I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

H. Dulgerolu - IMSA North's Financial Report  

• As of December 31st, 46% of budgeted revenue has been received and 44% of budgeted expenses have been spent.
• Some expense line items are higher than budgeted.
• Some expense line items are behind budget.
• Overall, the school is on track financially based on budgeted numbers.
• Cash on hand as of December 31st is 69 days.
• Vouchers reviewed.

H. Dulgeroglu - IMSA West's Financial Report  

• As of December 31st, 46% of budgeted revenue has been received, and 45% of budgeted expenses have been spent.
• Some expense line items are behind budget.
• Overall, the school is on track financially based on budgeted figures.
• Cash on hand as of December 31st is 72 days.
• Vouchers reviewed

Desktop Monitoring Policy

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has completed the 2023 Reimbursement Desktop Fiscal Monitoring Report for IMSA West. It was noted that out of the nine policies examined, two were missing. However, the Board promptly addressed this by completing the required policies for resubmission.

M. Arslan informed the Board that upon receiving the report, immediate action was taken by consulting the attorney to draft the required policies.

N. Coleman raised a query regarding potential policy variations for future grants.

H. Dulgeroglu clarified that federal grants typically maintain uniformity, eliminating the need for additional policies.

N. Coleman suggested a comprehensive review of existing grants to ensure compliance.

J. Sparks proposed that the Governance Committee take on this task, which was agreed upon by N. Coleman.

Time/Effort/Stipends Policy

H. Dulgeroglu addressed the Board regarding the Time/Effort/Stipends Policy, indicating its absence and subsequent creation by the attorney. He proposed its inclusion in the Employee Handbook, requiring all employees to review and agree to it annually.

Additionally, H. Dulgeroglu provided an update on the Charter School Facility Grant, suggesting its potential use for loan payments, with further details to be provided in the next board meeting.

Next Steps:

• Completion of Time/Effort/Stipends Policy inclusion in the Employee Handbook.

D. Zack - Ms. Zack shared feedback regarding some challenges the school has recently faced, including the turnover of several teachers. While voicing care and concern for the school, its mission, and obligation to students, Zack noted feeling discouraged by these changes in the environment. Zack expressed hoping the administration might prioritize addressing factors contributing to this turnover. 

B. Valentine-Watts - inquired about the proposed action to address Zack's concerns.

J. Sparks suggested directing Zack to communicate directly with the Superintendent, who can then disseminate the information to the Board. Additional information would be sought as necessary.

N. Coleman -  raised a concern regarding potential policy implications, emphasizing the importance of ensuring a safe environment for all attendees and advocating for collecting data on departing and intending-to-depart teachers.

J. Brown addressed the board, explaining that IMSA North received the Access to Public Records Act (APRA)  request regarding the Library Material Removal Procedure.  The request was forwarded to Amy, the board's attorney, who provided guidance and assistance in formulating the policy. A task force consisting of J. Brown, B. Garrett, and R. Hurrle was convened to develop the policy, drawing from Amy's recommendations and guidance from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). The resulting policy was designed to apply to both schools within the district.

J. Sparks highlighted the necessity of initiating the policy in response to a submitted APRA request.

M. Arslan emphasized the absence of a prior policy and the subsequent need for its creation.

B. Valentine-Watts sought clarification on the review process and subsequent actions.

M. Arslan confirmed that the updated policy would be emailed to the board for review.

The discussion concluded with an agreement to circulate the updated policy for board members' review.

The policy was approved with a modification suggested by the board to include language advising consultation with legal counsel, as well as including classroom library materials.
 

B. Garrett provided an update on the disbursement of funds from the IDOE's Early Literacy Achievement grant. Principals M. Atlihan and Ms. Hurrle had previously determined allocations for the grant funds at West and North schools, respectively.

Ms. Atlihan and Ms. Hurrle presented the Board with lists of K-3 teachers, teacher aides, and instructional coaches who will receive incentive payments funded by the grant. As required, no administrators are eligible for these incentive funds, intended solely to recognize and reward classroom staff driving early literacy gains.

The Board thanked the principals for their work administering the grant funding. The approved incentive payments will be reflected in February paychecks for the identified K-3 staff members.

B. Valentine-Watts commended Ms. Garrett for her dedication, noting her invaluable long-term commitment. Discussions within the Academic Committee centered on growth strategies with OEI, sharing of best practices, and tracking measures. 

N. Coleman - Expressed satisfaction with the focus on not only student metrics but also teacher metrics.

B. Valentine-Watts - Raised concerns regarding the transition away from ESSR funding and its impact on the school. Strategies for adjustment were discussed, including the involvement of after-school tutors to support student learning. 

C. Frazier - We have good partnerships with Marian and Butler were acknowledged.    

B. Garrett - Gave updates on summer school planning efforts, including proposals to adjust the schedule to better accommodate students and staff, and minimize disruptions.

B. Garrett confirmed plans to present data on student participation in summer school compared to non-participants at the next meeting, addressing a question from Mr. Sparks.

J. Sparks  - Provided an update on efforts to refine the Governance Committee's charter.   Daniel found that Board on Track had provided valuable information, which will be merged with existing documents by the next meeting to serve as a reference for other committees. Additionally, discussions were held regarding creating a second document outlining roles for the authorizer, the board, and Concept schools.

J. Sparks shared with the board about an email received from Rise Indy recommending a potential board member. The board expressed interest in interviewing the candidate over the next few weeks. 

E. Kersey, who recommended the candidate, expressed her excitement and felt he could be a great fit. She also appreciated the board's swift response to filling out the Board assessment for the recruitment event.

E. Kersey summarized the upcoming recruitment event scheduled for March 6, 2024, from 5 - 7 pm at the Stutz on Capitol Avenue. She explained that pre-matching based on the board's needs would be conducted before the event.

J. Sparks proposed that he, Ms. Garrett, Mr. Arslan, and another board member attend the recruitment event. Ms. J. Brown agreed to attend if another board member could not do so.

J. Sparks announced the departure of Ms. Firdas from the board due to additional job duties, which she felt would limit her ability to fulfill her role as a board member effectively.

J. Sparks announced the departure of Ms. Firdas from the board due to additional job duties, which she felt would limit her ability to effectively fulfill her role as a board member.

E. Kersey, who recommended the candidate, expressed her excitement and felt he could be a great fit. She was also appreciative of the board's swift response to filling out the Board assessment, for the recruitment event.

E. Kersey summarized the upcoming recruitment event scheduled for March 6, 2024, from 5 - 7 pm at the Stutz on Capitol Avenue. She explained that pre-matching based on the board's needs would be conducted before the event.

J. Sparks proposed that he, Ms. Garrett, Mr. Arslan, and one other board member attend the recruitment event. J. Brown agreed to attend if another board member was unable to do so.

M. Arslan - Three big areas, Finance, Enrollment, and Academics.  Finance, Halil went over the numbers, the numbers look good. We have IRead predictions numbers as well as attendance and growth projections.

Mr. A. Atlihan - Provided an overview of recent events and achievements at the school.

Shared a presentation, highlighting the success of the Statehouse day trip, where students enjoyed their time under the supervision of Ms. Preston.  Acknowledged Treasur Simmons, an 8th-grade student, for her participation in the National STEM challenge.

The Mayor's Office site visit in November, with the submitted report pending publication on the website.

M. Arslan - Addressed the board regarding the nine indicators, noting that no response is required. He commended the team for their achievement in this regard.

Mr. Atlihan - Highlighted the creativity and dedication of the school's teachers through a recent door decorating contest, which garnered significant engagement on social media platforms. He noted the importance of utilizing platforms like Snapchat, which are more relevant to students.

R. Hurrle - In the last couple of months, we had a successful Charter renewal, thank you to the board and Jim for making that a success.

B. Garrett - I talked to Shania about the 15-year renewal.  When West does their renewal in 2027 they would like to align the schools when you have multiple ones so you would renew at the same time.  They are also looking at extending the term from 7 years to 15 years.  They are working on this.  It gives us 3 - 4 years to get the numbers where we need them and then hopefully get the 15 years.

R. Hurrle - The day before Christmas break we had a data dive, and some of our teachers went to West to work with their teachers and find more ways to have our teachers and West teachers work together.  The high school looked at the PSAT data and divided it up to have it across all classes. High School robotics finished in the top 10 and our Elementary team. Our fifth-grade students utilized the great relationship we have with The Reef down the street they went in a did real-life science investigations.   We are a K-8 PBIS school, they got all their tickets together and they wanted to get a visit from Spiderman, the kids were so excited.  One of our teachers dressed up and surprised the kids.

W. Watson expressed gratitude to Nikki for her contribution as a judge in the school's science fair.

J. Sparks surveyed the group regarding attendance at the February meeting.

D. Pierso - Yes

B. Valentine-Watts - No

J. Sparks - Yes

N. Coleman - Yes

C. Frazier - No

T. Miller -?