Pharos Academy Charter School
Minutes
Pharos Academy Charter School Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday October 19, 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: October 19, 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: 19 de octubre 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, K. Shah, S. Jean-Jacques, S. Sutherland, T. Perez
Trustees Absent
J. Sowell, R. Granado, S. Beier, T. South
Guests Present
C. Russell, Gustavo Garcia, Karyn Fernandez, M. Dorsey, T. Brown
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
II. PHACS Staff Presentation
A.
PHACS Staff Presentation
III. Executive Director's Report
A.
Executive Director's Report
3-8 MATH & ELA STATE RESULTS shared and discussed by Principal Travis Brown:
Grades 3-8 Test Scores- Highlights
1. District 12 was the lowest performing district in terms of percentage of students
proficient for 22-23.
2. Pharos doubled the proficiency rate of the District and beat the city by double
digits in both Math and ELA.
3. We are within range of our Charter goals for the first time in Pharos/Bronx
Lighthouse history
4. There is almost no achievement gap between Pharos Middle School students
and their Asian and White counterparts. The longer students stay in the Pharos
System the stronger they become.
Pharos ELA + Mathematics Results vs. NYC Top Districts were discussed in detail
Zip code matters in NYC especially in education. Pharos’ proficiency data has shown
that we have, at least for our students, changed the narrative. Pharos has become a
positive deviant.
Pharos SPED versus NYC SPED District
1. Pharos beat the City Proficiency Sped Rate by 16+ points in both mathematics
and ELA.
2. Pharos beat the District Proficiency Sped Rate by 25+ percentage points. More
than 3x higher than the District average in both.
3. Data shows that Pharos’ support of scholars with special needs is on par with the
best community school districts in NYC.
Overall Summary
Pharos Academy is situated in District 12 which is the lowest performing school district
in NYC. Our scholars are defying the odds and showing what is possible and showing that we are a Lighthouse. This places us closer to reaching our Educational Goals.
Charter Center will release data in the near future, which will allow Pharos to see where we stack up with other Charter Schools. This data will be shared with the Board, upon release.
IV. COVID-19 Updates
A.
COVID-19 Updates
No updates
V. Board Governance
A.
Approve Minutes
B.
ED/Principal Evaluation
To be discussed at the November 2023 Board Meeting
C.
Post-Graduation Survey Follow Up
To be discussed at the November 2023 Board Meeting
D.
Enrollment Update
Current enrollment is at 711, still pushing to 715.
Enrollment is still in progress and continuing the effort.
VI. Finance Committee Review
A.
Finance Committee Report
FInancial Budget standpoint with all things looking well with enrollment currently at 711 to reach 715.
Audit was discussed at the finance call with all things moving well.
Credit Card Limit discussed to increase from $10,000 to $50,000.
Board has been asked to update the FFP to approve this credit line increase.
Credit Card approval procedures to be discussed with a safeguard and a method of sign off to be discussed with the Financial Committee.
B.
Investment Account Update
C.
Items Over 50K
D.
Arbitrage Report
E.
Moody's Update
F.
Reserve Fund Investment
G.
Audit Update
VII. Facilities
A.
Facilities Update
No major updates to discuss.
VIII. Board Interview
A.
Board Interview
Gustavo Garcia (Board Interviewee)
Board & School Member introduction
IX. Executive Session
A.
Discussion of Board Member Candidate
Executive Session Began 8:04 PM
Executive Session Ended 8:14 PM
X. Board Member Candidate
A.
Board Member Candidate
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| T. South |
Absent
|
| R. Granado |
Absent
|
| J. Lopez-Molina |
Aye
|
| S. Jean-Jacques |
Aye
|
| T. Perez |
Aye
|
| J. Sowell |
Absent
|
| B. Thompson |
Aye
|
| S. Sutherland |
Aye
|
| S. Beier |
Absent
|
| K. Shah |
Aye
|
Ms. Karen Fernandez
1st Year Teacher at Pharos Academy
Shared her persepective/experience as a new teacher at Pharos Academy Charter School .
1st Year Advantages, Challenges and Areas of Support.