The board of directors of the Audubon Charter School — formally, French and Montessori Education Inc. – met Sept. 17, from 10:18 to 11 a.m. Present from the start were board members the Rev. Cornelius Tilton, Carlos Zervigon, Olivier Brochenin, Gloria Bingmon, Timothy Jackson, Yvonne (Teddi) Locke, Miriam Maxwell, Robert D. Sloan, Jacqueline Smith and Kimberly Washington.  Board Member Wynn Seemann arrived late. Board members Brandon Davis and Elfi Cheynet were absent.

Three people were in the audience, including a reporter for The Lens.

Highlights of reports to the board included the following:

Audubon is the recipient of a $47,000 Louisiana Renaissance Language Program grant. It pays the salary and benefits of a new “interventionist” who will work in French classes. The board agreed to cover costs in excess of the grant.

The Montessori Program’s upper elementary program (fourth, fifth and sixth grades) is working to get all its teachers certified. The eventual goal is full accreditation by Montessori.

Engineers visited the Carrollton campus on Sept. 8 and to evaluate the site for a facilities upgrade financed by  “stabilization money” from the Orleans Parish School Board. OPSB chose seven schools to receive such funding.  After New Year’s, Audubon Charter is scheduled to move temporarily to the former Jean Gordon School site in Gentilly so the remediation work can be completed in Carrollton. Two additional classrooms for special-ed classes have been secured at the Gentilly site.

Applications for admission to Audubon Charter will be accepted from Oct. 10 through Jan.  13. This is the first year the school will accept a system-wide common app. It will be supplemented with an attachment through which parents will be advised about the school’s two different programs — French immersion and Montessori. They will then select one or the other.

Discussion revealed that the board has not had a functioning “finance committee” since 2006. Part of the problem has been a failure to find a board member with the requisite skills who is willing to take on the responsibility. It’s a problem that needs to be remedied, board members agreed.

The school just signed a new six-year charter agreement with OPSB.

Members were urged to think about their nominations for board officers for 2012, to be discussed at a future meeting.

No vote or decisions were made at the September meeting. The board next meets on Oct. 15.