The board of Milestone SABIS Academy of New Orleans met Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. with an audience of three, including a reporter from The Lens.

Topics discussed included planning for a patron party and reception to increase sponsorships.

Board member Lorin Crenshaw provided a subcommittee report on facilities and said he was researching developers to make recommendations for future improvements to the school’s physical plant.

Board member Nayita Wilson presented the subcommittee report on policies and said sample policies from other schools will be studied and community leaders consulted.

Principal Catherine Boozer said the school scored well on recent tests and made reference to Times-Picayune coverage under the headline, “New Orleans charters see reading, math scores rise faster than traditional schools.”

Boozer said enrollment was running below capacity and that an advertising campaign has been launched. She said Milestone families are well-informed about all aspects of the school and commended the high level of parental involvement.  She urged the board to explore providing a student bus service.

She said the school’s implementation of a program that rewards positive behavior – rather than just punishing bad behavior – was resulting in improved learning and conduct.

She said teachers now hold weekly meetings with SABIS specialists in math, special education and quality control. The air conditioning has been repaired, she said, but the ovens still need work.

Update, 10/11/11: The next sentence was revised to reflect information provided on the meeting agenda.

The meeting ended with the board going into an executive session but without announcing the reason why, as is required by law. although the agenda made available at the meeting said it was to discuss personnel matters.

The calendar for 2012 will be announced in the next board meeting, Oct. 17, at 5:30 p.m.