The Museum School

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Tuesday July 18th, 2023 @7:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
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 not present member
Sterling Johnson not present member
Cameron Lewis present member On Time At Adjournment
Monique Dukes present member On Time At Adjournment
Zach Robison present member On Time At Adjournment
Sara Dewitt present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Kelly Swinks not present member
Janaun Ivy present chair On Time At Adjournment
Robin Reese present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Dan Waltzer present member On Time At Adjournment
Katherine Kelbaugh present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment
Hope Black present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

The Meeting was called to order by the Chair at 7:06pm.

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 July 18th, 2023 regular meeting as submitted.

By: Robin Reese Seconded by: Cameron Lewis

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approve Previous Meeting Minutes

Approve the previous meeting minutes.

Approve the previous meeting minutes for the June 20th, 2023 regular meeting as submitted.

By: Andrew Tashiro Seconded by: Robin Reese

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Principal's Report

Principal Hope Black provided a report.

Executive Director's Report

Executive Director Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh provided a report. She discussed the hiring of a new Operations Manager named ....

Dr. Kelbaugh walked the Board through the process of strategic plan monitoring, comprised of monthly updates with a focus on one of the 6 strategic pillars.

Dr. Kelbaugh introduced Anne Huff with TMS Foundation who provided a Foundation update that included significant dates and activities, Foundation Board member changes, and goals for the year.

Finance Committee Update

Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Andrew Tashiro provided a report.

Hi all - since June is the last month of our fiscal year there are typically adjusting entries that take place so that month's financials won't be locked until a bit later on. Consistent with prior years I'll hold off on presenting interim numbers until all the adjustments are finalized.


DCSD passed over their initial funding worksheet for 2023-2024 but we won't have the full budget from them until month end. In the interim, the board will need to vote on a spending proposal for August, which I've attached. A couple of notes that I'll cover tonight:

  • QBE funding +13% vLY (great news!)
  • DCSD teacher salary schedules are up 6% vLY and our August spending proposal takes this into account
  • 2 payroll month in August vs 1 in July
  • Higher expenses in certain categories (books, computer software, etc) in August to kickstart the year

We anticipate presenting the budget for board approval at the August meeting, but let me know if you have any questions or concerns.


To approve annual spending for August 2023.

By: Andrew Tashiro Seconded by: Jade Yang

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Facilities Committee Update

Facilities Committee Chair Jade Yang provided a report. She summarized the bid selection process for the roof repair. The repair project started in early July and is on track to be completed prior to the start of the school year as well as all remaining debris removed prior to this upcoming Friday's Back to School Bash.

Ms. Yang added that additional roof repairs will go out for bid for a formal RFP with repairs to be planned for next summer.

The Facilities Committee is also updating the security master plan and obtaining a $50,000 security grant for new high resolution and flock system/license plate reading cameras and improved security badge access.

The Committee is also identifying additional projects through a survey that could be covered by TMS Foundation funds.

Governance Committee Update

Governance Committee Chair Richard Piercy provided a report.

Diversity Committee Update

Diversity Committee Chair Monique Dukes provided a report. Governance Chair Richard Piercy attended a recent Diversity Committee meeting to discuss continuing to seek out a broad network of Board Committee members and diverse members in the pipeline to the Board.

Board Chair Update

Board Chair Januan Ivy made remarks and welcomed new Board Members, including Vice Chair Robin Reese, Sara DeWitt, Ashley Rowland, and Dan Walzer.

Move into Executive Session to discuss a personnel and/or legal matter.

By: Robin Reese Seconded by: Cameron Lewis

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:54 am

Motion to adjourn

By: Janaun Ivy Seconded by: Richard Piercy

There was no notable discussion on the motion.