L. Gyimesi welcomed the attendees and said she understands how difficult it is to find the time to be here; she truly appreciates it. She thanked everyone for being here.

M. Harmon-Vaught said he was at the school last Tuesday and Wednesday and is excited about the new school year and in learning more about the changes to the Open Meetings Law. 

L. Gyimesi then gave the floor to K. Baldassano to discuss the recent changes to the Open Meetings Law.

K. Baldassano offered the following presentation on the new requirements of the OML:

• An amendment to the Open Meetings Law (OML) was approved by the NYS Governor in April 2022 to make permanent (until July 1, 2024) the expanded use of videoconferencing by public bodies to conduct open meetings, under extraordinary circumstances, regardless of a declaration of emergency. The new law is not meant to change or curtail what has always been required of public bodies complying with the Open Meetings Law. Public bodies may continue to operate now as they did before the onset of the pandemic in early 2020 when the “in person” aspects of the Open Meetings Law were first suspended.
• Any member who participates at a physical location that is OPEN to in-person physical attendance by the public may count toward quorum, may fully participate and vote in the meeting. The exact physical location OPEN to public access MUST BE IDENTIFIED in the public notice.
• If there is a quorum of members at physical locations OPEN to the public, the public body may properly convene a meeting.
• Under the amendment that permits video conferencing by public bodies, all members MUST BE VISIBLE on video in order to vote on any motion or proposal. If a member attends remotely using ONLY an audio connection, that member is unable to participate, cannot count towards a quorum or vote during the meeting.
• A member can participate remotely by videoconference from a location NOT open to the public ONLY under an “extraordinary circumstance”.  In that case, the member's physical location DOES NOT have to appear in the public notice, 
• A quorum of members must exist at a physical location (or locations) OPEN to the public in order to allow other members to participate remotely. So long as there is a quorum of members gathered at a physical location, other members may remotely participate via videoconference.
• Each public body that wishes to allow for remote attendance by its members at locations that DO NOT allow for in-person physical attendance by the public is required to adopt a resolution authorizing such remote attendance, and must establish written procedures that set forth what they determine to be “extraordinary circumstances.”
• Public bodies are permitted to conduct meetings at multiple physical locations from which members of the body may participate IF those locations are OPEN to in-person public attendance, regardless of extraordinary circumstances.

A question and answer session followed.

M. Harmon-Vaught reported that he was at the school on two days this past week, working on the E.D. goals with T. Castanza. He feels confident in where we are in the process this year; there will be some kinks to work out since we are doing this for the first time, as we work out all aspects of the goal-setting as well as the performance-based bonus. He then offered a presentation on the School and Executive Director Goals:

• PERFORMANCE GOALS are goals that relate to WHAT an individual or organization (BPCS) must accomplish. These should be measurable and transparent. Are set by the ED and SLT and reviewed, scrutinized, and ultimately approved by the Board. Relevant performance goals are reported on at each board meeting.
• DEVELOPMENTAL GOALS are goals that pertain to HOW an individual (or group) can bring their best selves to their work and maximize positive outcomes. They seek to augment individuals’ strengths and address any areas for growth. They are often personal and confidential. Are set by the Board with and for the E.D. and by each manager in the school with their reports.
• SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GOALS: Using a framework tied to the Charter School Performance Framework, we charged the E.D. and SLT with setting measurable, performance goals for the school. Timeline for School Performance Goals: Assigned this task to the E.D. in June 2022; E.D. presented the first draft on time in August 2022; M. Harmon-Vaught has been meeting with the E.D. to refine these goals in advance of our September board meeting and will do so again; the E.D. and SLT are refining these goals now; E.D. will present the school performance goals, as well as the individual goals that flow from them, at our September board meeting.
• INDIVIDUAL LEADER GOALS tie directly to the School Performance Goals: For some school performance goals the E.D. is directly responsible; for others, another member of the SLT (e.g. DOO) is directly responsible. However, the E.D. remains ultimately accountable; the E.D. will present a refined version of the School Performance Goals and the proposed individual goals that extend from them, at our September board meeting.
• TRIMESTER REVIEW: E.D. and SLT members will report in on school performance goals to the appropriate board committees and the full board each month; on a trimesterly cadence (to be confirmed before our Sept meeting), the board will meet in executive session with the ED to review his performance against individual and school goals; prior to our trimester check-ins with the E.D., he will hold trimester check-ins with his SLT members about their goals; our performance-based bonus decisions will be tied directly to those trimester check-ins.

A question and answer session followed, along with further discussion regarding measurable annual performance goals and benchmarks. The comments and suggestions made by board members will be included as added feedback in finalizing a detailed analysis on the multiple aspects of the goals being discussed today. The goals will be revisited in the second trimester check-in. Further discussion on certain aspects may need to be done in closed executive session at a later date.

Pasek Consulting offers suggestions what should be happening at our board meetings this year to align with renewal deadlines and the benchmarks we should be addressing for our renewal application.