Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter Schools
Minutes
Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter Schools Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday January 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Location
82 Lewis Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Trustees Present
Cecelia Russo, Cynthia Aker, John Matos, Joseph Sciame, Kevin Nesbitt, Shawn Carson, Simone Pratt, Victor Rivera, Vishal Gupta
Trustees Absent
Doris Givens
Ex Officio Members Present
Nicholas Tishuk
Non Voting Members Present
Nicholas Tishuk
Guests Present
Lamar Renee Garcia, Lisa-Renée Brown, Michael Taylor
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve December Meeting Minutes
II. Academic and Family Life Committee
A.
Committee Update
III. Finance Committee
A.
Finance Committee Update
Treasurer John Ramos updated the Board on the work of the Finance Committee. He updated the Board on the interest in identifying other banks that will provide the school a Line of Credit, should it be needed in the future.
Chief Operating Officer Michael Taylor updated the Board on the school's current enrollment, which is current 1034 students and 236 students across the K-10 span. The school has no extraordinary expenses or revenues in the last month. Michael updated the board on the school's banking strategy to be updated at a future meeting. Executive Director Nicholas Tishuk updated the Board on the incoming Charter Schools Program funding and the initial Per Pupil projections for FY27.
IV. Governance Committee
A.
Committee Update
Treasurer Shawn Carson updated the Board on discussions about expansion of BSNBCS through the addition of different schools. Mr. Tishuk updated the Board on all the regulatory challenges to mergers and the various steps needed to successfully complete the process.
V. Development Committee
A.
Committee Update
Chair Simone Pratt updated the Board on the best utilization of the school's donor list. She identified the best organization framework for potential future fundraising opportunities.
VI. Public Comments
A.
Public comments
There were no public comments.
Chair Cecelia Russo updated the Board on the work of the committee. She updated the Board on our successful recruitment and retention of students. Students in Grades 3-8 are preparing for the NYS ELA and Mathematics Exams, as well as Regents exams in Grades 8-10. Our Saturday Academy is rolling along and we have a number of 8th grader prospective students visiting the HS in recent months.
Principal Garcia updated the Board on a recent field trip of our students to see the Broadway performance of "The Outsiders" which was a great successful and cultural experience. Chair Cecelia updated the Board on the mission of the College Bound program and, per a question from Chair Kevin Nesbitt, the Regents preparation framework for 8th grade students. Emeritus Chair Joe Sciame recommended that the school celebrate the College placements of our alumni and recognize them in our school building.