There were no public comments.

Ms. Laraway discussed on-boarding of new board members.  The board will continue to recruit a second parent board member and a community board member.

The board interview Anuj Khatiwada, a prospective board member.  Mr. Khatiwada provided an overview of his background and interest in joining the board.  Mr. Khatiwada has experience attending and working in charter schools, and would be able to provide insight in the area of teacher retention and development.  Mr. Khatiwada is interested in contributing to the finance or education committees.

The board interviewed Aaron Bothner a candidate for the board of trustees who discussed his background and interest in joining the board of trustees. Mr. Bothner has experience as an educator and in real estate; he expressed interest in participating on the finance committee. Mr. Bothner has prior experience serving on several nonprofit boards. 

Ms. Lalli presented a draft of the new data dashboard created in conjunction with the Education Committee. The goal of the project is to provide a dashboard for management to review on a regular basis to understand how well the school is performing.  She provided recommendations about the dashboard and its use, including a timeline for regularly reviewing various dashboard metrics and to include the dashboard on the monthly agenda. The board engaged in conversation around the metrics selected.  The Education Committee and school leaders will work to implement the dashboard throughout the upcoming school year.

Ms. Williams reviewed the monthly dashboard.  Ms. Williams plans to reorganize the structure of the teaching leadership team for the 2017-18 school year.  The team will now include an assistant vice principal and a new teacher coach for grades K-2. Recruitment for members of the leadership team is ongoing and expected to be completed within the next month.

Ms. Milsap presented the proposed calendar for the 2017-18 school year.  The calendar complies with requirements for school instruction and includes numerous dates for teacher development.  The calendar mostly aligns with that of the DOE and BLCS.

Mr. Brown provided an update on the progress with the CPA including new partnerships, a plan for a summer bridge program, teacher recruitment, and the school website.

Ms. Russell provided an update on the rooftop project.  At the last meeting, the board delegated a subcommittee to review and make a final recommendation on the project.  Ms Laraway and Ms. Haber recommended the school move forward with plans to build a steel structure on the roof that would provide space for physical education, performance, meeting space, and other needs.  Mr. Mustafa has been working with the architects to prepare a feasibility study and a more detailed budget for the project. 

Ms. Russell provided an update on the project to finance the school facility.  An application was submitted to Build NYC on May 25 and the project is on-track for a bond issuance in mid-August.  The money raised through the tax-exempt bond will also pay for the build-out of the rooftop structure.  

The board put forth the following resolution with regard to the structure of the bond transaction.  
 

Ms. Milsap provided an update on hiring at the lower academy and CPA: she will participate in the interviews for the leadership roles in the lower academy, as well as the CPA's teacher interviews.  Ms. Russell will continue to provide support with additional outreach and candidate screening.  

Mr. Brown will be attend an upcoming training on the restorative justice approach and will plan to train new teachers.

Ms. Milsap provided an update on the partnership with Harvard Business School to evaluate current policies and practice around teacher recruitment and retention.  Preliminary findings indicate that they will recommend that MetLCS and BLCS hire a Chief Talent Officer for the region to work with both schools.  The Harvard team will present their final findings in late June to teams from both schools and leadership from LHA; Board members from both schools are invited to participate..

MetLCS will be up for its charter renewal in 2018.  Ms. Milsap provided an overview of the process timeline, including expectations for board members. 

Ms. Rosseau provided an overview of the April financials, indicating that the school continues to be in good financial health.  Net assets are strong and a surplus of $535,000 is projected for the end if the school year.  End of the month enrollment was strong and above target.  Cash flow, as indicated in the statement of financial position, is good.  There was nothing unusual to report in the Statement of Activity.  Ms .Rosseau indicated that the financials are on-track for this point in the school year.

The board discussed the reimbursement resolution set forth in the meeting attachments. 

Ms. Rousseau provided an overview of the proposed budget for FY18. Revenue will increase due to an increase in per pupil funding of $500, an increase in rental assistance, and special funding from the New York State Senate.  The Senate funding will be paid in April 2018 and is unlikely to continue past next year. Expenses for FY18 include an assumption of rent based upon a 35-year bond, a rooftop space that will cost $2 million and a level debt service amount.  

The board discussed several expenses allocated in the budget.  School leadership indicated a need to increase the payroll expenses by approximately $78,000 in order to hire more experienced incoming teachers at the DOE + 10% rate.  Ms. Laraway asked Ms. Rousseau to follow-up with some options of how this could be achieved.  The board also asked Ms. Rousseau to follow-up with the auditors about how it could access some of the funds saved in prior years to fund one-time future initiatives.  Ms. Laraway and Ms. Haber will follow-up with LHA to resolve a disagreement about the formula for calculating the service fee due to LHA.  Mr. Bryant brought up a question about the allocation for substitute teachers in FY18; Ms Rousseau will review and follow-up with the board. Ms. Rousseau will also follow-up with the auditors about a number of questions regarding the balance sheet.

The board will review for approval an updated version of the proposed budget at its June meeting.  Ms. Rousseau will work with the school leadership and the finance committee in the meantime to resolve the question around available funds for salaries so that hiring decisions may be made.

 

The board discussed the two candidates for the board of trustees, Mr. Bothner and Mr. Khatiwada.  

The board discussed planning an end of the year party for the teachers and staff of MetLCS.  An ad hoc committee will work with school leaders to determine a date and logistics.

The board discussed the appointment of a new Treasurer and nominated Mr. Bryant, pending the confirmation from the DOE of his appointment to the board.