Students at Edgar P. Harney Spirit of Excellence Academy will get to sleep in an extra 15 minutes in the coming year, with the start of the school day moved from 7:45 to 8 a.m.
In other action at its May monthly meeting the board approved the academic calendar for the coming year as well as teacher bonuses and a contract with an accounting firm.
The first day of school for Harney’s first- through eighth-graders will be Aug. 6, with kindergarteners starting Aug. 11.
CEO Eileen Williams said Harney students traditionally start earlier than students at other schools to avoid forgetting what they’ve learned over the summer.
Pushing the start of the school day to 8 a.m. was explained as a way to give Harney faculty time to drop off children at daycare and spare their older kids early bus rides.
The board also approved $37,000 in bonuses for teachers who raised student test scores or who missed no more than three days of work. Long-term substitute teachers also are eligible for bonuses.
Finally, the board approved a $15,780 contract with the Bruno & Tervalon accounting firm to audit the school this year. The lowest bid for the job was $13,250, but the firm was deemed to have little experience auditing charter schools.
A public hearing on the 2014-15 budget is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 16 in the school cafeteria.
HARNEY and BRUNO & TERVALON: I don’t have a problem with BRUNO & TERVALON, per se, but considering that the other competing firm was not selected, what is the name of the audit firm that was NOT selected based on its limited experience in auditing charter schools? And Kelsey, would you please let us know what other charter schools BRUNO & TERVALON “audits,” and would you please hurry up because I am trying to hold onto my chair while you gather up this information. Thank you very much. I love blessed Elysian Fields and see the BRUNO & TERVALON office every day.