001Excuse me. See what yours says. Damn it. Thank you for joining today. We'll start today's meeting. Dominique, have you had a chance to record attendees and guests? >> I have. >> Do we have a quorum? >> We do. >> I'm sorry. Can someone open the door? Um, sorry Dominic, did do we have a quorum? >> We do. >> All right. Welcome to the Metro Lena Regional Scholars Academy board meet meeting for November 24th, 2025. Danny, do you mind reading today's um reading the mission statement, please? >> Sure. We're happy to do so. The Petrolina Scholars Academy provides a differentiated, challenging, and equitable learning environment that supports the distinctive intellectual, social, and emotional needs of highly gifted children from diverse backgrounds and enable them to form meaningful relationships with their intellectual peers. >> Great. Thank you.
002So today's meeting will be broadcast broadcast via to the public via Zoom webinar platform. This medium is a secure forum for engagement as it requires attendees to register. Limits inter limits interactivity. Removes the ability to communicate without permission. It does not permit anonymous participation comment or limitation. Registration will be required uh will require the submission of a first and last name and an email. Um I put the wrong minutes up on here to approve, but okay. Our um would like to approve the previous board minutes from October's November uh October's board minutes. >> So moved. Second. >> Thank you, Dominique and Danny. All those in favor of approving last month's board mandates, all say I. >> I. >> All those um who do not approve say nay. I have it. The minutes have been adopted.
003Um, are there any amendments to today's agenda? >> Right. I'll uh entertain a motion to approve today's minutes. Uh, today's agenda. >> So, moved. Second. >> Thank you, Dominique. Thank you, Allison. All those in favor of adopting today's agenda, please say I. >> I. Correct. All those um who do not want to adopt today's agenda say nay. The eyes have it. Today's agenda has been adopted. Thank you. This will be the first opportunity for community comments. The public is welcome to speak limited to three minutes per speaker. Topics should not cover any confidential or personal information. The board will not respond or enter into dialogue on topics discussed. At this time, you may indicate your desire to participate in community comments by raising your hand using the controls in the Zoom application or browser. When
004it is your turn, a moderator will identify you by name and then grant your access to speak. No attendees have raised their hands, so we'll move on with our agenda. Muno, do you want to provide your director's report, please? >> Yes. One second. I just think Sorry. Okay. Um, so currently we have an open uh counselor position still and it is for a full-time counselor. We're actively seeking applicants for that position and vetting people through um phone interviews. And at this time, um, we have a couple possibilities, but we haven't moved very far. They're very new possibilities, but we haven't moved very far in the interview process. We really hope to have somebody to start the near new year for our students and our um teachers and parents. Um, and we have also, sorry I'm
005looking through my notes, we've also um adopted with help of the finance committee um and within our current budget a the ability to increase our teacher assistant pay for this current school year a little bit to match closer some of CMS's pay scale for assistance to help with uh competitiveness and provide for different rates based on years of experience, which will help bump their overall pay a little bit this year. Um, and then any questions about either of those things? >> Well, uh, to be clear, that'll be an item for vote. Um, >> okay. >> I put it in the in the finance committee. >> Okay. Sorry. Yep. And then um we are so we have days in our so I'm talking about the professional development plan for our staff this year we didn't have
006a overall goal that we've done uh in the past such as depth and complexity. So this year the days that we have early release days we had one in October and we'll have another one in December. Those are times designated for professional development. And our focus this year has been um getting the teachers to give them time to work across grade levels. And then um in December it will be doing uh working so the October one was working within the grade levels across their teams and the one in December will be vertical planning which will be across grade levels. So the middle school team um 58 probably 48 will meet and then the elementary team. So this will give them time to talk through things like logistics as well as um processes, procedures they have
007for kids to make it more easier transition from one grade to the next. Um give them time for planning and also just to understand what other grades are doing. Um, and we'll probably continue that one into our next early release day also because that's going to be um a big one. But in addition, our staff do get to choose individualized professional development. >> What? >> Um, they get to choose individual professional development that they sort of apply for to get funding for. Sometimes um I have to turn it down if it's too expensive. Um but if they are if they've gotten accepted to present at a conference um it's part of our policy or procedures that we do help fund their attendance at conferences. We also have the North Carolina um Association of Gift and
008Children Conference coming up and we have um I think it's about six staff members who will be going to that not as presenters but as attendees and then um we have a couple other people attending different conferences that are specific to what they do at the school like uh Miss Debella attended one for Infinite Campus. Exciting. Um, and uh, we had like our special education, we just had three people go to a special education training last week. So, those are more individualized. And then we have a good amount of staff working towards their academically gifted certification this year. Some will take the practice, which is a test. Others will start classes through UNCC. Um and so those are that's that's our focus for our plan this year is just kind of within the school taking
009time to plan and um develop and then individually and major the academic gifted certifications which do require time for studying or taking the classes. Any questions on any of that thoughts? No. Um, does anyone else have any questions for Miss Kun? >> Um, just I want to capture you said on the conference attend conference attendance that is how does one qualify to go to a conference? So, we have a um it's like an application I have them fill out and they describe what goals they have for themselves and how this conference will align with their goals. They also have to lay out how much the conference costs, the the registration or if there's travel fees. And then um they lay out how much they're actually asking for. And so based on what our budget is,
010which we do have a good budget for professional development, um based on our budget and based on what the goals are of that individual, we can approve to pay for the whole thing. We could say we could pay 50% of what you're asking for. And so we have flexibility there. But it's like an application um that everyone has access to. the NC AGT conference, the gifted conference. Um, that one we just had the ability to pay for early bird registration which ended November 15th. So sometimes if you do it earlier, the the cost is a lot less. So that one we are most likely going to say no to now because it costs a lot more if we're registering now. But but about five I think it's five or six people are going to go
011to that conference this year and that is just focused on gifted kids, gifted instruction, social emotional learning, all the all the all the things that apply to our school. >> Thank you. >> Yes. Um, if no one has any questions for Miss Coun, we'll move on with our agenda. >> I'm just documenting that we'll discuss the personnel matters and closed. >> Yes, >> we do have a number of personnel matters we'll discuss and close. Um, Danny, do you want to start off with governance, please? >> Sure. So on the morning committee was busy the last session. Um the first matter uh we spent some time going through the personal matters actually. So we'll refer that back to close. Um I'm going to move to the four item here in the agenda. Um then I think
012we uh I believe we might have touched on in the prior session at least of the committee uh the policy committee but the governance uh approved the or moving forward with purchasing uh the set of templates from our outside council missella um relative to the employee and staff handbook that was recently actually brought to our attention um to not to approve but just to to acknowledge um and just given recent regulatory updates all over. Um it just made sense to to to to look at it again from taking what that template looks like. Um particularly to know around discipline. Um there has been increasing um litigation from families um around discipline. So, you know, was just brought to our attention. You might want to consider um how your code of conduct, your employee, your staff
013handbook as handling discipline. Um all of your non-discrimination policies, in particular, grievance policy also brought to our attention. And not so much that hey it is increasingly needs to change but we're now required to post some of these policies for the attention of the NCA u uh department of public construction and particularly for instance agreement one and so we just don't want to then now that we're going to be you know we want to make sure that they're up to date so that might be shifting shifting our gears from the our focus on upla us which is also a matter that we were looking at and starting on you know this look at um and I'll talk to that about in a second but so overall um we discuss that and refer that to the
014policy committee so I'll be speaking about that um a little bit later but uh overall um spend some time there on the bylaw matter uh we also talked about hey it hasn't been looked at in a while what are some of those changes and although they are um relevant changes that need to be taken care of. Um, we were concerned or concern was brought to, you know, what would that what would that look like for our schools if we were to bring a bylaw amendment that needs to be also brought up to the NC Department of Public Instruction when we have already just recently updated our return renewal. So, we discussed that with council. So we're looking into now and provide recommendation from the governor's committee as to whether or not amending our billets at
015this time. It's something we want a different time um as a board. Um I think also as a running item um we talked about arranging a training ourselves in December 15. More to come on that relative to training on records retention as board members. So I think in a nutshell that's pretty much um our government. >> So the December 15th will be an opportunity if um it'll be remote for the board um remote meeting and also in recent years historically we don't have a December 15 December board meeting but in recent years we've needed to for various um members to vote on what have you. We're expecting that might happen anyways. So, um, we're just using the opportunity to do a little bit of training and then maybe have a quick meeting for voting on
016on important things. So, um, that's the the plan. If anyone has issues, let us let us know and we can adjust the timing, but December 15th is what we have penciled in. >> Yep. >> Any questions for our neighborhoods? Oh, um, on that, sorry. Um, >> no, I think that I mean for recruitment I mentioned that, but continue to recruit and they push everything in the more the marrier. I appreciate your help on that. But yes, um, sorry I turn it back to you. >> Anything for governness? >> Not for us, but one for Miss Cooneyian. I forgot to um ask you a question not from your report, but you did send out an email about um site presence and the school's commitment in response to if we had any visitors, let's say. Um were
017there any visitors or any concerns or was that just a proactive message to the community? >> That was just proactive. Um, we had a few community members email me and ask what our processes were, but we did not get any visitors um or luckily at this point have to use our processes, but they're there in the case in any future instances. So, and our staff has um received guiding documents and training on what to do in in those situations. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, I remember working on that last year as there were um concerns around that. So, but it was a good reminder and and really messaging for everyone because there was just so much uncertainty and angst. So, thank you for that. >> Any questions for on that or governance? >> Um, Liliana,
018you want to give a update for the finance committee, please? >> Sure. So, one thing that the finance committee has been diligently working on is the audit report. This report was originally due on October 28th, and then we received a 30-day deadline extension. So, that is now due next Sunday, the 30th of November. I spoke with Heather earlier today, and they're still working through it, but she expects it to be done by tomorrow morning. Um, so we hear from her over email. Um they've also been working on the um committee tax form and that was um was due on November 15th and that is due on May 2026. So we have an extension for 6 months. um the 403b plan. This is a topic we've been working on for quite some know few months since
019we started the school year this uh the school uh semester and so the changes that were required to do with our our pension plan um were done. So now I believe Miss that the only thing that needs to be done is the communication part. >> I have one question. Sorry. >> Yeah. Go ahead. >> I just had a question. Liliana, if you know or maybe a board member remembers the audit um the N MDMA that Beerman will create. Do you know who signs it? Is it will it be you, Liliana, Enrique, or myself? Because we just have to plan for it getting signed this week to get off by Friday. >> I can check with Heather to make sure we >> Okay. She She wasn't sure when I talked to her today. So, she wondered
020if one of you all remembered. >> Okay, I can find out with um with I think this is a treasure and the ED for sure. Okay. >> Well, there will be no budget amendments this month and I um attach the financial statements to the agenda. Uh there's nothing unusual on the um financial reports. So, I'm not going to go over it um line by line as we've done in prior meetings. But just note that uh we received the first month of funding from Meckllinmberg County which is our biggest county and we had already received the funding from the other counties. So we're on track for that. Um >> okay. [Music] Um, so this says, um, I think Miss you apply for a behavioral support grant and, uh, >> it's a it's a grant we applied
021for um, >> just recently and um, the due date for that grant was October 15th. Um, and it's a federal and state grant for special education funding. Um, so we don't know um if we've gotten it yet, but this is um related to a potential new position um that um Miss Cunio is asking for or the school for a um par profofessional or or sometimes called a behavior technician. Well, this will help with dealing with various um student matters um that come up during the day. Is that right, Miss Kuno? Anything else? Titative? >> Yeah, it would just align with our special education needs. Um and I don't know how long it takes us to get a response for this kind of grant because we haven't applied for it before. Um, so yeah, my request
022was um that regard I guess regardless if we get the grant or not that we could possibly still add the position using our budget if the grant doesn't come through. >> Um, do you need us to vote on that today? Um, I don't I don't >> if you need more time to figure out >> compensation and all that kind of stuff. >> Yeah, maybe. Um, not not today. Um, >> okay. >> I could talk through that. Yeah, with finance a little more too because I think we didn't get to talk through that very much to see if it would work in the budget. motion on behavior technique. We we won't vote it on now, but but yeah. Um Jessica, Miss Kuno, is there anything more you want to add about what a bit maybe your
023technician does? Um, so they're usually specialized in working with um, students who have special needs regarding different behaviors or different um, things where they might need extra support in the classroom or their teachers might need extra support. They're a person that is really dedicated to a small group of kids. Um, they're not really committed to the whole school. So they would be a specialist for just a small population of students who um would fall under those needs. They are it's kind of a changing need meaning it may not be an annual like an ongoing every year because it totally depends on our student population. Um it could be something that the school needs long term. It could be just this year. Um, so I'm not I I kind of want to not say too much
024because I don't want to um identify our student population so small. I don't want to um >> you know I want to protect the rights of our students. No, >> I have one question. Just some examples of like what what that looks like? Like hypothetically, it doesn't have to be like homeschool, but like what I'm curious about and you can maybe even just like send me an or something if you have that, but like what does that look like in practice? Um, is that like someone who follows these students around or sits with them in a class or and what is like they like pull them from class? Like what does it look like in the day-to-day life of the school and student body? >> It can be any of those things. It could be
025that they push into the classrooms or pull out as needed. Um it could be that they're working with the teachers in helping to come up with different strategies to help to support the kids. Um say it could be working with the parents as well. So it's kind of like a teamwork um giving another team member to certain groups of kids who um are showing that need. Um but yeah they sorry go ahead professional. So what what's their training or what's their education? So, they actually wouldn't um they could be somebody who doesn't have a degree in um any specific field, but they would have certain training. It's called um sorry, trying to get my head the name. Um it's CPI is the training is the initials for the training, but I also applied in the
026grant for that specific training. And that is um training that helps like deescalation strategies. Um it helps with safety strategies, different things that just some students need over others. And the training is quite expensive. So the grant in that I put the training cost in there hoping to get other staff members trained in that as well. Um because it is actually something that we should have on staff. Everyone should be train not everyone a small population should be trained for any students um in this these techniques but that's what this uh additional role would have as well that training um and they would just they would be more of um a pay like a teacher assistant but they would have this very specific role of supporting certain students. >> Yeah. But I think we'll have
027um potentially some details with each parent and load um since it um student matters um specific student matters um and more to come as we kind of define the role and um interpretation. >> That's good. Um and then the last item for finance is to discuss um and to vote on a proposal to increase the teacher assistant pay scale um which will be based off of years of experience. Um and Mr. Do you want to talk about how that was? I mean it roughly you don't need to go into all the details but that how this relates to CMS and what what it does for us. >> Yes. Um and I did just share the scale with all of you. I'm sorry that wasn't in my director's report earlier. Um, so CMS has been working
028to create a pay scale for their teacher assistants that's based off of years of experience and they're doing um different phases and the phase they're at now is this pay scale. And basically um they have a very detailed pay scale that they don't disclose the details of to the public, but they um it is based off of both years of experience as well as different training that people may have. And it's for all of their hourly employees. So CMS has like a very large amount of different hourly employees um because of their maintenance people, their bus people, the amount of people they employ is uh really large. We don't have that, but um our hourly people are mostly our teacher assistants. And so we have some assistants with over 20 years of experience and others
029who are more novice. Um, and the way that our school has done it, I don't know for how long, but they're all getting paid the same hourly rate right now. Um, and in education really the only way to get a raise is through experience, years of experience. Um, so if you're not a pay for performance school, which we are not. And so our teacher scale is based off of years of experience as well as the education level they have. So to help create a competitive environment um and retain people, it's easy to make a years of experience chart for our um or scale for our teacher assistants. and I based it off of CMS's um theirs is an 11 cent increase for every year of experience per hour. It doesn't sound like a lot, but
030it does add up to a couple thousand dollars per person um through an annual salary. So, um that that's how the scale is. So our year one starts at a certain rate and by the end of up to year 30 it's built it increases by a couple dollars. Um the only thing um I guess our rate um basically if we rate give teacher or set raises the whole scale gets a raise then so in the past if we've given you know a teacher assistant raise a 50 cent that would just work then to the full scale just like we do to teacher the teacher scale. So that's just something to conf consider for the future that if we do increase the teacher assistant pay um base rate it would increase the whole scale. Well, um
031the vote is to approve a teaching assistant scale. Um basically, um to talk about the impacts to this, um this roughly translates into a $4,000 increase to our budget this year. And then year, if it was applied for the full year, you saw if I were current roster, it would have been $13,000 for the year. Um so um yeah, that uh and those are approximate numbers, right? >> Yeah, I think it's a little bit closer this year to about 6,000 if we begin in January. Um so the vote is um to approve the scale um and it'll be effective January 1 uh 2026 reflecting in the the check for January 20th there. >> So moved in. Um, all those in favor, please say I. >> Those who you don't approve, say nay. >> The eyes
032have it. Um, a speaking assistant pay scale has been approved. Thank you. All right, moving on to the fast committee. A quick update, Allison. Um yeah, lot happening in um just waiting on funding for exterior netting which we need to touch base after we are on that bond and there just a few extra things we have not paid in full for the fence reading on bedding and then we'll be done. >> Thank you. Um Kim, do you want to talk about the >> Sure. Um just some continued projects in the sense we are still working on on forming a school survey go out that we can work on revisions to the cost that suggested revisions to that process and then a calendar religious holidays is being reviewed by the trophy right now Daniel, >> thank
033you very much. Um, Erica or home chairman. >> Um, >> sorry, no updates. I should have done that for you. >> No, that's okay. No updates. We do have a meeting um on December 1st, which is next Monday at 8:15 a.m. Um and encourage whoever wants to come to come and help us out. Thank you. Uh Mal for educational excellence. >> Can you hear us? >> Like sorry you're on a mute. How about we come back to Malik might be having some technical issues. Okay. >> Policy. Danny, can you take that? >> Sure. Um on the policy side, um last meeting, um we voted on the wireless communication policy. So that's been posted. We'll circle back with each to make sure that that has been filed. Um we discussed the alcohol policy in light of
034certain school incidents that were referred to us by the governance committee. Um and based on our resolution the at the committee looked at the relative um also health policy realized that there wasn't really an update needed at that level but more of awareness um and actual acknowledgement of our staff of that policy to make sure they're aware um what is permitted and what's not permitted in school grounds. Um so we'll be working on that. Thank you. >> Hi everyone. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Um I'm just going on the policy committee. Um another policy that was referred to our attention was the AI policy. So we'll continue to work on on that. The committee has been discussing more in terms of instead of a policy. Perhaps it may be best to think through more of a
035guidelines document or even training materials that we can put to the attention um of our staff. Um and as discussing as I mentioned or reference in the governance um committee there is being a an increased referral to the the committee on policies um as I described um the code of conduct for discipline the grievance because agree the grievance policy needs to be now put the attention of the NC state um title nine >> and and staffing handbook in particular. All of the all of the discrimination all the non-discrimination equal employment all of those um references need to be updated in those documents as well. So we'll come back um with a a proposal there um and our next meeting is coming on the 26 uh 25th. So most uh mostly our work will be centered
036on updating those those um hall policy that I just refer. >> Thank you. Um any questions for policy? And also forgot to ask if anyone had questions for DEI. I moved too fast. I um Malik educational excellence. Thank you. the the next education and excellence meeting which December 9th 8:15 a.m. survey. What we've done is a few more highlights from the um survey analysis. The survey will be published in December the newsletter, but I'm just not those highlights. The uh scholars academy alumni transition smoothly into the academic rigor of high school. Uh frequently describing them as a head or wellprepared for the course. Uh families emphasized the need to help students cope with uh issues of perfectionism and pressure in the classroom and the ways to develop resilience and manage emotional ups and downs. Families
037have noted they want learning to go beyond the textbooks emphasizing practical and entrepreneurial skills for examples from financial literacy and literacy to team communication so that students understand how learning connects to the future. two other topics here um or state in Florida parents want a timely action fee just increase the how they may be able to help their children improve for the various border building the survey families are developing uh but they need asynchronous digital or weekend opportunities of course these are survey books all of our responses to various questions in the survey. So, we brought down some kind of as I said in December we will post uh publicly the um survey results. >> I mean maybe just making um 127 families responded more or less. What's the percentage? I don't have that office.
038So if they could ask a question we can just sounds like a lot. It sounds like a really great presentation and I feel like and there's a graph I just can't recall it. >> Yeah, I don't remember. right about as Miss Kuna would know about but I want to say it might be love to school because there families with multiple kids generally yeah I don't remember the exact percentage because never 100% sure >> but it's still like anything above like 75 it's like and like if we can even reference that in the next like oh like we got as much representation like we we want to you know kind of like competitive ourselves continue eating the beating the percentage >> we'll certainly know that it's great in the Um, >> thank you, Malik. >> Right.
039Erica, do you want to close us out with foundations? Uh, >> sure. So, um I I'm just going to um highlight a a couple things. Um so, the numbers are from the AGC are down from um last year. Um and one of the reasons is that um we have uh pledge ranges. So we don't have the exact amount that's being pledged and we are when we estimate we are estimating at the lower end. So hopefully um you know our estimates will be wrong and it'll be at the higher end of those ranges. There is um the overall family participation is down. Um in last year it was 55.2% 2% and this year it's only been 34.2%. So that's quite a difference. Um and we're looking into that. Um you know uh Tai is um has
040taken over for Tony and she's has um some ideas that we're looking into. It's also a transition year which has uh in our history has proven um to cause a dip in the AGC campaign as well. Um but we um we are we have noticed it. We are um going to address it with with Tai and Tony has officially um left Scholars Academy. So, we thank her for her dedicated service and always having our backs when um we needed her. >> Yeah, absolutely. Tony has been a a tremendous asset to the school um for in a number of capacities. Um um one of those people that have always represented scholars in the most positive ways. So, we wish her well in retirement. Um, and she's welcome back anytime as far as I'm concerned. >> Maybe
041we can trigger her to come back in other ways when um Erica, any questions for foundations? >> You might need something. Is it this these school year, right? We've made pledges. You can still collect them later in the year. I'm just thinking of the employer matches like this later. >> Yes. >> Thank you, Erica. This will be the second opportunity for community comments. If anyone has um would like to make a statement to the board, please uh raise your hand now and uh we'll call on you. have no comments of no hand released so far. We do have a number of matters to discuss and close. So I'll entertain a motion to enter close. >> Second. >> Thank you, Malik. including King Ellison. All those in favor um to go to clo enter closed session
042please say I >> I >> All those who oppose entering closed please say nay. I assume that we will enter into close um um and to shortly. Thank you.