
Date and Time
Monday March 23, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Location
via Google Meets
The matters listed are those reasonably anticipated by the Chair to be discussed at the meeting. Not all items listed may, in fact, be discussed. Other items not listed may be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. All agenda items are informational unless otherwise denoted, though all committee reports require a vote for acceptance. Unless otherwise stated due to COVDI-19 precautions, the meeting will be held on the campus of the school (2115 Oakmere Drive Harvey, LA 70058)
Committee Members Present
Dr. Jahquille Ross, Monique Handy (remote)
Committee Members Absent
None
Guests Present
Claire Heckerman-Whitehead, Toyane Faulkner
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Dr. Jahquille Ross called a meeting of the Academic Excellence Committee of Laureate Academy Charter School Board of Directors to order on Monday Mar 23, 2026 at 4:39 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
Dr. Jahquille Ross made a motion to approve the minutes from January 2026 Academic Excellence Meeting on 01-22-26.
Monique Handy seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.
II. Teacher Related Updates
A.
Hiring Needs for 26-27 School Year
- 5th - 8th - Humanities, STEM, & ELA (the need varies in different grade levels)
- SPED Teachers
- Para-professionals
B.
SPED Considerations for 26-27 School Year
- SPED Teachers (at least 3 needed)
- SPED Para-professionals
- Strategy shared for considering a POD approach that is content-focused
- Sharing the schedule for review and feedback.
III. Student Enrollment for 26-27 School Year
A.
26-27 Enrollment by Grade Level
- 553 total enrolled
- 356 applications completed for next year
- 289 waiting list
IV. Academic Calendar for 26-27 School Year
A.
Review Draft Calendar
- Align to JP, when possible.
- Will share with us for review.
- Plan to bring the final calendar for approval at the April board meeting.
V. Student Assessment Data
A.
DIBELS Progress Monitoring
- 75% of students well below or below are frequently being tested in preparation for EOY.
- Laureate outperforms the district and state with progress monitoring for well below and below students.
- 52% BOY
- 56% MOY
B.
3rd Quarter Assessment Data
- LEAP Blitz mode will begin very soon.
- Averages range from 33 - 42% across the four content domains.
C.
Culture & Attendance Data
- 97% on attendance.
- Middle school has strong attendance at 98%.
- More proactive support for students with IEPs.
- 76 out of school suspensions this year, so far.
VI. End of School Year
A.
Celebration for Students
- End of Year trip, dance, etc.
- A/B Honor Roll
- May 19th Graduations - Kinder, 5th grade moving up, and 8th grade
B.
Celebration for Faculty & Staff
- Semaj is working on the date and location.
- Work on an end-of-year board outing.
C.
End of Year Staff Survey
- Enron is working on this tool. Will be given to teachers at the end of the school year.
VII. Idenification of Next Steps
A.
Decide on Next Meeting Date
- Next meeting will be in June.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 5:48 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dr. Jahquille Ross