Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday August 28, 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 on 8/28/19 at 5:45 pm. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org) on 8/23/19 at 4 pm.
Trustees Present
A. Grant, A. Malone, D. Morrin, J. Pistorius, J. Rosewell (remote), K. Molina, R. Leonard, S. Balogun, S. Fuller, T. Walker (remote)
Trustees Absent
None
Trustees who arrived after the meeting opened
J. Rosewell
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer
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 Wednesday Aug 28, 2019 at 5:45 PM.
C.
Approve July Meeting Minutes
D. Morrin made a motion to approve minutes from the Board Meeting on 07-24-19 Board Meeting on 07-24-19.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Alex Grant abstained.
D.
Public Comment, If Any
There was no public comment.
II. Executive Director Report
A.
Executive Director Report
Bill gave the Executive Director report (ED Report 8.27.19). School started last week and enrollment is very stable. 41% of new kindergarten students are siblings of current Springfield Prep students. He noted some unexpected staffing movement in the first week so the school and shared that the school is working to quickly hire 2 Associate Teachers to fill the vacant roles. He reminded the board that standing committee meetings will begin in September.
III. Facility
A.
Executive Session to Discuss the 310 State Street project and the Heritage Academy Lease
A. Grant made a motion to enter Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the lease or purchase of real estate because open session may have a detrimental impact on the negotiating position of the school.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| J. Pistorius |
Aye
|
| A. Malone |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| J. Rosewell |
Absent
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
J. Rosewell arrived.
IV. Charter Renewal Process
A.
Renewal Inspection Update
Bill updated the board about the DESE Renewal Inspection Site Visit, which has been scheduled for Monday, 9/16. The board discussed which board members would attend as part of the board focus group.
V. Finance & Fundraising Items
A.
Capital Campaign Report
This item was tabled due to time constraints.
B.
Monthly Financials
This item was tabled due to time constraints.
C.
IT Contract Approval
This item was tabled due to time constraints.
VI. Governance
A.
Succession Planning
The board reviewed the Succession Plan. Bill explained that Meghan Wagner, the Director of Finance & Operations, is well positioned to serve as interim Executive Director in the event of an emergency succession, and that this is part of the succession plan. The board discussed the importance of thinking about succession planning to ensure the long-term health of the organization. It also encourage potential successors for key leadership roles to have opportunities to engage with the board.
B.
Vice Chair Election
A. Grant made a motion to elect Doug Morrin as board Vice Chair.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Executive Director Evaluation
Mr. Spirer left the meeting, and the Board began its discussion of the 2018-19 CEO evaluation. Mr. Grant discussed the process and the sources of information for the CEO evaluation, and he explained that he had prepared a written summary of the views of Board members, the CEO’s direct reports, and three teachers. The draft summary was provided to the Board members.
Board members shared their views of Mr. Spirer's performance. Multiple members said they viewed Mr. Spirer’s performance positively over the prior year, and cited the retention of staff at SPCS. Another highlighted a good discussion she had with Mr. Spirer about scaling the school and another discussed Mr. Spirer’s financial acumen and development in this area.
The Board discussed the delegation of the managing of day-to-day affairs of the school from the CEO to the Principal. Board members agreed that this delegation, which occurred during 2018-19, went smoothly. The Board discussed the setting of goals for 2019-20. The Board agreed that the final document, comprising the Board’s evaluation for 2018-19, would be presented at the September board meeting. At 7:45 pm, Mr. Spirer rejoined the meeting, and there were brief, positive comments from the Board about his performance during 2018-19.
Board members shared their views of Mr. Spirer's performance. Multiple members said they viewed Mr. Spirer’s performance positively over the prior year, and cited the retention of staff at SPCS. Another highlighted a good discussion she had with Mr. Spirer about scaling the school and another discussed Mr. Spirer’s financial acumen and development in this area.
The Board discussed the delegation of the managing of day-to-day affairs of the school from the CEO to the Principal. Board members agreed that this delegation, which occurred during 2018-19, went smoothly. The Board discussed the setting of goals for 2019-20. The Board agreed that the final document, comprising the Board’s evaluation for 2018-19, would be presented at the September board meeting. At 7:45 pm, Mr. Spirer rejoined the meeting, and there were brief, positive comments from the Board about his performance during 2018-19.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next board meet will take place on 9/25/19.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
A. Malone 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 7:40 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
B. Spirer