Lighthouse Community School specializes in highly individualized, flexible, and intensive strategies to meet the educational needs of youth in the child welfare system. We take pride in employing unconditional positive approaches to foster a safe, stable community that develops effective social skills and enhances academic progress for students whose current or ongoing needs are best met in our small school.

Lighthouse Community School Board Meeting Minutes – August 10, 2017

A special meeting of the Board of Directors (the "Board") of the Lighthouse Community School, Inc. (the "School") was held on Thursday, August 10, 2017 at the offices of Lighthouse Youth Services, Inc., 401 E. McMillan Street, Cincinnati Ohio 45206.

Notice of the special meeting had been published in the Cincinnati Enquirer and a quorum of six voting members, constituting a majority of the Board, were present. Mr. Kent Friel served as Chair of the meeting. Mr. Friel called the meeting to order at 5:04 PM.

Board Members Present: Kent Friel, Louise Gomer-Bangel, Rickell Howard, Shannon Fricilone-Long, David Markstein, and Carolyn Campbell.

Staff: Daniel Trujillo, Nathan Lynch, and Paul Haffner

The sole purpose of the special meeting was to review the draft contract and exhibits (collectively, the “Contract”) submitted by Cincinnati Public Schools (“CPS”), a full copy of which will be included in the file of the special meeting. At the request of the Board, Mr. Haffner and Mr. Trujillo reviewed the drafting process of the contract. It is a three year contract and generally follows the prior format of the 2014 three-year agreement. The Board reviewed several provisions of the document and engaged in discussion of certain specific topics including:

  • the $300,000 annual support payment described in Article V from CPS to the School;
  • the administrative fee of approximately $30,000 (3% of state support) permitted to be charged by CPS for its sponsorship of the School;
  • the impact of any changes in funding for this upcoming school year on the School's budget and the existing School reserve account;
  • the various incentives to CPS of supporting the School even if its sponsorship is revoked by the Ohio Department of Education.

Mr. Trujillo described the Ohio Department of Education hearing process that is currently ongoing, including his testimony regarding CPS sponsorship from earlier in the day in Columbus.

The Board then reviewed various typographical and minor editorial issues in the Contract and instructed Mr. Haffner and Mr. Trujillo to pass those along to the CPS representative. The Board also specifically discussed the compliance criteria in Exhibit D and recommended Mr. Trujillo work with CPS to make those as concrete as possible.

The Board then discussed a motion to approve the Contract in its substantially final form as presented at this meeting with such changes as discussed and any additional non-substantive changes as may be finalized by the School Administrator and CPS representatives prior to the CPS Board meeting on Monday, August 14. After further discussion, Ms. Gomer Bangel formally moved to adopt the resolution; Ms. Long seconded the motion. All board members voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously.

Without further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 6:02 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul Haffner