The Museum School

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Tuesday June 20th, 2023 @7:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Mike Stewart not present ex-officio
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 present member On Time At Adjournment
Andrew Tashiro present Treasurer On Time At Adjournment
Katherine Moore present member On Time At Adjournment
Sterling Johnson not present member
Zach Robison not present member
Katherine Kelbaugh present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment
Robin Reese not present member
Cameron Lewis present member On Time At Adjournment
Monique Dukes present member On Time At Adjournment
Dan Waltzer present member On Time At Adjournment
Hope Black present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment
Sara Dewitt present secretary On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

The Meeting was called to order by the Chair at 7:11 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.

There were no public comments.

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 June 20th, 2023 regular meeting as submitted.

By: Janaun Ivy Seconded by: Katherine Moore

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approve Previous Meeting Minutes

Approve previous meeting minutes.

Motion to approve minutes from the May 23rd, 2023 meeting as submitted.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Andrew Tashiro

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Executive Director's Report

Executive Director Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh provided a report of recent activities. Dr. Kelbaugh reminded the Board of Directors to their invitation for the Advisory Council meeting on June 22 (6:00 PM, Lost Druid). She then asked Jeff LaRocco and Bo _ from AA LaRocco Companies to provide an overview of the benefits package that could be offered to TMS employees, reminding the Board that the company had responded to an RFP.

Dr. Kelbaugh also presented the 2023-24 Administrator's Calendar; reviewed lottery information; and provided an update on behalf of TMS Foundation.

Finance Committee Update

Treasurer Andrew Tashiro reviewed May financials, focusing on YTD figures. He noted how close to expenditure budget the year has been, complimenting cost controls of the school. He then reviewed the balance sheet noting stable balances. Mr. Tashiro then moved to the spending proposal for July 2023.

Motion to approve the July 2023 spending proposal as presented.

By: Andrew Tashiro Seconded by: Janaun Ivy

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Facilities Committee Update

The Facilities Chair Jade Yang provided a report on expenditures and decisions related to the facilities grant. She reminded the Board of the sport court improvements; potential future needs across the school and campus and associated cost estimates the Committee has been obtaining; and the potential for a small amount of facility grant funds to remain and possible important but smaller cost items these remaining funds could cover. Ms. Yang stepped through details of roof needs. There was significant discussion around the roof replacement needs, strategy and costs. No vote was needed on this topic at this time. 

Governance Committee Update

Governance Committee Chair Richard Piercy reviewed a number of leadership changes for discussion and votes for the 2023-24 school year. He also shared that the cancelled Board of Directors training was being revisited for a future offering. Information will be forthcoming.

Motion to edit The Museum School lottery policy to strike the existing statement that sibling preference will be applied to the waiting list only at the time of the lottery. The policy statement will include a new statement that the waiting list order will not be adjusted after the time of the lottery, even if one sibling gets onto a class list. That preferences take affect during registration and enrollment upon eligibility.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Kelly Swinks

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to add Sara Dewitt, Ashley Rowland, and Dan Waltzer to The Museum School of Avondale Estates Board of Directors effective July 1, 2023.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Katherine Moore

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to adopt the 2023-2024 officer slate of Janaun Ivy as Chair; Robin Reese as Vice Chair; Andrew Tashiro as Treasurer; and Sara Dewitt as Secretary, effective July 1, 2023.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Cameron Lewis

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to adopt 2023-24 committee chair roles effective July 1, 2023, for Richard Piercy as Governance Committee Chair; Andrew Tashiro as Finance Committee Chair; Jade Yang as Facilities Committee Chair; and Monique Dukes as Diversity Committee Chair.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Christina Cassidy

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to add Christina Cassidy to the Advisory Council, effective July 1, 2023.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Janaun Ivy

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to remove Mike Stewart and Dr. Kelly Swinks as signatories for TMS bank account and add Hope Black and Janaun Ivy, effective July 1, 2023.

By: Richard Piercy Seconded by: Andrew Tashiro

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Diversity Committee Update

The Diversity Committee Chair Monique Dukes provided a report on recent engagements with TMS students in their ideas regarding achieving various diversity goals of TMS. A meeting summary of the Junior DEI Council was also shared.

Board Chair Update

Board Chair Dr. Kelly Swinks thanked Christina Cassidy for her contributions to the Board and school. Dr. Swinks reflected on her tenure as Chair and expressed her gratitude for TMS community. Several Board members thanked Dr. Swinks and remarked on the challenges of her term, noting her family had also contributed to making her term a success.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:34 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Kelly Swinks Seconded by: Christina Cassidy

There was no notable discussion on the motion.