Brighter Choice Charter Schools

Minutes

Governance Committee Meeting

Date and Time

Thursday September 24, 2020 at 9:00 AM

Committee Members Present

M. Snyder (remote), N. Maresca (remote), N. Velilla (remote), Z. Nelson (remote)

Committee Members Absent

S. Wallace, T. Hanmer

Guests Present

K. Ford (remote), K. Mclean (remote), L. Licygiewicz (remote), S. Jahn (remote), T. Stutsrim (remote)

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

M. Snyder called a meeting of the Governance Committee of Brighter Choice Charter Schools to order on Thursday Sep 24, 2020 at 9:00 AM.

II. Governance

A.

Fall 2020 Reopening update

K. Ford reported for BCCSG:

Enrollment:
  • Currently at 280 scholars.
  • As in past years, this is the time of year that the school's "No-Shows" are transferred out of the school.
Instruction:
  • The school is experiencing connectivity issues. Participants in Zoom meetings are frequently losing connection.
  • Parent tech concerns have been remedied.
  • Two Chromebooks have ben damaged. L. Licygiewicz is working with the family to enforce the reimbursement agreement to replace or repairs this equipment.
Remote Instruction Guidelines / Issues:
  • A parent has been behaving inappropriately during her daughter's remote classes.
    • The behavior was described and discussed.
    • Ms. Ford will develop an plan with escalating consequences if the behavior continues.
    • Both schools will send a letter home reminding families of behavioral expectations during remote instruction.
    • T. Hanmer suggested that the School Counselor may be helpful.
    • K. Ford to keep documentation of all interactions.
K. Mclean reported for BCCSB:

Enrollment:
  • Currently at 260 scholars.
Remote Instruction:
  • The order of Chromebooks has still not arrived.
  • Fewer connectivity issues in this school building.
  • Remote instruction began this week. K. Mclean has received complimentary messages re: the school staff's planning, preparedness, and materials.
  • Planning for assessments is underway. K. Mclean will seek guidance re: in-person vs. at-home assessment-taking by scholars.
  • Behavioral Team members will begin visiting remote classes to monitor scholar behavior.
  • A Virtual Open House video is being created. She will share the link when it is posted on-line.

B.

Data Management

As the contract with Datalyze, LLC, the schools' Data Management service provider ends on 10/1/2020, these tasks were identified and a plan for replacing this work was discussed. L. Licygiewicz has contacted the NERIC Data Warehouse Manager, Mary McGeoch, re: two support resources - Data Flow and the Shared Data Assistance Coordinator service.

T. Stutsrim pointed out that these resources would be very helpful in the reporting tasks but that, in her opinion, the schools will still need staff to perform work in PowerSchool. She will share the names and contact information for people she knows that are knowledgeable about PowerSchool. In addition, she will create and share a list of tasks that she typically performs. She can assist on an occasional basis on a short-term basis.

C.

Charter Renewal

No updates. NYSED will be in touch re: scheduling future virtual classroom visits.

D.

District Safety Plan

The only change is an updating of school contact information given the new Office Manager at BCCSG.

E.

Board Self-Assessment

Board on Track will work with the Board of Trustees, moving forward, to develop, discuss and assess a Board Assessment / Goal Setting PLan.

III. Closing Items

A.

Future Items

B.

Adjourn Meeting

There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:54 AM.

Respectfully Submitted,
Z. Nelson