Excel Academy Rhode Island
Minutes
Board of Trustees Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday January 30, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Location
Excel Academy Rhode Island
622 Woonasquatucket Ave
North Providence, RI, 02911
Meeting Notice Posted Publicly: 1/28/25
Please note: All items listed on the agenda are subject to a possible vote by the Board of Trustees.
Trustees Present
B. Smiley, C. Chhay, C. Heng, F. Rojas, I. Blake, J. Greenthal, L. Giordano, M. Rivera
Trustees Absent
C. Lombardi, L. Cariaga-Lo
Guests Present
A. Kaynor, A. Solomon, C. Reed, Grecia Ordonez (Excel RI parent & observer), Hong Hong Sao (observer), O. Stearns
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Public Comment
D.
Approve prior Board meeting minutes
E.
Board signatures for state grant
A. Kaynor requested and collected Board member signatures on a $10,000 grant to the school from the Rhode Island School Building Authority.
II. Real Estate
A.
Real Estate Search Updates
C. Reed and A. Solomon presented updates on the school's real estate search and enrollment planning for School Year 25-26, as detailed on real estate update slides that were provided to the Board.
L. Giordano asked a clarifying question regarding comparative classroom sizes at the school relative to peers, which A. Solomon answered. The school has comparable classroom sizers.
F. Rojas and A. Kaynor asked clarifying questions regarding enrollment plans for the prospective high school campus, which C. Reed answered. The school will grow one grade per year, starting with the current class of 7th graders.
B. Smiley asked a clarifying question about the lease process and timeline, which O. Stearns answered.
III. Governance
A.
Executive Session (closed to the public)
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| B. Smiley |
Aye
|
| F. Rojas |
Aye
|
| L. Cariaga-Lo |
Absent
|
| M. Rivera |
Aye
|
| C. Lombardi |
Absent
|
| I. Blake |
Aye
|
| C. Chhay |
Aye
|
| J. Greenthal |
Aye
|
| C. Heng |
Aye
|
| L. Giordano |
Aye
|
The Board reconvened into open session at 6:58pm, and B. Smiley provided the following report as the presiding councilperson:
- The Excel Academy Rhode Island Board convened into executive session pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws s. 42-46-5(a)(8)(ii) exclusively for the purposes of reviewing matters that relate to the privacy of students and their records and also moved to invite and permit the following staff to attend the executive session: Owen Stearns and Arthur Kaynor.
- During the executive session, the Excel Academy Rhode Island Board took the following actions:
- Voted unanimously to approve the guidelines titled: “Resolutions regarding Excel Academy’s commitment to serve all students equally regardless of citizenship status.”
- Voted unanimously to seal the minutes of this executive session and to keep these minutes sealed from meeting to meeting, unless and until unsealed by a vote of the board, because disclosure would jeopardize the school’s safety, pursuant to discussions conducted under R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-5(a) and R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-46-4(b).
- Voted unanimously to close executive session and reconvene in open session.
IV. Other Business
A.
FYI - Reminder about upcoming events & engagement goals
A. Kaynor and O. Stearns previewed upcoming meetings and events with the Board and refreshed the Board on this year's fundraising and Board engagement goals.
V. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
List of documents used in the meeting:
- 12.5.24 Meeting Minutes
- SBA Arts Grant Award & Signature Page
- Real Estate Update Slides
No members of the public provided comments.