F.W. Parker Charter Essential School
Minutes
Board of Trustees
Date and Time
Tuesday November 9, 2021 at 6:45 PM
Location
Parker School
Trustees Present
A. Jolly, C. Regan-Davi, G. Penna, J. Saxe, M. Lindsey, M. Silva-Rosa, M. Turnbull, N. Odekirk Hatlevig, S. Reinhorn, T. Sumner
Trustees Absent
S. Roach, T. Testa
Guests Present
D. Merriam, D. Van Patten, K. Tedstone, M. McKenna
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C. Regan-Davi called a meeting of the board of trustees of F.W. Parker Charter Essential School to order on Tuesday Nov 9, 2021 at 6:50 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
N. Odekirk Hatlevig made a motion to approve the minutes from Board of Trustees on 10-12-21.
M. Silva-Rosa seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Roach |
Absent
|
| M. Silva-Rosa |
Abstain
|
| T. Testa |
Absent
|
II. Search Committee Update
A.
Search Committee Update
Glenn Penna and Deb Merriam delivered an update from the Search Committee. Glenn shared the opportunity statement prepared by the search firm, Educators Collaborative, with input from the Search Committee. Stefanie Reinhorn asked how to involve the faculty/staff in understanding how the work and priorities of the new Head of School may be different from Todd Sumner's current role.
III. Principal's Report
A.
Principal's Report
Todd Sumner directed the Board to he Principal's Report in the meeting packet. Todd said that it is nice to be back on campus and Applefest was an opportunity for the community to celebrate and care for one another.
IV. Retreat Planning
A.
Retreat Planning
Christine Regan-Davi asked for Board member volunteers to assist with preparations for the January Board retreat. Nicole Odekirk-Hatlevig volunteered.
V. Committee Reports
A.
Facilities
Martin Turnbull presented the Facilities Committee report included in the meeting packet. Martin said the Committee has discussed the scope and sequence of future projects and has discussed ways to fund projects. Martin asked the Board to consider whether the timing is right to consider "quality of life" projects.
B.
Development
Jennifer Saxe gave an update on the Essential Commitment Fund. Jennifer said it is important to have 100% Board participation.
Katrina Tedstone said:
- Development Committee may ask Board members to extend their outreach to increase engagement in giving.
- Div1 Community Conversations have improved the culture of giving at Parker.
- The fund is currently at $67K.
- Development is focusing on alum participation for Giving Tuesday.
Katrina highlighted the advocacy visit from Senator Jamie Eldridge and Dan Sena. Katrina said the Mass Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) uses Parker as an example for other charter schools on how to run advocacy visits.
C.
Governance
Matt Lindsey walked Board members through how to share their skills in Board on Track to help identify skill strengths and skill gaps. Matt said this information assists the Government Committee in recruiting new members.
D.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Mario Silva-Rosa said that DEI Committee has decided to focus on two efforts:
- Supporting the DEI work of faculty on campus and working with the community on a variety of events
- Working to increase diversity in the pool of student applications
Mario said the Committee also discussed the importance of increasing diversity within the NTC program.
E.
Finance
Glenn Penna directed members to the first quarter dashboard report included in the meeting packet.
Michelle McKenna said school finances look good. She said that enrollment is down but tuition is favorable given higher per pupil tuition rate.
VI. Other Business
A.
Comments from the Public
There were no comments from the public.
VII. Votes
A.
Adjourn the Meeting
G. Penna made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
M. Silva-Rosa seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:34 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
M. Lindsey