Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 26, 2020 at 5:45 PM
Location
594 Converse St., Longmeadow, MA 01106
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board was held at Springfield Prep Charter School, 594 Converse Street, Longmeadow, MA, 01106 on 2/26/2020 at 5:45 pm. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org) on 2/21/20 at 4:20 pm.
Trustees Present
A. Grant, J. Rosewell, K. Molina, R. Leonard, S. Balogun, S. Fuller
Trustees Absent
A. Malone, D. Morrin, J. Pistorius, T. Walker
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer
Guests Present
J. Alter, M. Wagner, N. Abramowitz, P. Temple
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 Feb 26, 2020 at 5:49 PM.
C.
Approve Prior Board Meeting Minutes
K. Molina made a motion to approve the minutes from Board meeting on 01-21-20.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Public Comment, If Any
II. Executive Director Report
A.
Executive Director Report
III. Facility Project items
A.
Application for Construction Manager at Risk
Pat Temple called in to join the discussion.
The Board discussed two options for construction management for the new project: the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) model and the Hard Bid model. They reviewed a comparison chart regarding the benefits and risks of both models and discussed the pros and cons with Pat Temple from QPD. The Board discussed a proposed vote to authorize the school to submit an application to the Inspector General to proceed with a CMAR model, which will begin that process. However, the Board can make a decision about whether or not to proceed with this model later in the process.
The Board discussed two options for construction management for the new project: the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) model and the Hard Bid model. They reviewed a comparison chart regarding the benefits and risks of both models and discussed the pros and cons with Pat Temple from QPD. The Board discussed a proposed vote to authorize the school to submit an application to the Inspector General to proceed with a CMAR model, which will begin that process. However, the Board can make a decision about whether or not to proceed with this model later in the process.
B.
Architect Contract
The school received an architect selection through the Commonwealth's Designer Selection Board and was matched with Jones Whitsett Associates, which had done the school's Feasibility Study. The Board reviewed the contract and considered a vote to approve the contract for the architect's services for the new building project. The Board discussed the value of the contract compared with that of similar construction projects' architect fees. They also discussed which services the architect's contract covers and how the currently tenanted space was covered in this contract.
C.
Use of Tax Exempt Bond Proceeds for the Project
The Board discussed the use of Tax-Exempt bond proceeds for the project and the proposed vote to allow that to happen. The Board discussed the mechanism of the bond and the purpose of this vote to "set a marker" after which any project costs could be covered by these proceeds.
D.
Facility Renovation Update
The Board discussed the closing of bridge financing with Blue Hub Capital, the closing of the purchase of the new building, the progress of renovation designs, and the plan for sharing those designs with school families and staff. They also reviewed the most recent set of designs and discussed the progress on Boston Private Bank's due diligence for permanent financing.
The Board also discussed the plans for building project financial reports as well as the relationship between the Friends of Springfield Prep Board and the School with regards to required votes for the purposes of the building project.
The Board discussed and reiterated that the as-built appraisal value for the new property is a key item to watch given its impact on permanent financing.
The Board also discussed the plans for building project financial reports as well as the relationship between the Friends of Springfield Prep Board and the School with regards to required votes for the purposes of the building project.
The Board discussed and reiterated that the as-built appraisal value for the new property is a key item to watch given its impact on permanent financing.
E.
Building Task Force Proposal
The Board discussed the creation of an advisory group/task force that would support school management in communicating key project updates to the board. This group would have no decision-making authority; all project decisions will be made by the board and the board of the Friends of Springfield Prep. The Board requested clarity on the use of such an advisory group per Open Meeting laws and agreed that the discussion would be continued at the next Board meeting.
F.
Capital Campaign Update
Currently, the school has $860,000 committed towards the campaign goal of $2M. The board discussed outstanding grant requests and prospects and plans to roll out a sponsor-a-classroom campaign for businesses, foundations and individuals. The campaign team feels that it is likely to achieve its "must get" number of $1.5M and is well-positioned to reach $2M based on the current status of the campaign.
G.
Proposed Board Votes Related to Facilities Project Items
A. Grant made a motion to approve the 3 votes regarding the Building Project as fully presented the attached document "Proposed Votes".
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
IV. Charter Re-Authorization - DESE Summary of Review
A.
DESE Summary of Review
DESE’s review was generally excellent, with the school meeting expectations on all criteria. Among the highlights, DESE noted high expectations in all classrooms and an engaged, active Board. The report did note minor compliance issues regarding teacher qualifications. The school is aware of this issue and has been supporting those teachers to pass their MTELs as quickly as possible.
V. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work Update
A.
Mid-year Status Update on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Work
Bill shared an update on the work the school is doing with teachers and staff around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). He shared some current challenges related to this work, and the board discussed the importance of continuing this work and shared ideas and input. The Board expressed interest in receiving additional reporting and information around this topic and volunteered to be more involved in this work as appropriate.
VI. Committee Updates
A.
Academic Achievement Committee Update
Sherriff noted that academic performance has been consistently strong on interim assessments this year and that the Academic Achievement Committee had no concerns at its last meeting.
B.
FY 21 Budget Timeline and Tuition Projections Update
Meghan shared that the school would likely be ready to share a FY 21 budget draft at the Board's April meeting. She noted that tuition revenue projections were above initial estimates but not as high as expected given the new Student Opportunity Act, and that the school was tracking this closely.
C.
Review Monthly Financials
Meghan noted that the financials were in line with projections for the school and that financial reports related to the new building would be available at the next Board meeting due to the timing of the building purchase. Further discussion was tabled due to time constraints.
D.
Andrea Pursley Contract Approval
Based on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Board reviewed and voted on the approval of a contract for the continued fundraising and development consulting services of Andrea Pursley pending one change in contract language.
K. Molina made a motion to approve the contract for Andrea Pursley subject to negotiation of the indemnification provision with the support of the School's counsel.
S. Balogun seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 25th, 2020 at 5:45 PM.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:15 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
B. Spirer
Documents used during the meeting
- Memo to Board re Construction Manager - 2.26.20.docx
- Memo to Board re Architects Contract - 2.26.20.docx
- Memo to Board re Use of Tax Exempt Financing - 2.26.20.docx
- SPCS status update memo final 2-20-2020.docx
- PROPOSED VOTES.pdf
- Academic Dashboard for Board - Feb 2020 - vFinal.pdf
- 2. SPCS FY20 January Summary 2 24 2020.pdf
- 4. FY20 January SNP 2 24 2020.pdf
- 3. SPCS FY20 Janaury Friends.pdf
- 5. FY20 January Cash Flow.pdf
- 6. SPCS FY20 January Grants.pdf
- Andrea Pursley Contract Mar-Dec 2020 - unsigned.pdf
Bill, Nancy, and Kelvin discussed MCPSA Advocacy Day in Boston where they were joined by 3 SPCS parents to advocate for charter schools in Massachusetts.
Two local charter schools made announcements about their enrollment. Veritas Prep was approved to open a high school and will be grades 5-12 in the future, while Libertas is remaining a 6-8 school despite being authorized for high school grades. The Board discussed some of the potential enrollment impacts of these decisions on SPCS and how to talk about those impacts in the broader community.