Brighter Choice Charter Schools
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday July 15, 2021 at 9:30 AM
Location
250 Central Ave, Albany, NY 12206
Trustees Present
M. Snyder, N. Maresca (remote), P. Romain (remote), R. McLaughlin (remote), T. Hanmer, Z. Nelson
Trustees Absent
N. Velilla
Guests Present
K. Ford, K. Mclean, L. Licygiewicz, S. Jahn
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
M. Snyder called a meeting of the board of trustees of Brighter Choice Charter Schools to order on Thursday Jul 15, 2021 at 8:37 AM.
C.
Approve Minutes
P. Romain made a motion to approve the minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting on 06-10-21.
N. Maresca seconded the motion.
Amended to reflect that Martha Snyder was in atendance.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Approve minutes
T. Hanmer made a motion to approve the minutes from Annual Board Meeting on 06-17-21.
N. Maresca seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Finance
A.
Approve Finance Committee minutes
The Finance Committee minutes from May 13. 2021 were tabled.
III. Governance
A.
District Safety Plan
Mr. Licygiewicz presented the district safety plan for AY 2021-22, noting that the only change is the addition of the new assistant principal at the girls’ school.
N. Maresca made a motion to Approve the District Safety Plan as presented by Mr. Licygiewicz.
P. Romain seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
School calendar
Ms. Ford explained that the school wanted to make a formal request to SED that the language governing the length of school year be changed to “the number of school days will exceed the number of days for district schools” rather than the arbitrary 190. For the past three years, the school has been in session (in-person or remotely) for 185 days. During this time students have outperformed the district on state standards. Adding five more days will hurt teacher morale and retention and most likely result in increased student absenteeism.
P. Romain made a motion to approve the school's request to amend the charter with this non-material revision and rationale.
T. Hanmer seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Board Resolution
T. Hanmer made a motion to pass a resolution of the Board of Trustees of the Brighter Choice Charter Schools (Brighter Choice Charter School for Girls) Authorizing and Approving a Certain Financing with the City of Albany Capital Resource Corporation.
N. Maresca seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Other Business
A.
Board strategic Plan and Committees
Ms. Snyder stressed the need for the board to have a significant strategic planning session and tentatively proposed either August 16 or 17 from 4:00 to 6:30.
Going forward, committee meetings should be held in advance of the board meeting. They may take place remotely or in-person.
Going forward, committee meetings should be held in advance of the board meeting. They may take place remotely or in-person.
V. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:54 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
T. Hanmer