Springfield Prep
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday June 16, 2021 at 5:45 PM
This meeting of the Springfield Prep Charter School Board will be held via Zoom video conference on 6/11/2021 at 5:45 pm. Meeting notice was posted on the school's website (www.springfieldprep.org) on 6/14/21 at 12:00 PM.
Trustees Present
A. Grant (remote), D. Morrin (remote), J. Rosewell (remote), K. Molina (remote), R. Leonard (remote), S. Balogun (remote), S. Fuller (remote), T. Walker (remote)
Trustees Absent
A. Malone
Trustees who arrived after the meeting opened
S. Fuller
Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned
A. Grant, D. Morrin
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Non Voting Members Present
B. Spirer (remote)
Guests Present
A. Piela (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 Jun 16, 2021 at 5:49 PM.
C.
Public Comment, If Any
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Approve May 26 Board Meeting Minutes
D. Morrin made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 05-26-21.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Absent
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
B.
DESE Financial Disclosures and other compliance documents
C.
Vote to Approve Consent Agenda items
D. Morrin made a motion to Approve the consent agenda as shared.
K. Molina seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Absent
|
III. Governance
A.
Board and Committee Meeting Calendar
The Board discussed the proposed Board and Committee Meeting calendar for FY22 and had no changes. They discussed if meetings should be held in person, remote, or hybrid given that the Open Meeting Law fully-remote meeting authorization has been extended until April 2022. The group agreed to hold the next meeting remotely given the school will be in the middle of the move to the new building and to discuss at the governance committee and/or next Board meeting.
T. Walker made a motion to Approve the Board and Committee Meeting Calendar as presented.
S. Balogun seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Absent
|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
B.
School Bylaws Amendment Proposal
Bill shared an overview of the proposed bylaws amendments as presented in the draft letter to DESE. Tricia asked if the language could be updated to be more gender inclusive, and the Board agreed that we should do so before submitting.
J. Rosewell made a motion to authorize Bill to submit the bylaws amendment as presented, with any necessary updates to reflect gender inclusivity, and to work with DESE on any technical updates needed to the amended bylaws.
T. Walker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Absent
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
C.
Officer and Trustee Elections
Given the pending bylaws amendment which would allow for up to 5 officer terms (instead of 3), the proposed slate includes electing Kelvin as Interim Secretary with Alex to be elected upon approval of bylaws amendment, and electing Anne as interim treasurer, with Tricia to be elected upon approval of the bylaws amendment.
Additionally, the slate proposes a new board trustee, Sarah Monson. Bill, Kelvin, and Bob, have spoken with her, she is the parent of an SPCS 3rd grader. Bill shared that he had favorable conversations with her and that she has highly relevant experience in development, non-profits, and higher education. Kelvin mentioned that she has experience as a Board member so has experience with governance, and that she shared with him about her advocacy in alignment with the school’s mission. Bob agreed with Kelvin and shared that Sarah is a Charter supporter, and that she seemed aligned with the difference between her role in governance and that as a parent. She has been involved as a PAC Member. Tricia appreciates those who nurtured this relationship.
Additionally, the slate proposes a new board trustee, Sarah Monson. Bill, Kelvin, and Bob, have spoken with her, she is the parent of an SPCS 3rd grader. Bill shared that he had favorable conversations with her and that she has highly relevant experience in development, non-profits, and higher education. Kelvin mentioned that she has experience as a Board member so has experience with governance, and that she shared with him about her advocacy in alignment with the school’s mission. Bob agreed with Kelvin and shared that Sarah is a Charter supporter, and that she seemed aligned with the difference between her role in governance and that as a parent. She has been involved as a PAC Member. Tricia appreciates those who nurtured this relationship.
K. Molina made a motion to approve the Board slate as presented, including the election of Sarah Monson as Trustee, pending DESE approval.
A. Grant seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Absent
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Aye
|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
A. Grant left at 6:16 PM.
S. Fuller arrived at 6:20 PM.
D.
Update to School Calendar for FY21
Bill discussed a change to how the school would observe the Juneteenth holiday this year based on updates from Springfield Public Schools and the Commonwealth of MA. The school had planned to observe the holiday on Monday, June 20th since the holiday fell on a Sunday, but decided to align with other organizations and move the observance to Friday, June 18th, shortening school by one day. Given the short notice from the other organizations, the school's Leadership Team decided to make this decision prior to the Board meeting with support from the Board Chair. The Board asked how staff and family received this change. Bill shared that the reception was generally positive and that people understood the decision. Any planned activities in observance or celebration of the holiday were shifted to Thursday, June 17th instead to ensure that the holiday was observed by students and staff before the school year ended. The Board is asked to provide formal approval of this alteration to the school calendar for the 2021-22 school year.
T. Walker made a motion to observe Juneteenth on June 18, 2021 instead of June 21,2021.
D. Morrin seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Absent
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| D. Morrin |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
IV. Staff and Family Survey Report
A.
Staff and Family Survey Results
Bill briefly gave an overview of the slides as shared. Overall satisfaction of staff and families is high. Several areas are likely lower than in a typical year due to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our DEI work and culture is certainly an area of continuing growth. Bill highlighted some differences in how staff and families perceive certain areas, such as families rating cultural inclusion at the school high, but lower for staff. He noted that a continued area that we’re watching is ensuring our newer leaders have the support and skills they need to succeed, and having a full-time Director of Talent is a step in the right direction.
We did notice differences in satisfaction between BIPOC and white staff members. This is the first year we’ve had this data, helps us understand how to start talking about this and where to start diving in to get to root causes.
We did notice differences in satisfaction between BIPOC and white staff members. This is the first year we’ve had this data, helps us understand how to start talking about this and where to start diving in to get to root causes.
V. Finance and Business Items
A.
May Financials
Meghan provided a discussion of the May financials. She shared that we were able to release our transportation contingency because student transportation was guaranteed for the remainder of the school year. She also shared that our summer school expenses will be covered by grants or federal funding. She noted that planning is underway for the use of ESSER II and ESSER III funding, and that a stakeholder engagement process will occur before the use of those funds is decided.
D. Morrin left.
B.
Insurance Contract Renewal
Meghan briefly discussed the proposed contract renewal for insurance through Fred C. Church and the memo outlining the updates for FY22 coverage, which includes the addition of Cyber Liability coverage for FY22. The cost increase is related to this additional coverage, as well as the increase in payroll and student enrollment from FY21 to FY22.
T. Walker made a motion to authorize the school to renew the insurance contract as presented.
S. Balogun seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| T. Walker |
Aye
|
| K. Molina |
Aye
|
| S. Balogun |
Aye
|
| S. Fuller |
Aye
|
| R. Leonard |
Aye
|
| A. Grant |
Absent
|
| A. Malone |
Absent
|
| D. Morrin |
Absent
|
| J. Rosewell |
Aye
|
VI. Building Project
A.
Building Project Status Update
Meghan shared that similar to last month, there are no major updates to the building project. The project is still on schedule and budget. The 6th grade class, one of our founding grades, was able to visit the new school and meet the architects, which was a great learning opportunity and they enjoyed seeing the new space.
We are expecting a temporary certificate of occupancy in July and a certificate of occupancy in late August.
We are expecting a temporary certificate of occupancy in July and a certificate of occupancy in late August.
VII. Academics
A.
Academic End of Year Update
Bill shared that next year, Meghan will be the Chief Operating Officer and Ashley Marshall will be the Director of Operations. Wendy Soref joined to discuss the academic update. She shared that there were many changes to our assessment plan due to the pandemic but highlighted a few key updates. She noted that the results are lower than we would typically expect, and that we're expecting a similar decline in MCAS results, given the challenges of remote learning and the pandemic. She noted that the team is incredibly invested in supporting students to make up the gap, including our summer school program, professional development sessions this fall, and increasing staffing on our student supports team. She noted that retention is similar to previous years, and that the school is not using retention as a broad response to the challenges of the pandemic.
The Board asked for a few additional details on the summer school program, and Wendy shared that it would be staffed by many of our strongest teachers and that they would use data to target interventions and strategies both for the whole class and for individual students, just as we would do during the regular school year.
Sherriff shared that he was encouraged by these results and that they were generally positive given the pandemic year. He highlighted that the STEP data shows that our model works, particularly when we have in-person instruction, and expects that the data will normalize over time to pre-pandemic levels.
The Board asked for a few additional details on the summer school program, and Wendy shared that it would be staffed by many of our strongest teachers and that they would use data to target interventions and strategies both for the whole class and for individual students, just as we would do during the regular school year.
Sherriff shared that he was encouraged by these results and that they were generally positive given the pandemic year. He highlighted that the STEP data shows that our model works, particularly when we have in-person instruction, and expects that the data will normalize over time to pre-pandemic levels.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
The next scheduled board meeting is on Wednesday, 7/28/21 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 7:22 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
N. Abramowitz
Documents used during the meeting
- ED Report - 6.16.21.pdf
- Proposed 2021-22 Board and Committee Meeting Calendar.pdf
- Springfield Prep Bylaws Amendment Request Letter - June 2021.docx (2).pdf
- Springfield Prep Bylaws - Proposed Amendments - June 2021 (2).docx
- Board Slate for Fiscal Year 2022.pdf
- Sarah Monson Resume 6.7.2021.docx
- Staff and Family Survey Report SY20-21 (3).pdf
- 2. SPCS FY21 May Summary.pdf
- 3. SPCS FY21 May Friends.pdf
- 4. SPCS FY21 May SNP.pdf
- 5. SPCS FY21 May Cash Flow.pdf
- 6. FY21 May Grants.pdf
- Springfield Prep Insurance Program Summary 2021-22 (1).pdf
- MEMO._FY21_Vendor_Contract_Summary.Insurance.docx
- End of Year Academic Update 2020-21.pdf