The Museum School

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Tuesday January 17th, 2023 @7:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Mike Stewart present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment
Christina Cassidy present member On Time At Adjournment
Kelly Swinks present chair On Time At Adjournment
Janaun Ivy present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Richard Piercy present member On Time At Adjournment
Jade Yang not present member
Andrew Tashiro present Treasurer On Time At Adjournment
Katherine Moore present member On Time At Adjournment
Sterling Johnson present member On Time At Adjournment
Zach Robison present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Tamara Richards present member On Time At Adjournment
Katherine Kelbaugh present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment
Robin Reese present member On Time At Adjournment
Monique Dukes not present member
Cameron Lewis present member On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

The Meeting was called to order by the Board Chair Dr. Kelly Swinks at 7:04 pm.

Mission: The mission of The Museum School of Avondale Estates is to inspire students, teachers and the community to collaborate to develop strong critical thinking, interpersonal and academic skills in our students, which will prepare them for real-world success.

Core Values: Responsibility, Respect, Cooperation, Sustainability, Creativity, Kindness

Public Comment

Our Public Comment period is for members of the public to address the board. The board will listen, but may not directly respond to any comments. Please do not use specific student, teacher or administrator names in your comments as our meetings are open to the public and public record. As such, if your comment is about a private matter, please contact the board via email, or speak to the board chair privately. Email Executive Director, Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh at Katherine.kelbaugh@themuseumschool.org for Zoom access to the meeting.

Public comment (no longer than one page) should be submitted via email to Katherine.kelbaugh@themuseumschool.org. Your comments must be received by 10:00 am on the day of the meeting. Only those emails received during the allotted time will be read aloud and broadcast. Emails received outside of the allotted time will be included in the Public Comments record for the next meeting.

No public comments were made.

Approval of Agenda

So that there is agreement between board members on the agenda, and the amount of time spent on the meeting, the board shall vote to approve an agenda for the meeting. To the best of its ability, it will follow that agenda, and allow for the chair to move the board through the agenda as specified.

Approve the agenda for the January 17th, 2023 regular meeting as submitted.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Andrew Tashiro

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

Approve the previous meeting minutes from December 6th, 2022.

Approve the previous meeting minutes from the December 6th, 2022 regular meeting as submitted.

By: Andrew Tashiro Seconded by: Richard Piercy

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Principal's Report

Principal Mike Stewart provided a report.

  • Demographic Info and Updates.
  • Winter MAP Data Review.
  • Enrollment applications are on-pace with pre-pandemic numbers with three weeks remaining.


Executive Director's Report

Executive Director Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh provided a report.

  • Emphasis of MAP scores outcomes with time devoted to instruction and formative learning. Evaluation and 'Friday Fives'.
  • K-4 lower building roof repair, new quote $71K, asking Foundation to support over Grant to maintain flexibility.
  • Explorer University: Informing and Empowering Leading to Increased Engagement - February 2023.
  • Title II Funds - Diverse Charter Schools Coalition PL, Instructional Coach Conference
  • Title IV Funds - Counseling, Art, Music
  • Principal Recruitment and Hiring Update - 20 resumes received and reviews started, 1st interviews begin February 6th.
  • Foundation Update - Kimberly Pashel as Board Treasurer, SNAVE Grant awarded ($150,000 over 3 years), Explorer Dash 3/25 and Arts in the Park 4/13. Sponsorships being sold for both events.
  • Reminder - Board Retreat at Lost Druid January 29th, 2023.

Finance Committee Update

Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Andrew Tashiro provided a report.

  • Decrease in QBE funding from Dekalb due to lower student enrollment numbers. We believe this runs counter to our charter agreement and is part of the ongoing litigation.
  • Variance in Personnel expenses due to the salary increases we approved last year. This trend will continue in future months.
  • We operated at a loss for December, but this is purely due to the timing of how expenses hit (example: 3 payrolls this month) and this was reflected in the budget.
  • $46k in Boosterthon money came from the foundation in November, as expected.
  • Good expense management with no other material variances of note.
  • Healthy balance sheet with a sizeable cash balance.


Diversity Committee Update

Diversity Committee Chair Christina Cassidy provided a report.

  • Finalized report to Strategic Planning Subcommitee.
  • Principal Stewart to attend February committee meeting.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:40 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Sterling Johnson

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Facilities Committee Update

Facilities Committee Member Richard Piercy provided a report.

  • Sport Court, PA alert system projects begin in February.
  • Bike rack improvements.


Governance Committee Update

Governance Committee Chair Richard Piercy provided a report.

  • February 21st New Board Member onboarding, 6 pm prior to the 7 pm Board Meeting - (not finalized, to be rescheduled).
  • April or May planning second TMS Board Retreat.
  • Self-Evaluations.


Board Chair Update

Board Chair Dr. Kelly Swinks made remarks.

  • Succession planning with Janaun Ivy, Vice Chair.
  • Executive Director's annual review - former personnel committee members to reconvene to provide updates to annual review.