Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 24, 2021 at 5:45 PM
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board will be held via Zoom video conference on 2/24/2021 at 5:45 pm. The meeting will be 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 2/19/21 at 4 pm.
Trustees Present
A. Grant (remote), A. Malone (remote), D. Morrin (remote), J. Rosewell (remote), K. Molina (remote), R. Leonard (remote), S. Balogun (remote), S. Fuller (remote)
Trustees Absent
T. Walker
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Guests Present
M. Wagner (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 Feb 24, 2021 at 5:47 PM.
C.
Public Comment, If Any
Three parents of Springfield Prep students, Yesenia Ramos, Shayla Ramsey, and Yanira Delgado, were present.
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Approve January 27 Board Meeting Minutes
S. Fuller made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 01-27-21.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
Minor correction: misspelling of Kindergarten and Transferable (both have been corrected)
B.
Monthly Financials
C.
Updated Phone Contract for New Facility
D.
Vote to Approve Consent Agenda items
S. Fuller made a motion to Approve the items on the consent agenda.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Q&A with Family Members from Parent Action Committee
A.
Q&A with family members from Parent Action Committee about the 2020-21 school year
Three parents from the Parent Action Committee joined the meeting to share their experiences with remote learning and their thoughts on reopening the school. Yesenia Ramos, Shayla Ramsey, and Yanira Delgado shared that they were as satisfied as possible with remote learning and that some of the benefits include the convenience, the structure, and the schedule. They also shared several challenges, including students having difficulty paying attention to the screen all day, the lack of social interaction, and the concern about preparedness for the next grade level.
The Board asked them to share what is on parents' minds when thinking about returning to school. The themes they shared include: how school will work when some students are in person and others are remote; how the school will help students make the transition back to in-person learning and help students make up any gaps in learning; and the logistics of reopening (buses, schedules, uniforms, etc.)
IV. Executive Director's Report
A.
Executive Director Report
Bill shared his gratitude for Bob's work on getting tax-exempt status for Springfield Prep Realty, Sally's work on school advocacy and fundraising, and Jason's guidance and insights on the new building project.
Bill reviewed the Executive Director's Report memo. He shared about the recent Beam signing event and upcoming Charter School Advocacy Week. He discussed the Tiered Focused Monitoring Review and that the school was found in compliance in all areas. Bob mentioned that the state reviewers were complimentary of Wendy and the team.
Bill also shared funding updates regarding the funding of the SOA and additional federal funds that will help ensure the school has the funding to support a full reopening. He briefly reviewed the updates made to the Student and Family Handbook, which were made by the leadership team with a lens of racial equity and family partnership.
B.
School Reopening Planning
Bill discussed the updated plans for school reopening based on updated Structured Learning Time requirements from the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner will require that all elementary students are back in-person, if the family elects to do so, by April, with 3-6 foot distancing, masks, and other mitigation strategies. Bill reviewed the most recent survey of families which indicated that a large majority of families were likely to opt for in-person learning when available.
Meghan discussed the COVID-19 surveillance testing options available per the memo in the packet. She discussed that testing would not be mandatory but would be presented as an important mitigation measure. Alex mentioned that not all districts are providing surveillance testing and asked if it was a necessity. Doug and Bill shared that since this is financially feasible and is a recommended health best practice, it makes sense to use testing as a layer of mitigation and to offer it as a benefit to families.
S. Balogun made a motion to Authorize the school to contract with CIC Health for bi-weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, at a total cost of up to $50,000.
S. Fuller seconded the motion.
S. Fuller made a motion to Authorize the school to bring additional students onsite for full classes and/or “pods”, in accordance with MA DPH, DESE, and CDC health guidance, in collaboration with the teaching teams, and in the judgment of school management.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The vote should be amended to read;
"Motion to authorize the school to bring additional students onsite for full classes and/or “pods”,
-
In accordance with MA DPH, MA DESE, and state education regulations
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In collaboration with the teaching teams, and
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In the judgment of school management. "
The Board took a vote based on this modified language.
V. Building Project
A.
Building Project Status Update
Meghan provided an update on the status of the building project based on the memo. She indicated that the current focus is on the construction of the gym and the fit-out of the former tenant space, but that other areas are moving along well. She discussed the proposed change order for additional site work and landscaping.
B.
Change order and budget approvals
A. Malone made a motion to approve the change order as presented in an amount not to exceed $185,000.
J. Rosewell seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VI. Academic Achievement Items
A.
February Academic Achievement Dashboard
Bill and Meghan reviewed the application data and discussed potential challenges in recruiting for upper middle school grades, with additional framing from Sherriff. They reviewed assessment data and discussed difficulties making year-over-year comparisons due to changes in the tests and the fact that the tests are being administered remotely after nearly a year away from traditional schooling.
They noted that math results continue to be strong, but that there has been a dip in ELA results. However, all but one grade are still performing higher than the network and teachers are using data and several strategies to reach students and help close the gaps.
They noted that this data may or may not be an indicator of how students might perform on MCAS. MCAS will happen, but will be shortened and may be administered differently. MCAS results will not be factored into accountability this year, but will be used more for diagnostic purposes.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next scheduled board meeting is on Wednesday, 3/24/21 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 7:43 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
B. Spirer
Documents used during the meeting
- 2. SPCS FY21 January Summary.pdf
- 3. SPCS FY21 January Friends.pdf
- 4. FY21 January SNP.pdf
- 6. SPCS FY21 January Grants.pdf
- 5. SPCS FY21 Cash Flow.pdf
- GoToConnect Contract 02 2021.pdf
- ED Report - 2.21.21.pdf
- COVID Testing Board Proposal.pdf
- Reopening Planning Slides for Board Meeting - Feb 2021.pdf
- Building Status Dashboard - 2-19.pdf
- SPCS Budget update 2-22-21.pdf
- Draft landscape plan with changes Jan 2021.pdf
- AcCom Dashboard 2020-2021 - 2.8.2021.pdf