No members of the public were present.

Monthly Financials were presented as part of the Consent Agenda and reviewed by Board Members prior to the meeting. No discussion was had at the meeting about the monthly financials. 

Alex discussed the proposed slate of Officers and Trustees and noted that all are re-election votes; no new Board members are on the slate.

Meghan presented the 4 contracts up for renewal at this time and discussed any price increases. These contracts are all renewals with existing providers and all costs have been included in the approved FY21 budget. This vote allows the school to process payment during the year without additional approval.  

Bill discussed the key topics of his ED memo. He highlighted the reckoning in society in regards to racial equity and how the school has been handling this issue, both now and in prior years. He highlighted DEI professional development sessions, the creation of a BIPOC affinity group, as well as town halls and other efforts to listen to and learn from school staff, students, families, and leaders in the field of equity in education.

The Board discussed these actions and how the issues the school is facing are systemic in our national education system, but that the school must continue to work to dismantle and rise above these systemic disparities. They discussed the ways in which the school and its leadership might plan to keep working to address this in the upcoming school year, how they need ways to track progress, how the Board could increase the school's accountability in this area, and what support school leadership might need. They also expressed interest in having members of the school community  speak to the Board and suggested that select Board members might visit with the member of the school community to hear more about their experiences and learn how they can support the school in efforts toward diversity, equity, and inclusion for staff, students, and families.

The Board and Bill agreed that this important topic would be an ongoing discussion throughout the upcoming school year and beyond.

Wendy and Jess joined at this point to discuss the plans for reopening school. They discussed that they were still expecting additional guidance from DESE but that they had planned for most students to be in person, at least part of the time, and described how teaching and learning might look for those in the building and at home. They highlighted the rationale behind their initial plans, including the safety of staff and students; maintaining continuity, equity, and rigor regardless of in-person or remote learning; preparing students to be proficient remote learners should the school close again due to COVID-19; preparing in case staff are absent or need to work remotely; and maintaining collaboration and positive elements of the school culture for staff and students.

The Board expressed their gratitude for the work the school team has done during the transition and as they prepare for the fall. They discussed resources that the school needs to do the proposed plans well and the challenges of the plans. They also discussed the need to prioritize planning for the most vulnerable learners, including students with IEPs and English Language Learners.

Wendy and Jess left the meeting after this discussion.

Bill briefly discussed the Building Project updates. The project was approved by the Planning Board at their June 17th meeting. There are still items to be reviewed with DPW for the full approval to take effect, but this is a significant step forward for the Building Project.

The design development and value engineering processes continue. The largest decision which remains is whether to invest in roofing repairs or replacement, and the team is investigating options as well as funding for these options. The School has begun working with Fontaine Brothers as the Construction Manager on pre-construction tasks. 

Boston Private Bank submitted a Commitment Letter that is materially similar to the Term Sheet approved by the school board and Friends of Springfield Prep board in May. Bill requested that the Board vote to authorize him to sign the Commitment Letter. All other financing is proceeding as planned. For the New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), Bill discussed the formation of a new tax-exempt entity to serve as a real estate holding company. This ensures the lowest possible cost structure for any NMTC received. If any are received, the new holding entity would be the owner of the building and would lease it to the school; if no credits are received, Friends of SPCS would be the owner of the building and would lease it to the school. The new non-profit will serve as a supporting organization to the School, much like the structure with Friends of SPCS. Bill requested that the Board vote to authorize the creation of this new entity.

This item was tabled until the next meeting due to time constraints.

This item was tabled until the next meeting due to time constraints.

The next scheduled board meeting is on Wednesday, 7/22/20 at 5:45 PM.