Uniting diverse communities, Igniting an enduring passion for learning, developing outstanding global citizens

Board Members 2013-2014
President:
David Ross
Vice President:
Margaret Carruthers
Parent Vice Chair:
Robert Ginyard
Teacher Vice Chair:
Jennifer Kassel
Treasurer:
Robert Noble
Secretary:
Suzanne Brockman
Community, Parent, and Educator Members:
Michael Booth
Mark Carter
Debra Celnik
Ashley Day
Chris Duncan
Swata Gandhi
John Guinee
Tendai Johnston
George Lavdas
Constance Lieder
Pat CarmodyMikos
Louie Wilder
Principal:
Kathy O’Hanlon
Midtown Academy
1398 Mt. Royal Ave
Baltimore, MD 21217
410-225-3257 / Attendees: – Dave Ross, Mike Booth, Rob Noble, Pat Mikos, Margaret Carruthers, Suzanne Brockman, , Ashley Day, Swata Gandhi, Tendai Johnson, Chris Duncan, Louie Wilder, George Lavdas, Robert Ginyard Connie Lieder, Jennifer Kassel, Kathy O’Hanlon. Guest: Celeste Perilla, Expansion Consultant
Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm. December minutes approved with correction.
1)Welcome (Dave Ross)
Board Retreat scheduled for January 11th. We will start with driving tour of potential properties. Jan Houbolt, former ED of Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership Program, will facilitate. We will have a follow-up retreat in the Spring.
2)Expansion Consultant Report (Celeste Perilla) -Celeste was hired with funds from the Goldseker Foundation to provide data to guide Midtown’s expansion. An e-file of the report was provided to all Board members. The report covered the following:
  1. Analysis of Midtown’s application and enrollment data
  2. Comparison of racial and ethnic diversity and teacher qualifications between Midtown, local Charters and District schools
  3. Demographic data on the neighborhoods served by Midtown, including an analysis of potential demand
  4. National and local best practices on scope of grades served, class size and administrative models
  5. Lessons learned from local Charter School operators that have undergone expansion and/or relocation to include financing models, staff support requirements, and community engagement strategies
  6. Marketing and fundraising messages to support expansion
  7. Recommendations
3)Admissions Lottery (Louie Wilder)
Recommendations on policy changes are forthcoming from Governance Committee. Any changes to the Admissions Lottery will go into effect for the 2015-16 school year.
4)Finance Report (Rob Noble)
Year to date revenue component- actual results are:
Revenue is below budget. Annual Appeal (individual fundraising) is $9K vs. budget of $30K; Foundation revenue is $10K vs. budget of $25K; Corporate revenue is OK vs. budget of $2K. The required $5K match by Goldseker not budgeted. The audit is due 2/5/14; the Finance Committee will review prior to submission.
5)Principal’s Report (Kathy O’Hanlon)
Encouraged Board to attend Progressive Education Summit. “Coming to America” Book Release Party at The Fitzgerald scheduled for February 6th; Evite is forthcoming. This is an opportunity for potential donors to learn about Midtown. Furman Templeton/Midtown partnership under Race to the Top funding continues with responsive classroom workshops, teacher mentoring and Board leadership collaboration.
6)PTO Report (Robert Ginyard)
The PTO will share a calendar of events, to include the TBD February adult party.
7)Expansion Committee (Dave Ross)
Team has interviewed two candidates for the grant-funded Development consultant position. Additional candidates sought; will send position description to full board to recruit through their networks.
8)Fundraising/Marketing (Margaret Carruthers)
Individual donations for Annual Appeal are $13.5K from checks and Razoo online donations. M-Games crew is leading annual appeal campaign among school community with a goal of 100% participation. School administrative support staff have developed a standard protocol for recording donations and sending thank you notes every Friday.
9)Upcoming Events
Board Retreat - January 11th
“Coming to America” Book Party - February 6th
Meeting adjourned 8:50pm
Respectfully Submitted by Suzanne Brockman, Board Secretary

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