Patricia Rooney shared that through the partnership with Community Bots, participating students in the Girls Robotics program recently had the opportunity to visit Google HQ in NYC to present projects in front of an audience of programmers and engineers. The overall visit was a highly positive and valuable experience for all students involved.

Kathy Ortiz provided an update on enrollment, sharing that the school continues to enroll students throughout the year. She further shared that student attendance has been challenging due to illnesses such as the Flu during the January and February months.

Kathy shared that the upcoming lottery for the 2025-26 school year is scheduled for April 1st, noting that there has been an increase of applications, specifically in grade 6. She also shared data regarding how recent families who have applied have learned about Bronx Arts, noting that there may be a need to incorporate specific questions about this during the registration process.

Eric Osorio provided an overview on how the Academic Program Committee is using assessment data to ensure academic excellence, monitor results against established goals, and to identify key highlights to present to the full board. Further developments and updates into this will be shared later in the year.

Kathy Ortiz shared dates of the upcoming NYS exams, happening in April and May. Ryan McCabe concluded the academic program update by sharing the wonderful news of recent acceptances to various renowned high schools in NYC that our 8th graders received.

David Barnard provided an update on behalf of the Facilities and Real Estate committee, sharing that the School is in need of an external building management consultant to oversee the ongoing needs of the 950 Longfellow campus. With support from Lori Biancamano, the committee hopes to be in touch with prospective consultants for the role.

Melanie Hok shared that budget planning for the 2025-26 fiscal year has begun, noting that the pupil rate will reflect an increase of about 4.7% and a possible slight increase in the 20-60 Special Education revenue category; but we will know the final numbers by May or June. Additionally, due to recent legislation in New York City, Bronx Charter School for the Arts may qualify for security guard reimbursements for the elementary campus beginning in the 2025-26 school year.

Joseph Chiofalo provided an update on current fundraising goal totals and the ongoing marketing efforts targeted towards student recruitment. He further shared that the Summer Boost application for this year is underway, noting that the funding rate for each participating student has increased.

An overview of upcoming school events in March and April was shared.