Excel Academy Rhode Island
Minutes
Board of Trustees Meeting
Date and Time
Thursday December 5, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Location
Center for Southeast Asians
270 Elmwood Ave
Providence, RI 02907
Meeting Notice Posted Publicly: 12/2/24
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, F. Rojas, I. Blake, J. Greenthal, L. Giordano
Trustees Absent
C. Lombardi, L. Cariaga-Lo, M. Rivera
Guests Present
A. Gil, A. Kaynor, A. Solomon, A. Stelson, C. Reed, Nichole Reilly (AAF), O. Stearns
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Public Comment
D.
Approve Minutes for 9.26.24 Board Meeting
E.
Confirm Resignation: Gary Goldberg
O. Stearns provided an update to confirm Gary Goldberg's resignation from the Board and to outline anticipated Board recruitment needs across Excel's three Boards (Excel RI, Excel MA, and Friends). A. Kaynor added that we are asking each Board member to provide potential Board member prospects during the 1:1 Board engagement meetings that we are in the process of scheduling with each member.
II. Academic Oversight
A.
Ratify Head of School Hiring Recommendation & Accept Board Designee for Hiring Process
O. Stearns and A. Kaynor provided the Board with a recommendation to hire Dr. Kate Ring as the founding Head of School (HOS) for Excel Academy Rhode Island's founding high school and notified the Board that this means we will be launching a hiring process for the current middle school campus Head of School position.
– The Deputy CSO, Stephanie Patton, will be the hiring manager.
– The process will follow our HOS hiring protocol and will be based on our HOS core competencies.
– Per the process, the Board will vote to ratify the hiring recommendation and accept the Chair's designated representatives to participate in finalist interviews.
III. Real Estate
A.
Real Estate Search Updates & Votes
C. Reed and A. Solomon presented updates on the real estate search and the RIC RFP process and answered clarifying questions from the Board. A. Kaynor summarized the enclosed RIC resolutions.
IV. Talent
A.
Annual Board Talent Update
A. Gil presented an update on Talent to the Board, detailed in the enclosed Talent Update Slides, and answered clarifying questions.
B. Smiley asked a clarifying question regarding the number and retention of special education teachers, which A. Gil provided. A. Gil noted that we retained all special education teachers from last school year.
L. Giordano invited the Board to contribute to a Board-sponsored meal for the staff and offered to coordinate the meal donation with the school's Dean of Operations and A. Kaynor.
V. Governance
A.
Update on SY24-25 CEO Goals
O. Stearns and A. Kaynor presented draft SY24-25 CEO goals to the Board and answered clarifying questions. B. Smiley and O. Stearns highlighted the importance of Board support to achieve our fundraising goals in particular.
VI. Other Business
A.
FYI - State of the Schools Update
A. Kaynor provided the following update:
Thank you to the Board members who were able to attend the XLRI Academic Oversight Committee & School Improvement Team meeting on Nov. 7. We encourage all Board members to review the quarterly Excel RI Board academic data dashboard (here) and the enclosed Academic Oversight Committee update slides. Highlights are on Slides 3-4. The next Academic Oversight Committee & School Improvement Team Meeting is scheduled for January 30.
B.
FYI - Reminder about FY24 Annual Audit
A. Kaynor previewed upcoming events with the Board and invited any Board members to stay for the XLRI FY24 Audit Approval meeting at 6:20pm.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
List of documents used in the meeting:
- Board Protocol for HOS Oversight
- Memo for Excel Boards re: RIC Project Team
- XLRI Resolutions for 12.5.24 Meeting
- XLRI Real Estate Update slides
- Talent Update slides
- Draft SY24-25 CEO Goals
- 11/7/24 XLRI Academic Committee Update Slides
No members of the public provided comment at this meeting.