Rochester Academy Charter School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Friday October 16, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Location
Central Office located at 310 Hinchey Road
Trustees Present
C. Sampson, G. Tillery, W. Middleton
Trustees Absent
J. Santos, T. Wright
Guests Present
C. Belfield, D. Ozcan, J. Doyle, M. Demirtas, R. Roberts-Grant, S. Martina, Z. Ercan
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Public Comment Session
D.
Approve Minutes
II. Academic Excellence
A.
Monthly Topic
III. Auditor's Annual Presentation
A.
Financial Presentation - Audit Reports
M. Perez presented the audit summary, reporting a "clean" audit opinion indicating that the school's financial statements are fairly stated. The school's controls and procedures remain strong, with no material weaknesses identified. The audit included two recommendations for the future, one of which the school has already put into practice.
IV. Community Outreach
A.
Presentation of Monthly School Activities Report
Z. Ercan presented the monthly school activities report.
V. Finance and Facilities
A.
Enrollment
The school is meeting its enrollment target. Z. Ercan presented enrollment and retention data for the general student population, English as a New Language Students, and Students with Disabilities.
B.
Financials
D. Ozcan presented the monthly financial report.
C.
Central Office Roof Project
The project can be completed during the Thanksgiving Break.
D.
25-26 Audit Report Acceptance and Approval
VI. Governance
A.
Review Employee Handbook
Action on this item was deferred to the next board meeting.
B.
Filling Vacant Board Secretary Position
C.
Review Committee Responsibilities for CSO Action Plan
W. Middleton presented the committee responsibilities to fulfill the Charter School Office Action Plan.
D.
Review Governance Webinar Ideas
The Board members shared their feedback and key takeaways from the governance webinar.
E.
Selection of Governance Professional Development Topic
The Board selected "How and Where to Find Exceptional Board Members" as the professional development topic for November.
VII. Other Business
A.
Employee Changes Review
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Board Meeting Evaluation
The meeting was productive and adjourned ahead of schedule.
Building principals presented their goals for the 2026–27 school year, which focus on increasing student academic achievement, reducing chronic absenteeism, and lowering the number of disciplinary referrals.
J. Doyle presented the first Wildly Important Goal scoreboard of the year, sharing data on failing grades, attendance percentages, and classroom walkthroughs.