Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday December 9, 2020 at 5:45 PM
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board was held via Zoom video conference on 12/9/2020 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 12/4/20 at 4:30 pm.
Trustees Present
A. Grant (remote), A. Malone (remote), J. Rosewell (remote), R. Leonard (remote), S. Balogun (remote), S. Fuller (remote), T. Walker (remote)
Trustees Absent
D. Morrin, K. Molina
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Guests Present
Bob Baldwin (remote), 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 Dec 9, 2020 at 5:49 PM.
C.
Public Comment, If Any
No members of the public present.
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Monthly Financials
B.
Amazon Smile Update
C.
Approve October 28th Board Meeting Minutes
S. Fuller made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 10-28-20.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Approve Special Meeting Minutes
S. Fuller made a motion to approve the minutes from Special Board Meeting on 11-18-20.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Vote to Approve Consent Agenda items
S. Fuller made a motion to approve all votes in the Consent Agenda (inc. prior meeting minutes).
T. Walker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
A.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force
Bill discussed the Education Board Partners summit that Nancy and Kelvin attended remotely. He shared that the DEI task force will review the materials from that summit and share a plan of next steps with the Board. Nancy shared key takeaways from the summit, including thoughts on how to continue to have an anti-racist lens when evaluating school results and successes, and the Board briefly discussed family involvement in board and school discussions and decisions, including the ways in which families could be involved directly or their opinions solicited for input.
IV. Executive Director's Report
A.
Executive Director's Report & School Model Discussion
Bill discussed the Executive Director’s memo. He shared that the school is remaining in the current Remote+ model until winter break and will survey families and re-evaluate over the break and in early January based on health data, DESE guidance, vaccination options, and any regulations. The Board discussed the value of consistency and predictability in not rushing to change the model. Bill discussed the kindergarten program the school hopes to begin in the new year, and some of the initiatives teachers have taken to support remote learners either at home or on-site.
Meghan discussed a contract with First Student to provide transportation to the small cohort of on-site students daily. The school is likely to be reimbursed for the expense, but it is also within the existing transportation budget for the year. She asked the Board to vote on the contract as presented.
A. Grant made a motion to approve the First Student contract as provided.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
V. Building Project
A.
Building Project Status Update
Bob Baldwin joined at this point to discuss the building project status. He shared that construction is proceeding to plan, including the start of excavation for the new gymnasium building. He discussed two change orders; the first regarding the gym expansion that the Board had previously approved, and the second regarding preliminary demolition and preparation work to allow for a later fit-out of the vacant tenant space for the school's usage.
He also discussed the upcoming closing of permanent financing for the project within the next two weeks. Bill discussed the summary of the New Markets Tax Credits financing and the transactions that will occur between Springfield Prep, Friends of Springfield Prep, and Springfield Prep Realty. Bob Baldwin discussed the challenge related to tax-exempt status approval for Springfield Prep Realty and the temporary change of the bond from tax-exempt to taxable, which he expects to be remedied in January.
He also discussed the upcoming closing of permanent financing for the project within the next two weeks. Bill discussed the summary of the New Markets Tax Credits financing and the transactions that will occur between Springfield Prep, Friends of Springfield Prep, and Springfield Prep Realty. Bob Baldwin discussed the challenge related to tax-exempt status approval for Springfield Prep Realty and the temporary change of the bond from tax-exempt to taxable, which he expects to be remedied in January.
B.
Building Project Financing Closing
J. Rosewell made a motion to adopt the December 9th resolutions as presented.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C.
Change Order Approvals
J. Rosewell made a motion to approve Change Order #2 as presented for $100,000 for the initial build-out of the vacant tenant space.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
It was decided that since the gym expansion had been approved in a prior meeting, and the formal change order fell within that approved cost, that a vote was not also needed for Change Order #1.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VI. Academics
A.
Accountability Plan review and approval
Bill shared an overview of the new accountability plan and the Board discussed the changes made since the 2016 Accountability Plan and the rationale for those updates. The Board asked if these were appropriate goals given the pandemic, and Bill expressed that while many would be attainable, he expects flexibility if the data is unavailable or if we face additional challenges due to the health situation. The Board also discussed if DESE expected these goals to be numeric, rather than subjective, and Bill shared that based on his discussions with our liaison at DESE, challenging quantitative goals are expected.
S. Balogun made a motion to approve the accountability plan and authorize Bill to submit it on behalf of the Board.
A. Malone seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Academic Dashboard review
Bill discussed the academic dashboard presented, particularly the ANet data. He noted that there were some results that were lower than in prior years, especially in lower grades. This was the first time the ANet was administered remotely, and we expect that some of the data reflect differences in test administration between schools. The Board discussed how this data can serve as a new baseline for us to improve upon given the school closure in March. Bill mentioned that despite being in a remote learning model, the school is still focusing on analyzing data from rigorous assessments like ANet to better understand gaps in student learning and adjust our strategies accordingly.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next scheduled board meeting is on Wednesday, 1/27/21 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 7:07 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
N. Abramowitz
Documents used during the meeting
- 6._FY21_October_Grants.pdf
- 5._FY21_October_Cash_Flow.pdf
- 4._FY21_October_SNP.pdf
- 3._FY21_October_Friends.pdf
- 2._FY21_October_Summary.pdf
- ED Report - 12.4.20.pdf
- Spgfld Prep 2020.docx
- SPCS Roosevelt Board memo 12-4-20.docx
- NMTC Transaction Resolution Summary - School.pdf
- Springfield Prep - Resolutions Guarantor-updated 12-7-20.pdf
- Change order #1 11-30-20.pdf
- Change order #2 - 12.8.20. cover sheet.pdf
- SPCS__Accountability_Plan._2016._Board___DESE_Approved.pdf
- 2020_Provisionally_Approved_Accountability_Plan_with_Cover_Sheet_and_Letter (1).pdf
- AcCom Dashboard 2020-2021 - 11.10.2020 (1).pdf