F.W. Parker Charter Essential School
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday February 9, 2021 at 6:45 PM
This meeting will be held remotely via Teams by using the following link: http://parker.school/boardoftrusteesmeeting
Trustees Present
C. Regan-Davi (remote), G. Penna (remote), J. Saxe (remote), M. Lindsey (remote), M. Silva-Rosa (remote), M. Turnbull (remote), M. VanderWilden (remote), S. Reinhorn (remote), S. Roach (remote), T. Sumner (remote), T. Testa (remote), Z. Basma (remote)
Trustees Absent
B. Balasubramanyam
Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned
T. Testa
Guests Present
D. Van Patten (remote), K. Tedstone (remote), M. Beganski (remote), M. McKenna (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
S. Roach called a meeting of the board of trustees of F.W. Parker Charter Essential School to order on Tuesday Feb 9, 2021 at 6:53 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
M. VanderWilden made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 12-08-20.
S. Reinhorn seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| G. Penna |
Aye
|
| M. Turnbull |
Aye
|
| C. Regan-Davi |
Aye
|
| Z. Basma |
Abstain
|
| T. Sumner |
Aye
|
| M. Silva-Rosa |
Aye
|
| T. Testa |
Abstain
|
| S. Reinhorn |
Aye
|
| S. Roach |
Aye
|
| J. Saxe |
Aye
|
| M. VanderWilden |
Aye
|
| M. Lindsey |
Aye
|
| B. Balasubramanyam |
Absent
|
II. School Model Spring Term
A.
School Model Spring Term
Todd Sumner said that Parker is moving forward with plans to pivot to a hybrid model. The earliest start date would be March 1. Todd said changes in virus activity could change these plans.
Todd presented rationale for moving in this direction:
- Data collected from the December survey of families showing that while most families say that remote learning is going well, a similar number would send students to school if there was an in-person option.
- Improving the social and emotional welfare of students which will also create more engagement in learning.
- Increased faculty openness to being at school.
- COVID testing program available to schools.
- COVID vaccinations becoming more widely available and offered to teachers in the coming weeks.
- National data showing low virus transmission in schools.
- Warmer weather is coming and with it more opportunities to be outdoors.
Todd described current plans for the pivot to hybrid:
- Students will be in the building by Division for one in-person day each week.
- All four wings of the building will be used to spread students out throughout the building.
- AH and MST classes will be in person and Spanish and Wellness will continue to be remote.
- Full-time remote will remain an option for anyone who wants it and the in-person day would be an asynchronous day for this group.
Todd said that plans will be fine-tuned in upcoming faculty meetings.
Todd invited questions and comments from Board members.
III. Principal's Report
A.
Principal's Report
Todd Sumner said the State asked schools to develop plans for how they would spend money that may be provided by the Student Opportunity Act (SOA). Todd said the SOA is a plan for increased investment in schools which was passed almost two years ago by Massachusetts Legislature. Todd said Parker's SOA plan helps to continue many of its good practices.
Todd said that the Governor's budget includes the first year of funding for the SOA.
DESE guidance, Evidence-Based Program Examples, and the full Parker SOA plan are part of the meeting materials sent to Board members ahead of the meeting and attached to meeting records. The Board will vote on the plan at the end of this meeting.
Todd said that Parker hosted virtual visits from several legislators in recent weeks. Todd thanked Christine Regan-Davi for assisting with the visits. He said the visits were opportunities to show how Parker is similar and different from other charter schools.
IV. Committee Reports
A.
Facilities
Martin Turnbull said there was nothing to report from the Committee.
B.
Finance
Glenn Penna and Michelle McKenna presented the Q2 FY21 Dashboard report.
Michelle reported:
- Overall the numbers are favorable.
- Parker is applying for 100K in grants - 12K from State and 87K from Federal sources.
- It is hard to tell how the year will end and if COVID costs will be offset by grants.
- Grant funding and Annual Fund contributions have resulted in Q2 looking better than Q1.
C.
Development
Katrina Tedstone reported on Development work.
Katrina reported:
- The Lowell Sun published a piece about Parker's commitment to education.
- Annual Fund is just over 170K and is tracking 50% over this time last year.
- An online version of Community Conversations is in the works.
- ECO sponsored a book-gifting Valentine's Staff Appreciation event.
- Grants are being written with focus on 1:1 device, software needs, and art programs.
- Alumni work is going strong and the group is setting goals for the next 6 months.
- There were meetings with State Legislators, Cronin, Harrington, Higgins, and Sena.
Katrina said that the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) is hosting a
statewide virtual advocacy week and encouraged Board members to participate.
D.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Mario Siva-Rosa reported that the Committee met to discuss goals that were generated in January's Board retreat. Mario said the Committee plans to:
- Dive into the Antiracism Task Force proposal and engage members of the community.
- Personal work and reflection at the Faculty level
- Bring this work to the Board level
- Collaborate with staff to recruit and support underrepresented populations into Parker and determine the role of the Board in these endeavors.
E.
Governance
Christine Regan-Davi reported that the Committee is looking for a Chair. Christine said she would be willing to co-chair the Committee.
T. Testa left.
F.
Principal Eval & Support
Christine said that the Principal evaluation begins now with a full evaluation in the spring.
A team from the Board will meet with legal advisors to review and discuss renewal of Todd Sumner's contract. Steve Roach said the team will present and and discuss the contract during an Executive Session in the March Board meeting. Todd will not be present at the session. Steve said that Board members who are employees have a voice but are not permitted to vote on compensation.
V. Other Business
A.
Comments from the public
There were no comments from the public.
VI. Votes
A.
Vote on SOA Plan
T. Sumner made a motion to approve the SOA plan.
C. Regan-Davi seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| T. Testa |
Absent
|
| J. Saxe |
Aye
|
| M. Lindsey |
Aye
|
| G. Penna |
Aye
|
| S. Reinhorn |
Aye
|
| M. VanderWilden |
Aye
|
| S. Roach |
Aye
|
| T. Sumner |
Aye
|
| M. Silva-Rosa |
Aye
|
| C. Regan-Davi |
Aye
|
| Z. Basma |
Aye
|
| M. Turnbull |
Aye
|
| B. Balasubramanyam |
Absent
|
VII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
G. Penna made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
J. Saxe 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 8:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
M. Lindsey
Documents used during the meeting
- Principal's Report 9 February 2021.pdf
- Anti Racist Task Force Proposal 2021 Final draft.pdf
- soa-evidence-based-examples.pdf
- Dashboard Q2 FY21.pdf
- BOT highlights February 2021.pdf
- FWPCES SOA Plan 2021-2023.pdf