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Board Meeting August 14 2025

Horizons K-8 Charter School Board — Regular Meeting Minutes

Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Time Called to Order: 6:18 PM (MT)
Location: On-site with Google Meet livestream

 

1) Call to Order & Roles

  • Chair/Facilitators: Travis Lockhart; Jasmine Graves Black-Clemons (GBC)
  • Timekeeper: Adam Brink
  • Secretary (Minutes): Jordan Logan
  • Process Observer: Rachel Clionsky
  • Quorum: Present (see roll below)

2) Attendance

Parent Board Members (Voting)

  • Travis Lockhart – Board Chair
  • Jessica Slatus – Board Member
  • Joel Gratz – Board Treasurer
  • Rob Horansky – Board Member (joined at 6:30 PM)
  • Jordan Logan – Board Secretary
  • Michael Joseph – Board Co-Chair

Parent Attendees (Non-Board)

  • John Begosian – Parent, former board member
  • Michael Ashmore – Parent, former board member

School Administration 

  • Jasmine Graves Black-Clemons (GBC) – Head of School
  • Kristin Hauger – Assistant Head of School

Teacher Board Members

  • Adam Brink – Teacher Board Member
  • Caley Gallison – Teacher Board Member (7–8 Science)
  • Rachel Clionsky – Teacher Board Member (5–6)
  • Kate Bachtel – Teacher Board Member (SPED & GT Coordinator)
  • Jim Freund – Teacher Board Member (7–8 Math)
  • Fran Cohen - Teacher Board Member (1-2)

    Community Attendees
  • Additional community members joined via Google Meet

3) Public Comment

  • The floor was opened for public comment (up to 3 minutes per speaker; 15 minutes total).
     
  • Result: No public comments offered.
     

4) Consent Agenda — Approval of Prior Minutes

  • Item: Minutes of the regular meeting held May 28, 2025.
     
  • Discussion: Corrections requested for misspelled names and attendance status.
     
  • Action: Motion to approve with corrections.
     
  • Outcome: Approved by the Board (after corrections).

5) Nominations — At-Large Board Members (Non-Voting, 1-Year Terms)

Candidates:

  • Michael Ashmore (former board member) — would contribute historical context (e.g., COVID period; prior charter renewal).
     
  • John Begosian (former board member) — would provide continuity and institutional knowledge.
     

Context: At-large members are non-voting, may be invited into executive session as needed, and do not count toward parent/staff balance requirements.

Discussion:

  • Benefits of institutional memory and historical insight were acknowledged.
     
  • Teacher board members expressed that this proposal is inconsistent with past board practice, noting there is no precedent for at-large non-voting parent members.  
  • The expressed intention was to include outreach to community members, and people with specialized expertise. 
     
  • Teachers emphasized the action is not a current priority and did not support moving forward with the addition of these at-large members at this time.
     

Outcome: No concordance reached. Action deferred for consideration at a future meeting.

 

6) Head of School Updates (GBC / Admin Team)

A. Director of Finance Hiring

  • Posting: Position posted three times; final posting closed Aug 14, 2025.
     
  • Applicants: Three applicants; one strong candidate declined due to compensation. Final application count to be shared Aug 15, 2025.
     
  • Interim Coverage: External accounting firm under consideration as contingency.
     

B. Finance / Budget Status (FY24–25 wrap; actuals as of Aug 8, 2025)

  • Fund 11 reconciled to actuals through Aug 8.
  • Pending reimbursements (~$130,000; e.g., SPED, custodial true-up).
     
  • Expenses tracking ~93% year-to-date; summer spend lower than usual.
     
  • Beginning fund balance $631,191; administration projects >$800,000 once reimbursements post.
     
  • Board requested clearer labels and MOUs for charter renewal to link purchase services/fees to deliverables.
     

C. Reporting & Transparency

  • Budget/finance docs to be linked in future agendas (sensitive data removed).
     

D. Enrollment

  • Current estimate ~380 students; final counts to be provided by next Wednesday.
     

7) Action Items

  1. Bank Signer Update: Add Joel Gratz as bank account signer; remove former members. (Owner: Admin/Finance; Target: ASAP)
     
  2. Finance Doc Links: Include budget/finance links in agendas. (Owner: Admin; Starting next meeting)
     
  3. Line-Item/MOU Mapping: Draft clearer line-item labels and MOUs/purchase-service definitions for charter renewal. (Owner: Admin w/ FRC; Draft for renewal sessions)
     
  4. Finance Director Search: Share applicant totals after posting closes (Aug 15). (Owner: Admin)
     
  5. Enrollment Update: Provide current enrollment counts by next Wednesday. (Owner: Admin)

8) Executive Session — (See separate confidential summary) 

Start: 7:03 PM • End: 9:30 PM (MT)
 

9) Adjournment

  • Public session adjourned prior to executive session.
     
  • Final adjournment at 9:30 PM (MT).

Appendices / References

  • Agenda (posted publicly; Google Meet link provided; technical issues resolved).
     
  • Corrected minutes of May 28, 2025.
     
  • Fund 11 actuals through Aug 8, 2025 (admin copy).
     
  • Hiring updates post-close.