Confirm meeting recording.

Do we have a quorum? Welcome to the Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy Board Meeting.

Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy provides a differentiated, challenging, and equitable learning environment that supports the distinctive intellectual, social, and emotional needs of highly gifted children from diverse backgrounds and enables them to form meaningful relationships with their intellectual peers.

Zoom Webinar Etiquette/Rules:

Meetings will be broadcast to the public via the Zoom Webinar Platform. This medium is a secure forum for engagement as it requires attendees to register, limits interactivity, removes the ability to communicate without permission and does not permit anonymous participation, comment, or annotation.  Registration will require the submission of a first and last name and an email.

Are there any Amendments to the Agenda?

Vote to approve the Monthly Board Meeting minutes for Open and Closed Sessions that took place Aug 24, 2026. 

The public is welcome to speak; limited to three minutes per speaker.

Topics should not cover private, confidential or personal information.
The board will not respond or enter into a dialogue on topics discussed.

At this time you may indicate your desire to participate in Community Comments by raising your hand using the controls in the Zoom application or browser.

When it is your turn, a moderator will identify you by name and then grant you access to speak.

School Safety

-running through all safety drills with students

-will complete a series of trainings for school safety this year including high risk situations to student crisis situations

-updated our supplies (classroom safety bags and folders)

-communication to families to explain our process

-increased our supervision at morning and afternoon drop off

-will be working with local law enforcement to build relationships and audit our safety protocols

Admissions

-we are currently in our admissions process and have begun open houses for prospective families

-we have moved the timeline earlier in the year to align with CMS magnet school lottery and other charter school lotteries in the area. 

-we are working a bit on marketing: we have a new trifold brochure and Kylie Ceraolo has brought these to local preschools-we can make these available for families if they want to pass them out anywhere; we also made sure families received car magnets at the open house; mainly word of mouth is our best marketing to recruit prospective students 

Gifted Conference

-The conference was originally scheduled for this Friday, Oct 2, but due to constraints on the timeline as well as conflicts with other districts trainings, we have moved it to Jan 19th. 

• New hire candidate's resume for school counselor to be reviewed in closed session.
• Vote to approve the personnel contract as recommended by the Executive Director

• Investigating the availability of a Safety Grant to provide extra funds for wireless PA system for outside and training for staff
   

• Personnel matters to be discussed in closed.

• Board Director Nomination for vote for starting 2026-2029 Term
• We have 3 board members rolling off at the end of this year, please provide nominations
• Board Nomination Website
• Board Nomination Form

• Teacher salary pay scale for 2026-2027
• Budget Amendments
• August Financial Statements

• Meeting held Aug 31
• Discussed ongoing search for guidance counselor
• Discussed ongoing professional development for staff
• Discussed leadership and club opportunities for middle school students
• Discussed potential opportunities for parent help or attendance at upcoming Gifted Conference. 
• Next meeting to be determined—Oct. 12at at 8:15?

- We've had some additional HVAC concerns, but each have been mitigated with repair work.  We should still be thinking for +/- 3 years before we will need to completely replace both systems and the roof.

- Working through bus/transportation situation for next year.  This year is covered from the previous sale of some busses, but we will need to work through how we will pay for this going forward.  If any parents would like to participate in the committee and the discussion, we would love to have participation.  

• The 2026 state budget (S.L. 2026-41), mandated all public school units, including charter schools, to adopt a policy excusing students to attend off-campus religious instruction. 
• The policy committee drafted a proposed policy simply based from a model policy from counsel.
• Pending to align and confirm the number of hours (maximum of 4).

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_atgJOHFcOhxonKDrLvVRotnjh_U09Sh/edit#heading=h.b655zspg5yen

• State and Federal requirement to publish parent's bill of rights
• First read to the board as the committe continues to work on revisions and open follow up questions 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HTOTdgWyoJcXNJP-A_0tZQnTihdjKD45/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101052500018425717483&rtpof=true&sd=true

1. Grievance policy - revisions drafted to match NC ejemplar and working on further alignment
2. Title VI, which will be prioritized based on federal law
3. Updated Code of Conduct – to be revised with more specific provisions addressing students with disabilities (EC students).
4. Do not resuscitate & CERP plan - merge with current policy on first aid
   1. New state requirement — Cardiac Emergency Response Plan 

• 2025-2026 final raise number $368,762 out of $425,000 (86%)
• Launched new texting platform
• As of Sept 17, $14,818 in raised fund for this year
  • October of last year $20,839
• Volunteer Leadership and Board is at 8%
• Creating a suggestion list for how to spend money

• Personnel contracts
• Personnel items to discuss in close