Fall semester- Aug 2023, had 12 open spots and 85 families on the wait list. Oct 2023, have 10 open spots and 94 families on the waiting list. Slots in 4th grade filled however there are slots open in 5th and 6th grade.

Have made increased marketing efforts to spread the word about open seats to include printed post-cards and translated material in Spanish. Have widened the areas of distribution of promotional material to include neighboring areas outside of Hartsville.

Plan to have an earlier marketing push for open enrollment for the following year and expand mediums for advertisements. Transportation seems the most common reason for scholars not continuing with BA among other reasons. Continuing to try partner with families in the same locale or with the local transportation authority.

2022 BA got a rating of Excellent. 2023 got a rating of Average. Score 52/100 but ELA overall was 49.7%, math 47.1%. Missed a rating of Good by 1 point. Ratings are based on academic achievement, student progress, preparing or success and school climate.  Two areas where BA dropped a level was student progress and school climate. Year by year however, there is a steady slow progression in growth at each grade level, and they are growing at a faster rate than the state level.

Strength: multiple literacy curriculums for ELA to build literacy.

Unlike ELA, we have not seen the same growth in math. One area of improvement is that in math, there are not as many curriculums, there is no math interventionist. All teachers have literacy certification, but not math. There are not as many resources for math compared to ELA.

Science is tested in 4th and 6th grade.  There was a drop in science percentages as well, but the school also lost science teachers last year.

Compared BA's performance to other schools in the district. The provost explained that the school is determined to get an excellent rating again next year as being Excellent part of BA's core values. 

Discussed overall percent of Student progress points earned and BA still exceeded in progress points compared to the district and the state. 

Growth areas: Early childhood literacy, math and reading fluency, math intervention, increase exemplary scholars, reduce 'Does-not-meets' (DNMs), growing the bottom 20%, teaching the language in the student survey.

Areas of strength: BA has more highly qualified leaders, more mission-aligned teachers, increased coaching time, higher emphasis on pacing, improved targeted instruction. Teachers this time this year have received twice as much coaching compared to last year.

Would like to hear about updates that the leadership is doing to address the growth areas highlighted in today's meeting. 

Discussed as well how it is important to document processes, best practices in the school so that if a teacher leaves and the next steps in, there is less of a 'gap'.  There was a discussion of teacher retention and attrition.

Suggested a metric that could be monitored through the year are teacher turn over and years of experience. The president encouraged that the board continue to play a supportive role to create an enthusiastic culture of learning in the school.

Putting in the HVAC unit currently. After that, the building should be ready to move in.

BA was named one of America's healthiest schools. BA participated taste of Hartsville. There was an article in Diversity Works from BA as Oct is Anti-bullying month. Gifts this first quarter are higher compared to last year. Donor retention rate is at 31% whereas previously was at 10%. Trustee donor rate is 64%. 

Taste of giving is Nov 15th to recognize philanthropic giving. There will be treats, games, small group tours, unveiling a permanent donor wall, the BA story via video and a food drive.

Reviewed last 2 months financial summaries. At about 25% of the budget so far this year which is to be expected. There are a few lines that are ahead of budget but suspects some of this will slow down as supplies are paid for ahead of time in the beginning of the year. Still at a surplus that will probably shrink as the year goes on. 

President evaluation memo has been completed. The VP evaluation memo has been drafted and will schedule a sit down with the VP of operations. 

Encouraged board members to finish their board assessment and for those trustees who have not completed board training to sign up for the next training session on Dec 4th 2023.

No updates from committee today.

Nothing to discuss in executive session.