City on a Hill Charter Public School
Minutes
April 2019 Board Meeting #2
Date and Time
Tuesday April 23, 2019 at 6:00 PM
Location
City on a Hill - Circuit Street (Forum), 58 Circuit Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Trustees Present
Callie Slocum, Cara Stillings-Candal, Greg Vasey (remote), Jeff Jablow, Karin Wall, Lori Stevens, Melisa Lemire, Mike Rosen
Trustees Absent
Alex Valdez
Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned
Karin Wall
Ex Officio Members Present
Kevin Taylor
Non Voting Members Present
Kevin Taylor
Guests Present
Amber Donell, Elizabeth Dignan, Jordan Lopez
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Cara Stillings-Candal called a meeting of the board of trustees of City on a Hill Charter Public School to order on Tuesday Apr 23, 2019 at 6:12 PM.
Members of the City on a Hill Teachers Union arrived, distributed a memo to the Board, and left. Board members reviewed the letter and resolved to discuss it during Executive Session as it relates to bargaining.
C.
Celebration of Service for Mike Rosen
Cara Stillings-Candal announced that this would be Mike Rosen's final Board Meeting as a Trustee after three terms, and Board members thanked Rosen for his service.
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Approve April 2019 Meeting #1 Minutes
Cara Stillings-Candal made a motion to approve minutes from the April 2019 Board Meeting #1 on 04-02-19 April 2019 Board Meeting #1 on 04-02-19.
Jeff Jablow seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
III. Executive Session
A.
Enter Executive Session
Cara Stillings-Candal made a motion to to enter Executive Session under Purpose 3: To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the Board and the Chair so declares. Candal stated that having the discussion in open session would have a detrimental effect on the public body’s negotiating position and bargaining position and that it would reconvene in Open Session after the Executive Session.
Jeff Jablow seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Mike Rosen |
Aye
|
| Cara Stillings-Candal |
Aye
|
| Lori Stevens |
Aye
|
| Greg Vasey |
Aye
|
| Karin Wall |
Aye
|
| Melisa Lemire |
Aye
|
| Jeff Jablow |
Aye
|
| Alex Valdez |
Absent
|
Open Meeting ended at 6:23 PM. Executive Session began at 6:29 PM.
B.
Adjourn Executive Session
Cara Stillings-Candal made a motion to to adjourn Executive Session and reconvene in Open Session.
Jeff Jablow seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Alex Valdez |
Absent
|
| Melisa Lemire |
Aye
|
| Jeff Jablow |
Aye
|
| Karin Wall |
Aye
|
| Mike Rosen |
Aye
|
| Lori Stevens |
Aye
|
| Greg Vasey |
Aye
|
| Cara Stillings-Candal |
Aye
|
Executive Session ended at 7:35 PM. Open Session began at 7:39 PM.
IV. The COAH Effect & Big Rocks Revisited
A.
The COAH Effect
Kevin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, reviewed The COAH Effect which included new academic data that showed positive trends and updates Human Resources goals. Board members probed on the staff recommitment process and its effect on retention and recruitment needs, opting to circle back to academics during committee updates. Taylor mentioned that while the process is now complete, the information was still being complied and would be available at a future meeting.
Karin Wall left.
V. Committee Updates
A.
Governance Committee Update
Melisa Lemire, Chair, provided an update on the status of potential Board candidates, including two members who will be invited to an upcoming meeting before being formally nominated as Board members and voted upon. Lemire also presented the proposed school year 2019-20 Board of Trustees calendar created by Jordan Pina, Executive Assistant, in conjunction with the Governance Committee. The Board provided feedback on the calendar and then directed Pina to confirm the dates in Board on Track.
B.
Academic Excellence Committee Updates
Jeff Jablow, Committee member, reviewed the trends from Q3 Academic Data as outlined in the recent Academic Excellence Committee. Board members probed on the results, and asked Amber Donell, Chief Academic Officer, for additional information surrounding the arc of summer professional development for teachers as it relates to continuing the positive trends identified and remaining growth areas.
C.
Development Committee Update
Callie Slocum, Chair, described her work on re-setting goals for the Development Committee with Nadine Abraham, Chief of Strategy & Operations, and noted the shift of the Committee to focus on the upcoming 25th Anniversary.
D.
CEO Support Committee Update
Mike Rosen, Chair, announced that Kevin Taylor's evaluation as Chief Executive Officer, which is being led by the CEO Support Committee, will commence in the coming weeks. The evaluation will include a self-evaluation by Taylor, in addition to feedback from Board members and Taylor's direct reports, and will be based off of Board on Track's CEO evaluation and the goals set for Taylor by the CEO Support Committee.
E.
Finance Committee Update
Lori Stevens, Committee member, reviewed the recent ask to the City on a Hill Foundation for additional funds to. The Board then inquired about the timeline for the SY20 Budget Approval Process. Liz Dignan, Senior Director of Finance, reviewed her proposed timeline and the Committee's intent to hold another meeting before the May Board of Trustees Meeting.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:05 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Cara Stillings-Candal