Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter Schools
Minutes
Bedford Stuyvesant New Beginnings Charter Schools Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday September 16, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Location
82 Lewis Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11206
Trustees Present
Cecelia Russo, Doris Givens, John Matos, Kevin Nesbitt, Shawn Carson, Simone Pratt, Victor Rivera
Trustees Absent
Cynthia Aker
Ex Officio Members Present
Nicholas Tishuk
Non Voting Members Present
Nicholas Tishuk
Guests Present
Lamar Renee Garcia, Lisa-Renée Brown, Michael Taylor, Muhammed Bilal
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve August Meeting Minutes
II. Academic and Family Life Committee
A.
Committee Update
III. Finance Committee
A.
Finance Committee Update
Chair John Matos updated the Board on the work of the Finance Committee. There are no extraordinary expenses or revenues since the last meeting. Enrollment is the priority for the committee and they look forward to the updated as we go deeper into the school year.
IV. Governance Committee
A.
Committee Update
Chair Doris Givens updated the Board on the work of the Governance Committee. She is seeking feedback on the Board's framework for Governance and the work of the committee, as well as the profile of skills needed for Trustees, as well as Trustee Roles and Responsibilities. The Board made plans to have a retreat date in the Spring to support effective governance.
V. Development Committee
A.
Committee Update
Chair Simone Pratt updated the Board on the work of Development Committee and the upcoming Recruitment event in October.
VI. Public Comments
A.
Public comments
There were no public comments.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
B.
Executive Session
The Board discussed a legal matter during Executive Session.
Chair Cecelia Russo updated the Board on the work of the Academic and Family Life Committee; the committee is discussing the school's current enrollment push with the beginning of the 26-27 school year. Special education enrollment is also being reviewed.
Principal Bilal shared with the Board the High School town hall meetings for each grade, which provide opportunities for the students to share feedback and ideas about the school. He highlighted the engagement of our freshmen students and the upcoming Student Government elections held in October.
Principal Garcia shared updates on K-8; they are holding townhalls as well, including 6th grade's 'How to Be a Middle Schooler'. Additional initiatives include staff development and support for our academic program. She highlighted the Hispanic Heritage Month work, which just started and several public meetings, along with various school spirit days, including October 16th's Hispanic Heritage Fair, which all Trustees are invited to attend. The administration is also including new staff support for our first year teachers. Chair Cecelia asked for an updated organizational chart for the 2026-27 school year; Chair Kevin Nesbitt requested for an analysis of student recruitment patterns for the October board meeting.