Voice Charter School of New York

“At the may 2016 board of trustees meeting, the board revised the bylaws that govern its operation. Changes were numerous and could be classified into the following categories: (1) modifications to align with not-for-profit and charter law changes as well as authorizer requirements (2) modifications that were suggested by attorneys as best practice for board of trustees (3) modifications to meet the changing requirements of the school modifications to take into account for changes in legal and regulatory structure was the prime driver of the re-write of the bylaws. The bylaws were last examined at the time of our renewal in 2012. Both the open meetings law and charter act were revised in the interim. Changes included (but were not limited to) clarification of the roles and function of committees, officer roles, use of video conferencing connections to count as attendance, number of meetings and proper noticing, minutes preparation and non-discrimination policies. From a best practices perspective, changes focused on mission, clarification on board elections, indemnification and self dealing transactions. Finally, voice made some modifications to reflect the changing nature of the school. We lifted the maximum board size from 15 to 18, increased term limits from two and a partial to three and a partial if person is an officer and the removal of specific oversight functions to a broader vision of what is overseen without delving into specifics.”

“The city of new york can approve three board actions. 1. Voice's authorizer approves the election of board member. 2. Voice's authorizer approves voice's charter renewal. 3. Changes to the charter are subject to approval by voice's authorizer.”

“The finance committee reviews the form, which is usually sent through e-mail to the committee members. The committee members review and provide feedback to the preparers. Once the feedback process is finalized, the form is presented to the entire board by the finance committee.”

“Annually the board members are required to respond to a conflict of interest questionnaire and to certify that their answers are true and correct. Those answers are reviewed by the president of the board and our consultant, dan pasek, to see that any conflicts are resolved.”

“Voice charter school records in its board minutes, the terms of the compensation package for the principal of the school. It is also recorded in the minutes, the date of approval, the members of the governing body who were present during the debate on the compensation arrangement that was approved and those who voted to approve or reject it. Voice charter school compares the compensation package to the model set by the new york city department of education (nyc doe). That model is obtained from the doe website.”

“AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.”

“AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST.”

“Process has not changed since the prior year”