Governance
Renaissance is committed to a multi-level Collaborative Leadership Model. Since its inception as a New Visions School in 1993, the school’s governance structure has been centered on collaboration, cooperation and communication among all stakeholders.
Located at the very crossroads of Jackson Heights, Renaissance values the
important roles of parents and the community. Parents and distinguished
representatives of the community serve on the Board of Trustees. Parents
form half of the membership of the Collaborative School Governance
Committee which sets educational policy and charter improvement goals.
Parents organized an extremely active PTA and serve on numerous
schoolwide committees such as Staffing, Budget, Safety, Admissions, After
school, Arts and Playground.
In this model the Board of Trustees determines whether the school is fulfilling the mandates of its Charter, monitors the fiscal integrity of the school, and evaluates and oversees the performance of the school’s leadership team.
- Sandy Geyer, Chairperson, Co-Director, The Renaissance Charter School (Retired)
- Dr. Monte Joffee, Vice Chairperson, Founding Principal, The Renaissance Charter School (Retired)
- Maura Malarcher, Secretary, Founding Teacher, The Renaissance Charter School
- Dennis Agostino, Parent Representative, Supervisor of Plasterers, NYC DOE
- Nancy Condyles, Teacher, The Renaissance Charter School
- Stacey Gauthier, Principal, The Renaissance Charter School
- Justin Ginsburgh, Associate, Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group
- Larisa Ortiz, Larisa Ortiz Associates, Principal Markets Advisory Service, LISC
- Maggie Martinez DeLuca, Director of the Urban Education Semester, Bank Street College Graduate School of Education
- Francine Smith, School Aide, Founding Parent, The Renaissance Charter School
- Helen Zumaeta, Teacher, Teacher Representative, The Renaissance Charter School
The Board delegates to the Collaborative School Governance Committee (CSG) the task of studying the quality of life in the school and reviewing broad instructional policies at the school. The CSG comprises appointed and elected representatives of all school constituencies.
- Stacey Gauthier, Principal
- Denise Hur, SMT Staff at Large
- Vincent Garelick, UFT Chapter Chair
- Theresa Agostino, Parent, PTA Co-President
- Geraldine Neary, Parent, PTA Co-President
- Jennifer Tomforde, Parent, Parent At Large
- Jay Sherman, Parent, Parent At Large
- Patricia Poljanic, School Aide Non-Pedagogical Representative
- Suzanne Arnold, Teacher K-5 Representative
- Lisa Laylock-Hurley, Parent K-4 Representative
- Suzanne Reinhardt, Parent 5-6 Representative
- Dennis Gereritz, Teacher 6-8 Representative
- Wilma Semple, Parent 7-8 Representative
- Janna Ostroff, Teacher 9-10 Representative
- Kimberly Pirro, Parent 9-10 Representative
- Martha Bolivar, Teacher 11-12 Representative
- Niza Martin, Parent 11-12 Representative
- Everett Boyd, Teacher ISS Representative
- Patti Rodriguez, Parent ISS Representative
- Javier Estrella, Student 7-8 Representative
- Simon Ortiz, Student 9-10 Representative
- Elijah Hamilton, Student 11-12 Representative
Student Government supports the voice of our students in our Governance structure. We are happy to note that the first official Student Government High School By-Laws were fully adopted as of June 6, 2011 by the sitting student government.
- 9th Grade Officers: Danny Brown, Tenzin Dechen, Ryan White
- 10th Grade Officers: Luisa Posada, Javier Rosero, Daniela Rios
- 11th Grade Officers: Saoussan Elghouass, Eloise McAviney, Mohammad Jawwad, Jessica Tello
- 12th Grade Officers: Alina Krischanovich, Ian Sugrue, Alejandro Ossio, and Eric Cunningham
- Advisers: Thandi Guimaraes, Sandra Fritz, Robert Evangelista and Janna Ostroff
Read the bylaws here: ByLaws 2011
School Management Team implements the policies established by the CSG. The team consists of the Principal and currently includes Directors of Teaching and Learning, Instructional Support, Operations and Finance, and Development and Partnerships.
The SMT handles the day-to-day operation of the school and the Co-Principals handle external relations and dissemination of best practices beyond the school. One of SMT’s main responsibilities is to be the vision keeper of the school. This model is specifically designed to be fluid with team member roles being adjusted to meet the current needs of the school.