Brief discussion on taking board minutes. Draft to be submitted in advance. Members can comment and minutes may need tweaking.

Tried to identify a date at the end of August for annual board retreat.  Possible dates August 25, 26 or 27.  However, not all board members will be able to attend.  It will most likely be August 25.

M. Smith said that Amani met with several developers recently and was in the process of reviewing RFP proposals for the K-4 expansion project 

He also noted that the Regents visit went well.  Other school events such as the Honors Assembly and Student Recital also went well.

M. Smith and G. Sardi both attended the Carver Gala, and added that it was a great event and looked forward to partnering with them this fall.

New finance manager Tamur Cajeux provided the financial results ending April 30 and presented the proposed FY 2026 budget.  He said the budget takes into account the school's expansion needs and offers three different approaches to the budget. 

There was discussion over the consultants roles related to support Finance. CSBM would transition to a specialist role. Currently, CSBM would be involved in the Audit this year but moving forward, Tamur would operate independently.

D. Stern proudly stated that the Regents visit was a success and that the State wound up sharing "Amani Moments" youtube video on its Regents website. 

She said that Amani now has a digital creator lab and noted that Tony Chen (a Cornellian) interviewed Debra in the studio. 

As for enrollment, D. Stern noted that Amani hit its goals of 441 students for 2025-2026 registration. There is a slim waitlist but efforts will focus on building that up, targeting 5th grade especially. 

She also noted that four new rooms would be created to welcome the expanded school this fall. Lastly, she gave a round up of end of school year events, adding that graduation would be held on June 27.

moved to executive session

J. Ciaverella provided an update of summer school plans, saying that 64 letters went out to families of students who were recommended to attend summer school. She said fellows were expected to begin with GO in 7 weeks but that the Go Foundation funding was still unknown.

She noted that Summer Corps/summer school was offered at no cost to families. J. Ciaverella noted that Amani wanted to emphasize a culture of continuous academic improvement. 

Summarizing results from the most recent test scores, the principal said they school reached their growth targets but fell short of their achievement targets. She noted there was strong growth in 8th grade math, particularly in algebra, and that 5th grade math showed growth too.  More work was definitely needed, however, to raise the scores. 

The principal said she needed to spend more time on training and providing instructional support to teachers and creating a cultural mindset on instructional leadership. Her focus will be more on boosting small group instruction, checking for understanding and strengthening pedagogical culture.  Part of her strategy includes working with Go Foundation tutors who are tasked with focusing on math. She noted that the year was challenging due to staffing changes as well but with more consistent staffing going forward, she could emphasize a high level of instructional leadership.

Fundraising Committee Chair P. Morenberg said he was looking to the board for sponsorship and support, selling tickets, obtaining silent auction items -- this would be key. He said July's board meeting would focus on fundraising efforts.