Young Scholars Charter School
Minutes
Regular Board Meeting
This meeting is being held in compliance with Open Meeting requirements of the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act and is open to the public. Notices were duly posted and the meeting was advertised in The Philadelphia Daily News. Formal action will be taken.
Trustees Present
A. Wang (remote), G. Singer (remote), L. Umbrecht (remote), R. Halpern (remote), W. Churchill (remote), W. Weisman (remote)
Trustees Absent
B. Young, J. Brown, S. Piltch
Guests Present
A. Wright (remote), C. Freyer (remote), J. Amenda (remote), K. Corcoran (remote), K. Lamilla (remote), K. Tini (remote), S. Smith (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
To accept the resignations of the following board members effectively immediately:
II. Board Discussion Topics
A.
Welcome / Frame from Chair Robin Halpern
B.
Charter School Programs Grant Award Announcement
John Amenda, CEO, shared the announcement of the $1.5 million grant awarded to Young Scholars Charter School to be used for the expansion of 5th grade.
C.
YSCS Goal Setting and Data Review
Mr. Amenda shared the results from the school's 2024-2025 Evergreen Goals, including areas in Positive School Climate, Priority-Aligned Goals, Family Engagement, Average Daily Attendance, Adult Culture, Academic Achievement and Growth, High School Placement, 2025 PSSA Results and Context, 2024-25 NWEA MAP, and Fall 2025 NWEA MAP Results.
D.
Land Progress
Mr. Amenda gave a brief update on land progress, including turning the side lot into a usable greenspace for students.
E.
Committee Updates Where Applicable
The following committees provided updates:
- Governance
- Mr. Amenda discussed having a parent board member join. A Parent interest survey was distributed to parents and results will be shared with Governance Committee.
- Alum board member- Mr. Amenda presented a potential board candidate, Kerrivah Heard, a YSCS graduate who is currently working at Comcast. Robin Halpern, Board Chair, also shared the resume of potential board member, Shana Schwartz, for review.
- Proposed Process for Nominating Trustees- The Governance Committee will meet and discuss the next steps for electing the new trustees.
- Finance & Audit
- Finance summary- Kevin Corcoran, of Vertex Education, shared the finance summary for the school.
- School Performance
- Mr. Amenda gave an overview of InSite Health and the resumes of the Clinical Therapist and License Mental Health Psychiatiric Nurse Practitioner
- Development
- Fundraising for student uniforms
F.
Next board meeting will be in-person at the school.
Robin Halpern shared that the next board meeting will be held at the school to encourage board participation and to see the new renovations.
G.
Talent Update
Aniyah Wright, HR and Recruitment Senior Associate, provided an update on new hires and current open positions.
Robin Halpern, new Board Chair, welcomed the board members and staff in attendance and expressed enthusiasm for this upcoming school year.