Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday January 30, 2019 at 5:45 PM
Location
594 Converse St., Longmeadow, MA 01106
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board will be held at Springfield Prep Charter School, 594 Converse Street, Longmeadow, MA, 01106 at 5:45 pm. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org).
Trustees Present
A. Grant, D. Morrin (remote), D. Williams, K. Molina, R. Leonard, S. Balogun, S. Fuller (remote), T. Walker
Trustees Absent
None
Trustees who arrived after the meeting opened
A. Grant
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer
Guests Present
Andrea Pursley, M. Maggi, M. Wagner
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
D. Williams called a meeting of the board of trustees of Springfield Prep to order on Wednesday Jan 30, 2019 at 5:47 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
D. Williams made a motion to approve minutes from the Annual Board Retreat on 11-28-18 Annual Board Retreat on 11-28-18.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Public Comment, If Any
A. Grant arrived.
No public comment.
II. Executive Director Report
A.
Executive Director Report
Bill provided a brief overview of highlights from December and January, including the school's high ANet scores, the success of the winter concert, Shirae Leslie's presentation and SPCS news coverage.
III. Finance and Facility Items
A.
Charter Amendment to continue to locate temporarily at current location
The board discussed its need to request a charter amendment to remain at its current location, given that it has a Longmeadow address. Bill explained that the school had requested that Springfield Public Schools provide transportation for the 2019-2020 school year, as it does currently, but that this has not been confirmed. The board was in agreement that the school should submit the amendment and that the school continue to work to ensure that Springfield Public Schools provides transportation. The board determined that the school should include language in the amendment acknowledging the school's willingness to pay for transportation services, but to be clear that the school fully expected Springfield Public Schools to provide this transportation and that Springfield Prep would provide it only in the event that it was necessary.
A. Grant made a motion to approve the temporary charter amendment request to Commissioner Riley, including language expressing the school's expectation that it would receive transportation from the district.
R. Leonard seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Executive Session to discuss real estate negotiations
D. Williams made a motion to move to enter Executive Session for the purpose of real estate negotiations.
R. Leonard seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| D. Williams |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
C.
Monthly Financials
The board discussed the school's monthly financials. There are no major updates to report. Financials are stable and the school is projecting a surplus. There has been a very small decrease in per-pupil revenue but it will not have a material impact on the budget. The school continues to show a receivable because of a tuition error from last year. The school received a grant from the Peabody Foundation and this is being used in part for site due diligence.
T. Walker made a motion to file the January financials for audit.
R. Leonard seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
IV. Governance Items
A.
Candidate for board membership - Anne Malone
The board discussed a candidate for board membership, Anne Malone. The board was impressed with Anne's knowledge of charter schools and her relevant experience and felt that she would make an excellent board member.
R. Leonard made a motion to approve the appointment of Anne Malone to the Board of Trustees.
A. Grant seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Parent complaint
Danielle reported out on a complaint the board received from a Springfield Prep parent. Danielle received the parent complaint and referred the matter to Bob Leonard to investigate. Bob reported that he will be sharing his findings at the next board meeting.
V. Academic Items
A.
January Academic Dashboard
The board discussed the January 2019 Academic Dashboard. Bill noted that interim assessment performance data from the last round of ANet was very high across the board, although there was a slight decrease in 3rd grade ANET performance. He explained that an analysis of ANet and MCAS peprformance last year indicates that students with similar ANet scores from last year still "met" or "exceeded" expectations on MCAS, so this is not a major cause for concern.
VI. Development
A.
Andrea Pursey Presentation
Andrea Pursley joined the board meeting and reported out on the fundraising strategic planning work she, Meghan and Bill did over the past two days with the goal of launching a capital campaign to fund a new building. Should the school move forward with this plan, the board would be called on to assist by supporting school leadership in building local connections to funders and individuals. Board members shared their belief that this is the right strategic priority for the school and some indicated an interest in actively supporting this effort.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 27 at 5:45 pm at 594 Converse St. Longmeadow, MA in the conference room.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
R. Leonard made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
K. Molina 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 7:30 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
A. Grant