1. To advance the work of the Development and Governance Committees

2. To improve our personal Parker stories

3. To tap our personal and professional networks for future Board members

4. To prepare for FY25 Budget

1. Please RVSP through Board on Track

2. Read the agenda and the Marshall Ganz articles

Brian Harrigan shared a new Parker promotional video.  

Brian said that the Strategic Planning Committee is working hard and a team has been created to analyze and synthesize data and two groups are analyzing trends inside and outside education.  The Committee plans to share a vision statement and 6-8 strategic priorities at the Board retreat on February 13th.  Board input will be used to inform the next step of the

committee’s work, to determine the highest 2-3 priorities and set milestones and key metrics.

Brian said enrollment continues to be a concern.  He shared there are currently 361 students enrolled and there will probably be 370 by the end of the year.  There were 390 at the end of last year.  He shared a graph showing the Yearly Comparison of Application Accrual (in the meeting packet).

Brian shared progress on the marketing plan and said we are not yet seeing the fruits of the marketing efforts.

Pam Gordon said there is good energy in the Enrollment Committee and there is good work planned for coming weeks.  She said the Committee has an eye on the long game in terms of marketing and results.

Glenn Penna said moving the lottery from February to March shows good innovation.  He said it is exciting that the community is willing to do new things to address enrollment issues.

Julie Fredericksen said it can take a lot of time for new marketing plans to see results.

Nicole Odekirk-Hatlevig said she is working on an opportunity to address local relators at a regional Keller Williams meeting to let them know Parker is an option for potential homebuyers.

Amy Jolly said independent school admission decisions are released in March and the change in the lottery date may help families who are weighing options.

Michelle McKenna presented a FY24 revenue update.  Michelle said tuition is the main driver of revenue and due to enrollment concerns, she is presenting this preview a month earlier than usual.  

Michelle walked through the budget implications of declining enrollment and the projected revenue loss from this year (numbers and details are in the meeting packet).  Michelle said to offset the shortfall, pulling back on savings for facilities and tech is being considered, and reserves may need to be accessed. 

Michelle said enrollment will be budgeted at 370 students next year and cost savings will be needed. Michelle said the budgeting process for FY25 will look different.  Brian said there is work to be done and the Finance Committee will present a proposed budget to the Board in March for discussion and vote. Brian said he would like an opportunity for community concerns to be addressed and for staff to have an opportunity for feedback and to have their voices heard.  

Tiff Testa said this is the first time going into a budget with a deficit.  She said she appreciates Brian's transparency and the opportunity for community voices to be heard.  

Christina Soderman said she remains optimistic.  She said she is hopeful with the work around enrollment and that this is an opportunity to look at things with fresh eyes and a different perspective.  

Michelle said it is easy for people to be scared but the situation is not catastrophic.  She said all but one of Parker's sending towns is seeing a decline in enrollment.  Brian said it is not a reflection on Parker.

Matt Lindsey put a link to the "Board Recruitment Prospect Survey"in the meeting chat.  Matt said the Governance Committee created the form to gather information about prospective Board members.

Brian gave members 10 minutes to work on the form independently and asked that they submit three names each.  Members were instructed to return at 7:43pm.

Glenn said a slate would be prepared for a vote in June.  He said to be in compliance with current bylaws, current parents would need to be added to the Board and the group should address needed skill sets.   Glenn said GovComm will follow up with prospects to create a healthy slate.

Nicole said the opportunity to share prospects is ongoing. Brain thanked the group for sharing.  Katrina Tedstone offered to provide context on prospects in terms of past and current engagement with Parker.

Katrina said she is optimistic about the track of the Annual Fund.  She said Hannah Pierpont is helping with the overall goal for matching gifts.

Stefanie Reinhorn said DevComm is looking for 100% of Board member participation in contributing to the Annual Fund.

Katrina said DevComm meets tomorrow.  She said the group was planning for a Spring 2024 event and is redirecting those plans to next year's milestone 30 Year event.  She said much planning has been done already and that event is in good shape.  Brian asked Board members to think about who they would invite.

Katrina said DevComm will work on a celebratory event for this year.

Stef led members in an exercise based on the work of Marshall Ganz and the lenses of Story of Self, Story of Us, and Story of Now.  Stef said it's a little more difficult to do the exercise virtually and it is not the type of work that is done all in one sitting.  She said the group would have time to do more and practice their own stories when they come back together in February.

Stef asked members to review "Why Stories Matter" by Marshall Ganz (link in packet) and invited them to select passages that stood out and share these in the meeting chat. She then asked them to share specific words within the passage that stood out.  Stef pointed out that the things shared evoke feeling and action and sharing stories is part of the work of leaders.  

Stef asked members to consider a public narrative in terms of Parker and posed questions.

• What action might you call others to join?
• What might they achieve if they act?

Story of Self

• What are the sources of your own calling?
• What critical choice points can you recall?
• What stories can you tell about those choice points?

Story of Us

• Who is the us?
• What motivating values do we share?
• What experiences have we shared?
• What matters to us? How can we make a difference?

Stef encouraged members to listen for the stories of self, us, and now in others moving forward.  She asked members to notice how people try to connect around values.  She said we often have a limited amount of time to connect with others and the words we choose and specific asks are important.

Brian thanked Stef for facilitating the discussion.

There were no comments from the public.

There were no items which required a vote.