Board members introduced themselves to the Leadership Team.

5:37: 

Venesa Reyes, VP of Operations and Co-Founder 

Jamesa Campbell, Director of Operations

Candace McCray, Dean of Students (role supports K-12 spectrum, advocate for students)

Rachel Johnston, K-5 Dean of Academics

Chenethia Brown,  6-8 Dean of Academics

Lauren Hasty, 9-12 Dean of Academics

5:48: Jerome Reyes asked his leadership staff about personal passions: 

Each individual shared her

vision, culture, mission and personal/professional alignment with Butler

-focus on the students 

-intentionality, knowing your students, continuity

-support for staff, teachers

-importance of belonging

J. Campbell, C. McCray, R. Johnston, C. Brown, L. Hasty left the meeting.

V. Reyes reports a lot of movement on the enrollment side:

456 Seats in K-9

430 filled, @94% capacity (good numbers for charter school)

74 scholars still on the waiting list (across grade levels)

numbers may be affected by the shift from Southside to home elementary schools

Class size increased from 20 to 22.

Increase year-round touch points with families (Spring, Summer, Fall), at festivals and local events; also engagements with Headstarts, Private Preschools, First Steps

Summer Reading Camp is a program to support students who do not meet testing goals; only two students were required to attend, but other scholars are nudged to attend; 6-8 scholars attended the program. End-of-summer testing determines whether a student needs to be retained. Butler's program is quite successful. 

One challenge: as Butler is a year-round school, summer is very brief; summer programs are not as expansive as in other schools. 

J. Reyes explains that even as Butler is at 94%, financial solvency is not impacted.

The Board will receive information about the financial services.

J. Reyes explained High School planning and enrollment: Currently, 39 scholars are enrolled in the first 9th grade class. Planning high school courses for a small number of students requires flexibility and awareness of teaching staff and students' availability. 

A. Rhodes asked about the economy of scale issues (39 high school students): will this get easier as the next years add to the numbers (about 40 scholars for each year)? Response: while currently resources are shared with the middle school, eventually the high school will have dedicated faculty.

Scholars are also taking courses at Coker University, for example, which creates constraints and overlaps; these challenges should be alleviated in coming years. 

Additional questions about enrollment in high school: 

H. Hoilett-Frierson asked about number of classes offered. Response: Every scholar has four core courses (Econ, Math, English, Physical Science); students are also earning credits through dual enrollment with FDTC; students are also enrolled in courses at Coker. In terms of Carnegie Credits, every student has the opportunity to earn at least 6-8 credits (meeting or exceeding the minimum required); some have significantly more. Students who take courses at Coker or FDTC receive college credits. 

H. Hoilett-Frierson asked about level of courses offered (College Prep, Honors, etc.); according to J. Reyes, Butler's standards already for the most part exceeds expectations; "rigor is high." Differentiation focuses on growth.

H. Hoilett-Frierson suggested we formulate goals once board members have familiarized themselves with the Board on Track and Committee goals before discussing further goals for the board. 

J. Reyes emphasized the importance of communicating across committee boundaries and collaborating with school administration; also the importance of reporting back to the whole board. 

Board members help represent BA in conversations and planning, creating investment in the school. 

Executive Committee: H. Hoilett-Frierson, J. Hudson, D. Carlton, J. Klimek

Scholar Experience: A. Rhodes, D. Small, S. Sneed, G. Woods

Facilities: A. Rhodes, D. Small, A. Morris, J. Hudson

Finance: D. Carlton, J. Hudson

Governance: J. Klimek, J. Hudson

Development: A. Morris, H. Hoilett-Frierson

President and Evaluation: J. Klimek, H. Hoilett-Frierson

The next Board meeting will be set for September. 

September 17th, November 19th (3rd Wed).