All Board members are participating remotely due to the Governor's emergency changes to the OML due to COVID-19. The meeting is also being recorded and access will be provided on the AMSA website.

The Board will go into executive session at the end of open meeting, to consider the purchase and lease of real property and legal strategy for negotiations with represented personnel, since open discussion could have a detrimental effect on the process. The Board will not reconvene.

Liz Saul was appointed timekeeper.

No public comment.

Jill Schafer will contact Sheila Kelly to see if she was able to phone in.

Former AMSA Board member and Chair, Rick Kamal connected with Roger Jarrett and said he would like to join the AMSA BOT Advisory Council. Everyone is excited that Rick Kamal will be participating with the AMSA Community.

Action item Sara Snow: Post Rick Kamal's profile/information on website Trustees Advisory Council Page.

See attached ED Slide Presentation and Monthly Update.

Six AMSA families picked up chromebooks who did not have computers at home.

Remote learning is not AMSA's usual educational model. AMSA relies on student engagement. The teachers have met this difficult challenge head on and their efforts have been impressive!

Commissioner Riley said we may be out of school past April vacation and even the end of the school year. There is the beginning of a shift. Should we perhaps move the curriculum slowly forward and not just provide enrichment? We are not grading until further notice. Curriculum that is enrichment only is being driven by the state. We will have to review all content in the fall if we do not return this school year.

College Board still expects to hold AP exams. We are waiting for further guidance regarding modifications to the administration process due to the current situation.

The Department of Education said teachers will be paid as usual, and are expected to participate in remote learning. Steve Smyth and Ellen Linzey have discussed this matter and there are no apparent  issues. Teachers are able to coordinate lessons based on a flexible calendar.

Has the state offered funding or resources to assist with access and equity challenges? The state has left that up to individual districts. Have there been requests for anything we do not have at AMSA? Not yet. AMSA is able to provide so far. Jessica Bowen will share that with the faculty. We are not aware of any families who are without WiFi. Mike Finkle will continue to send updates and newsletters to families, and our emergency text and call contact ability. 

Action Item Admin: Phone blast that will notify parents to contact AMSA if they do not have access to WiFi.

Teachers are creating Castomatic videos. Teachers are teaching each other new things. 

Ellen Linzey will begin holding an all staff Google Meet following her weekly Friday calls with the Commissioner. 

Ben Hammel asked if Ellen Linzey was going to hold similar meetings for AMSA families. The Executive Director and the Principal discussed this possibility, but given the size of the AMSA community, it would be more efficient to ask for questions and put answers in a letter to families. However, if it looks as if there will be an extended closure, then they would consider another way to communicate with families. Examples of information would include advice to parents and students regarding ways to encourage and assure an effective home learning experience.

Action Item Admin: Look into more ways to communicate and provide guidance to families as we move forward. 

Maura Webster reported that her children are actually excited to join classes. The teachers' response to the home learning challenge has been impressive.

Ellen Linzey said these difficult circumstances have provided an opportunity for us to demonstrate a deep commitment to each other. This situation is very stressful but has been a wonderful learning opportunity for all of us in understanding the priority of compassion and caring. Our community touches about 3000 people!

Jessica Bowen provided her monthly update. Ellen Linzey has already covered most of what she wanted to say. The challenge is not having enough resources, but rather how to organize all the resources. The teachers have been very generous.

The seniors are being impacted dramatically. Privacy concerns with Zoom, so teachers may move to Google Meet. 

Live Google Meet, value with seeing faces. She held a chorus group meet. All the classes are optional so it is heartwarming to see the large participation. 23 out of 26 participated in one of her classes today.  AP show up and the non AP kids not as much involvement. Most typical remote classes are discussion forums, reading articles with questions, or sharing videos. Scheduling has been a challenge. Online schedules and try to coordinate. Each department is meeting regularly. 

College Board  is going to allow AP testing at home. 45 minute exam, with no multiple choice questions. Written component to keep integrity. Only the first units will be covered in the exam. The metrics will not be comparative to other years. SAT have been cancelled. 

It is difficult to get feedback. The engagement is so important and it is lacking with remote learning. How do we find out what the students are enjoying and valuable. How do we encourage feedback for teachers. 

Action Item Admin:  Get a survey out to students and parents regarding remote learning.

Trivia Event soon. Every household is a team. Cameo appearances from teachers and BOT members. The 9th grade received how to practice mindfulness from Mr. Scully. Kate Driver said she is putting together a presentation for mental health issues and communication. Counseling can only be online if HIPPA approved. Ben Hammel suggested that Admin starts to create a list of wanted resources.

The Student Affairs Team is contacting teachers with guidance regarding discipline issues during home learning.

Maura Webster brought up the question about next year's calendar. The first day of school is a week earlier than many other school districts. She will revisit the start date when the current emergency becomes less of a priority.

Maura Webster would like to offer herself as the family-admin go between. The best way to contact Maura Webster is through her AMSA email. mwebster@amsacs.org.

 

Roger Jarrett stated that we are living our core values. He thanked Ellen Linzey for all her hard work and the effort of the teachers and staff. This is not a sprint, rather a long term event.

The Board needs to identify a succession plan for members in the event someone has to temporarily step down from responsibility. 

Temporary Succession Plan: 

Chair:  Roger Jarrett - Raul Porras
Vice Chair:  Raul Porras - Ben Hammel
Secretary:  Jill Schafer - Liz Saul
Treasurer: Kristin Carney - Nick Poirier

Development Chair:  Ben Hammel - Maura Webster
Education Chair: Liz Saul - Brianna Murphy
Governance: Jill Schafer - Liz Saul
Finance Chair: Kristin Carney - Nick Poirier

The Board needs to create a policy for succession plan for Board members.
The Executive Director determines their own temporary successor.

Linked-in was decided to be an effective way to share AMSA's BOT ideal candidate requirements. Jessica Bowen and Ellen Linzey are working on the document. Governance meetings are scheduled for the rest of the year.

1. In addition to succession planning to be added to the bylaws, governance to review all bylaws and policies for edits and updates.

2.  Ideal candidate document to be posted on AMSA website; in addition, Sowmini Sampath/Mike Nawrocki to assist AMSA in utilizing LinkedIn for same.

3.  Jess Bowen and Ellen Linzey to update the topic calendar per 3/10 meeting - which governance will adjust at April meeting per current crisis.

See attached Finance Report.
Liana McLaren prepared a Sports Cost Analysis.
Forekicks will offer credits.
The concern for Forekicks is like other businesses that have to close.
Does AMSA have coverage for this type of closure?

Action Item Admin: Look into coverage for interruption of service.

Annual Giving just under 14K.

The March Education Committee meeting was cancelled. Liz Saul has not yet scheduled remote meetings. What would a program look like in the event this happens again. Preserve what has been done, and create a document with best practices. Collect data now, do analysis later.

Ben Hammel was not able to hold a meeting this month. He will schedule a meeting next week. they will discuss what the Development Committee can do to help the school with immediate needs, and how to get resources. 

The spring survey was scheduled to launch after spring break. Should we stick with that date or change? Will we keep the same questions or is the real question what would be the value of the data given the situation? Would it even make sense to conduct the survey at this time?  The regular survey may not really be helpful or relevant. Mike Nawrocki and Brianna Murphy have already started creating a new survey directly related to our current circumstance.

Roger Jarrett suggested the Board postpone the spring survey and go with the new survey.  Ben Hammel suggested that if we do forego the regular survey, staff and parents need to know how they can still communicate their questions and concerns. Share the channels of communication in an official capacity. Roger Jarrett said that given the data will be impacted by the current situation, let's take the spring survey off the Board's plate. The topic calendar will also be impacted. Governance can discuss the topic calendar at the April 14 Committee meeting. Roger Jarrett is asking Governance to provide a revised topic calendar for school year and provide a recommendation on the survey. 

The Board will figure out what needs to be put in place for more effective remote meetings. For example, document access. Send further thoughts to Roger Jarrett.

Budget and Q3 check in SMART goals (4 categories) and new (aligned with school year) SMART goals in May
Governance report and recommendations and Vision Document
Approval of ED Goals
Investment Policy
 

Budget discussion in April
check in on goals
Investment Policy

Roger Jarrett invited Ellen Linzey, Mike Nawrocki, Liana McLaren, and Lisa O'Connor to executive session.  They will take a five minute break and start the executive session at 9:05pm.