MOT Charter School

Minutes

Board of Directors Meeting

Date and Time

Wednesday August 21, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Location

High School Campus

1275 Cedar Lane Road

Middletown, DE 19709

Directors Present

B. Pace, B. Reiling, C. Slater, D. Whitaker, K. Swab, M. Ali Khan, M. Hewitt, P. Dubey, S. Doan

Directors Absent

D. Mower-Wade, J. DiBartolomeo, J. Taylor, K. Gaines, S. Sullivan

Ex Officio Members Present

N. Southworth

Non Voting Members Present

N. Southworth

Guests Present

S. Noll

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance and Guests

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

K. Swab called a meeting of the board of directors of MOT Charter School to order on Wednesday Aug 21, 2024 at 7:04 PM.

C.

Approve Minutes

M. Ali Khan made a motion to approve the minutes from Board of Directors Meeting on 05-15-24.
C. Slater seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

II. Public Comment

A.

Public Comment

There was no public comment for this meeting, and no members of the public in attendance.

III. Governance Committee

A.

Committee Report

Kelly Swab will be meeting with the auditors in the coming weeks to review the final report from this year's audit. Ali Khan asked to be included in that meeting.

B.

Committee Assignments and Leadership

Kelly Swab presented an overview of the new committee structure that will be used moving forward.  The following committees will meet regularly during the academic year: Governance, Finance & Operations, Teacher Experience, Safety & Security, Capital Improvements, Student Experience.

C.

Annual Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Required Trainings

Conflict of Interest Policy was reviewed. It was noted that this is the original policy adopted by the board when the school was founded, and that it appears to include some language that is no longer relevant.  It was agreed that the policy would be reviewed and updated prior to the next meeting.  There was some question as to the course/section numbers on some of the required trainings.  Ned offered to update those numbers as needed and reshare the training instructions with the full board.

D.

Website information

Board members are asked to share their photo and biography so they can be added to the MOT website.

IV. Marketing Committee

A.

Committee Report

Marketing committee did not meet.

V. Safety and Security Committee

A.

Committee Report

Committee shared information about the hiring of our two new constables.

B.

Use of Force Policy

M. Ali Khan made a motion to approve the new Constable Use of Force Policy as written.
D. Whitaker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

VI. Teacher Retention Committee

A.

Committee Report

This committee did not meet.

VII. Finance & Operations Committee

A.

Committee Report

Finance committee meet earlier to review monthly financials, WSFS account summaries and JP Morgan account statements.

B.

Update to practice regarding financial assistance for students

Ned shared a small change in practice that will allow the business office greater flexibility in offering families financial support over the course of the year.

C.

Approval of amended FY25 budget

M. Ali Khan made a motion to Approve the amended FY25 Budget, which is more precise, as it includes final revenue numbers based on the approved state budget for FY25.
D. Whitaker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

VIII. Head of School Report

A.

Head of School Monthly Report

Ned shared plans for the year, including and update on opening faculty meetings, enrollment for the year and an analysis of standardized testing results over the past few years.

B.

Updated Family Handbook Language

Small changes to the family handbook included updates to language regarding Infinite Campus, the new student information system that we are piloting for the state along with a few other charter schools.

IX. Other Business

A.

Title IX Policy

Ned reviewed the updated Title IX Policy that was required by updated guidance from USDOE.  There was discussion on the impact of the current injunctions in place at the federal level on implementation at the state and school level.  Further information was needed before the board was comfortable voting on the new policy language.  Additional information will be gathered and presented prior to the next board meeting. 

X. 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 8:46 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
K. Swab