Rooted School - New Orleans
Minutes
MEETING OF THE ROOTED SCHOOL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Date and Time
Wednesday April 23, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Location
IN PERSON MEETING:
Rooted School
6701 Press Drive
SUNO School of Education & Human Development
ROOM : SOCIAL HALL
MEETING NOTIFICATION
Apr 23, 2025 05:30 PM Central Time
IN PERSON MEETING:
Rooted School
6701 Press Drive
SUNO School of Education & Human Development
ROOM : SOCIAL HALL
VIRTUAL OPTION:
If you wish to join the meeting virtually:
When: Apr 23, 2025 05:00 PM Central Time
You must register in advance for this meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vRPvNhCdQaqJGyPngV2adg
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
IMPORTANT PUBLIC NOTICE:
Pursuant to emergency proclamation 30-JCE 2020, the Rooted School New Orleans Board hereby certifies that it will conduct all meetings scheduled for 2024 - 2025, in person (unless otherwise designated), at 6701 Press Dr. in the College of Education Building & Human Development on SUNO's campus in the Social Hall on the 1st Floor.
Board meetings shall be held in this manner until further notice.
Directors Present
A. Utley, L. Diaz, M. Quinn
Directors Absent
S. Glapion
Ex Officio Members Present
F. Ingargiola
Non Voting Members Present
F. Ingargiola
Guests Present
Colette Tippy (remote), D. Brown (remote), Dave Cash (remote), K. Karpinski
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Glapion |
Absent
|
| A. Utley |
Aye
|
| M. Quinn |
Aye
|
| L. Diaz |
Aye
|
D.
Board to Accept the Resignation (Term Limit) - Alyse Utley
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| M. Quinn |
Aye
|
| L. Diaz |
Aye
|
| A. Utley |
Abstain
|
| S. Glapion |
Absent
|
II. Mission Moment
A.
Jaron Barnes senior at Rooted School will present the meeting's Mission Moment
- Jaron Barnes presented his experience at Rooted School and related that the school has helped him receive a full scholarship to Loyola University beginning in the fall of 2025.
III. Finance
A.
February 2025 & March 2025 Review of Financial Statement
Ms. Brown explained the reasons for the loss of revenue during FY 2024 - 2025.
- Approximating 49 days of cash on hand for the close of FY 2024 - 2025.
CAUSES:
- Low student enrollment for SY 2024 - 2025
- Return of funding due to Level II NOPS directive
- Overall reductions in state and local revenues
- Loss of some grant monies (S.E.E.D. Grant) due to a recent Executive Order that terminated the grant prematurely.
IV. Executive Session
A.
The motion was made for the board to move to Executive Session to discuss matters related to collective bargaining.
Alyse Utley made a motion for the board to move into Executive Session.
The motion was seconded by Lucas Diaz.
The motion passed unanimously.
Alyse Utley made a motion for the board to move back into the public session.
The motion was seconded by Lucas Diaz.
The motion passed unanimously.
V. Facilities Update
A.
Discussion of the possibility of joining with a UNO facility.
Ms. Karpinski reported on the progress to possibly move from our current SUNO facility to a larger facility that affords some additional space and fewer facility challenges.
She is currently in discussion with UNO leadership.
Frank Ingargiola visited the NOPS facility that previously housed Lycee Francais School. This was not a viable facility for our students.
VI. Current Contracts - Exceeding Threshold
A.
Contracts exceeding the $10,000 threshold.
The following contracts will require an additional signature from our board chairman, Mark Quinn:
- Teach-Lead-Educate - Stovall Consulting
- PowerSchool SIS
- Adams & Reese
- ProCare Therapy
- TB Cleaning
VII. Academic Excellence
A.
Ms. Karpinski presented about the progress on Rooted School's academic goals.
Wins:
- Attendance remain at 95% or overall month-over-month
- 90% of students in grades 10 - 12 will be returning to Rooted School for SY 2025 - 2026.
- Rooted will be partnering with a public relations firm to assist in increasing enrollment for SY 2025 - 2026.
- LEAP scores appear to be increasing in math based on recent practice trends.
- High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) have been used by Rooted School teachers this school year projecting some anticipated growth in LEAP results.
Challenges:
- 9th grade enrollment is down after first-round enrollment.
- First-round enrollment is currently at 133 (Subject to change +/-).
- Overall enrollment will need to be between 160 - 165 students for 2025 - 2026 budget to balance.
- Significant changes to SPS for SY 2025 - 2026 with 75% of a school's performance shifting to LEAP results.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
- Executive Summary - February 2025.pdf
- Key Performance Indicators - February 2025.pdf
- Executive Summary March 2025.pdf
- Key Performance Indicators - March 2025.pdf