F.W. Parker Charter Essential School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday May 10, 2016 at 6:45 PM
Location
Room 27 at Parker
Trustees Present
B. Amici, C. Lower, C. Stack-Haan, J. Adams, J. Bartsch, J. Howard, J. Wood, K. Reeves, L. Warner, M. Smith, M. Smith, M. VanderWilden, P. MacDonald, S. Roach, T. Sumner
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
Caroline Beasley, M. McKenna, Mary Beasley Beaudoin, N. Dudensing
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
C. Coonahan welcomed everyone, introduced visitors and previewed the agenda for the meeting.
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C. Lower called a meeting of the board of trustees of F.W. Parker Charter Essential School to order on Tuesday May 10, 2016 at 6:47 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
S. Roach made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 04-12-16 Board Meeting on 04-12-16.
J. Wood seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
S. Roach made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 04-12-16 Board Meeting on 04-12-16.
J. Wood seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Topics for Discussion
A.
Youth Venture Champion: Annual Update from Program Lead
C. Beasley reported on the United Way Youth Venture program at Parker. Highlights of the program include the participation of nearly 30 students from all three divisions, three new teams launched this year, and three teams that have been revived by being adopted by other students. She also spoke about Carolyn Edwards taking over as Youth Venture Champion next year.
B.
Refinancing Options: First Read
T. Sumner and M. McKenna delivered a short presentation entitled "Facilities Financing Considerations" that provided an overview of how Parker is funded, how the school "balances its budget," what the school's reserves and fundraising have looked like historically, and the estimated facilities costs for the next ~20 years based on the recent CNA. They then led a discussion of different funding options, including increasing our borrowing when our bond pool comes up for renewal in 2017, drawing from our reserves and increasing fundraising. J. Howard shared the Finance Committee's overwhelming support of an option that would include a moderate increase in borrowing (~$250,000) and a moderate drawing down of reserves (~$500,000). The Board unanimously voted to waive its usual two read policy for proposals so it can vote on this issue at this meeting.
III. Principal’s Report
A.
Principal's Report
T. Sumner provided some more details and answered questions about items included in his distributed Principal's Report.
IV. Items for Statutory Approval + Second Reads
A.
Charter Amendment Expulsion Policy
S. Roach made a motion to revise the expulsion policy in Parker's charter, in response to regulatory changes made by the state.
J. Adams seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
B. Charter Amendment West Boylston
S. Roach made a motion to add West Boylston to Parker's enrollment region, filling a geographical incoherency that has inadvertently existed from the opening of Parker.
J. Adams seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Committee Reports
A.
Principal Evaluation Committee
J. Bartsch reported that all Board members and the majority of senior staff members have completed the Principal Evaluation survey and that the summary of the surveys will be shared with Board members in preparation for June's meeting.
B.
Governance Committee
B. Amici reported on recent work of the Committee, including identifying candidates for the positions that will be open starting next year. The Committee has been pleased with the quality of the candidates this year and will bring its nominations to June's meeting.
C.
Finance Committee
M. McKenna provided an overview of the 3rd quarter financial dashboard, reporting that our budget was roughly in line with projections.
VI. Public Comments
A.
New item
There were no comments from the public.
VII. Votes
A.
Votes this month
J. Adams made a motion to approve Option B for facilities financing considerations (borrowing an additional ~$250,000 with our 2017 bond renewal and using ~$500,000 from reserves), as recommended by the Finance Committee.
S. Roach seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VIII. New Business
A.
New item
C. Stack wondered about since more work has been happening in committees, whether it made sense for the full Board to meet quarterly rather than monthly.
IX. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
T. Sumner made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
J. Adams seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:19 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
C. Lower