Shawna and Walter Agboola with August Agboola joined the meeting as members of the public.  They did not share public comment.

Meghan noted that this was not ready for board review and removed this from the consent agenda.

Meghan noted that this was not ready for board review and removed this from the consent agenda.

Pam introduced herself and shared a few highlights of the year, included the addition of a chair for the SEPAC.  She explained that this was the first year we had our 14-year old students join their IEP meetings and IEP teams found it really helpful to gain additional insight into what our students are thinking and what they need.

She shared that her team worked with two of our students to create a video about their experience joining their meetings and she played the video.

Esther Alicea and Marianne Estey joined the meeting. Esther is the mother of a kindergartner. She shared information about her son's experience.  Esther shared her story about originally being worried that school might not be able to support her son’s IEP.  She said Pam and the teachers have been in consistent communication with mom.  Mom shared that it has been life-changing as she has worked in other schools and she sees a difference at Springfield Prep. He is learning and beating all of his goals.

Sarah asked why students start participating at age 14 and Pam explained that it is a regulation.  The school is going to look into starting earlier. Pam shared that in 6th grade and up we are consulting more directly with students in setting their own goals to get more insight and ownership. Sarah discussed how it can be hard for students to learn to advocate for themselves.

Meghan provided an overview of the excess surplus calculation and the Finance Committee's discussion.  Sherriff asked about managing this account over time and Meghan explained how this would work like other accounts, but that the account is restricted to capital expenses. 

Meghan provided an overview of her proposal to create a capital reserve account and to contribute $125,000 to this account for future capital expenses.  Sally asked about what other schools have done and Meghan explained that schools address this in a variety of ways but that it is common to do what we are proposing. 

Bob shared that he is termed out as Chair and provided an overview of the proposed board slate.

Sally noted that we have a very effective board chair and are grateful for his leadership.  

Meghan provided an overview of the memo and the rationale for these changes.  Doug asked about the background of Mary Walachy and Bob and Sally provided background information.

Anne and Sarah shared the Governance Committee's discussion about this topic.  The Governance Committee agreed that seeking other counsel at this point makes sense, primarily given the changed circumstances and to avoid the perception of a conflict of interest.  They did not think that a vote was necessary at this point, as long as the board agreed that management should seek other counsel.  They noted that Bob should recuse himself if there is a vote.  

As an employee of DWPM, Bob shared that he thought this approach made sense.  He shared his view that Craig did a great job and provided a tremendous discount on his services, but said he was supportive of this decision.

Doug was supportive of the recommendation from the governance committee.  He said that Craig was very helpful from a real estate perspective and that Craig’s support helped make the facility possible.  He agreed that at this point, he is supportive of a change.  He said he was less concerned about a conflict issue as long as the board had a line of sight into how the services were being used and if DWPM was the right counsel for the school, it would be more about how to put in place systems to ensure it was not abused.

The consensus was that the board supported moving on with other counsel to meet the school's legal needs.  

The board discussed ensuring that we continue to vet attorneys to meet future needs and that we do not spend a great deal more for less responsiveness.  

Sheriff added that it would be helpful to be thinking about where we are on maturity curve to determine what our need is for legal services and take that into consideration as we vet other firms.
 

Sally shared that the meeting was very interactive and that she is looking forward to new leadership and a very successful transition.

Sarah shared that it was a thoughtful meeting, helpful to talk through each items, and thanked the board members that came to the 8th grade graduation.

Sherriff said he was humbled and excited to continue to serve on board. He thought this was an efficient meeting.  We double-clicked on items that required more attention.  He thanked Meghan for walking the board through technical details.  

The members of the public (Shawna and Walter Agboola) shared they appreciated the videos of students and it has just reaffirmed their thoughts of the school.  The parents shared they follow the social media and appreciate the smiles on students and teachers and staff faces.

Doug appreciated the ability to have a window into the school and see what is happening in the school.  He shared that he thinks it is most important thing to continue to have finger on the pulse of what is happening in the school.

Bob praised and shared appreciation for Meghan's leadership during the meeting.  He also noted that graduation was done so well and kids seemed so invested. He is confident they will fulfill their potential. 

Sally gave kudos to the teachers, and said it most creative graduation event she has seen.

This is an important meeting because there are state deadlines that require board approval.   Anne reminded the board to complete evaluations. The goal is debrief this on July 25th and then be able to finalize and vote in August.