Tiffany led the board in two advisory activities to build group dynamics. 

The board engaged in a reflective activity generating pluses/deltas of the September Retreat. Brian proposed making this kind of reflection a regular routine. 

The board read an excerpt from The Students are Watching and paired up to share passages that resonated with them with a partner. Following the walk & talk, trustees shared their passages and rationale for choosing them. 

Brian shared his Head of School Report and began with his reflections on Parker as a place that builds a strong community and authentic relationships. He also shared he views student leadership at Parker as exceptional. 

Brian discussed the launch of Community Blocks and the variety of opportunities students are engaged in, including the Parker Ambassadors and Creative Writing. 

Brian stated that he believes we are in a really good place as a school and he has heard folks saying it feels like we are close to back to normal. 

Brian highlighted the Enrollment numbers and his recent Friday community email sharing our concerns and asking for input from the community. Next Tuesday, Parker will host a brainstorming session with the community on the issues related to enrollment. 

The top two areas of concern for Parker according to Brian are teacher compensation and enrollment. He stated we are actively trying to address those areas. 

Mara asked for further clarification on the causes of enrollment challenges. Brian asked Deb Merriam to speak to the challenges. She shared the top two causes of the challenge are related to lower enrollment and higher withdrawal numbers than the norm. 

Stef asked how trustees can be helpful relative to the enrollment challenges. Deb shared that a push to get individuals into next year's applicant pool and then another push to answer questions and promote higher acceptance of offers when they are made could help. 

Christina reported the main task discussed at the recent Finance Committee meeting focused on staff bonuses. The committee discussed potential challenges and is prepared to make a recommendation to the Board that $300,000 from the reserve be allocated to staff bonuses. The plan also includes Brian and school leadership discussing the structure of bonuses. Further details will be shared at the November meeting. 

Katrina reminded trustees about thank-you calls to donors and emphasized the importance of reaching out to donors. She also shared our excitement to be hosting the Chamber of Commerce event next week on 10/18. 

Michelle explained the public procurement process and how it applies to the front sidewalk project. The Board will engage in the first read of resolutions that will authorize a subset of people to go forward with the project without the Board meeting at every milestone of the project. Michelle shared she has used the resolutions from the roof and HVAC projects as the template for these resolutions. Martin explained why the project is necessary and how it is an opportunity to reimagine the usefulness of the area. 

Matt shared that Governance is in the process of scheduling their next meeting. 

Mario shared that DEI is in the process of scheduling their next meeting. 

The committee discussed breaking into smaller subcommittee groups to develop SMART Goals and decided to postpone this work to be done by subcommittees at their next subcommittee meetings. 

The board reflected on what went well during the meeting and what could be improved for the next meeting. Ask Brian for notes on specific bullets. 

There were no comments from the public.