No public in attendance.

Kendra Salvador presented Executive Director’s Report:

The Executive Director reported an exceptionally strong start to the school year.

• Charter Accountability: The accountability plan remains pending final DESE approval. The enrollment policy amendment is proceeding to DESE for review, while the proposed bylaws revision will be discussed separately.
• Academics: Teachers are focusing on intellectual preparation, supported by coaching and more frequent literacy and math content meetings. Beginning-of-year reading and math assessments are nearing completion, including the new MCLASS Math assessment alongside iReady. Special Education staff are using new IEP preparation templates, and the new Multilingual Learner Program Director is reviewing screening and family-engagement processes.
• Student Support: There have been no suspensions to date. The school recorded 62 minor and 26 major incidents, primarily involving work avoidance and failure to follow directions. Wednesdays and the 1:00–2:00 p.m. post-lunch period have been identified as the highest-frequency times, and targeted interventions are being developed.
• Enrollment and Attendance: Student departures have primarily resulted from family relocations and sibling placement at K–8 or K–12 schools. The school increased its recruitment goal to 300 applications and has already participated in three recruitment events. Board members recommended relocating the Holyoke Mall advertisement to a higher-traffic area; administration will explore alternatives. Current attendance is 95.1%, compared with 96.9% at this time last year. New interventions include staff caseloads, personalized family outreach, earlier intervention, teacher follow-up, and greater emphasis on attendance during morning meetings. Board members also suggested proactive positive messaging, shorter-term incentives for improvement, peer mentoring for older students, and recognition or incentives for caregivers.
• Operations: The new fast-lane dismissal system is now operating smoothly. Van driver licensing and October 1 state reporting are in progress. The school nurse will depart at the end of the month, and recruitment for an RN replacement is underway. SPS replaced Sodexo as the food-service provider, with existing cafeteria staff remaining in place. Facility and technology updates include exterior-door weather stripping, bids for a new intercom system, two new servers, planned network upgrades, Chromebook insurance, and new internet-based communication devices. The part-time evening custodian position remains vacant.

Committee did not meet this month.

Kendra Salvador presented Finance Committee report and updates:

• The annual audit is nearing completion, with a cautiously optimistic outlook. Budget-to-actual results remain favorable. Supply expenses reflect advance purchasing, while personnel underspending is attributable to vacant positions.
• Current assets total approximately $4.8 million, including funds held at Beacon Bank and two $1 million certificates of deposit at Munson with staggered maturity dates and interest rates of approximately 3.6%–4%. Kendra will ask Megan to update the bank name from Berkshire Bank to Beacon Bank in future financial reports.

Grants: 

• The school received an $85,000 Davis Foundation grant to support early-literacy initiatives, including LETRS structured-literacy training for teachers and school leaders, as well as a $35,000 technology grant.
• Allison is pursuing a $100,000 AOTA grant providing $50,000 annually for two years. The proposed partnership with AIC would engage occupational therapy and public health interns in delivering a social-emotional learning program, including support for the transition from lunch to the classroom. The initiative would use existing school assessments and include the Community Center’s after-school program. AIC’s grant writer is assisting with the application.
• The Community Center is also applying for a SAFE grant to implement the Strong African American Families violence-prevention program for middle and high school students. The program could provide continued support for students as they transition into high school.

Build-Out and Development:

• Garcia Galuska D’Souza Incorporated was recommended to provide engineering services for the unfinished-space build-out. Its $9,600 proposal includes a site visit, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing assessments, an existing-conditions report, and a review of cost estimates.
• The Board agreed to proceed without a formal vote. Kendra will confirm next steps and schedule a follow-up meeting with the architects. Strategic Planning and Development Committee members Nilan, Alton, and Denise will be copied on related communications.

Donna Carroll presented Governance & HR Committee updates:

Board Recruitment:

• The Board discussed the need to recruit additional members and maintain the minimum membership required by the bylaws. Members were asked to identify prospective candidates through their professional networks. Committee service was also identified as a potential entry point for individuals who may not initially be ready for full Board membership.
• Donna reported that Ireland Stevenson had not responded to two outreach attempts. Caleb confirmed that she remains interested in learning more and will ask her to contact Donna directly. If no response is received, Donna will discontinue further outreach to this candidate.

Employee Handbook:

• The employee handbook revisions discussed during the Board retreat have been incorporated and do not require a formal vote.
• For future consideration, Kendra proposed returning to a per-pay-period PTO accrual system rather than front-loading leave. This is not a proposed change for the current year.

Development Committee did not meet this month.

Donna Carroll and Kendra Salvador led discussion of Bylaws Revision:

The Board reviewed the proposed 2026 version of the bylaws against DESE’s 22-item bylaws checklist (last updated in 2014). The review identified several areas requiring clarification or additional language to ensure alignment with DESE requirements.

Term Limits — Checklist Item 16 and Section 3.5

• The proposed bylaws established three-year terms for trustees but did not specify limits on consecutive or total terms, as required by DESE. The Board agreed to establish a limit of three consecutive three-year terms, allowing a trustee to serve for up to nine consecutive years. Trustees may choose to leave the Board before completing the maximum number of terms.
• The Board noted that the 2010 bylaws limited trustees to two consecutive terms, with an exception permitting founding trustees to serve three terms. Because no founding trustees remain on the Board, that exception is no longer applicable. The three-term limit was also viewed as supporting Board recruitment by permitting experienced members to serve longer when needed.

Special Majority Votes — Checklist Item 19 and Article 11

• The draft referenced actions requiring a special majority vote but did not provide a complete list of those actions. The Board agreed to incorporate DESE’s enumerated list of matters requiring a supermajority vote directly into Article 11. These include actions such as amending the school’s charter and amending the bylaws.
• The revised language will also clarify that the phrase “trustees then in office” refers to all trustees actively serving on the Board at the time of the vote.

Attendance and Removal — Section 3.8 and Article 9

• The draft stated that three unexcused absences within a calendar year would trigger a vote on a trustee’s removal. However, the final sentence created ambiguity regarding whether a vote was required when the absences were consecutive.
• Following clarification from Alton, the Board agreed that:
• Three unexcused absences during a calendar year will trigger a Board vote on removal; and
• Three consecutive missed Board meetings will result in automatic removal without a vote.
• The bylaws will be revised to clearly distinguish between these two circumstances.

Public Complaint Process — Article 9

• The draft permitted complaints to be submitted verbally or in writing but did not adequately define the investigation and response process. Specifically, it did not identify the investigating body, explain how verbal complaints would be documented, establish when the 30-day response period would begin, or clearly define the meeting at which the complaint would be addressed.
• The Board agreed to revise the process as follows:
• The Governance Committee will serve as the investigating body;
• Verbal complaints will be formally recorded and documented in the meeting minutes;
• The 30-day response period will begin upon receipt of the complaint; and
• References to a “regularly scheduled board meeting” will be replaced with “monthly Board of Trustees meeting” to eliminate ambiguity.

Internal Cross-Reference

• A minor internal cross-reference involving Article 11 and Sections 3.4–3.6 was identified and corrected.

Next Steps

• Legal counsel will review the revised draft before it is submitted to DESE for provisional feedback. Any feedback received from DESE will be incorporated into the document, after which the final bylaws will be presented to the Board for approval.
• No Board vote on the bylaws was required at this stage. The Board will vote on the final version after DESE completes its provisional review.

The Board discussed the importance of consistent attendance at both full Board and committee meetings. Because the Board currently has a limited number of members, absences can affect quorum and the Board’s ability to complete required governance work and meet its commitments to DESE.

The attendance provisions in the proposed bylaws were reviewed. Three unexcused absences within a calendar year will trigger a Board vote on removal, while three consecutive missed meetings will result in automatic removal without a vote.

Kendra entered all Board and committee meetings for the academic year into BoardOnTrack. Members were asked to review the schedule and RSVP through the platform so attendance and quorum can be anticipated.

The Board discussed the need for multiple officers to understand BoardOnTrack’s administrative functions to ensure continuity and avoid relying on one individual to manage the platform.

Donna will coordinate lunchtime training sessions for the Board officers: Donna as Chair, Caleb as Secretary, and Tim as Treasurer. The training will build shared knowledge of the platform and provide redundancy in completing essential Board functions. Committee chairs may also benefit from participating in relevant training.

Each committee will draft its goals for the 2026–2027 academic year during its next committee meeting. All committees are scheduled to meet before the October Board meeting.

Committees will present their proposed goals to the full Board in October for discussion and finalization. The Academic Excellence Committee did not meet in September and will hold its first meeting in October, when beginning-of-year assessment data will also be reviewed.

The Board discussed the importance of ongoing professional development to support compliance with Open Meeting Law and other charter school governance requirements.

Donna will review the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association’s professional development calendar and recommend relevant training opportunities at the next Board meeting. Trainings generally occur from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. New Board members were especially encouraged to participate, although the opportunities will be available and beneficial to all members.