International Academy of Flint
Minutes
IAF Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday March 18, 2024 at 5:30 PM
International Academy of Flint will prepare students for success in college or career, inspire students to respect learning, and lead purposeful lives.
Directors Present
D. Thompson, F. Booker, J. Houck, J. Kelley, J. Sopczynski, M. Childress
Directors Absent
Y. Speights-Beaugard
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
F. Booker
Guests Present
C. Merante, E. Yurk, G. Meihn, Heather Sheerer - PS, Kate Sartori - PS, Kendra Giles, T. Cormier
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
D. Thompson called a meeting of the board of directors of International Academy of Flint to order on Monday Mar 18, 2024 at 5:38 PM.
B.
Record Attendance and Guests
C.
Conflict of Interest
D.
Approval of Agenda
J. Houck made a motion to approve the agenda.
M. Childress seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
F. Booker arrived at 5:42 PM.
E.
Academic Update
Traci Cormier gave a brief update:
- Partnership with CT3 is going well. The coaches are focused on improvement of engagement and rigor for our students.
- CSI Dashboard was shared and has great information on it.
- Black History program had a great turn out and was a huge success.
F.
EpiCenter Update
100%
II. Public Comment
A.
Public Comment
None
III. Consent Agenda
A.
Approval of February 7, 2024 Meeting Minutes
F. Booker made a motion to approve the minutes from Special Board Meeting on 02-07-24.
J. Houck seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Accept Reports
C.
IAF Budget vs Actual
IV. Unfinished Business
A.
Student Matter
Update was given for student SD202324-5. Student has exceeded the set number of referrals from the January board meeting and is now suspended for the remainder of the school year.
V. New Business
A.
Ratify Disbursements & Transfers
J. Sopczynski made a motion to ratify the disbursements and transfers.
J. Houck seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Partner Solutions
Heather Sheerer and Kate Sartori gave a brief presentation on services they provide and salary comparison for teachers at IAF. They praised Admin at IAF for keeping salaries competitive to increase staff retention.
C.
24-25 School Calendar
J. Sopczynski made a motion to approve the 24-25 school calendar with the reduced hours per day on a trial basis.
J. Kelley seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Board Meetings 24-25
J. Houck made a motion to to approve the board meetings for 24-25 school year.
M. Childress seconded the motion.
Date of the June board meeting will be 6/23/25.
E.
Spring Transparency Certification
J. Sopczynski made a motion to accept the report and approve the board president to sign.
J. Houck seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
F.
June Board Meeting Date
J. Houck made a motion to change the June 2024 board meeting from 6/17/24 to 6/24/24.
J. Kelley seconded the motion.
Board Member Votes
5 yes
1 no
G.
Field Trip Requests
J. Sopczynski made a motion to approve all field trip requests.
J. Houck seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
H.
Facility Items
J. Houck made a motion to move forward with the bid process through Convergent.
M. Childress seconded the motion.
- Several options presented to the board for a new intercom system and clock system.
- Board would like the bids for analog system, IP based system and a wireless system.
I.
Legal Update
J. Sopczynski made a motion to go into closed session to discuss legal matters at 6:39 p.m. for the purpose of reviewing legal memorandum written by Attorney Meihn regarding outstanding litigation, third party vendors, and closure of the cases for the benefit of IAF pursuant MCl 15.268(h).
M. Childress seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J. Sopczynski made a motion to return to open session at 6:56 pm.
F. Booker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J. Sopczynski made a motion to to approve up to $50,000 to acquire properties on Oakley St.
J. Houck seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J. Houck made a motion to approve Greg Meihn to finalize the FEM agreement.
J. Sopczynski seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J. Houck made a motion to have Greg Meihn send a communication to former employees and former parent regarding disparaging comments to protect the right of International Academy of Flint.
M. Childress seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J. Houck made a motion to have Greg Meihn prepare a communication related to the Partner Solutions legal matter.
J. Sopczynski seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
J.
CMU
Cory Merante gave update:
- Annual Conference is set for August 15, 2024 and registration is now open.
- Board on Track webinars are a good source of knowledge.
- Board calendar is due May 1st and IAF is on top of it.
- Cory presented the board with a poster of IAF's mission statement as a gift from the Center.
VI. Other Business
A.
Announcement of Next Meeting
Diane Thompson
- The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday April 15, 2024 at 5:30 pm.
VII. Extended Public Comment
A.
Public comment on items not limited to agenda items
Traci Cormier
- Students will be present at the April board meeting to present the requested dress code policy updates and preview some of the new items that will be sold in our school store.
JaQuita Kelly
- Initiated a conversation about street drugs being laced with fentanyl and what we are doing to educate our students.
- IAF admin and staff discuss regularly the risks of taking drugs from someone when they do not know where it is from.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
J. Houck made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
M. Childress seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:27 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
D. Thompson
None