Bronx Charter School for the Arts
Minutes
Board Meeting August 2020
Date and Time
Tuesday August 11, 2020 at 6:30 PM
Trustees Present
Aisha Bell (remote), Arlene Bascom (remote), Barbara H. Scott (remote), Charles Whites (remote), Dan Vislocky (remote), Denise Brecher (remote), Eric Osorio (remote), Graham Powis (remote), Katherine Trager (remote), Lori Biancamano (remote), Susan Geisenheimer (remote)
Trustees Absent
Ahmad Sheikh, Patricia Kennedy
Guests Present
Jonea Thomas (remote), Karlene Cowan (remote), Miriam Raccah (remote), Ryan McCabe (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Barbara H. Scott called a meeting of the board of trustees of Bronx Charter School for the Arts to order on Tuesday Aug 11, 2020 at 6:33 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes for Board Meeting on July 28, 2020
Susan Geisenheimer made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting - July 2020 on 07-28-20.
Lori Biancamano seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Executive
A.
Equity @ Bronx Arts
Jonea Thomas and Ryan McCabe presented an update on the Equity work happening at both schools.
B.
Reopening Plan
Miriam Raccah discussed the Bronx Arts Reopening Plan and asked the Board to weigh in on the school choice to reopen.
Karlene Cowan presented on the Staff Town Hall held on Friday, August 7, 2020. The focus of the Staff Town Hall was to introduce the school's reopening plan, address staff safety concerns and inform staff how they can request accommodations.
Eric Osorio weighed in on his hesitation to reopen Calhoun and asked the Board to weigh in on Bronx Arts reopening. Eric's concerns were:
1) the turn around time of test results
2) the pain of the test for adults and what that would feel like for our students
3) the return of students after Labor Day
Board discussed the pros and cons of opening hybrid.
The Board asked the Bronx Arts Executive Leadership Team to review the reopening plan once again and consider the impact of delaying reopening hybrid.
Karlene Cowan presented on the Staff Town Hall held on Friday, August 7, 2020. The focus of the Staff Town Hall was to introduce the school's reopening plan, address staff safety concerns and inform staff how they can request accommodations.
Eric Osorio weighed in on his hesitation to reopen Calhoun and asked the Board to weigh in on Bronx Arts reopening. Eric's concerns were:
1) the turn around time of test results
2) the pain of the test for adults and what that would feel like for our students
3) the return of students after Labor Day
Board discussed the pros and cons of opening hybrid.
The Board asked the Bronx Arts Executive Leadership Team to review the reopening plan once again and consider the impact of delaying reopening hybrid.
Katherine Trager made a motion to Approve the Bronx Arts Reopening Plan.
Eric Osorio seconded the motion.
It is understood that the ELT would review the Reopening Plan to weigh the impact of delaying the start date.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Finance
A.
July Financials
B.
Recommendations for New Auditing Firm
Arlene Bascom made a motion to allow Miriam Raccah to sign the agreement letter with En Cheng, LLC.
Lori Biancamano seconded the motion.
Arlene Boscom reviewed the firms who were being considered to be our new auditors. N Cheng was chosen due to size, experience with charters, pricing and responses to equity questions.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Kwenda Fiscal Sponsorship
Arlene Bascom made a motion to allow Bronx Charter School for the Arts to be a fiscal sponsor for Kwenda.
Katherine Trager seconded the motion.
Kwenda is next in line to get a charter school. They are in the process of getting their 501c3.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:17 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Katherine Trager
Documents used during the meeting
- Reopening Guide.pdf
- BXCSA FY20 July 2020 Financial Narrative (8.4.20).docx
- BXCSA FY20 Financials-July 2020 (8.4.20).xlsx
- Bronx Charter School - 2020 Proposal (2).pdf
- Bronx Charter School for the Arts 2020 (2).pdf
- Bronx Arts and Kwenda.pdf