Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School of Excellence
Minutes
Monthly Board of Trustees Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday May 20, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Location
Board Of Trustees is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Board Of Trustees' Monthly Meeting
Time: Jan 21, 2025 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every month on the Third Tue, until Jul 15, 2025, 7 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://mlkcs-org.zoom.us/meeting/tZUtceuspj4rE9EDOb1Jb9cCQnlV6cB4xnsU/ics?icsToken=DJg3TlA-lP3MTwL-RAAALAAAALtkhqUJuIdSD2TC0FFQDNrxO54voBrhE0rGost3OL_O-FTjFMSLn9mjXej4pWBwWPmEgr1A5b8VBl76-zAwMDAwMQ&meetingMasterEventId=eppMBExJSECSI11CdolQ9Q
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mlkcs-org.zoom.us/j/81062485195?pwd=DKrpa7OhazdCK8mmnDJ1C0fLlgoVVy.1
Meeting ID: 810 6248 5195
Passcode: 422412
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Meeting ID: 810 6248 5195
Passcode: 422412
Find your local number: https://mlkcs-org.zoom.us/u/kezWTFztIm
Trustees Present
Alton Jones (remote), Bertha Wecher (remote), Darren James (remote), Diana Foskett (remote), Donna Carroll (remote), James Lightfoot (remote), Teremar Rodriguez-Vazquez (remote)
Trustees Absent
Denise Pagan-Vega, Kiyota Garcia
Guests Present
Kendra Salvador (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Darren James |
Aye
|
| Kiyota Garcia |
Absent
|
| Bertha Wecher |
Aye
|
| Teremar Rodriguez-Vazquez |
Aye
|
| Diana Foskett |
Aye
|
| James Lightfoot |
Aye
|
| Alton Jones |
Aye
|
| Denise Pagan-Vega |
Absent
|
| Donna Carroll |
Aye
|
II. Executive Director's Report to the Board
A.
Executive Director's Report to the Board
- Principal Hiring Update: Two of three Round 2 interviews completed. One strong candidate identified. Teacher panels are involved and leading Q&A. Third interview scheduled later that week.
- Director of Student Support: Internal candidate formally accepted the offer.
- Employee Handbook Review: Kendra requested more time be allocated during the June 6 meeting due to the number of proposed updates.
- Parking Lot Expansion Project:
- Original $207K bid has ballooned to $500–600K due to new engineering requirements
- Issues included regrading, underground drainage, and Public Works compliance
- Kendra will review contract language and consult DESE to explore rebidding
- Board encouraged soliciting new bids now that engineering plans are owned
B.
Vote: Budget
- Discussion: Kendra Salvador reviewed updates since the last meeting:
- Per-pupil tuition estimate increased due to Senate Ways & Means projections
- One line item (data dashboard) came in $14K over the placeholder
- Overall budget remains conservative; projected revenue still supports operating needs
- Teremar remained on the call to vote on this item
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Denise Pagan-Vega |
Absent
|
| Teremar Rodriguez-Vazquez |
Aye
|
| Bertha Wecher |
Aye
|
| Diana Foskett |
Aye
|
| Donna Carroll |
Aye
|
| Darren James |
Aye
|
| Alton Jones |
Aye
|
| Kiyota Garcia |
Absent
|
| James Lightfoot |
Aye
|
III. Committee Updates
A.
Academic Excellence
Presenter: Kendra Salvador (on behalf of Kiyota Garcia)
Discussion Summary:
- Student Outcomes: 75% of students met DESE proficiency targets
- Multilingual Learners: All but 5 exited ESL services
- Summer School 2025: Scheduled for July 7–25, with morning academics and afternoon enrichment (music, dance, art, outdoor games)
- Compliance Alert: Diana reminded committees that agendas and minutes must be posted publicly via BoardOnTrack, especially with charter renewal on the horizon
B.
Finance Committee
Presenter: Diana Foskett and Kendra Salvador
Discussion Summary:
- Strong Financial Standing: Continued surplus and conservative budgeting
- Banking Issues: Concern raised about low-interest returns from Berkshire Bank
- Action Items:
- Kendra to retrieve loan documents
- Reach out to Berkshire for better investment options
- Compare offers from Monson Savings and Peoples Bank
- Commentary: Darren James highlighted the stronger community presence and partnership interest shown by Peoples and Monson over Berkshire
C.
HR Committee
Presenter: Kendra Salvador
- Summary: No formal meeting. One teacher conflict resulted in a resignation and was resolved.
D.
FY 2025 Vote
IV. Board Chair Updates
A.
Motion to Appoint Donna Carroll as the new Clerk
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Kiyota Garcia |
Absent
|
| Bertha Wecher |
Aye
|
| Donna Carroll |
Abstain
|
| Denise Pagan-Vega |
Absent
|
| Teremar Rodriguez-Vazquez |
Absent
|
| Diana Foskett |
Aye
|
| Darren James |
Aye
|
| Alton Jones |
Aye
|
| James Lightfoot |
Aye
|
B.
Motion to add Sherard as a new Board Member
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Diana Foskett |
Aye
|
| Darren James |
Aye
|
| Kiyota Garcia |
Absent
|
| Teremar Rodriguez-Vazquez |
Absent
|
| Alton Jones |
Aye
|
| Denise Pagan-Vega |
Absent
|
| Bertha Wecher |
Aye
|
| Donna Carroll |
Aye
|
| James Lightfoot |
Aye
|
C.
Motion to add Nealon as Board Member
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Kiyota Garcia |
Absent
|
| Denise Pagan-Vega |
Absent
|
| Teremar Rodriguez-Vazquez |
Absent
|
| Darren James |
Aye
|
| Bertha Wecher |
Aye
|
| Alton Jones |
Aye
|
| James Lightfoot |
Aye
|
| Diana Foskett |
Aye
|
| Donna Carroll |
Aye
|