Brighter Choice Charter Schools
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday February 8, 2024 at 9:30 AM
Location
250 Central Ave. Albany, NY 12206
Trustees Present
M. Snyder (remote), N. Velilla, R. McLaughlin, T. Hanmer, Z. Nelson
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
K. Ford, K. Mclean (remote), L. Licygiewicz, Noah Clement
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 Feb 8, 2024 at 9:37 AM.
C.
Approve Minutes
R. McLaughlin made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 01-11-24.
T. Hanmer seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Approve November minutes
R. McLaughlin made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 11-08-23.
T. Hanmer seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. ARP (COVID Grant) Public Comment
A.
none
III. Committee Reports
A.
Finance Report
B.
Governance Report
The Committee met with Noah Clement, who will be joining the board once paperwork is finalized. The board discussed recruiting 5 people each to assess interest in joining the board, as well as possible faculty board members.
Luke provided updates on health insurance possibilities and costs, and this will be part of the board conversation going forward as it pertains to premiums and costs of operating the schools.
IV. Other Business
A.
Calendar Vote
T. Hanmer made a motion to Make an adjustment to the school calendar to have March 29th be a day off.
R. McLaughlin seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
R. McLaughlin made a motion to adjourn.
T. Hanmer seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:48 AM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Z. Nelson
M Snyder reported on the Finance meeting that took place on Feb 1. There was a report by the Enrollment Manager about strategies and investments.
We are focused on increased enrollment at the Boys school and a goal of 270 next year. Especially focused on full enrollment in the early grades where we have strong retention. As we build our budget for next year it will be intertwined with our enrollment. Ms. Morrison sent the board a deeper dive into the future enrollment trends and patterns that we are facing. The schools will try to retain as many "eligible to return scholars" as possible. The 270 is a stretch goal from where we are right now, but the board thinks that it is where we have to be striving towards at this time.
The second primary item is teacher retention with a proposal provided by the school leaders. There would be a base-salary increase incentive for long term employees, and the board must balance this with available funds. The board will further conversations about this proposal and what budget impacts it would have, as well as other strategies of teacher retention.