The Leadership School
Minutes
Monthly Board Meeting for The Leadership School
Date and Time
Tuesday June 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Location
The Leadership School
1785 Pennsylvania Ave
Pagedale MO 63133
In Person:
The Leadership School Board Meeting (In Person)
Tuesday, April 29, 2025 · 6:00 – 8:00pm
Time zone: America/Chicago
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86311120593?pwd=1ruPDrKcffin7yPP6pKVDwQL0UcGab.1
Meeting ID: 863 1112 0593
Passcode: 9kvS5R
Directors Present
A. Williams (remote), C. Page, G. Stevenson, R. Langrall, S. Madlinger, S. Taylor, T. Curry (remote)
Directors Absent
T. Montgomery
Guests Present
C. Moulder, L. Moody Seymour
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
C.
Public Comment Section
II. Review Minutes
A.
June 17, 2025 Meeting Minutes
B.
Vote to Approve Minutes
III. Board Chair Report
A.
Status of Charter Goal #10 - Board Engagement
Becky shared that the board had an average attendance of 81%. Discussion about changing the Charter Goal to an achievable goal.
Recommended language that each Board member will attend 10/12 monthly board meetings virtually or in person.
Becky shared the Charter Goal 10 Engagement of contributing financially. TLS Board is on track to meet this goal, however we are short the internal goal of $10K as a board.
IV. Committee Reports
A.
2025 - 2026 Budget and Finance Committee May Report
Gary Stevenson shared the finance and facilities notes:
- fund balance of 16% as of the end of May.
- Gary compared the budgets for SY24-25 and SY 25-26, including projected state aid, student enrollment, revenue and expenses.
- Revenue and expenses both increased due to the expected enrollment of adding a grade level.
Shala Taylor shared possible grant or partnership support in the areas of medical / therapy needs.
Courtney shared potential private donors and more funding coming from other sources.
- Rent of modulars has been removed, with an increase of rent for the building(s) due to the expansion.
B.
Development Committee Report
Aaron shared concerns about participation in the summer events that are currently scheduled.
- Discussion about moving Community Days to later in July or the first week of August and coordinating ribbon cutting, Open House, and Back-to-School events.
- Double Good Popcorn was a good and easy fundraiser. Discussion will continue during the Development Committee meeting on July 7, 2025 on how to make this a bigger fund-raiser for the school this fall.
- Courtney suggested looking a the dashboard during the committee meeting to make decisions.
C.
Governance Committee
Becky shared that
- CoED evaluations have been completed along with the Board self-evaluations.
- The board retreat will be July 10, 2025 and being co-planned by Kent Peterson, Courtney, and Becky. The board has homework in preparation (see Weekly Updates).
- Keisha needs to be approved as Homeless Coordinator and Foster Care Liaison.
- Becky is meeting with Denise to align Board policies with the TLS Employee Handbook.
D.
School Performance Committee Report
Carrie shared that
- Members have agreed to read/listen to Wexler’s Beyond the Science of Reading: Connecting Literacy Instruction to the
Science of Learning - Discussed TLS’s Teacher Evaluation rubric that Courtney is revising
- MAP data should be available in early July
- CM is connecting with Casey M. at Lafayette Prep re: Tier 2/3
Intervention & culture practices - KS is drafting the language for Goals 6 and 7; and will review
Emory U’s Social Emotional Ethical (SEE) curriculum (Pre-K to 12;
free)
Stephanie shared that the first Technology Advisory Team meeting occurred on June 10:
- Some immediate decisions were made on 2-step authentication and that a Technology Playbook would be created to address security concerns, organize information and resources. T
- The next meeting will be July 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM.
V. Executive Directors Monthly Report
A.
Updates on Progress re: Charter Goals #1 - 9, #11 and #12
Courtney shared a new organization chart with new staffing for 2025-26.
21 returning staff; 10 new hires; 1 vacant teacher; 0 vacant leadership; 2 vacant support staff
Charter Goal 5 = 90% attendance for the year. Actual: 88%
Suggestion to report differently on attendance by naming the number of days each month and the number of absences as a percent of the total enrollment. Keisha will rework the data to show this.
Discussion about suggested changes to charter goals:
- Charter Goal 8: Student Retention 85%. Actual: 87% TLS students are scheduled to re-enroll as of now.
- Charter Goal 12: Data & Reporting at least 90% of state data, reporting will be accurate and on time. Actual: 100% for the year.
VI. Closed Session
A.
Roll Call Vote
Roll Call | |
---|---|
R. Langrall |
Aye
|
S. Madlinger |
Aye
|
T. Montgomery |
Absent
|
S. Taylor |
Aye
|
G. Stevenson |
Aye
|
A. Williams |
Aye
|
T. Curry |
Aye
|
C. Page |
Aye
|
VII. Consent Agenda
A.
Pending Previous Discussion:
1. TLS May 2025 Financials
2. May 12, 2025 Governance Committee Meeting Report
3. TLS June Board Committee Meeting Reports
4. 2025 - 2026 School Calendar
5. Keisha Seymour as Homeless Coordinator and Foster Care Liaison
Keisha Seymour as McKinney Vento Liaison & Foster Care Liaison
[Gary motioned to change Homeless Coordinator to McKinney Vento Liaison. Becky seconded. The motion passed.]
6.Homeless Dispute Resolution policy (adopted directly from DESE)
7. 2025 - 2026 Board of Directors Meeting Dates
Carrie motioned to approved the Consent Agenda as amended. Gary seconded. The motion carried.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Self Assessment
Appreciation expressed for
- the board's engagement at this meeting
- the slidedeck for highlighting key points from monthly committee work
Speakers: each received 2 minutes to speak. VP Carrie Page timed each guest speaker:
(TLS Employee) Ms. Ward - shared an appreciation for the feeling of safety and teamwork among students and staff; and excitement for the growth in enrollment and achievement of students at the school.
(TLS Employee) Ms. Martin - shared an appreciation of staff and leaders for opportunities to support her growth as an educator through coaching and the opportunity to pursue her masters through community partnerships.
(TLS Employee) Ms. Rhodes - shared an appreciation of the educational community at TLS; saying Ms Seymour supported staff with a can-do attitude; Ms Moulder worked hard behind the scenes on budget and planning for the future.
(TLS Employee) Mr. Terry shared his view of staff and students as positive and excited about the future of TLS.
(TLS Employee) Ms. Meeks shared that initially her "leap of faith" to TLS was scary; however, the leadership and support has been wonderful, including the trust shown in making her a grade-level lead.
(TLS Employee) Mr. Johnson thanked Ms Seymour & Ms Moulder for growing and learning as educators; he felt there is a family bond to support each other and has received encouragement to pursue his masters.
(TLS Parent) Ms. Bethley expressed that there was no true leadership at the school; shared frustration with her children's experience during the three years.
(TLS Employee) Ms Griffin (Rohrs) shared her experience at TLS so far as positive growth for her and the students; and expressed her appreciation for the passion and vision to move the needle on students' outcomes.
(TLS Employee) Ms Timmons expressed her gratitude to TLS for fostering growth and a sense of community among staff and students purposely built and Keisha and Courtney. Thanked the board for their support, too.
(TLS Employee) Ms Hinkson shared that she is one of the teachers who stayed at the school from the previous year, so had been able to witness the change in the school from before and during this year. She felt TLS has accomplished a lot and seen a lot of growth. She expressed appreciation for the comfort and family work environment.
(TLS Employee) Ms Croft shared that TLS offers students opportunities that they would not have available without the staff and leadership at TLS.
(Former TLS employee) Ms. Bell shared that she loved what TLS can be and after her resignation received calls from families who were reaching out for help. She expressed concern with leadership at TLS, stating a need for professional training. She also alleged she had been defamed by two staff members.
(TLS employee) Ms Maldonado shared that the impact of the leadership team has had a positive impact on the school community and academic achievement. She feels the staff are happy to be at TLS leading to students feeling loved and empowered
(TLS parent) Ms Savanne shared that she is the parent of two children at TLS and expressed appreciation of the school's vision. She also expressed concern with the teacher turnover rate at TLS, as teachers are important people in the children's lives and pillars for the community. She also mentioned there had been an interruption in power this past year and recommended the school get a generator, perhaps through the donation of a sponsor. She stated there had been problems with communication with the school earlier in the year, but that it had improved after she complained.
(TLS parent) Ms Shantie has been a TLS parent since its first year. She shared that she had had issues with leadership that were eventually resolved and concerns with the teacher turnover rate.
(TLS teacher) Ms Jackson expressed her love for TLS and her recognition that any school that is growing is not perfect. She stated that she had never worked in an environment where she felt so supported by administration. The expressed appreciation for Ms Seymour's coaching her, being floored at how low students were performing at the start of the year, and that Ms. Moulder showed data in a new way that was encouraging for teachers/students. Ms. Jackson looks forward to the future as TLS grows.