No public in attendance.

Kendra presented comprehensive updates on school operations.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE:

Kendra presented comprehensive updates on school operations and academic progress.

Details

• Kendra: Completed mid-year formative assessments for all staff and second round of observations for academic team
• Kendra: Mid-year literacy and math data shows students are where they should be and on track to perform better than last year
• Kendra: 78% of MTSS students showed growth on mid-year reading tests, 75% had no behavior incidents, and almost half have 95% or higher attendance
• Kendra: School had first reportable discipline incident in mid-March (two 5th grade girls fighting in bathroom)
• Kendra: School is undergoing tiered monitoring review for special education with DESE orientation scheduled and documents due Monday
• Kendra: Six more students selected as Young Scholars, prioritizing 4th graders as it's their last chance

Conclusion

• Academic progress is strong and trending positively
• Special education monitoring review is in progress

ENROLLMENT AND LOTTERY UPDATES:

Kendra reported on enrollment status and lottery results.

Details

• Kendra: School is at full enrollment with 360 students
• Kendra: Lottery accepted 54 kindergartners, 1 second grader, and 1 fourth grader
• Kendra: Subsequent lottery scheduled for May to build waitlist
• Kendra: New student orientation scheduled for next Thursday from 6-7:30 PM
• Kendra: Goal is to get waitlist into double digits at every grade level

Conclusion

• School successfully filled all available seats
• Continued recruitment efforts planned

TRANSPORTATION ISSUES:

Denise and the board discussed ongoing bus transportation problems.

Details

• Kendra: More than half of the 5 big buses and 2 minibuses are often late
• Denise: Suggested writing a letter to Superintendent Sona Dinal about ongoing issues impacting students
• Kendra: Previously reached out to Patrick Roach with limited improvement
• Kendra: DESE got involved when issue affected all charter schools, resulting in temporary improvement
• Board Of: Asked about the bus tracking app not working properly
• Kendra: Some parents have better response when they contact First Student directly
• Kendra: Example of parent considering withdrawal because bus stop across busy street couldn't be moved one block
• Nealon: Raised safety concerns about students crossing busy streets
• Kendra: Not all bus stops have crossing guards
• Kendra: School van acquisition will help with long-term solution for transportation issues

Conclusion

• Director of ops to monitor for another week as weather improves
• If no improvement, will draft letter to superintendent
• Van purchase will provide alternative transportation option

FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS UPDATES:

Kendra provided updates on facilities projects and operational matters.

Details

• Kendra: Original OPM for parking lot renovation had to withdraw due to cancer recurrence
• Kendra: Met with two recommended replacements, more inclined toward engineer's recommendation
• Kendra: Sent proposed OPM contract to lawyer for review
• Kendra: Van purchase delayed due to tax exemption form having incorrect entity name (Martin Luther King Charter School of Excellence instead of Friends of Martin Luther King Charter School of Excellence)
• Kendra: Called IRS for third time to get corrected paperwork
• Kendra: All inspections have passed and are on timeline
• Kendra: Technology auditing complete for MCAS testing (ELA scheduled for April 7-8)

Conclusion

• Facilities projects moving forward with new OPM pending legal review
• Van acquisition awaiting corrected IRS documentation

FINANCIAL UPDATES AND BUDGET PLANNING:

Kendra and Diana discussed financial status and budget projections.
Details

• Kendra: First round federal funding projections show 7-9% increase, but using conservative estimate of half that amount in draft budget
• Kendra: DESE webinar indicated 15% reduction anticipated in Title I funding due to statewide decrease in low-income student percentages
• Kendra: Allocated 85% of current year's Title I funding in budget planning
• Kendra: ESSA grants monitoring (Title I, II, and 4) mostly approved, awaiting response on four indicators requiring additional documentation
• Kendra: All funds transferred from Beacon to Munson except CD locked until March 22nd
• Kendra: CD earning only 0.1% interest, will transfer on maturity date
• Kendra: Munson Bank representatives registered for community breakfast
• Kendra: Draft budget and spending plan will be ready for review at next board meeting

Conclusion

• Conservative budget approach being used
• Bank transition nearly complete
• Budget will be presented at next meeting

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Diana summarized the Academic Excellence Committee meeting and mid-year data.

Details

• Diana: Mid-year reading data is fantastic with 77% growth in closing reading skill gaps
• Diana: Last year's second graders (current third graders) are struggling as an outlier cohort
• Diana: Speculation that this cohort may have been developmentally impacted by being home during COVID
• Diana: Teachers are aware and targeting this cohort for interventions in upcoming year as fourth graders
• Diana: Without this cohort, overall reading scores would be even higher

Conclusion

• Reading performance is strong overall
• Targeted interventions planned for struggling third grade cohort

FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT

Diana reported on the Finance Committee status.

Details

• Diana: Committee did not meet this month due to agenda not being posted to Board on Track after time change
• Diana: Accountant distributed numbers to all finance committee members
• Diana: Reviewed numbers personally, everything looks good and on track
• Diana: Munson Savings Bank account now showing up in financial reports

Conclusion

• Finances are on track as expected for this stage of school year

HR COMMITTEE REPORT

Teremar summarized the HR Committee meeting from the previous Friday.

Details

• Teremar: Committee met Friday at 4:45 PM
• Teremar: Tommie from HR and Kendra attended
• Teremar: Discussed summer planning and handbook updates
• Teremar: Reviewed and recommended approval of school leader succession plan

Conclusion

• Succession plan ready for board approval
• Summer planning underway

SPRING GOVERNANCE TRAINING AND SUPPORT

Diana reminded board members about available training opportunities.

Details

• Diana: Spring governance support sign-up sheets available for open meeting law webinars
• Diana: Webinars cover various topics for board leaders
• Diana: Standing agenda item to discuss open meeting law demonstrates commitment to DESE
• Diana: Shows dedication to proper minutes despite past issues with previous board members
• Diana: Webinars are one-hour lunchtime Zoom sessions

Conclusion

• Training resources available for board members
• Attendance encouraged but optional

BOARD TRANSITION AND RECRUITMENT

Teremar discussed upcoming board leadership transition and recruitment needs.

Details

• Teremar: April will be last meeting as chair
• Teremar: Want to leave board organized before departure
• Teremar: Diana and Donna cannot manage board alone, need everyone's help
• Teremar: Active recruiting ongoing, which is one of the hardest tasks
• Teremar: Community breakfast next week will be huge opportunity for recruiting, especially bank representatives
• Teremar: Board has lost several members due to life changes
• Teremar: This is smallest the board has been in a while
• Teremar: Will send personal emails asking people to step up during transition
• Teremar: Being chair or vice chair is not daunting when working with Kendra
• Teremar: Kendra makes board work manageable and helps even beyond required duties
• Donna: Welcomed Caleb officially to his first board meeting
• Caleb: Apologized for being quiet, getting used to the process
• Teremar: Offered to meet with Caleb for crash course on Board on Track

Conclusion

• Board transition planning is critical priority
• Recruitment efforts will intensify
• Support needed from all board members during transition period

OPEN MEETING LAW COMPLIANCE

Teremar and Diana discussed strategies for improving open meeting law compliance.

Details

• Teremar: Compliance with open meeting law has been a struggle but Diana has done amazing job getting back on track
• Teremar: Resources shared from DESE and Association of Charter Schools
• Teremar: Summer retreat includes PowerPoint on open meeting law requirements
• Teremar: Posting minutes and agendas has gotten much better but can improve
• Teremar: Need to share responsibility across board members rather than placing burden on one or two people
• Diana: Open meeting law is not hard, just requires remembering technical details
• Diana: Key requirements are posting meeting notices and posting approved minutes
• Diana: Easy to forget to push button to publish minutes after voting
• Diana: Recommended checking off each step: notice posted, minutes voted, minutes published
• Kendra: Asked for clarification on whether draft minutes should be posted immediately or wait for approval
• Diana: Minutes should be attached to next meeting agenda for approval, then published after vote
• Diana: Board on Track has drop-downs that automate the process
• Diana: System sends reminder bell to post minutes after approval vote

Conclusion

• Continued focus on open meeting law compliance needed
• Streamlined processes and shared responsibility will help
• Board on Track automation features should be utilized

COMMUNITY BREAKFAST PLANNING

Brief discussion about the upcoming community breakfast event.

Details

• Donna: Will be attending community breakfast on March 25
• Teremar: Also attending
• Nealon: Invited retired teacher to attend, registered two tickets without names
• Kendra: Will take names at check-in
• Kendra: Lead team meeting with architect to plan presentation
• Kendra: Walkthrough scheduled for Tuesday
• Kendra: Munson Bank representatives registered and will attend

Conclusion

• Multiple board members attending
• Presentation being finalized
• Event seen as recruitment opportunity

EXECUTIVE DIRECT PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Teremar outlined timeline for completing overdue review.

Details

• Teremar: Review for current year is behind schedule to Kendra's detriment
• Teremar: Closed the review process
• Teremar: Diana and Board Of will work to complete review and present to board at April meeting
• Teremar: Executive session planned for April meeting to discuss review
• Teremar: Completion will satisfy DESE recommendation on board oversight of leaders
• Teremar: Need everyone present at April meeting due to multiple important items

Conclusion

• Review will be completed and presented in April
• Executive session required for discussion
• Full board attendance needed at April meeting

Kendra:

• Update enrollment policy amendment letter with March 17, 2026 date and submit to DESE by Friday
• Fix formatting issues in enrollment policy application documents before submission
• Transfer CD funds from Beacon to Munson on March 22nd when maturity date arrives
• Draft budget and spending plan for review at next board meeting
• Have director of ops monitor bus timeliness for another week as weather improves
• Draft letter to Superintendent Sona Dinal about transportation issues if no improvement seen
• Ensure follow-up calls to lottery families are made on or before third business day after email notification
• Complete walkthrough for community breakfast presentation on Tuesday
• Finalize community breakfast presentation with lead team and architect

Teremar and Diana:

• Complete executive director performance review and present to board at April meeting

Teremar:

• Meet with Caleb for crash course on Board on Track this week or next
• Send personal emails to board members asking for help during transition period

Director of Ops:

• Monitor bus timeliness for one week as weather improves
• Draft letter to superintendent about transportation if issues continue

School Lawyer:

• Review proposed OPM contract for parking lot renovation project

All Board Members:

• Attend April board meeting for executive director review and other critical items
• Consider attending spring governance support webinars on open meeting law
• Attend community breakfast on March 25 for recruitment opportunities
• Share responsibility for open meeting law compliance tasks