Board of Trustees Annual Meeting

William Allen / Giovanna Delluchi
Linda Aristondo
Sara Bloom / Basil Smikle
Dan Cohen
Linda Tarry-Chard / Michael Walrond
Celia Wickham

August 9, 2017

6:30 PM

258 West 118th Street

New York, NY 10026

Minutes

Trustees PresentTrustees Not Present

Also Present:

Marni Aarlev, Co-Chair of the PTO

Shane Goldstein-Smith, Chief Schools Officer for Hebrew Public

Lindsay Malanga, Head of School

Elyse Piker, Director for School Operations for Hebrew Public

1.Call to Order

Linda Aristondo called the meeting to order at6:36 pm and reminded everyone in attendance to sign up for public comments if they wished to speak.

2.Adoption of Agenda(s)

Linda Aristondo made a motion to adopt the July 2017 agenda, Sara Bloom seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Linda Aristondo made a motion to the adopt the August 2017 agenda, Dan Cohen seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

3.Approval of Minutes

Linda Aristondo made a motion to approve the June 2017 minutes, Linda Tarry-Chard seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

Linda Aristondo made a motion to approve the July 2017 minutes, William Allen seconded and the motion carried unanimously.

4.Board Update:

  • Parent/Guardian Board Member Nominee Update

Sara Bloom notified the board that the governance committee is in the process of vetting the nominees for this position. The governance committees hope to have a recommendation to the board shortly.

  • Live Streaming at Board Meeting

Elyse Piker notified the board that the school was working to see if it is feasible to have a live stream at the board meetings for those who cannot attend the meeting in person. A trial run would take place at the September board meeting.

  • Board Notes

Linda Aristondo addressed the desire to have a meeting summary available to parents well in advance of the next month board meeting (when official meeting minutes are approved).As such, someone from the PTO or Hebrew Public staff will take informal notes and work with the board to get them out to the school community.

5.Staffing Update

Lindsay Malanga informed the board that most of the vacant staff positions for the upcoming school year had been filled. A few vacancies remained in the special education and Hebrew language department with scheduled interviews for candidates taking place next week.

6. Enrollment Update for 2017-2018

Elyse Piker updated the board that approx. 449 students were enrolled for the upcoming school year. Recruitment efforts continue in anticipation of customary slight attrition prior to the school year’s start. Board members volunteered to assist in the recruitment effort by visiting community centers with school brochures and speaking with parents.

7. Facilities/Construction Update

Elyse Piker informed the board that construction was on schedule and would not impact the beginning of the school year. The new building’s foundation and structure had been completed and the demolition of the north side of the school was on schedule and was to be followed by the south side. Construction of the classrooms and the roof play area were on track to be completed during the course of 2018. The parent community would be receiving updates about the construction shortly.

8. Outdoor Play-space Update

Lindsay Malanga informed the board that each class had been scheduled with outside recess at various local parks for the beginning of the school year. Efforts were still underway for a local street closing for a few hours during the school say.

9. PTO Comments

Marni Aarlev, Co-Chair of the PTO discussed efforts by the PTO to recruit parents to set up their children’s classrooms prior to the beginning of the school year.She also informed the board of upcoming fundraisers and parent/teacher forums. She furtherengaged the board about improving communications between the school staff and parent community. School staff assured the board that efforts were underway to update mailing lists, improve the frequency of communications and outfit the main office with bulletin boards with pertinent announcements.

10. Public Comments

None.

11. Staff Comments

None.

12. Executive Session

None.

12. Adjournment

Linda Aristondo made a motion to adjourn. Dan Cohen seconded and the meeting was adjourned at 7:31pm.