Rochester Academy Charter School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Friday February 21, 2020 at 5:30 PM
Location
841 Genesee St.
Trustees Present
C. Sampson, D. Calder, J. Santos, K. Crawford, M. Guler, W. Middleton, Y. Bilgic
Trustees Absent
None
Trustees who arrived after the meeting opened
J. Santos
Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned
Y. Bilgic
Guests Present
D. Ozcan, D. Wilkinson, J. Doyle, M. Demirtas, M. Stevens, T. Manchester
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
W. Middleton called a meeting of the board of trustees of Rochester Academy Charter School to order on Friday Feb 21, 2020 at 5:39 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
K. Crawford made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 01-17-20.
M. Guler seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Academic Excellence and Equity
A.
Black History Month and Science Fair
J. Santos arrived.
B.
Committee Meeting Minutes
C.
Student Performance Reports
III. Finance, Facilities & Audit
A.
Enrollment
Our enrollment is at 618.
B.
Financials
D. Ozcan shared the current financial reports.
C.
E-Rate Grant Review
D. Ozcan shared what was discussed at the Finance committee meeting to make a recommendation to the board. It is recommended to go with First Light for our internet and hardware needs.
M. Guler made a motion to vote to approve First Light for our future internet, hardware, and phone services.
K. Crawford seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Elementary School Building And High School Gym
There was a discussion that started when many board members felt it was more important at the moment to secure a building for the elementary school.
W.Middleton proposed that the board gives the Financial Committee authorization to pursue and negotiate any offer that becomes available so it does not fall through. Any final decision will always be brought before the board.
Concerns about the fact that we are not fundraising came up during the discussion. The Community Outreach and Development committee has been working a lot on community outreach as laid out in the strategic plan and now feels they need to focus on development to assist in finding ways to help in the efforts to find ideas for fundraising.
It was recommended that a special session be scheduled for everyone to sit down and create a plan for fundraising.
W.Middleton proposed that the board gives the Financial Committee authorization to pursue and negotiate any offer that becomes available so it does not fall through. Any final decision will always be brought before the board.
Concerns about the fact that we are not fundraising came up during the discussion. The Community Outreach and Development committee has been working a lot on community outreach as laid out in the strategic plan and now feels they need to focus on development to assist in finding ways to help in the efforts to find ideas for fundraising.
It was recommended that a special session be scheduled for everyone to sit down and create a plan for fundraising.
M. Guler made a motion to Authorize the Finance committee and CEO to pursue negotiations up to and including making an offer up to $5 million on a building that is available for the elementary school.
C. Sampson seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
Y. Bilgic left.
E.
Committee Meeting Minutes
F.
Genesee Lease Extension
M. Guler made a motion to accept rent increase for middle school building and extend the lease agreement for one year.
K. Crawford seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Other Business
A.
Employee Contract Decisions
M. Demirtas went over new hires and resignations
D. Calder made a motion to to approve the new hires, resignations and salary updates as presented.
M. Guler seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Closing Items
A.
Board Meeting Evaluation
B.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
M. Stevens
M. Demirtas presented that the monthly board meeting report presentation topics. It was designed to show how monthly report topic is aligned with CSO performance framework and RACS Strategic Plan key result areas.