E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
Minutes
September 2023 Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday September 5, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Location
E.L. Haynes Public Charter School
4501 Kansas Avenue, NW
High School Think Tank
Washington, DC 20011
Trustees Present
F. Sutton, G. Navidi-Kasmai, K. Simpkins, L. Carlton Waller, L. Robinson Mills, M. Kovner, N. Greene, R. Laine, R. Payes
Trustees Absent
J. Hanna, M. Hall, T. Gibian
Guests Present
A. Brooks, B. Wagner-Friel, DiAnte McGriff, Dominique Moore, E. Hueber Stoetzer, H. Darilek, J. Callahan, J. Rydstrom, P. Rayamajhi, R. Hunt Taylor, R. Murphy, Z. Mahon-Belton
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
D.
Public Comment
II. CEO Update
A.
CEO Update
Hilary Darilek's CEO update focused on a few key items:
- Welcoming Pankaj Rayamajhi. Hilary welcomed Pankaj Rayamajhi, E.L. Haynes' new Chief of Finance and Operations.
- Introduced our Annual Theme. Hilary provided an overview of the theme for the year, THRIVE. This theme is grounded in our mission of preparing all students to thrive in college, career, and life.
- Enrollment Update. Hilary provided an update on enrollment. The school is actively working to fill 1160 seats.
- Staffing. E.L. Haynes is not facing the same staffing challenges as other schools with the school being fully staffed (instructionally) at the beginning of the school year. 86% retention going into the 2023-2024 School Year, and new staff had an average of 7 years experience. Hilary did note a few late vacancies they were working to fill now.
- Five-Year Review by PCSB. Hilary noted the approaching five-year review from PCSB which will take place early in 2024.
III. Governance Committee
A.
Conflict of Interest Policy
Joe Callahan provided an update on the role of the Conflict of Interest Policy, and had all board of trustees and senior leaders sign and return their signed Conflict of Interest Policy acknowledgements.
B.
Discuss and Vote on Recommended By-Law Edits
Mark Kovner explained the changes and edits to the by-laws, including the two main changes:
- General edits meant to clarify understanding (language, grammar, etc.)
- The inclusion of an executive committee (made optional and requiring a vote to create).
Keylon Simpkins expressed concerns with some language, specifically Executive Committee "may" provide minutes to the board on its committee meetings. Language amended to reflect this shift.
C.
Discuss and Vote on SY 23-24 Staff Signature Authority
Resolution provides Hilary Darilek, Rikki Hunt Taylor, and Justin Rydstrom signature authority for the 2023-2024 School Year (9/30/23 - 10/1/2024)
D.
SY 23-24 Board Recruitment Update and Next Steps
Roshelle Payes provided a brief update on recruitment. We are working to recruit a few new parents to the Board, with a specific focus on middle school families.
IV. Community Relations Committee
A.
Annual Fund Update
Joe Callahan and Fonda Sutton provided a brief update on the Annual Fund.
B.
Discuss Fall Homecoming Fundraiser
Joe Callahan provided a brief update on the fall Homecoming fundraiser on October 26, and encouraged the board members on how to participate.
C.
Discuss Upcoming Campus Activities for Board Participation
V. School Performance Committee
A.
Reflecting on the SY22-23 Organizational Dashboard and Outcomes
Richard Laine (virtual) introduced Rikki Hunt Taylor to provide key take-aways from PARCC as well as reflections on the 22-23 Dashboard and outcomes.
B.
Presenting the 2023-2024 Organizational Dashboard and Goals
In the 2023-2024 Dashboard, we developed new cascading goals for the organization that roll up to high-level academic goals. Through RISE, everyone should be developing goals connected to goals on the dashboard.
C.
Discuss 2022-2023 PARCC Results
Rikki Hunt Taylor provided key updates on our 2022-2023 PARCC Results:
- High School saw significant growth in ELA and Math
- Middle School Math (7th Grade) also saw significant growth
- Our students showed growth within bands and we still have a lot of work to do
VI. Audit, Finance, and Facilities
A.
Financial Update
Justin Rydstrom provided an update on all key performance indicators for FY23 Q4.
- Days of Cash on Hand: 136
- Debt Service Coverage Ratio: 1.41
- Grants Invoiced: 100%
- Gross Margin: .2%
All of these were strong financial indicators and do not raise any concerns.
B.
Audit Update
Justin Rydstrom informed the board of trustees that we have begun the audit process on schedule. The Audit, Finance, and Facilities Committee will work closely alongside EdOps and our finance teams to provide all the information necessary to RSM.
C.
Facilities Planning Update
Justin Rydstrom provided a brief update on the Facilities Planning work that is being undertaken, the work we have done with Stoiber and Associates (Architect), as well as the beginning financing work that is taking place.
VII. Closed Session
A.
Personnel Discussion
The board entered into closed session to discuss Personnel Matters (specifically the CEO Evaluation).
No guests signed up to provide comment. No one submitted written public comment.