The Exploris School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday May 23, 2017 at 4:30 PM
Location
Exploris Middle School campus - 401 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh NC
Directors Present
B. Kingery, C. Cunningham, C. Gray, C. Hutchens, J. Frawley, J. Gerdts, K. Byars-Nichols, K. Furr, K. Von Weihe, M. Mitchell-Neal, T. Miller
Directors Absent
None
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
M. Mitchell-Neal
Guests Present
A. Northrup, C. Robinson, Ellie Shollmeyer, J. Hemingway, K. Rectanus, M. Gargan, M. Parkerson, R. Wingo
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
Keely Byars-Nichols recorded attendance.
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
J. Gerdts called a meeting of the board of directors of The Exploris School to order on Tuesday May 23, 2017 at 4:36 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes from Board Meeting 4/25/17
C. Gray made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 04-25-17, with minor corrections as noted by Kelly, James, and Bob. Board Meeting on 04-25-17.
C. Hutchens seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Approve Agenda
C. Cunningham made a motion to approve agenda.
K. Furr seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
M. Mitchell-Neal arrived.
II. Transition Team Recommendation
A.
Recommendation from Transition Committee for New ED
Amanda presented an info-graphic detailing the interviewing process. Tom asked the group to ask any questions about the process, then he would be move to closed session to discuss issues relate to personnel.
T. Miller made a motion to go into closed session pursuant to NCGS section 143-318.11(a)(6).
C. Gray seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
While in closed session, the board discussed issues related to qualifications and salaries for school positions. No motions were made.
T. Miller made a motion to move out of closed session.
K. Furr seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
T. Miller made a motion to make an offer to Ellie Schollmeyer the position of our new ED.
C. Hutchens seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. ED Report
A.
New Hires
Summer recommended outstanding candidates for new EC teacher position, 8th grade teacher position, the two AD positions. We still have an interventionist (pending Michelle's move to the AD position), the interim art teacher position (to cover Jamie's sabbatical), school counselor, the part-time IT position, and now a replacement for a part-time Middle School Wellness teacher (pending Bill's resignation). An existing .75 faculty member did accept the .25 ESL position to make her full-time.
B.
Misc Updates
Cal, James, Tom and Summer agreed that there were no longer any questions about the student behavior plan/report. Summer briefly updated the board on the parent survey.
C.
Beginning Teacher Support Plan
Amanda presented a detailed Beginning Teacher Support Plan, to begin next year. Tool for teacher evaluation is in the process of development, and will probably be presented to the Board in September.
C. Hutchens made a motion to approve the beginning teacher support plan as presented.
C. Cunningham seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Facilities and Development
A.
Update
Bob updated that the design group is about one month behind, so a much more detailed update will be ready next month. Also coming next month: updates on budget and development group.
V. Governance
A.
New Board members beginning 17-18
T. Miller made a motion to nominate Christine Hutchens as a full board member beginning July 1 for a three year term.
K. Furr seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Grievance Policy
Jessica presented the revised grievance policy to the board, noting that there was a slightly different process for parents and staff.
J. Frawley made a motion to approve new grievance policy as amended and formatted, effective today.
C. Cunningham seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
HB 800
James just wanted to make us aware of this bill and that our development partners have asked for our support for a similar bill, and we declined.
VI. Finance
A.
2017-2018 Budget
Summer led the board through a discussion of the 17-18 school year budget, which includes new hires and previously approved new costs/hires (sometimes projected).
We decided to wait to approved budget until June, so we can see see actually new salary costs and consider a raise in matching 401K contributions.
James turned over the meeting Chair responsibilities to Tom because he had to leave (6:30).
B.
Approve Audit Contract
C. Cunningham made a motion to renew contract with Thomas Judy Tucker.
C. Gray seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Monthly Financials, Annual Fund, and Foundation
Christine present FYI our monthly financial report, including annual fund balance. Like the budget, we agreed to wait until next month to approve moving a surplus to the foundation.
D.
Additional Compensation and Bonuses
Summer explained a bonus incentive that was offered by the state that Exploris was ineligible for. Summer and Christine presented a proposal for bonuses for all faculty.
T. Miller made a motion to allocate 30,000 to staff bonuses and have Summer develop a plan to distribute evenly among staff.
B. Kingery seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VII. Educational Excellence
A.
Educational Excellence Definitions and Measurements
Keely updated the group on the committee's work. The full proposal for key definitions and measurements in August.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Items for Next Month
- 2017-18 Budget, Foundation
- Facilities
- Officer Nominations
- Attendance policy - Summer
- New Personnel
B.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:21 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
T. Miller