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Excel Academy Rhode Island

Minutes

Board of Trustees Meeting

Date and Time

Thursday June 27, 2024 at 5:30 PM

Location

Center for Southeast Asians

270 Elmwood Ave

Providence, RI, 02907

Meeting Notice Posted Publicly: 6/25/24

 

Please note: All items listed on the agenda are subject to a possible vote by the Board of Trustees. 

Trustees Present

B. Smiley, C. Chhay, C. Heng, C. Lombardi, F. Rojas, I. Blake, L. Cariaga-Lo, M. Rivera

Trustees Absent

G. Goldberg, L. Giordano

Trustees who left before the meeting adjourned

I. Blake

Guests Present

A. Kaynor, A. Solomon, A. Stelson, C. Reed, Jamie Greenthal, O. Stearns

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

B. Smiley called a meeting of the board of trustees of Excel Academy Rhode Island to order on Thursday Jun 27, 2024 at 5:34 PM.

C.

Public Comment

No members of the public provided comment at this meeting.

D.

Approve Minutes for 4.25.24 Board Meeting

L. Cariaga-Lo made a motion to approve the minutes from Board of Trustees Meeting on 04-25-24.
C. Chhay seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

II. Governance

A.

Introduction & Vote to Approve New Board Member: Jamie Greenthal

O. Stearns provided an introduction to Jamie Greenthal, a candidate to join the Excel Academy Rhode Island Board, as recommended by the Governance & Nominating Committee.

 

J. Greenthal provided an introduction and spoke to his qualifications and interest in serving on the Board. A. Kaynor noted that Jamie Greenthal has already been supporting the school with fundraising and sharing of best practices related to inter-board/two-state CMO governance structures. The Board had a chance to review Jamie Greenthal's resume and bio in advance of the meeting.

 

 

M. Rivera made a motion to approve adding a new Board member: Jamie Greenthal.
C. Chhay seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

B.

Approve Change to Principal Place of Business

B. Smiley made a motion to authorize Chiv Heng and Arthur Kaynor to file Articles of Amendment with the RI Secretary of State to change Excel Academy Rhode Island's principal place of business from One Financial Plaza 18th Floor, Providence, RI 02903 to 622 Woonasquatucket Ave, North Providence, RI 02911.
C. Heng seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

C.

Approve FY25 Officers, Terms, Calendar, and Committee Assignments

L. Cariaga-Lo made a motion to approve FY25 Officers, Terms, Calendar, and Committee Assignments.
C. Chhay seconded the motion.

A. Kaynor and O. Stearns thanked the Board members for all participating in 1:1 annual check-in meetings.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

III. Academic Oversight

A.

Update on the State of the School

O. Stearns provided an update on the State of the School, including the following highlights:

  • Staffing:
    • Hiring for 24-25 - We have hired all core teaching roles and leadership roles. We are actively recruiting and interviewing for part-time health teacher, an ELA Fellow, and a special education teacher (math focus). We have active candidates for all roles.
    • Staff Retention - 100% of staff who have completed the school year are returning, 3 staff transitioned during the school year.
  • Academics:
    • All RICAS and MAP data will be shared at the first meeting next year when we have all of the SY23-24 data. Early indicators show growth, but we will discuss more when we have a more complete picture of the data.
    • The Academic Oversight Committee and School Improvement Team had a robust review and discussion of the schools LEA Strategic Plan and Consolidated Program Review in May.
  • Culture:
    • Attendance - 93% ADA, Chronic Absenteeism - 19%
    • Suspension - We are ending the year with a 6.25% suspension rate, with our goal being 6% (last year was 28%). 
  • 2024-2025 Planning
    • The school leadership team has been meeting since March to prepare for the new school year. 
    • We held a series of Round Table meetings with staff who opted in to give feedback focused on a variety of areas across the school (e.g. family engagement) and used this feedback to drive adjustments for the new school year. 
    • We are meeting several times throughout the summer, including several school and network coach norming sessions to improve instructional coaching practices, as well as a leadership institute to support leaders of teams across the school.

B.

Approve LEA Strategic Plan Update

B. Smiley made a motion to approve the LEA Strategic Plan update as presented.
F. Rojas seconded the motion.

A. Kaynor provided the Board with a summary of updates to the LEA Strategic Plan as detailed in the Board packet. F. Rojas and L. Cariaga-Lo noted that the Network Academic Team did a great job updating the Strategic Plan and that it was also very helpful to hear directly from teaching staff at the school regarding their plans for the next year to further the goals of the Strategic Plan.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

C.

Authorize Academic Oversight Committee Chair to Approve Annual HOS Evaluations

C. Heng made a motion to authorize the Academic Oversight Committee Chair to approve annual Head of School (HOS) evaluations, per the enclosed Board HOS Oversight Protocol.
C. Chhay seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

D.

Authorize Chair to approve Annual Report & Manual and Handbook updates

C. Chhay made a motion to authorizing the Chair to approve the annual report and school manual and handbook updates over the summer that require Board approval.
L. Cariaga-Lo seconded the motion.

A. Kaynor noted that we will provide a summary report to the Board of updates this summer to school manuals and handbooks when the Board reconvenes in the fall.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
I. Blake left.

IV. Finance

A.

Confirm FY25 CMO fee

C. Chhay made a motion to confirm a CMO fee in RI for FY25 of 12.5% of public revenue as defined by the CMO agreement, consistent with the FY25 budget.
B. Smiley seconded the motion.

Note: The CMO Agreement between XLRI & Friends of Excel includes a 14% fee for FY25. This vote is to confirm a lower fee % than what is in the agreement.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

B.

Approve FY25 Budget

C. Chhay made a motion to approve the FY25 Budget as presented and as recommended by the Finance Committee on April 25, 2024.
L. Cariaga-Lo seconded the motion.

A. Stelson and A. Solomon presented the FY25 Budget to the Board, as recommended by the Finance Committee and detailed in the FY25 Budget and summary slides. C. Chhay asked for more information about the structure of the student loan repayment program, which A. Solomon provided. A. Solomon then provided additional context to the Board regarding longer-term financial projections.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

V. Real Estate

A.

Vote to approve and unseal Executive Session Meeting Minutes from 4.25.24

C. Chhay made a motion to approve and unseal the Executive Session Meeting Minutes from 4.25.24.
F. Rojas seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
C. Chhay made a motion to approve the enclosed resolutions regarding Rhode Island College RFP, as recommended by the XLRI Building Committee on June 20th, 2024.
C. Heng seconded the motion.

O. Stearns provided the Board with updates on the Carl G. Lauro lease process with the Providence City Council. C. Reed and A. Solomon updated the Board on the RIC RFP proposal.

The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

B.

Update on Real Estate Search & Votes

C. Chhay made a motion to approve extending the maturation deadline of the Promissory Notes between Excel Academy Rhode Island and Friends of Excel Academy from 6/30/24 to 6/30/25.
C. Heng seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.

VI. Closing Items

A.

Adjourn Meeting

C. Heng made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
L. Cariaga-Lo seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 7:00 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
B. Smiley
Documents used during the meeting
  • Jamie Greenthal - Bio.pdf
  • JGreenthal_Resume.pdf
  • RI Board Committee Summary.pdf
  • XLRI FY25 Board Calendar (1).pdf
  • 050224 - RI Academic Committee.pdf
  • Summary of Updates to XLRI LEA Strategic Plan - June 2024.pdf
  • 2024 DRAFT_ Excel Rhode Island LEA Strategic Plan (1).pdf
  • Board Protocol for HOS Oversight.pdf
  • Excel Academy Consolidated FY25 Budget Package - Final.pdf
  • XLRI Resolution for 6.27.24 Meeting - Final.pdf

The public is welcome to attend any meeting of the Board of Trustees or its subcommittees. If communication assistance (readers/ interpreters/captions) or any other accommodations are needed to ensure equal participation, please contact Arthur Kaynor at 781.526.6927 at least two (2) business days prior to the meeting. Any changes in the agenda will be posted on Excel Academy Charter School’s website, Excel’s principal place of business, and will be electronically filed with the Secretary of State at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting. If you would like to attend a Board meeting and provide public comment, please sign up 48 hours in advance here: https://forms.gle/7315BJ7v1bHGGh2Q9.

 

Excel Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age, country of ancestral origin, or veteran status in administration of its admissions or educational policies, curricular programs, other school-administered programs, or in its hiring and employment practices in accordance with applicable federal, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island laws and regulations.