Amy introduced herself to the group. She mentioned that she is a parent of school-aged children so has a personal investment in the quality of education in this country and in our area. She is a CPA with a background in auditing, now working as Head of Investment Management Operations at Mass Mutual. She shared that her leadership style involves humility, honesty, and the human factor. The Board and team introduced themselves to Amy and welcomed her to the Board.

Bill reviewed the ED Memo provided. He discussed the success of re-opening the school at the beginning of April and that it has gone very well for the 80% of students who chose in-person learning. He noted that most of the challenges have been operational and that academics have been going well.  

Meghan shared about COVID surveillance testing protocol and discussed that all staff who want to be vaccinated, which is the vast majority of staff, have been vaccinated at this point.  

Kelvin joined at this point.

Tricia discussed a New York Times article about a charter school leader who had left the school and had accessed bank accounts and stolen funds from the school. She noted that she believes that the school already has controls in place as a school, as a board, and with our accounting firm, to prevent this type of theft from happening. However, she noted that the school and finance committee will work with our public accounting firm to ensure that any additional controls possible will be put in place to prevent such an occurrence. 
 

Meghan discussed the budget memo and the uniqueness of budgeting for the coming year, given the need to continue to respond to COVID-related issues; the increase in funds due to COVID stimulus and SOA; the certainty of some costs (e.g., mortgage, insurance) and the uncertainty of others (e.g., maintenance, supplies) in relation to the new building; and the expansion of our middle school into 7th grade. 

She highlighted the increase in personnel costs due to the expansion into a new grade and several new Specials programs, the increase in operational costs related to the new campus, as well as the money set aside for Board of Trustees development work around DEI and strategic planning.

Bill mentioned the increase in pay to teachers this year as part of the increased personnel costs. He also noted that the SOA and COVID stimulus money is a major increase in funding, unlike any other previous increases.

Meghan discussed our summer school program and that, for the first time, we are holding summer school for approximately 100 students, with transportation, meals, enrichment, and outdoor activities. Tricia shared that the program will help address Board member and community concerns about the gaps in learning caused by remote learning and the challenges of the last year and expressed support for the program.

Bill shared that the project is moving along well and as planned, and that the project team is monitoring the contingency funds to ensure we have sufficient funding for any necessary changes as the project moves toward a close. He also shared several pictures of the new space as construction stands today.
 

Nancy discussed the proposed letter of intent with A to Z Moving and Storage for the move from Converse St. to Roosevelt Ave. The committee discussed the purchase of additional insurance for the move to protect high value equipment and eliminate the need to dispute the value of items any items damaged or destroyed as a result of the move. Nancy shared that she was completing a valuation of the school's furnishings and materials and that the final insurance cost would be based upon this value as agreed with the moving company's insurance underwriter and in consultation with the school's insurance broker. The cost would not exceed $6,000 but she expects it to be significantly below that value.

A vote was proposed to authorize Bill Spirer to sign the Letter of Intent with A to Z Movers for the school's relocation from Converse Street to Roosevelt Ave, with the addition of supplementary insurance for the move at a cost of up to $6,000. 

Bill discussed the result of the report from Karima with ForgedEd regarding DEI at Springfield Prep from the experience of staff, students, and leadership based on interviews with a small number of people in those groups. He shared that given the limited time remaining this year, the school is choosing to focus on just one of Karima’s recommendations this year, specifically an evaluation of our school’s discipline and culture philosophy and policies. This topic was chosen because changes will have a broad and immediate impact across staff, students, and families. He also shared that the school will convert this document into plans and actions that will continue to move the school forward in this work.

Bill shared that the report was shared with staff by Karima, and Kelvin shared that he hopes that further conversations will encourage individuals to commit to this work, not assume that leadership or a select group is responsible for this work, and understand that not everyone comes to this work from the same perspectives. 
Anne shared that the volume of recommendations makes it challenging to operationalize and that the school should be mindful of how we decide which priorities to focus on, and who is involved in those decisions. 

Sally left the meeting at this point. 

Amy discussed that at Mass Mutual, the shift has been from talking about items at a big meeting to individual responsibility. There are still large, corporate events and initiatives, but also smaller ways for people to do this work, e.g., podcasts, videos, articles, etc. are offered for those interested in personal growth in this area. Tricia shared that this is happening with every member of the organization, not just leadership. 

Bill discussed the Equitable Culture and Discipline Working Group that was formed as a result of these recommendations, and some of the topics they will be grappling with, such as the balance of structure vs. autonomy in the classroom and various methods of discipline and behavior support. Kelvin highlighted that it is good to hear that the school is considering the preferences of the students’ families in any changes.
 

Bill discussed the academic dashboard, noting that attendance remains strong. He shared that our ANet performance is lower than hoped, but it is helpful as a tool to support instruction for the rest of the year. He expects a similar result with MCAS testing given the challenges of the pandemic and remote instruction.

He shared that Wendy Soref will transition to a Director of Talent role and focus on hiring and retention, while Jess Yiannos, Christine Torres, and Shawna Mitchell continue to lead the academic program.
 

Based on a discussion regarding fully remote participation in Board meetings, a vote was proposed to ratify and approve all votes taken subsequent to the March 12, 2020 Executive Order modifying certain requirements of the Open Meeting Law.
 

The next scheduled board meeting is on Wednesday, 5/26/21 at 5:45 PM.