There were no items from the public at this time.

David Taylor, Board President, asked the board to review the agenda distributed prior to the meeting. There were no requested changes to the agenda. 

Jane Swan, Chief Executive Officer, reviewed the current enrollment numbers for the school noting trends in
enrollment.

Mrs. Swan further shared that the school's solicitor had sent questions regarding the school's charter renewal to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the school is awaiting a response. 

Michael Garman, Director of Human Resources, reviewed current staffing levels with the Board highlighting the 801 current staff members and 84% of staff who are 10-month staff. Since the beginning of the school year, 108 employees have been hired and 48 have departed.

Director of Finance, Karen Yeselavage, provided an update on the school's financial statements with the Board. She reviewed the revenue and expense statements, advising on changes since the previous month's statements. Mrs. Yeselavage further reviewed the school's balance sheet and current forecast.

Mr. Taylor asked if there were any items from the Consent Items that should be moved to
Action Items for discussion, or tabled. No changes were noted.
 

• Approval of Minutes from the April 19, 2023 Board Meeting
• Approval of Staffing Report
• Approval of Pearson Invoice(s) for April 2023
• Approval of Renewal of Youth Artist Workshop Summer 2023 MOU
• Approval of Renewal of agreement with Vector Solutions
• Approval of Renewal of agreement with Lexia
• Approval of Renewal agreement with Certiport
• Approval of Renewal of agreement with Code HS
• Approval of Renewal of contract with BoardOn Track
• Approval of Renewal of Security Services Agreement with Reclamere
• Approval of 2021 Tax Return

Mrs. Yeselavage reviewed the proposal from Barbacane Thornton and Company (BTCPA) to audit the financial statements of the governmental activities and each major fund of the Reach Cyber Charter School as of June 30, 2023, 2024, and 2025 and for the years then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements, which collectively comprise the Reach Cyber Charter School’s basic financial statements.

In addition, BTCPA will audit Reach's compliance over major federal award programs for the period ended June 30, 2023 and 2024.

Mrs. Yeselavage reviewed the draft 2023-2024 budget, including major revenue sources, projected enrollment, staffing costs and other non-personnel related expenditures.
She noted that the 2023-2024 year will be the first year of the school’s self-management, resulting in a savings of approximately $40 million in fees formerly paid to Pearson.


 

Brandie Karpew, Board and Legislative Liaison, requested approval of updates made to current board policies. The changes to the policies included no substantial changes, simply reformatting and removing references to Connections Academy. 

Mrs. Swan requested an update to the language related to the role of the Board Treasurer, removing the reference to signing the audit engagement. 

Michael Garman, Director of Human Resources, requested approval to increase the current summer work hourly rate from $27.00 per hour to $30.00 per hour.

School leadership identified a need to evaluate the current summer work hourly rate to determine how competitive the rate is to school districts throughout the state. The results of the evaluation demonstrate that the current summer work hourly rate of $27.00 lags other school districts. 

This recommendation increases the School’s summer work costs by approximately $43,213. 

This item was a continuation of a conversation that was tabled at the March 2023 meeting of the Board of Trustees. With many of the questions about the contract now being answered, Corey Groff, Director of Teaching and Learning, brought the contract forward for approval. 

Class Technologies is a virtual classroom platform built on Zoom used to spark engagement, interaction, and connection.

Mr. Groff shared information regarding a contract with Improv Learning to provide virtual Driver's Education classes. 

Mr. Groff shared details of an agreement with Accelerate Ed to provide online education courses. 

Mr. Groff shared details of an agreement with Flexpoint to provide online education courses for middle school core classes. 

Scott Stuccio, Director of Outreach, shared a proposal that would allow Reach to offer events of all types to students and families via Canvas. 

Mr. Stuccio shared an invoice for a WeatherSTEM Pollinator Camera that will be used to record activity occurring at the school's pollinator garden. 

Mr. Stuccio shared an addendum to the current lease of the property located at 750 East Park Drive that would allow Reach to lease additional space on the first floor of the building. 

Mr. Garman presented on proposed updates made to the Employee Handbook. Reach Cyber Charter School’s Human Resources department in collaboration with the senior
leadership conducted a comprehensive review of the current 2022-2023 Employee
Handbook. The following changes and updates will be available for employee review and
acknowledgment effective July 1, 2023.

• Clarified when payouts of reward system and salary increases occur for staff on a
  leave of absence.
• Revised the timeline for Tier I and Tier II incentive payouts.
• Updated office closure guidance for the Harrisburg school office.
• Expanded bereavement leave guidelines to include a person who stood in loco
  parentis; established a time limit for bereavement leave usage.
• Updated FMLA guidelines to include how holidays and school breaks impact FMLA
  entitlement.
• Clarified maternity leave, short term disability, and Family and Medical Leave Act
  (FMLA) leave entitlements to illustrate the interplay between these programs.
• Added miscarriage and stillbirth to qualifying reasons for Serious Illness Leave.
• Updated Parental Leave guidelines to limit entitlement to no more than three (3)
  events per calendar year.
• Clarified and expanded arrest and criminal conviction reporting to comply with PA
  School Code.
• Removed mid-year performance reviews; staff receive annual reviews only.
• Added a section on Copyright and Fair Use Doctrine.
• Clarified guidance on animals in the workplace and included a process for requesting
  an accommodation.

Mr. Garman requested approval of an agreement with Pennsylvania REAP. PA REAP is a job posting service that Human Resource departments can use to find educators, administrators or staff.

Cody Smith, High School Principal, shared recommended changes to the current Dual Enrollment policy, specifically removing the portion about participating colleges monitoring attendance by a form signed monthly by the professor of the course and remitted to the school. 

Mrs. Karpew shared an update on recent government affairs. She specifically highlighted the recent efforts of both pro charter and anti-charter organizations to influence what may happen this legislative session.

Laura Johnson presented on behalf of the School Success Partner team. She reviewed PVS'
support of transition efforts and enrollment.

Dr. Kelly McConnell, Director of Data and Assessments, shared that state testing for students began Monday, April 24, 2023. Reach has currently tested 3,300 students at 40 locations across Pennsylvania.

At this time, PSSA testing has been completed and the Keystone high school exams are underway. Testing is scheduled to be concluded on May 26, 2023, and scores should be received in early July.

The Board entered into an Executive Session at 10:24 a.m. upon a motion being
made, seconded and confirmed via roll call vote of all Board members
present. 

The Board cited the following for entering into the Executive Session: Pursuant to 65 Pa. C.S. §§ 708(a)
(1) – to discuss any matter involving the employment, appointment, termination of employment, terms and conditions of employment, evaluation of performance,
promotion or disciplining of any specific prospective public officer or employee or
current public officer or employee and 65 Pa. C.S. §§ 708(a)(5) – To
review and discuss agency business which, if conducted
in public, would violate a lawful privilege or lead to the disclosure of information or
confidentiality protected by law.

Board members present were: David Taylor, Paul Donecker, Gail Hawkins Bush,
Marcella Arline, and Matt Ryan, Anthony Alexander, and Leigh Anne Kramer (remote).

Guests present at the request of the Board were: Pat Hennessey, Jane Swan, and
Mike Garman. All others left the meeting at this time.

Personnel issues were discussed, along with related special education issues. There were no motions made.

There being no further discussion and upon a motion being made, seconded and
confirmed via roll call vote of all Board members present, the Board resumed
Open Session at 11:00 a.m.