Butler Academy
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday September 20, 2023 at 5:30 PM
Location
Butler 710 S 5th St, Hartsville SC 29550
Trustees Present
D. Buryj, E. Mobley, E. Waters, H. Hoilett-Frierson, J. Shannon, K. Flaherty, M. Bunnell, M. Stellingworth, S. Hill, S. Wilson
Trustees Absent
C. Forrest
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
Current Minutes
Explained that we planned for deficits given the growth of the school with the hope that as the student population grows, can try to off-set the deficit.
Proposed Change
Explained that the school is dependent on a public-private partnership model and that funds raised from grants and donors are used to underwrite spending that is expected to always be higher than what state funding will provide. The term deficit is used to describe spending that exceeds state funding, not an ending operating position at the end of the year. In the first three years of operations, Butler’s budget plans called for a $600,000 annual operating deficit which was paid for with private funds from grants and donations. This is just a simple way to express the structural need for private support and to keep the revenue streams distinct and separate.
II. Committee Goals 2023-2024
A.
Committee Goals
III. Executive session
A.
President evaluation Memo
Moved into executive session at 6pm
Moved out of executive session at 635pm
Development committee:
1. Increase donor retention rate to 50%. stretch goal of 60%
2. Increase number of individual donors to 160
3. Assess impact of marketing and promotional activities
4. Launch a Board of Visitors in May 2024.
Scholar Experience committee:
1. Improve student engagement from a teacher's perspective and improve classroom management and leadership.
2. Reach out to President to a current needs-assessment
Governance Committee:
1. Develop succession planning for the President
2. Engage each member to use BOT
3. Begin a board handbook
4. Identify members who may be interested in executive seats
Finance Committee:
1. Re-visit the current 3 year projection finance plan
2. Begin modeling financials to factor in the high school.
3. Define finance policies.