Odyssey School Board Meeting Minutes - December 11, 2025

Facilitator + Secretary	Lauren Milling, ChairRush Battle, Vice ChairLindsey Driscoll, Secretary	Location	Gymnasium
Attendees	Anne Tomlonavich,Peter Tromba,Erin Bowman, Rebecca Jordison, Doug Blessington, Peter McGuire, Griffin Riffe, Doug Blessington, Melissa Knowles, Carly Penny, Lydia Hearne, Chrissy Louie, Brian Kottenstette	Date: 12/11/24 Next meeting date: 1/15/25	Third Wednesday of the Month

Opening Round and Centering: Lindsey

Consent to Agenda: all consent

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Confirm next meeting date: 1/22/25 In Person

Odyssey School Board Agenda

Date: 12/11/2024
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: In Person

1. Centering: Lindsey

2. What does the Odyssey School Board Do? - Erin and Lauren
   1. Roles of a 501(c)(3) School Board
      1. Governance // Erin: we’re making sure school is adhering to mission and values, monitoring legal compliance, setting and reviewing policies, 
      2. Oversight of HOS // Erin: BOD only oversees HOS, review and approve strategic plans, look at academics, enrollment, overall school performance
      3. Stewardship // Erin: BOD expected to donate, we approve budgets, financial statements, very concerned w/overall financial stability and longevity, overseeing fundraising
      4. Advocacy and Community Relations // Erin: promoting school, partnerships, stakeholders and making sure students are having a positive experience. BOD are not paid, volunteer effort, deep belief in the mission of the school.
   2. Responsibilities of a 501(c)(3) School Board (Erin did not call out each individual bullet point below but spoke to most of these points in her overview above)
      1. Strategic Planning
      2. Policy Development
      3. Financial Oversight
      4. Head of School Support and Evaluation
      5. Fundraising and Development
      6. Risk Management
      7. Board Recruitment and Self-Evaluation
      8. Compliance and Transparency
         
3. Public Comment - Lauren
   1. Rules for public comment:
      1. 3 minutes
      2. Erin: Not the time for complaints about individual staff or board members.
      3. The Board listens to each comment, but generally will not respond to public comment in the moment.
      4. Members of the public are encouraged to reach out directly to staff and board members.

Carly Penny public comment: would like to thank BOD for hard work. Acknowledges there can be hard times and it's especially hard when you’re in a position when not being able to explain specifics. 

Lydia Hearne public comment: wanted to come to echo what Carly said, thank you BOD, know this has been a wild month and some of my first reactions are it’s grounding to have information. I’m hearing that it’s hard to not be able to share details and also acknowledging that it’s hard to not understand resolution due to that fact. I come here with full appreciation for all of you and for what you’re doing on a volunteer basis,feel excited and hopeful and grounded with the new shift that has happened. I feel a new energy of support for staff, parents in a way that shows that you’re listening, that you have love for us and this community and also invites our voices. Today in our staff meeting, Peter invited our voices into the convo into that space and that meant a lot to me personally as someone who has worked here since 2010. I’ve seen changes of HOS and it doesn’t always feel like there is that invitation to be a part of the conversation but I know that it’s real because you prove that it’s real. You follow through and I’m so deeply thankful to the new HOS and the BOD. 

Agustin (online): Want to echo what Lydia had to say and express my gratitude for this new beginning that is in front of us. It’s a new opportunity and I'm grateful for how we are moving forward. I also don’t know, what I don’t know but I do know that I want to keep leaning forward. I see new beginnings. Thanks to BOD, it's hard work. 

4. Head of School Report - Anne and Peter: 

Anne: We are excited about coming to you as HOS, not what we expected but ready to do this job well. Between the two of us we have decades of experience leading schools and we’ll bring that experience here. We are lucky to work with this incredible staff and amazing community. Thank you to BOD for the opportunity to lead for next 18m.

Peter: Incredible possibilities when school staff and volunteers work together. We can work together and maintain amazing learning communities. We are confident in the BOD and we see your commitment to the school. 

Doug: Thank you for willingness to stand up to this task and take the reigns so openly and willingly during such changes and you’re showing up. 

5. Finance and Budget Report - Beck
   1. Fundraising
      1. YTD - Fundraising - total $35,054
         1. GoFundMe - no additional donations - $13,130
         2. Donations as of 12/5/2024:
            • Hurricane Relief
              • Insurance payout $13,679.17(see below and this is not included in the Fundraising total)
              • Donation $5,000
            • Annual Campaign as of 12/5
              • $16,924
              • More donations expected over the next few weeks
      2. YTD - Grants/State-Federal Assistance
         1. Renewal of the PreK Grant in progress
      3. Opportunity Scholarship
         1. More have just been awarded // Peter: some may consider donating // NCAA may be covering everyone who applied last spring. What that means for families, everyone’s tuition agreement has been set so your tuition agreement can be credited with the opportunity scholarship amount via whichever plan you had. People who paid in full // opportunity to donate? Or receive that money back in a lump sum as a payment. Direct phone calls to Peter regarding questions surrounding the scholarship. Peter would like to ask the community awarded with scholarships to donate full or partially. Great way to augment our fundraising. Tax deductible donation.
         2. Peter: A member of the board offered to support fundraising by giving a dollar to dollar match for the first $80k of fundraising. More information to come. 
         3. Next year, remember that they paid to tier 4 
         4. Will next year's Opportunity Scholarship be a similar structure? Peter: Unsure, more information to come. Opens it in Feb. Should hear more about possibilities in Jan. Everyone should apply even if you think you won’t receive it due to higher income brackets. 
         5. Peter: Would like to see students that have teachers here to fill that out as well. Possible incentive to fill it out as well. 
         6. K-8 Charters // Peter: reaching out to network spread word about Opp Scholarship 
   2. Budget
      1. YTD P&L
         1. Highlights:
            • We are currently set to be in line with the budget in Dec 2024.
            • Aftercare for Aug & Sept was billed early Dec. 
            • Opportunity Scholarship funds came in Nov and early Dec, thus revenue includes December revenue for these payments.
            • Expenses are generally below budget due to timing (school closed in Oct and budget cuts have teachers cautious and intentional about spending.)
      2. BS at 11.30.2024 
   3. Helene aftermath
      1. Insurance payout
         1. $13,679.17 received for fencing, picnic table, and shed in playground area
         2. 1,253.58 received for port-a-potties and handwashing station
         3. Status of the playground - see below in #9 Building and Facilities.

6. Admissions and Enrollment // Anne: seeing a spike in numbers. It’s school shopping season. Peter: Goal to make personal connections with families regarding re-enrollment in January.

Inquiries, Tours, Visits & Enrollment by Month // Anne: 

December (as of 12/11)

7 inquiries

7 families toured

5 more families scheduled to tour in December

2 new enrollments (2nd and 5th)

1 potential new enrollment (6th)

November 

19 inquiries

6 tours

October

5 inquiries

3 phone calls in place of tour

1 student visit

1 new enrollment (3rd grade, Oct. 31)

September

15 inquiries

4 families toured

1 phone call in place of tour

Class	Total Contracts Accepted	Open Seats for 25-26	Applications Submitted	Total Cap
PreK	0	17	1	17
K	7	9	4	16
1st-2nd	2	20	0	22
3rd-4th	1	21	0	22
5th-6th	5	15	1	20
7th-8th	1	19	0	20
High School	1	39	0	40
TOTALS PreK-12	17	140	6	157

Upcoming Admissions Events

Anne: High School specific tours each Thursday, led by Karina and HS student ambassadors // each week. Haviva has asked for more responsibility for pre k admissions, taking on tours and application reviews. Shoutout to Karina and Haviva for taking this on!!

Anne: Rainbow 8th graders visiting us Friday, Dec. 13 // touring the school and interacting with current schools. Invite middle school to attend and potentially get excited about seeing their future schoolmates? 

Anne/Peter: Plans to go to the Learning Community to present. 

Anne: Missed opportunities // internal transitions // how can we think and capitalize on prek + middle school transition students. 

Admissions Timelines and Processes

January 31st: Peter: We heard from internal community that this needed to be shifted out so updated to 1/31. 

• Existing families who re enroll by this date will lock in the 24/25 tuition rate
• New family applications submitted by this date are “priority enrollment”, meaning they will be reviewed and considered for admission first. 

After January 31: enrollment open to public

• Rolling admissions - applications are considered as they arrive

Waitpool

• When we have filled classes, we will create a “waitpool”
• Waitpool vs waitlist - a pool allows us to indicate that we do not admit students on a first come, first served basis. Rather, we consider everyone in the pool and admit the students who best suit the class. This is basically what has been done in the past anyway, and allows us to be more transparent about our admissions process`

7. Events/Marketing - L&L

L&L: New branding package delivered from 40Hearts and has rolled out on SM platforms. Branding and social presence beginning to really feel cohesive. Seeing a lot of success from the teacher/program spotlights. Significant Growth in Views: Views increased over 342%, indicating higher visibility. Accounts Reached & Engaged: A near 200% and 300% increase in accounts reached and engaged. Ad Effectiveness: Ads contributed to 4.7% of views and 25.1% of interactions in Nov-Dec. Improved Engagement Rates: Likes, saves, and comments all showed notable increases, particularly saves with a 400% rise.

Jennifer: Hatch / /Jennifer’s connections //posting about aligned businesses for renting spaces 

Doug: Virtual Tour professional video filmed by crew and posted on our new website so that families can view the school from the comfort of their home  // Schedule now button at end. 

Peter: Use Niche currently to gain traffic/new tours. But meeting with an external agency that guarantees tours / first month free

Group: Future social marketing initiatives we’d like to see: Lean into the community aspect of the school / things we do as a community / hearing from community we want more community events / fireside coffee after dropoffs / community potluck / freeze dance friday with parents / parent band 

8. Human Resources - Peter
   1. Teacher Retention Strategies
      1. Collaborative governance // moving towards using circle forward to make decisions // if there are issues or a schedule we process it and address issues, gather consensus before making decisions. Teachers need to hear that their voices are heard.
   2. Training and Professional Development
      1. A+ Training Dates: February 10 and March 3
   3. Staffing/Budget Changes
      1. Kindergarten and First/Second Grade Classroom // Somata committed all through January. Valerie will stay on as part-time for the rest of the year. Now interviewing someone for the second half of the day.  
      2. CJ to Art 
      3. Dance/Movement/Theater teacher // have received applications from a lot of theater and dance applicants. Lisa Baldwin will start on Monday // has experience as theater director at AC Reynolds, has been a Montessori teacher, has experience with movement and yoga. We now have a theatre program!! 

9. Student Performance: Peter
   1. MAP Test Data - Fall 2024 Measurement of Academic Progress / requirement of the NC Opportunity Scholarship that we do testing. Odyssey children test better in reading than math. Our math scores might be lower because Odyssey tends to attract families with students with learning disabilities. An interesting topic to explore in our elementary school. Science is high because it’s essentially a reading test. Teachers at Odyssey feel that all subjects except math are essentially literacy subjects.
   2. Considering doing ACT Prep

10. Building and Facility // Peter: committed to getting these items taken care of asap. Possibly gather volunteers to chipper / promote on socials / free wood / mulch. Host volunteer day / Rush to bring equipment / must have fencing in order to use playground.

I have been gathering quotes on cleaning up and repairing the lower playground. Rotary is giving $5k grants to playground equipment damaged in the hurricane. Also a possibility for insurance to pay for some damages.

Trees will have to be removed before the fence is repaired or replaced.  Eric and Carolyn have also been in communication with UNCA to utilize their help to push our insurance claim through.  The quicker this can happen the sooner we can get kids back on the playground.

J and M Fence - $5,100 to fix around the structure and an additional $5,500 to repair larger perimeter.

Asheville Fence -  $9,000 to fix around the structure and an additional $6,500 to repair larger perimeter.

C and L Construction - $9,000 to clean up trees and brush on the playgrounds minus the root balls.

Newcombe Tree Service - $15,500 to clean up trees and brush on playground minus the root balls.

School Calendar changes: not fans of full thanksgiving week break / Peter re-examining whether or not TWDs necessary for rest of year considering shorter school year // 

11. Old Business
12. New Business
13. Future Agenda Items: Opportunity Schedule // Posting the Agenda on the Website if people want to come // where people could submit comments about future discussion but limit it to a one word topic keep it concise // add definitions to Board sub-committee chairs / posting minutes afterwards publicly on website // Spring Fundraiser ideas // Think fundraising, marketing and events need to be a single committee.
14. Announcements
15. Adjournment
16. Closed Session Items
    1. Erin/Lauren: All families that the executive BOD has been meeting with in response to Dr. Howard’s departure (with the exception of one family) have left meetings with a better understanding of the way boards of nonprofits function, left feeling hopeful and positive.

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Notes:

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Odyssey School Board Contact Information:

• Chairperson: Lauren Milling
• Co-Chair : Rush Battle
• Secretary: (temporary) Lindsey Driscoll

Griffin:

1. connect with film crew on shooting school tour economically
2. connect with friends on playground clean up crew and depending on that we schedule a volunteer cleanup day. 

Peter & Anne: 

1. team would like to see more frequent outside coffee/fireside morning conversations. Perhaps a board member is at each of these. Maybe instead of solo stove we could use one of those upright electronic heaters? 
2. To strategize how they'd like to allocate generous board donation and then meet with L&L on marketing initiatives
3. In January start meeting with families who haven't yet re-applied, having personal conversations

L&L: Group would like to see more on socials about our community

Jennifer: post about possible event spaces as long as it aligns with Odyssey's mission