G. Fortes shared reflections on the REDI work the board has conducted this school year. She reported that the board made strong progress this year in part thanks to D. Prentiss' leadership and efforts to create planning documents and push it forward. The Board will continue to work with our DEI consultant in the new school year. Y. Dennis shared that she was pleased to see the Board continuing to do this critical work. 

Director of Curriculum & Instruction A. Teevens shared the following:

- SOA was passed in 2019 to provide additional funding for public schools in MA that serve a disproportionately high percentage of students who are high needs

- A. Teevens reviewed data around chronic absenteeism, English proficiency, suspensions to identify which areas our high needs students perform low average

A summary of the plan as drafted by A. Teevens:

Alma del Mar Charter School is committed to addressing disparities between student groups in our district, and to accelerate the improvement of students with disabilities, multilingual learners, and low income students. In order to address these disparities, Alma will develop and enhance the following evidence-based programs:

1. Effective use of the WIDA Framework
2. Effective Student Support System & Comprehensive Tiered Support
3. Enhanced Support for SEL and Mental Health 

We plan to make investments in Instructional materials, Professional Development, Salaries and Wages in alignment with this plan. The total investment in evidence-based strategies over the next three years will total:  $1,848,000.

J. Korn asked that the plan be reviewed regularly by the Academic Excellence committee to better understand the plan of action and how the Board may support these efforts. C. Holley asked whether this plan differs from the initial plan in 2021. A. Teevens replied that it is an entirely new plan that is based on new data sets showing disproportionality of performance and experiences of our high needs students. D. Prentiss thanked Teevens for the work on the plan

Bellwether submitted a proposal for Alma's strategic plan. Bellwether was the firm that conducted this process back in 2017/2018 as well. 

T. DeLoach also included a strategy document that Jaime Morrison (current Alma instructional consultant, future senior principal at Douglass Campus) drafted as he's been on the ground at Alma for two years now.

J. Korn asked how many firms submitted proposals, and asked about the 11 week timeline that was proposed by Bellwether, stating that it is a shorter amount of time than processes he's been a part of before. T. DeLoach stated that Bellwether is a very experienced firm that has a strong plan to conduct their process in an effective and efficient way to create a solid and accurate snapshot of the organization. J. Korn expressed concern about whether Bellwether would be client-focused and thorough in learning about our organization, or if they would just follow their set process. He also asked whether the three Bellwether staff would be dedicated just to Alma, or split their time with other projects. 

T. DeLoach highlighted the suspension data which fell within our targets for the school year. She has been meeting with the Deans of Culture as well as the incoming Director of Culture about planning for the upcoming school year. Y. Dennis asked about the grades that make up most of the suspensions. T. DeLoach shared that middle school grades are a majority of the suspensions, and we have seen that increase occur as the number of middle schoolers has increased as part of Alma's growth.

Attendance rates were lower this year than we had hoped, though it has increased since last year. T. DeLoach shared that the teams will be working to strengthen our attendance policy and communication with families regarding the importance of scholars coming to school every day.

T. DeLoach reported that we've made 21 hires and have 7 hires yet to make, including one school leader and four special education teachers. 

T. DeLoach  pointed out that families reported some dissatisfaction with communication with the school. She reported that this was in part due to staff turnover and unclear points of contact for families. 

D. Prentiss asked about the difference in scores for scholar safety and drop off/pick up between Ottiwell and Douglass. B. Kurie shared that the Belleville intersection in front of Ottiwell continues to be a concern and we have been working for a few years to improve conditions, including adding additional speed limit signs last year. This year, Alma was selected to participate in a Signs and Lines program through Safe Routes to School. The city is currently improving the safety at that intersection with new and improved crosswalks, curb cuts, and signage.

T. DeLoach presented Q4 academic results to the board. 

Positives

• Reading growth for K-3 scholars continues to be steady. We have isolated just a few teachers who require ongoing targeted support to ensure consistent growth for scholars next year. 
• Ottiwell 5th-8th grade ELA data continues to be very strong. We adopted a new reading curriculum in the upper school grades this year and are seeing strong evidence of success.
• Elementary math continues to be a bright spot, though we saw a slight decline in passing rates overall. 3rd grade math at Douglass outperformed with 92% of scholars passing their interims; we may see the results of this mastery on MCAS.
• Douglass 5th-8th grade ELA data showed moderate gains, with 10% more scholars passing their interims in Q4 as compared to Q3. Overall passage rate remains low, however. The FDC ELA department had significant staff turnover to start the year but stabilized significantly since January.
• It continues to be true that teachers who stay at Alma the longest produce the best results, so our key strategy around talent remains the correct priority. 

Areas for Improvement

• Middle School math data across the network continues to be our area of most significant concern. Next year, we are making some shifts to our curricular and instructional model for MS Math, including:
  • Ensuring that daily practice sets in 6th-7th grade provide adequate practice at the correct level of rigor demanded by MCAS (i.e. not overly complex problem types)
  • Reducing the scope of each course by 20% (i.e. eliminate 20% of unique learning targets) to implement a weekly Friday mixed review system, in which teachers and coaches engage in data review cycles during the week and design Friday lessons that target the gaps demonstrated that week.
  • Implementing a new curriculum in 8th grade, designed specifically to target lingering gaps in foundational skills with a focus on algebra readiness. 
  • To continue increasing achievement at the Douglass Middle School, there will be heavy emphasis to start the year on securing productive learning environments and developing scholarly habits. An updated schedule will increase non-instructional time for teachers, with a goal of increasing staff retention, as well as creating a more flexible daily study hall period in which scholars across all three grades can receive targeted support as needed.
  •  As part of our SOA plan, we will also be investing in strong academic intervention resources and training across grades and content areas. While there is protected intervention time across the network, and systems in place to identify scholars of concern, there is wide variability in how specialists and interventionists provide support to scholars. 

J. Korn asked about the high passing percentage goals that have been set for the upcoming school year. T. DeLoach shared about the importance of setting the bar high to make sure we are striving for the highest achievement possible. C. Bator asked DeLoach to continue to come to the board with any ideas - no matter how creative or aggressive - to support scholar achievement.

C. Holley shared out the projected 5 year capital plan, which was created by our Director of Finance, Director of Operations and Executive Director.

C. Holley reported that the Finance Committee will need the Board of Trustees to review and approve the FY24 Audit by November 1, 2024.

PNS has been signed and is within the amount that was approved. E. Haddad is waiting on asbestos test results and we are aiming for a July 1 deadline for a final decision based on final due diligence. Alma's Foundation Board will meet on June 27th.

C. Holley asked that the Board continue thinking about the potential uses of the property.

D. Prentiss shared a new meeting day and time - Mondays at 10:30 am, with a new calendar for the new year that takes into consideration holidays, vacation weeks, and work schedules. 

Sep 23 (in person)

Oct 28 – Annual meeting (in person)

Dec 2 (zoom)

Feb 3 (in person)

Mar 24 (zoom)

May 19 (zoom)

Jun 23 (in person)

We will proceed with implementing the consent agenda as part of our board agenda beginning in September.

D. Prentiss shared that all trustees and senior leaders should access and complete the Executive Director evaluation on Board on Track by next Friday, June 28, 2024. 

D. Prentiss congratulated the team on two successful graduations for our 8th grade scholars, and he encouraged all trustees to plan to attend next year. Thanks Dave and John for attending!

D. Prentiss wished everyone a happy and joyful summer, but encouraged the team to continue this critical work through the summer in preparation for the upcoming school year.