Young Scholars Charter School
Minutes
Regular Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday May 3, 2022 at 4:00 PM
Location
Young Scholars Charter School
900 N. Marshall Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
Trustees Present
B. Stambaugh (remote), B. Young (remote), E. Kaplin (remote), G. Singer (remote), I. Brind (remote), J. Brown (remote), J. Wang (remote), L. Pressman (remote), S. Midha (remote), W. Churchill (remote), W. Weisman (remote)
Trustees Absent
A. Hay, D. Dwirantwi, E. Ashe, T. Rebar, V. Hanraty, V. Schwartz
Guests Present
B. Chazin (remote), Charles Freyer (remote), J. Amenda (remote), K. Lamilla (remote), Kevin Corcoran (remote), Kristen Tini (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. Board Discussion Topics
A.
Open Discussion of Q&A re: Executive Director Narrative Update
B.
Committee Updates: High School Admission & Alumni Engagement, School Performance & Curriculum, Development, DEI, Governance and Planning & Property
High School Admission & Alumni Engagement- A list of high schools where students are attending next year was shared with the Board.
School Performance & Curriculum- John Amenda reviewed the dashboard with the Board.
Development- Win Churchill discussed the Fall event. It is being held on September 28th. A save-the-date is being sent and the school team is currently searching for a keynote speaker.
DEI- John Amenda talked about how the committee and school team will be working together next year on a scope and sequence for Black Lives Matter Year of Purpose.
Governance- Ira Brind and John Amenda introduced the Student Attendance Policy that will be up for approval at the next board meeting.
Planning & Property- The school is awaiting a response from Curtis Wilkerson, Chief of Staff for Council President, and Darrell Clarke on its’ interest in the adjacent lot and next steps. The school team is beginning to prepare an RFP for project management services on the project.
C.
Financial Summary and Statements
Kevin Corcoran gave an update on the school’s finances. Finances are looking good on all measures. It has been a very healthy financial year and the school is in a healthy cash position, The school is meeting every ratio and metric that the school district tracks.
D.
Board Self-Evaluations- located in BoardOnTrack Policies up for Review- Student Attendance Board Retreats
Board Self-Evaluations: Board members were asked to fill out a Board self-assessment in BoardOnTrack.
Student Attendance Policy up for first review: Board members will review this policy and it will be put forward as a motion for approval at the next board meeting.
E.
Teacher Appreciation Note Writing, Discussion of appreciation initiatives
The Board discussed ways to show staff appreciation for their hard work during this challenging year.
III. Approval of Minutes
A.
Resolved that the Board approve the Regular session minutes from the March 22, 2022 meeting
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| B. Young |
Absent
|
| V. Hanraty |
Absent
|
| G. Singer |
Aye
|
| S. Midha |
Aye
|
| J. Wang |
Aye
|
| T. Rebar |
Absent
|
| D. Dwirantwi |
Absent
|
| E. Ashe |
Absent
|
| V. Schwartz |
Absent
|
| W. Churchill |
Aye
|
| L. Pressman |
Aye
|
| E. Kaplin |
Aye
|
| J. Brown |
Abstain
|
| A. Hay |
Absent
|
| W. Weisman |
Abstain
|
| I. Brind |
Aye
|
| B. Stambaugh |
Aye
|
John Amenda reviewed key details with the board on the following topics: PSSA updates, talent updates, summer programming, curriculum, culture and special education staff committees (PD intersection), building updates and renewal. The school has a 95% staff retention rate for next year and is now focused on hiring for 9 open positions with the redesign of the schedule/program to meet the needs of students and to create a more sustainable environment for teachers. Staff committees in Curriculum, Culture and Special Education are meeting to refine systems, identify resources and to develop trainings for staff once they return in August. The school team is currently preparing the renewal application which is due by July 15.