Inwood Academy for Leadership Charter School
Minutes
August Board of Trustees Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday August 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location
433 West 204th Street, New York, NY 10034
Trustees Present
C. Reyes, J. Almonte (remote), J. Looney (remote), J. Zucker (remote), K. Drezner (remote), S. Santo (remote), V. Singh (remote)
Trustees Absent
C. Talero, M. Rosenthal, R. Khamis
Guests Present
A. Rodriguez (remote), B. Mercedes, G. Thiyagarajah (remote), J. Pichardo, K. Cuateco (remote), Kevin Garcia (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
II. Board Committee Reports
A.
Academic Committee Report
B.
Finance and Facilities Updates
III. Enrollment, Operations, and Finance Reports
A. Enrollment Report
J. Pichardo reported enrollment of approximately 923 students, above the budgeted enrollment of 909. The school will continue monitoring transfers and backfilling available seats.
B. Grade Relocation and Space Utilization
Ninth grade will be housed on the third floor of the Middle School building, while twelfth grade will return to the main High School building. Separate signage, routes, and emergency procedures will distinguish the two programs.
C. Operations and Facilities Readiness Report
K. Garcia reported that the Operations and Facilities teams coordinated building moves and preparation across all sites. Remaining painting, cleaning, signage, and classroom setup were expected to be completed before staff returned.
D. Finance and Rent Reimbursement Update
J. Pichardo reported that the school plans to apply for approximately $900,000 in rental assistance for the ninth-grade High School space within the Middle School building.
IV. Board Development
A. Board Recruitment
The Board discussed recruiting additional trustees, prioritizing candidates with finance expertise, education experience, or connections to the Inwood community
II. School Year Priorities
A. K–12 Academic Priorities
C. Reyes and B. Mercedes presented the 2026–2027 priorities: strong school culture and instruction, intervention and acceleration, and student leadership aligned with Belong, Grow, and Lead.
B. Elementary School Update
G. Thiyagarajah reported that the Elementary School will operate as a complete K–5 program, focusing on consistent culture systems, strong instruction, early intervention, and student leadership.
C. Middle School Update
K. Cuateco shared that the Middle School will prioritize consistent classroom practices, Leader in Me, student portfolios, academic interventions, and monthly leadership walkthroughs.
D. High School Update
A. Rodriguez presented the High School’s priorities of strong Tier 1 culture, evidence-driven instruction, 90-minute instructional periods, and Humanities and STEM intervention labs.