No members of the public provided comments at this meeting.

A. Kaynor provided a preview of upcoming meetings and events, including that the Academic Oversight Committee and School Improvement Team will meet on April 15th to review and update the school's LEA Strategic Plan. All Board members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

A. Kaynor thanked C. Chhay, C. Heng, F. Rojas, and J. Greenthal for representing the Excel RI Board in the RIDE charter renewal site visit inspection.

K. Ring presented updates on high school planning, as detailed in the high school planning slides provided to the Board.

L. Giordano asked for additional information about XLRI MS staff members planning to transition to XLRI HS next year, and K. Ring previewed anticipated staffing transitions across campuses.

C. Heng asked a clarifying question about the anticipated number of teaching staff, which K. Ring answered.

O. Stearns commended K. Ring for retaining a high percentage of staff for a new high school and noted the strong foundation this provides for the school’s launch.

C. Chhay asked whether the school had received parent feedback regarding transportation. K. Ring described the thorough, family-informed process that led to the decision to provide RIPTA access for all students and thanked F. Rojas and other parents for their thoughtful engagement.

J. Greenthal asked how the team is balancing the existing network playbook with school-level autonomy. K. Ring shared that she is working closely with N. Keough and that the team has generally chosen not to deviate significantly from the strong XLHS model. O. Stearns added that this balance may evolve further as the school expands into later grade levels and navigates different budgetary constraints than in MA.

L. Giordano shared that the academic community is excited to see what XLRI HS will accomplish.

K. Ring shared that the team has held many meetings with the Parent Advisory Committee to help inform design decisions for the new school.

L. Giordano asked about opportunities for student input. K. Ring shared that while students are not making decisions about items such as wall or floor colors, they are helping shape other aspects of the school through groups such as the Operations and Culture Subcommittee and the Sports and Culture Committee, as well as through activities such as vendor food tastings.

L. Giordano briefly introduced Jenna Silver, a prospective Board candidate, and noted that the vote to approve Jenna's nomination will be scheduled for the June meeting.

A. Kaynor presented the proposed updated enrollment policy which was provided to the Board in advance and summarized rationale for the proposed updates.

A. Kaynor provided an update on the charter renewal inspection preparation, timeline, and next steps.

A. Kaynor provided the following reminder about annual disclosure requirements:

Reminder: The RI Ethics Commission sends your annual disclosure forms via mail, and the forms are due back to the Ethics Commission by the last Friday in April (4.24.26). You can submit your disclosures online. Please contact Arthur Kaynor if you have not received your disclosure paperwork yet or have questions about completing this requirement. Thank you!

O. Stearns provided updates on the school's real estate search and A. Kaynor outlined four votes for the Board's consideration and summarized related materials, which were provided to the Board in advance.

A. Kaynor updated the Board on the school's CSP application and summarize related two votes.

A. Kaynor provided the following update on the FY27 Budget Planning Process: 
 

Please note that the Finance Committee will be meeting on April 15th to review a draft budget for FY27 (School Year 26-27). Non-Committee Board members are welcome to participate each year in the school's budget planning process. Please reach out to Arthur Kaynor if you would like to meet with a member of the Finance Team to learn more about the budget. Following the Finance Committee meeting, a budget proposal memo will be circulated to Excel's three Boards in advance of their May and June meetings when each Board will vote to approve its respective budget for FY27.

O. Stearns and A. Kaynor reminded Board members about fundraising, recruitment, and engagement goals and previewed upcoming events and activities.

O. Stearns updated Board members on local events.

List of documents used at the meeting:

• Agenda
• Prior meeting minutes
• High school planning update slides
• Jenna Silver resume
• Memo re: enrollment policy updates
• Updated enrollment policy
• Real estate resolutions
• Purchase & sale agreement