Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday April 29, 2020 at 5:45 PM
Location
Zoom Video Conference
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board was held via Zoom video conference on 4/22/2020 at 5:45 pm. The meeting was held virtually due to the COVID-19-related school closure during this time. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org) on 4/24/2020 at 4:30 PM.
Trustees Present
A. Grant (remote), A. Malone (remote), D. Morrin (remote), J. Pistorius (remote), J. Rosewell (remote), K. Molina (remote), R. Leonard (remote), S. Balogun (remote), S. Fuller (remote), T. Walker (remote)
Trustees Absent
None
Trustees who arrived after the meeting opened
T. Walker
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Guests Present
Bob Baldwin, M. Wagner (remote), N. Abramowitz (remote)
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 Apr 29, 2020 at 5:47 PM.
C.
Approve Prior Board Meeting Minutes
S. Fuller made a motion to approve the minutes from Board meeting on 03-25-20.
J. Rosewell seconded the motion.
The minutes were approved provided that they are amended to reflect the discussion on continuing to pay all employees per DESE recommendation based on the previously allocated budget.
Tricia joined the meeting at 6:00 PM and so was not present at the time of this vote.
[Note: The March 25th, 2020 meeting minutes have been amended to reflect this omission]
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
Tricia joined the meeting at 6:00 PM and so was not present at the time of this vote.
[Note: The March 25th, 2020 meeting minutes have been amended to reflect this omission]
D.
Public Comment, If Any
No members of the public were present.
II. Executive Director Report
A.
Executive Director Report
Bill shared brief highlights about how the school has been reinvented for online learning. This is the first week of fully online learning based on new DESE recommendations and the closure being continued through the rest of the year. The school has distributed 130+ Chromebooks to assist with accessibility to the remote learning plan while continuing to distribute paper-based learning materials.
III. COVID-19 Update
A.
Impact of COVID-19 on School Operations
T. Walker arrived.
Bill gave a brief overview of the memo and discussed the uncertainty around if or how the school may re-open in the fall.
In regards to academics, the Board discussed how the school is meeting and exceeding DESE guidance at this point, despite not being able to meet original academic achievement goals and plans due to the school closure. The Board discussed the way the school has and will continue to track student engagement with online and paper-based learning while closed and the types and frequency of teachers' connections with students. They additionally discussed how the school has adjusted performance indicators since standard metrics (e.g., attendance, ANet tests, etc.) are not available at this point.
The Board also discussed the risk of academic regression due to the school closure combined with summer vacation and how the school is planning to address this concern, as well as how the school is working to address inequities in access to remote education (e.g., internet access).
In regards to academics, the Board discussed how the school is meeting and exceeding DESE guidance at this point, despite not being able to meet original academic achievement goals and plans due to the school closure. The Board discussed the way the school has and will continue to track student engagement with online and paper-based learning while closed and the types and frequency of teachers' connections with students. They additionally discussed how the school has adjusted performance indicators since standard metrics (e.g., attendance, ANet tests, etc.) are not available at this point.
The Board also discussed the risk of academic regression due to the school closure combined with summer vacation and how the school is planning to address this concern, as well as how the school is working to address inequities in access to remote education (e.g., internet access).
K. Molina made a motion to approve an amendment request to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to cancel a full-day of professional development and decrease the length of the school year by one day, due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
Bill noted that the content of this session will be still be covered remotely.
This vote was added to the agenda after receiving late guidance from DESE regarding updates to required school days for charter schools due to COVID-19.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
This vote was added to the agenda after receiving late guidance from DESE regarding updates to required school days for charter schools due to COVID-19.
IV. Facility Project items
A.
Building Project Update
Bob B. joined the meeting at this point to discuss the building project updates (6:48 PM). The site plan application is complete and has been submitted to the Planning Board. The school plans to present the application at the June 3rd virtual meeting in advance of their anticipated vote on June 17th. DPW has commented on its traffic analysis requirements and the school is submitting information to meet their request. The school and team are presenting virtually to the East Springfield Neighborhood Council next week. Design development and cost estimating continues, as does the selection process for Construction Managers. The appraisal has been received, allowing the school to proceed toward permanent financing commitments. Based on current cost estimates, the project budget is currently estimated at $18.3M, but this increase over prior estimates has already been covered by capital campaign funds.
B.
New Market Tax Credit Consultant Agreement
Bob B. explained the structure of New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) and discussed the availability of and likelihood of receiving NMTC given the economic shifts in recent months. The Board discussed the proposed contract with Affirmative Investments, a consulting firm that helps organizations to source and procure these credits, and discussed his prior experiences with this firm. The Board discussed the structure of the NMTC program and the involvement of the consulting firm, including the minimum feasible amount of NMTC that the school could receive and would accept, and the fee structure laid out in the contract.
Bob B. left the meeting after this discussion.
Bob B. left the meeting after this discussion.
S. Fuller made a motion to authorize Bill Spirer to execute the financial consulting agreement with Affirmative Investments for New Market Tax Credit consulting services.
D. Morrin seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Abstain
|
| J. Pistorius |
Aye
|
| A. Malone |
Aye
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
K. Molina made a motion to approve an updated total building project budget of $18,300,000 to allow the Building Project to include desired design elements, made possible by above-target capital campaign funds.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
V. Financial Items
A.
FY 21 Budget - Review for Approval
Meghan discussed the proposed FY21 budget. Based on current DESE and MCPSA guidance, the school is planning on flat revenue and flat government grants and budgeting accordingly. This represents a conservative view since state per-pupil tuition revenues are still uncertain in light of the pandemic.
The Budget requires Board approval in order to be submitted to the Commissioner with the amendment request for the School to continue to locate in Longmeadow for the 2020-2021 school year.
The Budget requires Board approval in order to be submitted to the Commissioner with the amendment request for the School to continue to locate in Longmeadow for the 2020-2021 school year.
T. Walker made a motion to accept the FY21 budget as presented, with the exception of the correction of an error in the Grant Funding line which should have been updated to read $100,000.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Review Monthly Financials
The Board had an opportunity to discuss the financial statements and no discussion was needed.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next scheduled board meeting is on Wednesday, 5/27/20 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,
R. Leonard
Documents used during the meeting
- Memo to Board re COVID-19 Impacts - April 23 2020.pdf
- SPCS status update memo 4.27.2020.docx
- Springfield Prep TPC Estimate 4-24-20.pdf
- SPCS projections 4-24-20.pdf
- Affirmative_Investments_-_SPCS_engagment_letter.docx
- FY21_Budget_Proposed_4_22_2020.pdf
- 6_SPCS_FY20_March_Grants.pdf
- 5_SPCS_FY20_March_Cash_Flow.pdf
- 4_SPCS_FY20_March_SNP.pdf
- 2_SPCS_FY20_March_Summary.pdf