Cedars International Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Thursday August 21st, 2025 @12:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin present member On Time At Adjournment
Sidne Campbell not present member
Enrique Suarez present member On Time At Adjournment
Dr. Michael G. Blalock, Board President present chair On Time At Adjournment
Giacomo Leone present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Kerry Parker present member On Time At Adjournment

Regular Board Meeting

A Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees of Cedars International Academy is scheduled for Thursday August 21, 2025 beginning at 12:00 pm at Our Lady's Maronite Church , Austin, TX 78723.The meeting may be attended via Zoom by contacting Dr. Leslie Sparacello at 512-419-1551 for meeting information. The subjects to be discussed or considered or upon which any formal action may be taken are as listed below. Items do not have to be taken in the order shown on this meeting notice. Unless removed from the consent agenda, items identified within the consent agenda will be acted on at one time. As authorized by the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code Section 551.001 et seq., the Board during the


The meeting was called to order by Dr. Blalock at 12:00 Noon

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approval of the Minutes of July 17, 2025.

By: Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin Seconded by: Kerry Parker

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

A motion to approve the consent agenda with the exception of Item 7, 25-26 Handbooks.

By: Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin Seconded by: Kerry Parker

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

A motion to approve the 25-26 Handbooks.

By: Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin Seconded by: Enrique Suarez

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

A motion to approve of Contracts of over 50K.

By: Giacomo Leone Seconded by: Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

A motion to Adjourn the meeting was made at 12:40 pm.

By: Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin Seconded by: Giacomo Leone

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

II. Report Items

  1. Superintendent Report




Consent Agenda

  1. 25-26 Staff and New Hires to date
  2. 25-25 Calendar Revision to add 1 day for ACE program
  3. Adult Meal Costs
  4. 25-26 Handbooks
  5. Policies related to 89th legislature
  6. District Improvement Plan 25-26
  7. UIL Board Resolution for participation of non-enrolled students.
  8. Revised Stipend list.






IV. Discuss and Possible Action Items


  1. Discussion and possible approval of items discussed in closed session.
  2. Discussion and possible approval of 25-26 Budget
  3. Discussion and possible approval of New Board Meeting time
  4. Discussion and possible approval of selecting a Broker for the sale of the Crowley campus.
  5. Discussion and possible approval of contracts over 50K
  6. Discussion and possible approval of revised leave policy.


Item #4: The Board was addressed by Jimbo Cotton, with Austin Cotton and Bill Murs attending. His company is representing Cedars in the marketing of the Cawley Campus. He did a thorough job of explaining the process, possibilities, and the current market. He stated that the price would also depend on the purchaser’s intended use of the prime location.

His estimate of the sale cost at $25/square foot would be $2,950,000.  














The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:41 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Giacomo Leone Seconded by: Chorbishop Donald J. Sawyer, DMin

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

OPEN FORUM

Those wishing to speak in Open Forum should give their names to the school director prior to the meeting. Board members will listen to comments but, as the designated spokesperson, only the president may respond to the speaker if required. Those responses are limited to: Correcting misstatements of fact presented by the speaker, referring the speaker to applicable board policy, and placing the item on a future board agenda for discussion if not listed on the current board agenda.



Presentation:

'The board was addressed by High School Instructor, Jim Lott about the high school faculty being confused and concerned about a recent letter in which leave days [LOAs] were discussed. He stated that the faculty was concerned about losing leave days and the financial implications thereof. 


Dr. Sparacello stated that the letter was due to a directive from the state and was sorry about the confusion, but that the faculty had been informed that the status of leave days would remain the same as in the past.


Mr. Loft explained that in his seven years on the faculty he has been very pleased with administration at Cedars.