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Bronx Preparatory Charter School Board of Trustees Meeting

Wednesday, November 12, 2014 6:30PM

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

535 Madison Avenue NY, NY 10022 Conference Room C

Minutes

Trustees Present Trustees Absent Invited Guests Nancy Garvey Philip Gelston Emmanuel George Debbie Evangelakos Kristen Macleod Katie Duffy Brian Berger Ravi Suria Howard Schnidman Yuliana Kim-Grant David Roman Eliza Saunders Philip Wharton Maricruz Alvarado Donna Sanders Kavita Dolan resigned prior to the meeting. Nancy Garvey called the meeting to order at 6:45 p.m. Motion: Motion to approve the following minutes:

• Bronx Prep (09.23.14) Motion by: Yuliana Kim-Grant Seconded by: Brian Berger Motion passed unanimously at 6:46 p.m. Nancy Garvey began by noting that she and Debbie visited Bronx Prep recently and was impressed with the progress that has been made. Teachers are working long hours but feel as though their efforts are purposeful and making a difference in terms of scholars progressing academically. Board discussion ensued about the school visit and conversations with teachers. School Update Emmanuel George began the school update by reviewing the data dashboard distributed to the board. Mr. George noted that the school’s population of scholars with disabilities (SWD) appears low at the moment because many scholars who need special education services have not been evaluated. Parents are often reluctant to agree to evaluations because they believe that IEPs may lead

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to their children being stigmatized. Discussion ensued about the school’s enrollment of scholars with disabilities and the provision of support services. Mr. George pivoted to a discussion of school culture, for which DREAM Dollars are a useful proxy. He noted that the high school’s DREAM Dollar balance is likely too high, which is a sign that the behavior system has not yet been implemented with full fidelity. On the academic side, he noted that seventh grade is working through behavioral and homework completion challenges. Discussion ensued about teacher quality and training. Similarly, Mr. George noted that the high school course pass rates look too high in some classes, and that one of his major pushes is increasing the rigor in those classrooms. Discussion ensued about student data, SAT scores, and alumni support. Network Update Katie Duffy started the network update by noting that school reviews have been completed. Bronx Prep Middle and High School have both shown tremendous progress, although everyone understands there is still a considerable amount of room to grow. At the moment, the middle school appears to be stronger, especially from a teacher quality standpoint. Principals created action plans to address the feedback they received, and the spring review will be used to measure how much progress has been made in those areas. The reviews revealed that scholars have a high level of respect for each other. The leadership team will continue to increase the rigor, and the expectation is that rigor will continue to increase along with attendance and investment. Bronx Prep scholars participated for the first time in a Get Out the Vote effort on Election Day, an initiative that was featured on the local news. Charter Renewal Update Ms. Duffy noted that the school recently submitted a series of documents to SUNY in preparation for the Charter Schools Institute’s visit on December 2. Discussion ensued about the renewal process. Finance Update Mr. Schnidman reviewed the school’s final audited financial statement for FY14 and the management notes concerning compensation documentation and lottery preferences. Subsequently, he discussed FY15 forecast. The school continues to project a net operating surplus. Motion: Motion to confirm that — irrespective of the Attorney General’s formal approval being issued on September 29, 2014 — the lease between Friends of Bronx Prep and Bronx Prep Charter School contemplates a full year’s worth of rent payments beginning on July 1, 2014. Motion by: Phillip Wharton Seconded by: Debbie Evangelakos Motion passed unanimously at 8:20 p.m. The Finance and Audit Committee will report back to the board on any issues raised by the school’s auditor regarding formal separation between Bronx Prep and Friends.

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Adoption of Code of Ethics Motion: Motion to adopt the revised Code of Ethics as presented and attached. Motion by: Nancy Garvey Seconded by: Brian Berger Motion passed unanimously at 8:28 p.m. Bronx Prep/ Friends of Bronx Prep Contracted Services Agreement Motion: Motion to approve the Contracted Services Agreement between Bronx Prep and Friends of Bronx Prep subject to minor changes and modifications as determined by the Board and Democracy Prep’s Chief Financial Officer. Motion by: Phil Wharton Seconded by: Brian Berger Motion passed unanimously at 8:28 p.m. Motion: Motion to approve the appointment of Katie Duffy to the Bronx Prep Board of Trustees pending CSI approval. Motion by: Brian Berger Seconded by: Yuliana Kim-Grant Motion passed unanimously at 8:29 p.m. Motion: Motion to adjourn the meeting. Motion by: Nancy Garvey Seconded by: Debbie Evangelakos. Motion passed unanimously at 8:33 p.m.