Board Chair Smith referred to the biography of Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes provided in advance of the meeting.  She asked Board members to review Dr. Haynes' accomplishments.  Trustee members had small group discussions about Dr. Haynes' legacy and how to incorporate it further in the school.  

Board members shared their reflections about Dr. Haynes and her legacy. 

CEO Darilek began her monthly update by discussing leadership team conversations about Dr. Haynes and the importance of sharing her legacy more often in the school.  She noted the multiple Black History Month celebrations held at each campus and cross-campus, including an upcoming talk and book signing with Dr. George Musgrave, who wrote Chocolate City-A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital. 

Next, CEO Darilek remarked on listening sessions with students, families, and staff on potential shifts in the security approach and on the first intercession held the prior week, which provided an opportunity for additional leadership team planning.  She provided highlights from each campus:

• During intersession,  Elementary School students wrote their own comic book and turned it into a movie. 
• The Middle School debate team has started to compete again.
• 11th grade students have been participating in focused transcript review conversations.

CEO Darilek then provided updates on other key matters, including the Public Charter School Board's renewal of the school's charter for another 15 years, proposals obtained for strategic plan partners, and the end of student recruitment season.  

Audit, Finance, and Facilities Committee Chair Kershaw noted the beginning of the budget process, and turned to Chief Operating Officer Carlo-Miranda to review the planned budget process for SY 2019-2020.  

COO Carlo-Miranda indicated that large shifts are not anticipated in the budget for SY 2019-2020, and noted additional flexibility due to changes in loan covenants.  She reviewed the proposed timeline for the budget and discussed key areas that will be reviewed as part of the planning process, as well as key decision points related to reserves and security investments made to date. 

COO Carlo-Miranda noted that the three key organizational priorities include academics (especially related to special education and English learners), talent, and  strategic planning. She then reviewed key budget assumptions and considerations to date.  Board members asked various questions to obtain additional detail on the organizational priorities.

Referring to the 2018-2019 commitment dashboard provided in advance of the meeting,  School Performance Committee Chair Westendorf summarized key dashboard items discussed by the Committee during its last meeting, including (i) new strategies implemented at the High School to encourage student reflection on progress against graduation requirements and related improvements; (ii) improvements in SAT scores due to increased curriculum vigor; (iii) potential approaches to improve high school attendance; (iv) college enrollment tracking for graduates; (v) staff diversity, including the number of staff fluent in Spanish; and  (vii) GPA gaps for subgroups at the middle and high school. 

CEO Darilek referred to the graph on the percentage of students scoring at College Board benchmarks provided in advance of the meeting.  She noted consistent growth in SAT and PSAT scores.  A Board member suggested that additional analysis be conducted to determine needs for those that do not meet benchmarks.   

Next, Committee Chair Westendorf asked Board members for questions on the Insight report provided in advance of the meeting. He reminded the Board that the Insight survey evaluates how E.L. Haynes teachers view their school experience as compared to a national benchmark. Board members asked numerous questions about the report, including whether the scores were consistent with expectations; how to prioritize which scores to improve; and about changes to metrics used in the report. 

Governance Committee Chair Lujan Claudia reported on discussions to define which characteristics are most needed in prospective trustees.  Additionally, the Committee is compiling a succession plan for board leadership positions. 

Senior Director Development and Communications Callahan noted strong progress toward meeting annual fund goal targets.  

Development Committee Chair Shah previewed various approaches for honorees for the 15th Anniversary Celebration.  The Board discussed the various options and, ultimately, agreed on an approach of recognizing multiple individuals throughout the evening.

The Board met in executive session with CEO Darilek to discuss matters of mutual interest.