There was no public comment.

The board discussed the Executive Director Report. Bill provided an update from the House Ways and Means Committee budget, which included a facilities per pupil increase and an increase in chapter 70 funding.  He will provide more details when they become available.  Meghan provided an overview and photos of a hands-on STEM project done by the third grade class, in which they created structures that would prevent an avalanche from hitting a town.

The board discussed the FY20 Budget Draft.  The budget reflects the school's increase in size as it adds a fifth grade, including additional staff and increased enrollment.  The budget is balanced and includes a contingency.  The board discussed the projections for private fundraising and also discussed the increase in personnel costs, which is due to strong staff retention and changing staff demographics, which impact benefits costs.  Bill and Meghan will work with the finance committee to make any necessary updates prior to the May board meeting, and then submit a final budget for approval.

Bill provided a brief update on the status of the capital campaign. The campaign is in a soft launch phase, which includes meeting with foundations to build relationships and share our plans to renovate or build a permanent home.  

Doug provided an overview of the monthly financials.  The financial picture is strong and the school is projecting a contingency at year end.  

Doug provided an overview of the Financial Responsibility Matrix.  He explained that the finance committee wanted to share this as a reminder of the responsibilities of management and of the board.  The board felt that this tool would be a good way to calendar monthly, quarterly, and annual topics that require attention, and that it is a good tool that can be used to train new board members in finance responsibilities. 

Bill reported out on the March Academic Dashboard, focusing on ANet data and 3rd grade ANet data in particular.  Across the school, grade level averages on ANet are strong and "above the network" in ELA and math.  When data is broken out at a student level, some trends emerge that have been harder to see.  When comparing 3rd grade "A3" performance from last year to how students performed on MCAS, it seems that this year's 3rd grade may have more students who do not meet or exceed expectations.  The school has been using this data to inform its instruction and Jess and Wendy have helped 3rd grade teachers develop standards reteach plans and methods of tracking progress using exit tickets.  Teachers are entering this data in a daily tracker and using this to inform their approach.  Jess and Wendy are also pushing in to ELA and math classes to provide targeted support.  

The board discussed the Family Survey results for the 2018-19 school year. Approximately 80% of families participated in the survey and the positive response rate was very high in all areas (90%+ in nearly all categories).  Notably, positive response rates in a number of categories have increased over last year, indicating that the school is continually improving.

The next board meeting is May 29 at 5:45pm at the school.