Gestalt Community Schools
Minutes
2024 August Gestalt Board of Directors Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday August 22, 2024 at 8:30 AM
Location
Gestalt Community Schools
Gestalt Community Schools Network Office
2650 Thousand Oaks Boulevard
Suite 2200
Memphis, TN 38118
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Directors Present
A. Evans Blackwell, A. Jacobo (remote), D. Bradford (remote), D. Selberg (remote), G. Gonzalez (remote), G. Raggs, G. Sago IV (remote), K. Satterthwaite (remote), K. Walker Burt (remote), M. Lady (remote), N. Woods Dobbins, Y. Lewis
Directors Absent
K. Thomas, L. Harris
Guests Present
B. Turner, D. Generette Walker, L. McGee, N. Rogers, T. Leftwich, T. Parks
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Roll Call for Attendance
C.
Approval of May's Minutes
II. Finance
A.
Finances Executive Summary
B.
Audit Preparation Update
Trial Balances will be in by EOD 8/23/24
C.
New Market Tax Preparation Unwind
D.
HR Vacancies by School
15 Vacancies
$900 incentive for SPED
III. Network Updates
A.
Fundraising Update
Funding for Development May-August 2024
- Bloomberg $1,073,600 - Summer School Boost Program
- Jack and Jill $10,000 - Social/Emotional Care
- Cigna Foundation $150,000 - NICE Team
- 21st Century (tutoring) $195,000 per year - Afterschool Tutoring
- CSGF Facilities Grant $600,000 - Facilities Support
- CSGF Culture Grant $330,000 - Gestalt Committments/Codification of Culture
- Pyramid Peak Foundation $250,000 - Academic Excellence (PCAES-HH)
- Carlton $250,000 up to $1,000,000 - Notification 9/2024
- Dept. of Justice $750,000 over (3) three years)- Notification 10/2024
- State $1,099,560.00 - Notification 10/2024
- Afterschool Alliance $350,000 - Notification 10/2024
Corporate Funders Support (Who do you know?)
- Elevate the ask - pipeline setup
- Different Network Asks
B.
Expansion and Growth Update
What to expect during Board Retreat
- Expansion and Network Goals
- Feasibility Study (looking at expansion)
IV. Operations
A.
Enrollment Update
As of 8/22/24 our enrollment is currently at 2597
Tremendous growth in capturing attendance at each school
B.
Malco Construction Update
Malco is scheduled to be completed by June 24, 2025
New structure:
Site Demo is complete
Slab pour scheduled for 9/6/2024
C.
New Vendors and Security Update
Scholar Uniforms -Dennis Uniform
New Food Vendor - Feedwell: Free breakfast and lunch for our adults
New security: Monthly Safety Report ( security will share out concerns per month to ensure school safety) -
Safety Domains/Standardized Practices are being put in place in each school campus
V. Academic
A.
TN Ready Summary Results
Table to next committee meeting
B.
3rd Grade Literacy Policy & Results
Table to next committee meeting
VI. Schools
A.
Chronic Absenteeism Challenge
Our goal is 95% attendance rate
How can we reward students that are doing the right thing and coming to school and those students that had chronic absences, but improving their attendance this year.
Rewarding those students that have better attendance or who have continued to have great attendance each month.
- Drawings, gift cards (Kroger gift cards that will support our families with groceries or gas), certificates, etc.
- Students love social media, so possibly doing shout-outs to students on social media.
Building culture around attendance:
- Accountability - Providing grade reports and attendance
- Goal Setting - meeting with counselors, social workers, and FEL
- Building Relationships - Building out plans and providing resources
- Removing Barriers
B.
Attendance Response Matrix Summary
Mrs. Generette-Walker provided overview chart on the Attendance School and CMO Accountability Matrix and Action Steps
C.
Types of Strategic Tutoring
Table to next committee meeting
VII. Committee Reports
A.
Governance
Table until next committee meeting
B.
Finance
Table until next committee meeting
C.
Academic Excellence
Table until next committee meeting
Another Summer without using our Line Of Credit
Paid off CSGF debt six months early
$600,000 grant used towards paying off some of the Malco building cost