Metropolitan Lighthouse Board Meeting Minutes

May 27, 2021, 6:30-9:00 PM

Nuasin Next Generation Charter School

Minutes

Metropolitan Lighthouse Board Meeting

Date and Time

Thursday May 27, 2021 at 6:30 PM

Location

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Meeting ID: 930 6306 2096
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Meeting ID: 930 6306 2096
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Mission

We prepare our students for college through a rigorous arts-infused program.

Vision

All students will be taught by a highly effective teacher in a nurturing environment and will achieve at high levels. Each student will develop the knowledge, skills and values necessary for responsible citizenship and life-long learning. The impact of our collective efforts will fundamentally change public education.

Trustees Present

A. Bothner (remote), A. Khanyile (remote), A. Khatiwada (remote), C. Barnes-Watson (remote), E. Chen (remote), J. Boulet (remote), K. Brisseau (remote), K. Shabazz (remote), S. Pressley (remote)

Trustees Absent

M. Dorrie, S. Huda, T. Bryan

Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned

A. Khatiwada

Ex Officio Members Present

M. Russell (remote)

Non Voting Members Present

M. Russell (remote)

Guests Present

K. Davidson (remote), K. Perez (remote), L. Hart (remote), M. Alston (remote), R. Keogh (remote)

I. Opening Items

A. Record Attendance and Guests

B. Call the Meeting to Order

A. Bothner called a meeting of the board of trustees of Nuasin Next Generation Charter School to order on Thursday May 27, 2021 at 6:45 PM.

C. Review the Agenda

A. Bothner reviewed the agenda with the board tonight.

D. MetLCS Mission/Vision Reflection and Grounding

A. Khatiwada shared his mission/vision reflection for the school and for the community.

II. School Update

A. Executive Director Update

M. Russell presented his evaluation tool draft.

The 3 Pillars-Rigor, Self Advocacy, and Community-The guidance that M. Russell uses when making decisions.
Evaluation Conferences- Assessments (throughout the year), Evaluation Conferences (will always take place), Culture of Evaluation (Nuasin Evaluation Culture will be consist throughout the school)
Sections-The evaluation tool will have 5 sections and each will be consistent throughout the evaluation.
Discussion of the Evaluation-
ED State of School-Honest Reflection (of where we are), Realistic Ambition (Where we to go), Back to our why (Context for NNG).
3-4 School Year Priorities- working on the whole school as a culture and wanting everyone to be comfortable and excited in the morning. Also, changing the culture of each team in the school.
Excellence is our Normal- Academics. The goal for all K-12 scholars should be at an 80% proficiency for all reading and math scores.
High schoolers should be ready for college.
Tools for Instruction- We are pushing our teaching and growth as a whole.
Tools for Operations- run a survey too see how everyone is doing and effectively investing in our school.
Culture/Community- For scholars and staff everyone should be on time and 95% attendance for all.
There are still 3 parts that are under construction.

Principal Interviews for the Highschool:

Total Applicants-81
Total Referrals-2
Total candidates in Pre-work Stage-3

M. Russell is looking for talent rather than experience so it's going to be a longer process to hire. He wants to find a great candidate that can change the culture.

B. K - 12 Head of School Update

K. Davidson shared details on the charter visit and it went very well. There was a good focus on where the school is with Laurie, the Authorizer.
School Updates:

ELA State Exam scores were strong.
Math State Exam were on the lower score but K. Davidson is leading the math team and will focus on getting the scores higher throughout the summer
K-12 will be doing a lot of assessments for the month of June
Attendance have been stable for the month of May. A pattern has been made aware and scholars are being asked to attend in person.
Full capacity for in person in grades K-2nd, 5th, and 8th grade.
K-8 will have Lavinia work for summer school for math and ela.
Summer School/Enrollment-Families have been engaging on summer school. This year we are offering an afternoon section for summer school and many families are interested.
Highschool Vision-K. Davidson wants to target what's really needed. ACT and SAT prep will be a priority for the summer.
Looking for external relationship for the Highschool to get to our Nuasin goal.

K. Davidson shared three resumes for potential candidates from TFA. They will be potenitonally working for 2nd, 6th or 7th grades.

A. Bothner made a motion to Approve all three resumes.

E. Chen seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
S. Huda	Absent
A. Khatiwada	Aye
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
A. Khanyile	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye
E. Chen	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
M. Dorrie	Absent
A. Bothner	Aye
S. Pressley	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye

A. Bothner made a motion to approve.

J. Boulet seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
E. Chen	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
M. Dorrie	Absent
S. Huda	Absent
A. Khatiwada	Aye
A. Bothner	Aye
S. Pressley	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye
A. Khanyile	Aye

K. Davidson shared that K, 8th, and 12th grade graduation will be taking place next month. He has created a board sign-up sheet so members can attend.The 12th grade graduation will take place on June 22, 2021 in Ichan Stadium. There is a limit of 200 people for the graduation.

C. Operations Update

M. Alston-

Completed the certification report. This is a report to the state reporting the first process that I put it last time was who all is working at the school and what are they teaching.
Attendance Reporting- Attendance is used to be reported to the city in the city system. And it now has a completely different process now that we are remote.
Also ramping up the CRDC, we are working on that paper-wise. The portal is not open yet, but they have provided the PDF version. We were able to print and distribute out so we could at least have it written. When the portal does open up, it will be very easy to import the data.
Enrollment Updates- We are about 50% enrolled already for the 67 open seats that we have for next school year.
Academic Operations Updates- We have a lot of ongoing projects but one new project that we're putting a lot of time into is regents planning and support for the high school and eighth graders for next month
Managing Director Updates- Working on policy drafts and offer letters. We have already executed almost all of the offer letters and we've built out the position descriptions.
Talent Acquisition Updates- We still have two current openings. Those openings were our SPED and ELL, and we just have not found the right candidate. We also have nine future openings that we are currently hiring for and sourcing for right now.
In regards to COVID, we tested twice this month. We don't have to test, but out of an abundance of caution and ensuring that we are doing more than what's recommended, we test in the building, that's scholars and staff. So we tested 112 staff and scholars and we had a hundred percent negative tests yet again.
Additionally, to look ahead, next month we will be approving the policies and those will be for Nuasin. Some of them are a revision of what we already had and others are new policies that we're looking to present to the board. Some are in the loss and transformation. My team and I are working extensively with this.
Summer Updates- The school building will be going through transformation and regular maintenance, like stripping and waxing the floor and making sure that the school looks beautiful. There's going to be a lot of vendors that will be in the building in the summer, and all these vendors will have to work well together and at some point in the same space together, doing different things. For June, I will be providing you my recommendations as some of these vendors are going through the RFP process or have already, and I will be providing my recommendation for those with a breakdown.
We continue to do data migration work on the new website and PowerSchool transition. So those are all things working in the background with LHA and our technology company, CTS. Additionally, I just kind of pushed CTS again, as I know that the transition of the board during this process is essential for it to make sure that it makes sense. So I have the CTS project manager who was the person that the senior leadership talks to. He's going to be the exact point person for anyone that has questions on the board for transition purposes, email, one log-in, forward on track, et cetera. He's going to be the point person directly, and we'll have a flyer, one pager with instructions on what all needs to happen.

K. Perez-

Our numbers have been pretty steady since April. So we have about 479 for the lower school and 198 for the high school, with a total of 677 as a whole. The data for enrollment is the same as last month, but this month we have been working really hard on getting our intent to return forms, where we ask our scholars if they'll be returning and also enrolling our new scholars with a main focus of kindergarten, which has the most open seats.That's pretty much for enrollment this month.
As of today, we have 1,700 kids on the waitlist.
Facilities- The project manager provided the plans to FDNY and she thinks it will be approved soon. There is a fee pending, which was for the application. So we sent over our information to Linda which hopefully speeds up the process for the application.
Rooftop Updates- No new updates.

III. Education Committee Updates

A. Education Committee Report

There are no new updates for this month.

IV. External Relations Committee Update

A. Fundraising Initiatives

There are no new updates for this month.

V. Finance Committee Updates

A. General Updates

S. Pressley

PPP Loan application has been submitted and it takes up to 5-10 days for an update.
Grant Resolution-Allow M. Alston to approve grant forms and sign for the board. This will going to effect immediately.

S. Pressley made a motion to approve.

E. Chen seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
S. Huda	Absent
S. Pressley	Aye
M. Dorrie	Absent
E. Chen	Aye
A. Khanyile	Aye
A. Bothner	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
J. Boulet	Aye
A. Khatiwada	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye

B. April Financials

R. Keogh gave the April financial updates.

Current ratio very strong.
Cash on hand: 120 days
Per pupil-has been received for April
No change to enrollment or sped enrollment
Dashboard-No real material movements. We continue to improve.
Surplus- is very strong.
Key purchases will be made and budget will look different for the upcoming months.
Forgiving loan application has been submitted and Chase has approved it.

Overall, our financials are very strong for this month.

S. Pressley made a motion to approve April's financials.

A. Khatiwada seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
A. Bothner	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
A. Khanyile	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
A. Khatiwada	Aye
S. Pressley	Aye
S. Huda	Absent
M. Dorrie	Absent
E. Chen	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye

C. Approve Capital Expense

M. Russell is presenting the breakdown of the Nuasin upgrade. This upgrade is what we need to make the school look the way we want to feel for the community and our staff.

Technology Upgrade
Signage
Interior/Exterior Painting and Murals
Electrical Work

M. Russell shared that he would not present a project that is not needed. This is the upgrade that school needs to become Nuasin.

D. 2021-2022 Budget Approval

M. Russell shared information on the new Nuasin projects. The budget is 80% approved due to the salaries of staff members.

New technology Order- Elmos and new smart boards will be needed to enhance the scholars learning.
Interior and Exterior Painting- The building will be painted with the new school colors.

R. Keogh prepared a side-by-side snapshot of where we landed and what our proposed budget as of this month versus what you all saw last month. We're seeing budgeted surpluses for the next fiscal year.

Key changes:

Surplus- the capital outlay was $1.2 million. We actually worked softly projecting about $2.8 million last month. That money can be allocated over the next two to three years. On the expense side, this Board approved our salary proposal from last month, so those salaries were locked in.

A. Khatiwada left at 8:58 PM.

S. Pressley-

FFPP's will have 3 bids and will be given to the board in the next few months.

S. Pressley made a motion to approve the capital expense.

A. Bothner seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
S. Pressley	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
M. Dorrie	Absent
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
A. Khanyile	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
A. Khatiwada	Absent
S. Huda	Absent
E. Chen	Aye
A. Bothner	Aye

S. Pressley made a motion to approve the 2021-2022 Budget Amendment.

A. Bothner seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
T. Bryan	Absent
E. Chen	Aye
S. Pressley	Aye
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
A. Khatiwada	Absent
K. Brisseau	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
M. Dorrie	Absent
A. Bothner	Aye
S. Huda	Absent
A. Khanyile	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye

VI. Board Governance

A. Approve March 2021 Board Meeting Minutes

J. Boulet made a motion to approve the minutes from Metropolitan Lighthouse Board Meeting on 04-22-21.

A. Bothner seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
A. Khatiwada	Absent
S. Huda	Absent
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
S. Pressley	Aye
M. Dorrie	Absent
A. Khanyile	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
E. Chen	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
A. Bothner	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye

B. 2021 - 2022 Board Meeting Calendar

J. Boulet made a motion to approve the 2021-2022 Board meeting calendar.

E. Chen seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
A. Khatiwada	Absent
S. Pressley	Aye
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
E. Chen	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
K. Brisseau	Aye
A. Khanyile	Aye
M. Dorrie	Absent
S. Huda	Absent
K. Shabazz	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
A. Bothner	Aye

C. 2021 - 2022 School Calendar

J. Boulet made a motion to approve 2021-2022 School Calendar.

A. Bothner seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
K. Shabazz	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
A. Bothner	Aye
E. Chen	Aye
A. Khatiwada	Absent
S. Huda	Absent
A. Khanyile	Aye
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
S. Pressley	Aye
K. Brisseau	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
M. Dorrie	Absent

D. Nuasin Policy Preview

Upcoming new policies:

Grievance Policy for Staff
Complaint Policy for families
Public Comments Policy for Board Meetings

Updates to one extent or another. These policy upgrades have been posted and will be reviewed next month for approval.

E. Board Member Nominations Preview

A. Bothner updated the members with information on the upcoming Nominations for the new school year. A nominations meeting will be happening in June.

This will all be approved by June's board meeting.

VII. Preview of Next Month & Steps

A. Preview of Next Month & Steps

A. Bothner updated on June's Meeting

Completely running into our new brand
Board elections
Key Votes-Policies, etc.

VIII. Executive Session

A. Executive Session to be Proposed for the purposes of a personnel discussion to discuss school leadership personnel for the upcoming school year.

A. Bothner made a motion to go into executive session to be proposed for the purposes of a personnel discussion to discuss school leadership personnel for the upcoming school year.

J. Boulet seconded the motion.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

Roll Call
S. Pressley	Aye
K. Shabazz	Aye
A. Bothner	Aye
J. Boulet	Aye
S. Huda	Absent
K. Brisseau	Aye
T. Bryan	Absent
M. Dorrie	Absent
A. Khanyile	Aye
A. Khatiwada	Absent
C. Barnes-Watson	Aye
E. Chen	Aye

IX. 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 9:45 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

J. Boulet