April 28, 2025
Board of Directors Minutes
Present: Alexis Smith, Alisha Crutchfield, Brian Kelahan, Carly Osborne, Clouds Mutale, Jeff Carter, Ky Andersson, Liz Cox, Peter Ludwig, Sarah Field.
Staff: Amanda Byam, Deborah Greig, Elena Augusewicz, Joel Tolman, Monique Frasier, Rebecca Holcombe.
Public: Margaret Randle
Welcome
Alexis called the meeting to order at 5:31 pm.
Public Comment (5:31): There was no public comment.
Business Requiring Approval
Minutes of the March 31st Board Meeting
- The minutes from the March 31st meeting were reviewed and approved.
- Jeff moved to approve the minutes. Liz abstained. Peter seconded. All in favor, none opposed, 1 abstention. The motion carried.
Motion for Certified Resolution:
- Funding Resolution
- A resolution for funding free student lunch was discussed and approved.
- Elena explained that this resolution must be approved by the board to secure funding by May 30.
- Liz moved to approve the motion for the 2 items below. Jeff seconded the motion. All in favor, none opposed.
Healthy Food Certification Required Votes from Board of Directors
Vote 1: Vote to participate in Healthy Food Option (HFC):
Pursuant to C.G.S. Section 10-215f, the Common Ground High School Board of Directors certifies that all food items offered for sale to students in the schools under its jurisdiction, and not exempted from the Connecticut Nutrition Standards published by the Connecticut State Department of Education, will comply with the Connecticut Nutrition Standards during the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. This certification shall include all food offered for sale to students separately from reimbursable meals at all times and from all sources, including but not limited to school stores, vending machines, school cafeterias, culinary programs, and any fundraising activities on school premises sponsored by the school or non-school organizations and groups.
Vote 2: Vote to Allow Exemptions for Foods and Beverages:
The Common Ground High School Board of Directors will allow the sale to students of food items that do not meet the Connecticut Nutrition Standards and beverages not listed in Section 10-221q of the Connecticut General Statutes provided that the following conditions are met: 1) the sale is in connection with an event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend; 2) the sale is at the location of the event; and 3) the food and beverage items are not sold from a vending machine or school store. An “event” is an occurrence that involves more than just a regularly scheduled practice, meeting, or extracurricular activity. For example, soccer games, school plays, and interscholastic debates are events but soccer practices, play rehearsals, and debate team meetings are not. The “regular school day” is the period from midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day. “Location” means where the event is being held and must be the same place as the food and beverage sales.
Invoices Needing Approval
- 501c3 Trust $9,545.55 2nd quarter trust deposit
- Zangari Cohn $7,618.60 Split between NHEP/CGHS for UAW questions and misc personnel questions related to deficit reduction
- Power Services $13,347.16 – Emergency repair of inverter in Springside Building, emailed for approval on 4/16/25 – (paid)
- Invoices for the 501 C 3 Trust, Zangari Cohn attorney firm, and power services were presented for approval.
- Jeff moved to approve the invoices, and Brian seconded; the motion carried. All in favor.
Executive Director Report
Link to April Director Reports
• Genevive provided updates on board governance and the need for a diversity survey to assess board skills and demographics.
• The board packet will now be sent out the Wednesday before meetings for better preparation.
• A SWOT analysis and strategic planning session is planned for the June meeting.
Union Negotiations
• Genevive discussed ongoing union negotiations and the need for a management-led approach.
• There was a discussion about whether board members should participate in negotiations, with a consensus leaning towards management handling it.
Personnel Updates
• Updates on staffing included the off-boarding of Tashita Jacobs and Imani Brown, and the hiring of Neely Jean-Charles.
• Concerns were raised about the impact of funding freezes on staff positions.
School Updates
• Monique reported on enrollment numbers and chronic absenteeism rates.
• Positive trends in student performance were noted, particularly in SAT scores.
Development Updates
• Amanda reported on fundraising efforts, including the emergency campaign and upcoming events like the Great Give.
• Board members were encouraged to engage with the campaign and share updates.
Committee Reports
Minutes of all Committee Meetings will be posted on the Board of Directors Webpage by the end of each month.
Finance Committee (Jeff)
The regular meeting of the finance committee was held on April 24th.
The meeting agenda and notes from the Finance Committee can be found HERE.
The March financial report can be found HERE.
- Jeff reported a current deficit of $403,000, with ongoing efforts to manage expenses.
• A new grant tracking system was introduced to improve financial reporting.
Governance Committee Report (Alexis)
The governance committee met on April 23rd. They gave a verbal update.
- Ky discussed the need for a parent representative on the board and ongoing efforts to recruit new members.
• The committee is finalizing the ED evaluation process and improving document management.
Development Committee Report (Brian + Committee)
The Development Committee met on Tuesday, April 22.
Minutes of the meeting can be found HERE.
School Committee Report (Brian/Liz)
The School Committee met on April 22nd.
Minutes from the School Committee Meetings can be found HERE.
New Business
N/A
Executive Session
- The meeting concluded with a motion to enter executive session.
Adjourn
Next Meeting: Monday, May 19th on Microsoft Teams.
Public Comment:
In order to comply with Connecticut Open Meeting laws, any member of the public wishing to participate in the meeting must sign up on the Public Participation Sign-up Document. Sign-ups for Public Participation will open at 5 pm on the last business day before the meeting (Friday, May 16th) and will close at 5:00 pm on the day of the meeting (Monday, May 19th) Public Participation is limited to 2 minutes per person up to 30 total minutes. Anyone wishing to make a statement to the board can also submit testimony in writing to Alexis.Smith@nhep.com by 5:00 pm on the day of the meeting. All submitted documents will be included in the publicly shared meeting minutes.
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