Pharos Academy Charter School
Minutes
Pharos Academy Charter School Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday August 17, 2023 at 6:30 PM
Location
Pharos Academy Charter School
1001 Intervale Avenue
Bronx, NY 10459
All meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Pharos Academy Charter School are held in compliance with New York State Open Meeting Law.
Date: August 17, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: 1005 Intervale Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459
Other Location(s): https://bronxlighthouse.zoom.us/j/5239033349
ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND!
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PHAROS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL
DE LA JUNTA ADMINISTRATIVA
Realizamos todas las reuniones de la Junta Administrativa de la escuela Pharos Academy Charter School conforme a la Ley de Reuniones Abiertas del Estado de Nueva York.
Día: 17 de agosto, 2023
Hora: 6:30 p.m.
Lugar: 1005 Intervale Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459
Otros Lugares: https://bronxlighthouse.zoom.us/j/5239033349
Trustees Present
B. Thompson (remote), J. Lopez-Molina (remote), J. Sowell (remote), S. Beier (remote), S. Jean-Jacques (remote), S. Sutherland (remote), T. South (remote)
Trustees Absent
K. Shah, R. Granado, T. Perez
Guests Present
C. Russell (remote), M. Dorsey (remote), T. Brown (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. Public Comments
A.
Public Comments
III. PHACS Staff Presentation
A.
PHACS Staff Presentation
September 2023
IV. Board Governance
A.
Approve Minutes
B.
Discipline Process
Principal Brown currently working on the changes and updates to the Discipline Policy.
2 Separate Policies will be prepared for K-5 and 6-12
Policies will be sent to Culture Committee and to the Board in September '23
The question related to who should serve as the hearing officer on expulsion cases to be discussed with the Board.
Would anyone be opposed to having that as one of the main tasks for the Culture Committee?
The Culture Committee toggles between Student and Staff Culture.
As the culture committee monitors month to month culture of the school staffing.
The Culture committee can handle month to month and serve as the hearing officers. This would help create the barrier between the school and the student to make sure the students can feel that this is a fair process.
Training details shared by Courtney Russell and Principal Travis Brown related to the Discipline Policy.
Possible Process Discussed :
Staff Employee- Review Officer
Culture Committee - Hearing Officers
Appeal Process- Executive Committee
Guidance for Parent and Student - Resource information will be provided to families regarding suspensions and expulsions - Advocate for Children
Are the families able to access the support and help that they need.
Concerns arising from the role of the Board in this process.
Legal consultation to be considered in this process.
Follow up with Insurance and Legal consultation via email to discuss the details related to the discipline policy procedures.
C.
ED/Principal Evaluation
Collecting information to complete the analysis. A few pieces are missing and waiting to be filled.
WIll be shared with the Executive Committee and the Board at a later date.
D.
Post-Graduation Survey Follow Up
Task to re-open the survey for processing.
E.
SY 23 - 24 Safety Plan Adoption
Standard as per State Regulations of our Safety Plan. Last Wednesday public meeting was held to discuss safety. 6 Parents in attendance with no questions or concerns with the Safety Plan.
Overall, there were no major changes , definitely improvements related to Response Team and Drills will be considered.
F.
Enrollment Update
Still making progress towards the 745 enrollment and remaining on track.
How many seats we have to fill ? 134 out of 745
(K & 9 the highest intake grades)
V. Finance Committee Review
A.
Finance Committee Report
Finance Meeting on Tuesday 08/15/2023
State of Finance FY23 Fiscal Year Wrap Up - Surplus discussed with a few final invoices coming in. All numbers in alignment and no investment activities to report.
B.
Investment Account Update
C.
Financial Policies and Procedures (FPP)
Principal Brown recommended a better method of collecting funds.
ParentSquare Partnership - electronic payments
Transaction Fees 2.3 % and .30 cent per swipe.
Language to be added to the FPP reviewed with the Board for discussion and voting activity.
VI. COVID-19 Updates
A.
COVID-19 Updates
Board Member - Sharon Beier shared the recent trends related to COVID.
VII. Executive Director's Report
A.
Executive Director's Report
Month of August 2023 - Students are not present
Test Scores will not be available until the Fall (October - November 2023)
Cut scores not available - Local assessment were made for promotional activities.
Staffing - SPED position open, otherwise Pharos Academy Charter School is fully staffed.
Returning Staff returns to school the week of 08/28/2023
Academic Committee discussed Physics- Science and decided to offer Environment Systems and Human. Body Systems as an alternative.
VIII. Facilities
A.
Facilities Update
Building is in good shape. All is good.
No public comments