Reach Cyber Charter School Board of Trustees
Minutes
Reach Cyber Charter School
Date and Time
Wednesday September 20, 2023 at 9:00 AM
Location
Meeting Location:
750 East Park Drive, Suite 204
Harrisburg, PA 17111
Trustees Present
Anthony Alexander (remote), David Taylor (remote), Gail Hawkins Bush (remote), Leigh Kraemer-Naser (remote), Marcella Arline (remote), Matthew Ryan (remote), Paul Donecker (remote)
Trustees Absent
None
Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned
Gail Hawkins Bush
Guests Present
Alicia Swope (remote), Andy Gribbin (remote), April Kretchman (remote), Brandie Karpew (remote), Chris Barrett (remote), Cody Smith, Corey Groff, Danielle Marsicano (remote), Devin Meza-Rushanan (remote), Erica Carroll (remote), Gregory McCurdy, JD Smith (remote), Jane Swan (remote), Josh Hicks (remote), Karen Yeselavage, Katherine Rutkowski (remote), Keely Fields (remote), Kelly McConnell (remote), LeeAnn Ritchie (remote), Lisa Blickley (remote), Maurine Hockenberry (remote), Michael Garman, Michael Hinshaw (remote), Patricia Hennessy (remote), Rachel Graver, Scott Shedd, Scott Stuccio, Stephanie Bost (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Roll Call
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. Public Comment
A.
Comments from the public
III. Routine Business
A.
Approval of Agenda
David Taylor, Board President, asked the board to review the agenda distributed prior to
the meeting and asked if any changes were needed. There were no changes to the
agenda at this time.
IV. Oral Reports
A.
CEO's Report
Jane Swan, Chief Executive Officer, shared an update about many of the recent events that have occurred since the last meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Enrollment Report: a new Enrollment Report was introduced for the 2023-24 School Year. Current enrollment is at 6,335 students. Concentration of students is highest in Philadelphia County. The report also included a graph showing enrollment by grade level.
School Transition Update: As we continue with our transition from Pearson, families have shared that they are very happy with the changes that have been made.
Back to School (BTS) Activities: Attendance at BTS events has been robust. Events have been held in Philadelphia, Allentown, and Ulysses, with many more planned the following week.
Performance Audit Letter from Auditor General: The Auditor General sent the letter announcing an audit of select cyber charter schools as found in the packet. A meeting was held between school representatives and the Auditor General's office where it was shared that they planned to complete the audit by Summer 2024.
B.
Staffing Update
Michael Garman, Director of Human Resources, reviewed current staffing levels with the Board highlighting the 852 current staff members and 82% of staff who are 10-month staff.
There have been 75 new hires this school year with 19 of those happening in the last month. There have been 16 departures.
There are currently 33 jobs posted being actively recruited.
C.
Financial Report (to follow)
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.
V. Consent Items
A.
Approval of Consent Items
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 August 16, 2023 Board Meeting
- Approval of Staffing Report
- Approval of MOU with Russy's Sweet Treats
- Approval of MOU with Harrisburg Area Community College
- Approval of MOU with Barbizon Modeling and Acting School
- Approval of MOU with Young Artist Workshop
- Approval of MOU with Made Institute
- Approval of MOU with Reading Science Center
- Approval for Custom Attendance Report
VI. Action Items
A.
Approval of Update to School's Bullying Policy
Rachel Graver presented information regarding updates to the school's Bullying Policy.
The primary changes were made to reflect the new systems since the transition from
Pearson.
This item is a continuation from the August 16, 2023, meeting. Since that meeting all follow up questions have been answered and the policy is now ready for an official vote.
B.
Approval of Affiliation Agreement with Pennsylvania Western University
LeeAnn Ritchie, Chief Academic Officer, shared an affiliation agreement with the Pennsylvania Western University and Reach Cyber Charter School are seeking approval to establish an affiliation agreement whereby the University's students may receive professional experience in their area of counseling.
C.
Approval to Rescind Procurement with Federal Grant Funds Policy
Joshua Hicks, Federal Programs Manager, requested approval to rescind the Procurement with Federal Grant Funds Policy approved on September 4, 2015. The guidance included in this policy is
duplicative of guidance included on the Federal Programs manual shared with the
state during monitoring.
D.
Approval of Agreement with Khan Academy
Corey Groff, Director of Teaching and Learning, shared details of the agreement between Khan Academy and Reach Cyber Charter School for licensing, consultative, and professional
development services in support of the Board approved pilot program for the 2023-
2024 school year. Approval of this agreement will allow students and teachers to
access Khan Academy resources, including Khanmigo, their AI powered academic
assistant, as well as provide teachers and students with the necessary training for
optimizing the use of Khanmigo and other Khan Academy resources.
E.
Approval of Agreement with Elmwood Zoo
JD Smith, Director of Career Readiness, presented an agreement with the Elmwood Zoo allowing students to be 'Zookeeper for a Day'.
F.
Approval of the 2023-2024 School Handbook (to follow)
Rachel Graver presented information regarding updates to the School Handbook. The primary changes were made to reflect the new systems since the transition from Pearson.
Matt Ryan called a few typographical errors to be corrected.
G.
Approval of Affiliation Agreement with Luzerne College (to follow)
LeeAnn Ritchie presented an affiliation agreement whereby the Luzerne College's students may receive field experiences at Reach to include observation, exploration, and participation in accordance with the requirements set forth by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
VII. Information Items
A.
Legislative Update
Brandie Karpew, Board and Legislative Liaison, shared and update on recent government
affairs, specifically highlighting the recent Basic Education Funding Commission hearings.
Mrs. Karpew additionally shared an updates about the government affairs team's ideas to combat HB1422.
B.
State Assessment Results 2023
Dr. Kelley McConnell, reviewed Reach's results from the 2023 State Assessments. Dr. McConnell compared Reach's result to that of the nationwide results and reviewed the findings as seen in the packet.
VIII. Strategic Planning
A.
Confirmation of Strategic Planning Retreat
Brandie Karpew confirmed that the October 2023 board meeting will be held in conjunction with a board retreat on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, at 9:00 AM at the Best Western Premier Conference Center located at 800 East Park Drive, Harrisburg, PA.
IX. Executive Session
A.
Executive Session
The Board entered into an Executive Session at 10:04 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, Leigh Anne Naser, Marcella Arline, Matt
Ryan, and Anthony Alexander.
Guests present at the request of the Board were: Pat Hennessey, Jane Swan, LeeAnn
Ritchie, Rachel Graver, Mike Garman, Pat Hennessey, and Chris Barrett. All others left the meeting at this time.
No action was taken during Executive Session.
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 10:24 a.m.
There were no comments from the public at this time.