The New American Academy Charter School
Minutes
TNAACS Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 24, 2021 at 5:00 PM
Location
Virtual Meeting Via Zoom
Directors Present
E. DeAngelis (remote), F. Monrose (remote), H. Hunt (remote), M. Harrington (remote)
Directors Absent
K. Monrose, V. McDonald
Guests Present
C. C​uellar-Lezcano (remote), C. Kelly (remote), K. Yu (remote), L. Parquette Silva, michelletaralynch@gmail.com (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
M. Harrington called a meeting of the board of directors of The New American Academy Charter School to order on Wednesday Feb 24, 2021 at 5:00 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
M. Harrington made a motion to approve the minutes from TNAACS Board Meeting on 01-20-21.
H. Hunt seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
II. Finance
A.
Monthly Financials
M. Harrington shared the financials from From January 2021. The budget is currently healthy and we are operating with a surplus of over $400,000.
B.
Finance Committee Report
- M. Harrington, the chair of the finance committee shared information from their last committee meeting. He shared that this is the time of year the finance committee moves from projections to actuals. He also shared that this is the time of year to start planning for the 2021/2022 school year, particularly in terms of staffing - including possible staff promotions and new hires.
III. Education
A.
Staffing Updates - New Hires
Lisa shared that TNAACS hired a part time maternity leave replacement for our ELL services . Mei Hui will service our ELL students for 10 hours per week, at the negotiated rate of $50 per hour
Lisa shared that despite multiple hiring days we have been unsuccessful at hiring a leave replacement for our SPED students. Therefore we have decided to contract with an agency to provide the 10 hours of SETSS services we need in order to be in IEP compliance. We have budgeted $16,000 for these services.
The school has hired a new kindergarten teacher, Jakerah Hamlim. This hire will effectively reduce class size and lower student to teacher ratio in the kindergarten cohort.
This position is scheduled from now until the end of the school year, with a possibility of offering the candidate a teaching position for the 2021/2022 school year, subject to staffing needs and budget
Music Teacher
Lisa shared there is a music teacher hiring day scheduled for Monday March 1, 2021. there are currently five candidates for the position
B.
Equity Committee Report
Holly Hunt shared that the Equity committee had their first meeting. They have set their monthly meetings for the rest of the year. All board members are wecome to attend
IV. Governance
A.
TNAACS
Lisa shared that TNAACS has had to close multiple times due to COVID 19 cases in our building
- Closure #1 - 12/22/20 through 1/5/2
- Closure #2 - 1/12/21 through 1/27/21
In addition, currently only 29% of TNAACS students are enrolled in in person hybrid learning, with 71% opting to be 100% remote. However, attendance in our in person hybrid model has been averaging below 50% since we returned in January Lisa shared that as a result the TNAACS Building Closure Policy was developed and shared with all board members and stakeholders
Because of this data there is a concern that 100% remote students are not being adequately serviced. The school needs to ensure equitable instruction for all students
Staff and hybrid students returned to the building on 2/23/21 and and school is monitoring attendance this week to determine if the closure plan needs to be implemented. The school will notify hybrid parents who are not sending their children that if they do not return to in person instruction the week of March 1, 2021 we will switch their children to 100% remote In addition Lisa will be exploring options with the staff to increase the number of teachers teaching remote while providing some form of in person schooling for those who still need it
V. NYSED Updates
A.
Us Department of Education Decision on State Testing for the 2020/2021 School Year
Lisa shared that on February 22, 2021 The US Department of Education released a memo with guidance on state assessments and accountability.Although it was widely anticipated, No waivers will be granted to any state to not administer some form of state assessments this year However there will be significant flexibility in the exam structure, timing and administration:. This flexibility includes:
- Administering a shortened version of its statewide assessments;
- Offering remote administration, where feasible; and/or
- Extending the testing window to the greatest extent practicable. That could include offering multiple testing windows and/or extending the testing window into the summer or even the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year. States that elect to extend testing windows should also consider how they can make results available to the public in a timely manner after assessments are administered.
Lisa then shared that NYSED is currently negotiating with the US Department of Education to develop state assessment guidelines an will report what happens to the schools
B.
Governor Cuomo Executive Order COVID Vaccination Reporting
Lisa shared that on Monday, February 22, 2021, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.95 requiring the following:
- Teachers employed in P-12 (public and non-public) schools must report that they have received a COVID-19 vaccination to their employing school District upon request of the District for purposes of reporting to the Department of Health.
- Commencing Wednesday February 24, 2021 and every Friday thereafter, every school and school district shall report to the Department of Health, on a weekly basis, in a form and manner to be determined by the Department, the number of completed COVID-19 vaccinations reported in the prior week, as well as the number and percentage of teachers instructing students in-person during the prior week. Such weekly report shall include any other data elements the Commissioner of Health determines to be appropriate to track in-person instruction in such schools and school districts.
VI. 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 7:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
E. DeAngelis
M. Harrington made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
H. Hunt seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Documents used during the meeting
- 2021_01_20_board_meeting_minutes.pdf
- Monthly Report_Jan 2020_TNAACS.pdf
- Mei Hui Resume.pdf
- ResumeJakerahHamlin.pdf
- building closure Policy.doc
- dcl-assessments-and-acct-022221 (1).pdf