Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday July 6, 2016 at 5:45 PM
Location
370 Pine St.
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board will be held at 370 Pine St. on 7/6/16 at 5:45 pm. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org) on 7/1/16 at 5 pm.
Trustees Present
J. Brown, K. Molina, K. Murphy, P. Ellis, R. Olejarz
Trustees Absent
D. Williams, G. Ross, S. Dinnall, T. Walker
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
Alex Grant was present but did not vote as he is awaiting approval from the Commissioner.
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
K. Molina called a meeting of the board of trustees of Springfield Prep to order on Wednesday Jul 6, 2016 at 5:45 PM.
C.
Approve June Minutes
R. Olejarz made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 06-01-16 Board Meeting on 06-01-16.
J. Brown seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Absent
|
| K. Murphy |
Aye
|
| J. Brown |
Aye
|
| P. Ellis |
Abstain
|
| S. Dinnall |
Absent
|
| R. Olejarz |
Aye
|
| G. Ross |
Absent
|
D.
Approve May board meeting minutes
R. Olejarz made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 05-04-16 Board Meeting on 05-04-16.
P. Ellis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Updates & Recognitions
Bill thanked Board for its commitment to the school. Kelvin noted that he was present at the end-of-year celebration and the family and community were very positive and pleased. He gave a shout out to the entire staff for their work. Robin gave a shout out to John Brown for joining the finance committee.
II. Finance
A.
May Financials
Robin presented the May financials and noted that the school looks to be in a very strong position for year end. The board discussed the politics around the charter cap lift effort, the state budget process and the per pupil tuition payments. Bill noted that the CSP does not carry over to the next year but that there is no issue with that. The takeaway is that we are ending the year in a very strong financial position and that this is the result of (1) fewer staff than projected, (2) savings on facility, and (3) good management of resources.
P. Ellis made a motion to approve the May financials as presented.
J. Brown seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
FY17 Benefits Plan
The finance committee presented its view that the school should offer its employees long term disability insurance given the low cost and potential benefit to employees.
P. Ellis made a motion to purchase short-term disability, long-term disability and life insurance through Unum as presented.
R. Olejarz seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Approval of renewal contracts
R. Olejarz made a motion to approve the BES contract for follow on services as presented.
P. Ellis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
P. Ellis made a motion to approve the Futures Education contract as presented.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Absent
|
| K. Murphy |
Abstain
|
| P. Ellis |
Aye
|
| R. Olejarz |
Aye
|
| S. Dinnall |
Absent
|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| J. Brown |
Aye
|
| G. Ross |
Absent
|
K. Molina made a motion to approve the James Levine & Assoc. contract as presented.
P. Ellis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
P. Ellis made a motion to approve the Revolution Foods contract as presented.
K. Murphy seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
FY16 Insurance Policy
John presented the finance committee's recommendation to increase the umbrella insurance policy to $3 million.
R. Olejarz made a motion to approve an increase in umbrella insurance coverage up to $3 million.
P. Ellis seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Facility Task Force
A.
Facility update
Bill presented an update on the facility search, and focused on negotiations involving two sites. Bill will continue to keep the board informed of any updates.
IV. Academic Achievement
A.
End of Year Academic Dashboard highlights
Bill provided an overview of the end-of-year dashboard showing academic, demographic, attendance and disciplinary data. In sum: the 95% attendance rate was strong but the school has plans to increase it; there were very few suspensions; end of year reading results showed that 75% of kindergartners are reading at grade level 52% of 1st graders reading on or above. The school is retaining 3 kindergarteners and 6 1st graders.
V. Governance
A.
Review attendance record and policy
The board will address this item at a subsequent meeting.
B.
Protocol for Public Participation
The board will address this item at a subsequent meeting.
C.
Board Evaluation
The board will address this item at a subsequent meeting.
D.
Board membership updates
R. Olejarz made a motion to accept the resignation of Sonia Dinnall from the Board of Trustees.
J. Brown seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Accountability Plan
The board will address this item at its September meeting.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
It was decided that the August meeting would be cancelled for the summer vacation but that the July Governance Committee would include additional members in order to have a quorum to conduct any necessary business.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:35 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
B. Spirer