Young Scholars Charter School
Minutes
Regular Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday February 7, 2023 at 4:00 PM
Location
VIRTUAL
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
B. Harrison (remote), B. Stambaugh (remote), B. Young (remote), D. Dwirantwi (remote), E. Ashe (remote), E. Kaplin (remote), J. Brown (remote), L. Pressman (remote), T. Rebar (remote), V. Schwartz (remote), W. Weisman (remote)
Trustees Absent
G. Singer, I. Brind, J. Wang, S. Midha, V. Hanraty, W. Churchill
Trustees who arrived after the meeting opened
E. Kaplin
Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned
B. Young
Guests Present
B. Chazin (remote), C. Freyer (remote), J. Amenda (remote), K. Corcoran (remote), K. Lamilla (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. Board Discussion Topics
A.
Facility Update
B.
6th Grade Transportation Update
Jim Brown has been working with attorney on this item. SEPTA pointed to the US Dept of Transportation. SEPTA explained that we are not allowed under the rules of US Dept of Transportation to have publicly funded dedicated buses. The school is working with families from an accommodating standpoint.
C.
Renewal Site Visit Mission Elements Review
The school's renewal site visit is on Thursday 2/9. The Dana Dwirantwi shared information about the stakeholder engagement, noting that it went well.
The school team pivoted to progress report conferences and talked about student led conferences. This encourages student ownership, confidence and communication skills.
D.
Finance Summary & Statements
Kevin Corcoran gave an update on the school's finances. Last year's audit is complete and had a positive outcome. The current year is healthy and is hitting all metrics required by the charter school office. The school is currently working on next year's budget.
E.
Committee Reports
Development- Katherine Lamilla gave a fundraising update and noted that the school exceeded this year's fundraising goal of $350,000.
High School- Becca Chazin gave an update on high school acceptances. 70% of 8th grader have already accepted high school offers and offers are still coming in.
Mr. Amenda gave a brief update on how the school has made progress with the facility project. Site plans are moving forward.