Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday November 8, 2018 at 5:45 PM
Location
594 Converse St., Longmeadow, MA 01106
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board will be held at 594 Converse St., Longmeadow, MA, on Wednesday, 11/8/18 at 5:45 pm. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org).
Trustees Present
D. Morrin, K. Molina, R. Leonard, S. Balogun, S. Fuller
Trustees Absent
A. Grant, D. Williams, J. Pistorius, T. Walker
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer
Guests Present
Bob Baldwin, M. Wagner
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
R. Leonard called a meeting of the board of trustees of Springfield Prep to order on Thursday Nov 8, 2018 at 5:50 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
S. Fuller made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 09-26-18 Board Meeting on 09-26-18.
D. Morrin seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Public Comment, If Any
There was no public comment.
II. New section
A.
Executive Session
K. Molina made a motion to enter executive session for the purpose of discussing real estate negotiations with the intent to re-enter regular session following the discussion.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| J. Pistorius |
Absent
|
| A. Grant |
Absent
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| T. Walker |
Absent
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
B.
Exit Executive Session
S. Fuller made a motion to exit executive session and re-enter open session.
S. Balogun seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Williams |
Absent
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Absent
|
| J. Pistorius |
Absent
|
| T. Walker |
Absent
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
III. Academic Items
A.
October Academic Dashboard
The board reviewed the dashboard. It focused on ANet and MAP results. Both show that students are performing well compared to peers taking these assessments. On ANet Math and ELA, students outperformed the network average by significant margins. On MAP, Springfield Prep performed at or near the top out of all BES schools using this assessment. MAP data shows that students perform better with each successive year they take the test. On STEP, the school did not meet its growth targets but this is not a cause for concern as students performing below target continue to do well on other measures of grade level performance (like ANet and MAP) and because STEP continues to be a helpful tool to identify skills to teach. The board discussed whether the STEP targets were the right ones but decided to revisit this when it considers its accountability plan during the school's charter renewal process. The board also discussed chronic absence and the ways it is trying to identify students with this issue early and intervene accordingly.
B.
Sharing positive results - what can the board and school do?
This item was not discussed due to time constraints.
IV. Governance Items
A.
Board Retreat Preview
Sally reviewed the plan for the board retreat. It will provide an opportunity for the board to get to know each other, discuss the stages of board development, hear about the school's strategic priorities and goals, and align its work this year towards those goals.
B.
Executive Director Salary
Bob explained that at the last meeting, members voted to approve Bill's salary but did not articulate a start date. The governance committee recommends that the start date be retroactive to the contract term date, which begins on July 1, 2018.
K. Molina made a motion to make Bill's raise effective July 1, 2018.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Finance Items
A.
September Financials
Meghan reviewed the monthly financials. She explained that tuition for this year is higher than expected and we have seen a slight increase in government grants, so there will be a positive change in net position.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting is the retreat, on Wednesday, 11/28/18. It will be held offsite at One Monarch Place, 1414 Main St. in downtown Springfield.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
K. Molina made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
S. Fuller 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 7:43 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
B. Spirer