Collegiate Charter School of Lowell
Minutes
Regular Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday April 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Location
Meeting Notice
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 12th, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
1857 Middlesex Street, Lowell, MA 01851 - Room 1223
Posted: 04/10/2026
Trustees Present
D. Leighton, D. Tucker, E. Nelson, K. McCarthy, M. Porto, P. Patel
Trustees Absent
A. Miller, B. Chapman, B. Malone
Guests Present
A. Bakr, C. Connors, C. Nystrom, T. Cameron
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
K. McCarthy called a meeting of the board of trustees of Collegiate Charter School of Lowell to order on Tuesday Apr 14, 2026 at 5:38 PM.
B.
Record Attendance
C.
School Mission
D.
Approve Agenda
E. Nelson made a motion to approve agenda as presented.
D. Tucker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
E.
Approve Minutes - March 2026 Meeting
D. Tucker made a motion to approve the minutes from Regular Meeting on 03-18-26.
M. Porto seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
II. Public Comment
A.
Floor Open to the Public
No public comment.
III. Director's Report
A.
School Updates
Math Curriculum Update - Grades 6-12 - Joe Gregg, Curriculum Coordinator
- Where are we now
- Growth and Improvement
- What are the plans to target struggling students?
- Curriculum changes for 2026-27
Co-Teaching Update - Susan Fitzell, Contracted trainer, author of Best Practices in Co-Teaching and Collaboration
- Whole School Instructional Change
- Phase 1 - Teacher Foundation (Year 1)
- Phase 2 - Administrator Capacity (Year 2)
- Phase 3 - Bridge Year 1 and Year 2 (Year 3)
Recent & Upcoming Events
- MCAS, pep rallies
- WOLF Assembly, recognizing outstanding students and staff
- Field trips, Drumlin Farm (Gr. 2), Merrimack College (Gr. 4)
- Spring Concert 4/14
- Movie Night 4/16
- MCAS Acceleration Academy of Spring Break for Math and Science
- Mother/Son and Father/Daughter celebrations
- Collegiate Community Day 6/13
- Axis Communication Field Trip for DECA in HS
- Rivier University college tour
- College Fair 4/9 - 60 colleges Gr. 8-12
- Early-college Designation with UML
- Mass Hire Leadership Conference for seniors 3/18
- MEFA workshops
- Business/DECA activities, finance fair
- DECA trip to Google 5/15
- Rotary Club Scholarship Conference
Academic Dashboard Update
- Review of grades 75% meeting or exceeding (Gr. K-4 are standards based)
- Elementary school Quarter 3 data summary
- Attendance review - positive growth continues, ADA above goal
- Chronic Absenteeism uptick slightly due to illness and travel
- Constant attendance focus from everyone
- Discipline improvement, month over month, restorative justice work at HS level
- Professional Development 4/15 in the afternoon to focus on UDL lesson planning
- Skillful teacher continues
- Co-teaching continues
- Gr. 6-12 teachers getting writing program training at 4/15 PD
- District-wide civics day in planning stage with curriculum coordinators
- CMAA & UML partnership for Cambodian Remembrance Day
- Preparing for Math MCAS in elementary
- ST Math grant final reach to goals to end the year
- WOLF Gar-den planting party 4/28 and 4/29
- STEAM Discovery Fair 5/28
IV. Committee Reports
A.
Finance
Summary of Finance Sub-committee meeting on 4/9
- Review of Annual Budget for FY27
- Tuition increase (preliminary)
- Expenses review
- Overview comparison of last 3-years, self-managing
- Overview of revenue, including grant revenue, increased focus on competitive grants, extended day, field/gym rental
- Detail review of staff costs
- Operating expenses summary review, bond interest, curriculum renewals
- Bond covenant compliance summary
- Excess surplus discussion on calculation from DESE
- Capital investments - IT, administrative costs, facilities costs/upgrades
- 5-year strategic roadmap
E. Nelson made a motion to approve the FY27 annual budget as presented.
D. Tucker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
B.
Board Development (Fundraising)
Collegiate Community Day - Saturday, June 13th, 10:00 - 2:00 p.m.
- Vendors
- Community Resources
- Student Concession Stands
- Carnival Day Fundraiser - games, dunk tank
- Touch-a-truck
- Gift Basket Raffle
C.
Academic Excellence
No meeting. Next meeting 5/11.
D.
Facilities Committee
Sub-committee meeting. Pro-con on-site 4/21 for recommendations for facility upgrades.
E.
Executive Director Support and Evaluation Committee
Next meeting in July.
V. Items for Board Discussion
A.
2026-27 Board Meeting Calendar
D. Tucker made a motion to approve the calendar as presented with change of August 18th to 20th and June 15th to 17th.
M. Porto seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
VI. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
Next board meeting is May 19th at 5:30 p.m.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
D. Tucker made a motion to adjourn.
E. Nelson 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 8:18 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
T. Cameron
Board of Trustees recited the school mission to remind all of our purpose.