Eno River Academy
Minutes
July Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday July 21, 2020 at 6:00 PM
Location
This meeting may be hosted online. If so, a link will be shared prior to the meeting to provide community access. If an in-person meeting is held, the location will be the K-8 common room at 1212 NC Hwy N, Hillsborough, NC 27278.
Directors Present
Brad Tapper, Charles Penny II (remote), Kristi Anspach (remote), Michael O'Malley (remote), Sarah Yagnow (remote)
Directors Absent
None
Guests Present
Amy Davis (remote), Kristin Martin (remote), Lisa Bair (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Kristi Anspach called a meeting of the board of directors of Eno River Academy to order on Tuesday Jul 21, 2020 at 6:05 PM.
C.
A Moment of Silence was observed in honor of Lisa Revels, an ERA parent who was tragically killed in a car accident on July 17.
D.
Approve Minutes from prior meeting
Sarah Yagnow made a motion to approve the minutes from June Board Meeting on 06-23-20.
Kristi Anspach seconded the motion.
Charles Penny was recused from the vote since this is his first meeting as a Board member.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Kristi Anspach |
Aye
|
| Michael O'Malley |
Aye
|
| Brad Tapper |
Aye
|
| Charles Penny II |
Abstain
|
| Sarah Yagnow |
Aye
|
II. Monthly Agenda Review
A.
Review and revision, if needed, for meeting agenda
Michael O'Malley made a motion to Approve.
Sarah Yagnow seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Charles Penny II |
Aye
|
| Kristi Anspach |
Aye
|
| Sarah Yagnow |
Aye
|
| Brad Tapper |
Absent
|
III. Public Comment Period
A.
Public comments in accordance with the ERA Public Comment Policy, updated May 5, 2020. Please submit emailed public comments to board@enoriveracademy.org for the July 2020 meeting, pending appointment of the new Board Secretary.
No public comment at this meeting.
IV. Executive Director Announcements and Update
A.
Celebration of events and achievements by ERA Staff and Students
B.
Monthly Executive Director Update
- Enrollment is holding steady to date.
- We held a Town Hall last week to discuss the opening of school in Plan C--the feedback has been relatively positive.
- Supply lists will be updated on the website tomorrow.
- Teacher meetings have been scheduled to discuss distance learning schedules and expectations. The schedules will be shared next week and we will update on the website.
- Open House-we will hold virtual open houses for grade levels. August 4th-K-5 at 4pm and MS at 5pm; August 5th-HS at 4pm.
- We have ordered additional supplies of Chromebooks for all grade levels. We are awaiting their shipment.
- Additional COVID related supplies have been ordered and the majority are on-site. We have a few table dividers that will ship in the next week or so.
- Virtual student/family orientations-we have a Kindergarten, 6th grade, freshman and new to ERA orientations scheduled.
- CARES Act funds-we received $16,216 in relief funds. Those will go to purchase additional technology and COVID related items for both buildings.
V. Committee Updates
A.
PATH Update
No updates at this time.
B.
Future Visions Update
- Met last week to discuss the Strategic Plan and targeting diversity and inclusion at ERA
- Start a Diversity and Inclusion task force to specifically address this issue
C.
Finance Update
- No financials for June as the month of July is reserved for audits with Acadia
- Clarification from DPI about voting to approve the monthly budget. Only the annual budget needs a Board vote. The monthly spending report is just for review by the Board.
VI. New Business
A.
Appointment of Roles for Board Members
- Need to vote and approve for the four officer positions: Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, and Secretary along with Liaisons to committees
- Liaisons are asked to remain through August as we transition and get the Board fully staffed
- Ms. Bair suggested voting on officers at the August meeting since the Board is not fully staffed.
- Mrs. Yagnow recommended that we vote upon Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary.
- The Board decided to move forward with the nomination and vote at the July meeting.
Charles Penny II made a motion to Appoint Mike O'Malley as Chair, Sarah Yagnow for Vice Chair, and Kristi Anspach for Treasurer for the 2020-2021 school year. The Secretary position will be nominated/voted upon at the August meeting.
Brad Tapper seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Brad Tapper |
Aye
|
| Charles Penny II |
Aye
|
| Michael O'Malley |
Aye
|
| Kristi Anspach |
Aye
|
| Sarah Yagnow |
Aye
|
B.
Board Items for 2020-2021 School Year
- After the vote for new Board officers, Mike O'Malley took over officiating duties for the meeting since he is the newly appointed Chair.
- Mr. O'Malley shared the ERA Board of Directors contact and term information with the Board for review. Once the document is finalized, the directory will be published for parent access.
- Mrs. Anspach then shared the Board's Annual Recurring Events and Goals Calendar with the Board. She asked that the Board review and share any edits/suggestions with Mr. O'Malley for final approval at the August meeting.
- The Board discussed about setting the meeting schedule for the year and when the best time for meetings may be while remote or in person.
- Mrs. Yagnow recommended that the Board meetings be web casted and recorded for parents no matter when meetings may occur. This could wait for a vote until the Board is fully staffed in August.
- Mr. Tapper suggested that the time change may present challenges to working parents.
- Mrs. Anspach recommended having alternating meetings (day/evening) to accommodate schedules better for families. She also suggested using a hybrid for when face-to-face meetings resume.
- Mrs. Yagnow suggested that the new Community Liaison could help to sponsor/coordinate some informal events for Board members to interact with parents.
- After discussion, the Board decided that August 18 will be the next meeting date with a start time of 5 p.m.
- Mrs. Anspach asked that Board members send Mike O'Malley three points about roles/positions to have more detailed descriptions about those.
- Mrs. Anspach recommended not deciding the Board retreat date since we will not have a full Board until the August meeting.
- Mrs. Yagnow recommended having the retreat in September to help members acclimate to the Board.
VII. Old Business
A.
Update on COVID-19
- Ms. Bair reiterated that ERA will have remote learning for the first four weeks of instruction and then re-evaluate as we see how the COVID-19 crisis stands.
- Ms. Bair mentioned the work that the school administrative team and others have been doing to make sure we have a successful start to the 2020-2021 school year.
- She also mentioned that the After-School Director will help to provide childcare for teachers to support remote instruction.
- Dr. Davis mentioned that the school administration team is working through the challenges to make decisions that are best for students, teachers, and families that support academic success.
- Athletics is still in flux for the fall. Fall sports teams may still hold practice, but the NCHSAA has said no games until after September 1. We will keep students and families posted once we know more details.
B.
Future Visions Updates
- Future visions met the week of July 13
- Mr. O'Malley will send out a copy of the Strategic Plan to the Board for review and feedback including the school mission and vision.
- The Board also discussed creating a School Safety Taskforce to develop safeguards and programming that reinforces school safety for both campuses. The timeline has been pushed back slightly since the school will have remote learning for the first four weeks. Ms. Bair and Dr. Davis will advertise this opportunity to parents to solidify the team.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Closed Session
Closed session was not necessary for this meeting.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
Charles Penny II made a motion to Adjourn the meeting at 7:10 p.m.
Sarah Yagnow seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Kristi Anspach |
Aye
|
| Sarah Yagnow |
Aye
|
| Charles Penny II |
Aye
|
| Michael O'Malley |
Aye
|
| Brad Tapper |
Aye
|
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:10 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Amy Davis