Brighter Choice Charter Schools
Minutes
Academic Policy Committee Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday July 15, 2021 at 9:00 AM
Location
250 Central Ave, Albany, NY 12206
Committee Members Present
M. Snyder, N. Maresca (remote), R. McLaughlin (remote), T. Hanmer, Z. Nelson
Committee Members Absent
N. Velilla
Guests Present
K. Ford, K. Mclean, L. Licygiewicz, P. Romain (remote), S. Jahn
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
M. Snyder called a meeting of the Academic Policy Committee of Brighter Choice Charter Schools to order on Thursday Jul 15, 2021 at 8:55 AM.
C.
Approve Minutes
M. Snyder made a motion to approve the minutes from Academic Policy Committee Meeting on 04-08-21.
N. Maresca seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Principal updates
A.
BCCS-Boys
B.
BCCS-Girls
Ms. Ford reported on the state of the girls’ school. Enrollment for next fall stands at 247, which is below the budget goal of 281. Ms. Ford believes reaching this number is doable. Ms. Morrison has accepted the position of Director of Recruitment and Community Engagement. She will be stressing the relationship with Albany Leadership Academy as a reason for attending BCCS-G. Ms. Ford led the board through Fountas and Pinnell data and NWEA benchmarking that showed the progress made by the students in spite of the challenge of the pandemic. During the professional meetings at the end of August, the faculty will focus on the best ways to use data to identify and remedy significant gaps in student achievement. For the present Ms. Ford is concentrating on hiring for the fall. She needs two second grade teachers, an ELL and a SPED teacher
III. Other Business
A.
New donor
Mr. Romain announced that he has identified a donor who is willing to give a scholarship to a fifth grader at the boys and girls school. The board was most appreciative and will leave it to school leaders to develop language around purpose and criteria and bring their proposal to the board for approval.
IV. 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 9:25 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
M. Snyder
Ms. McLean reported on the current state of the boys’ school. Enrollment for next year stands at 267, which is the budgeted target. 17 students left, all but one citing family relocation as the reason. She is in the process of hiring a school counselor, a first grade teacher and possibly a second grade teacher. Paul Stallings, a current employee, has agreed to assume the position of Director of Recruitment and School Programming. Ms. McLean led the board through some promising statistics showing student attainment during the pandemic. The summer school is in session; students who log three unexcused absences will be asked to leave. Ms. McLean also outlined her plans for professional development meetings at the end of August. The overall theme will be turning vision into results. The faculty will focus on Ethics, Professional Standards, Lesson Planning, Classroom Management, and Parent Connections and determine what specific results will signal success in each area. This work will continue throughout the year on half-day Fridays.