There was no public comment.

Julia convened the retreat and led board members in an introduction activity, where everyone introduced themselves.

Board members completed brainstorming work to define their passion for this work and identify passion words that drive their work.  The board shared these with the whole group.  

The Board reviewed and reflected on the 2021-22 Board Self-Assessment Results.  It discussed the strengths of the board (collaboration, diverse experience and expertise, commitment to the vision and mission, high level of engagement,comfort asking questions, oversight work, accountability work through the committee structure) and the areas for growth (developing a strategic vision, succession planning, becoming more board-led, systematizing institutional knowledge, DEI work, and clarity on board versus committee decisions).  The board discussed its ideas for continuing to "mature" as a board in terms of what it focused on (versus management), how to plan meeting cadence and agendas most effectively, how to incorporate voices of the entire school community, and how to stay focused on the school's strategic priorities.  
 

The Board discussed a vision of the school for 5 years from now, reviewed where the organization is now, and talked about how the organization could reach that vision.  Some trends that emerged were prioritizing making the school a great place to teach, providing a safe space for all students, closing the opportunity gap, being a leader statewide for educational excellence and performance, ensuring that students are well prepared for high school and college, staff demographic closely reflects the Springfield demographic, strong alumni network, and the school is a strong community institution. 

The Board did an exercise to help create its goals for the year.  It discussed creating an ad hoc group to develop specific goals related to improving board processes, comprised of representatives from each committee.  The Board discussed plans to develop an updated and improved succession plan for the school's leadership and board leaders.  It discussed creating a strategic plan and determined that this work would be driven by management with board input. The Board discussed its role in supporting leadership and staff, and delegated this work to school management to bring back ideas about how leadership and management can be supported.  Finally, the Board discusses its plan for DEI work, including the possibility of bringing on a consultant to support the Board's development in this area.  The Board agreed that Bill should reach out to consultants in this area to get more information on what they provide to boards. Doug offered to participate in those conversations.

Summarized, the board's draft goals are below:

1. Update and refine the school's leadership and board succession plan.
2. Develop and refine systems so Board operations and composition ensure a focus on strategic work and governance.
3. Create a clear strategy/strategic plan, with school management leading this and the Board providing input, support and oversight.
4. Define the Board's needs related to DEI/REDI work and engage a consultant to support the Board's growth in this area.