Collegiate Charter School of Lowell
Minutes
Regular Monthly Board Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday May 19, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Location
Meeting Notice
Collegiate Charter School of Lowell will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 19th, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
1857 Middlesex Street, Lowell, MA 01851 - Room 1223
Posted: 05/17/2026
Trustees Present
A. Miller, B. Chapman, B. Malone (remote), D. Leighton, D. Tucker, E. Nelson, K. McCarthy, M. Porto
Trustees Absent
P. Patel
Guests Present
A. Bakr, C. Connors, C. Nystrom, T. Cameron
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
C.
School Mission
D.
Approve Agenda
E.
Approve Minutes - April 2026 Meeting
II. Public Comment
A.
Floor Open to the Public
No public comment.
III. Director's Report
A.
School Updates
Presentation from Stephanie Cardoso - Attendance Officer
- Review of issues faced previously
- Review of adjustments made to-date for improvement
- Data-driven improvements - Admin, MTSS, Parent/Student communication
- Enhancing parent education of attendance laws and processes
- Visited another charter school to gain insight on their processes
- Strong relationship with Lowell courts when needed
- Current challenges - KG compulsory attendance
- Review of attendance data 2024-25 vs. 2025-26 YTD, showing vast improvement
- ADA K-4 95.5%, 5-8 96.5%, 9-12 94.2%
- Comparison of Collegiate to neighboring and other like schools
- Collegiate shows great improvement, besting Lowell Public, Dracut Public, Innovation Academy, and Springfield International Charter
- Incentives
- Mystery Jar Reward K-4
- Weekly Perfect Attendance Trophy K-4
- Bi-weekly Classroom Competitions 5-8
- Monthly Incentive and Van Transportation 9-12
- Plans for 2026-27
- Adding 2 adjustment counselors
- establishing key community health partnerships
- Beginning Saturday school sooner in the year
- Parent education night
Academic Update:
- Review of actions taken to review student progress
- Math 180 and Read 180
- UFLI Foundations - Reading
- Review of data from K-3 literacy levels nationally
- MCAS ended this week for math. Science MCAS next week and week after.
- ST Math in K-5
- Successmaker in K-5
Events:
- $6900 grant for financial literacy fair - to be held on 5/22 9:00 - 12:00
- STEAM Night
- Sports Update
- Awards Night
IV. Committee Reports
A.
Finance
Review of sub-committee meeting.
Review of month-to-month summaries for March and April.
B.
Board Development (Fundraising)
Update latest sub-committee meetings
- Community Event - June 13th 10:00 - 3:00 p.m.
- Sponsorships and Partnerships
- Rides, vendors, dunk tank, games, food trucks
- Review of donations and sponsorships to-date
C.
Academic Excellence
Updated provided previously.
D.
Facilities Committee
- Potential land expansion purchase from neighbor
- Procon update meeting to be scheduled re: expansion possibilities
- Solar panels discussion on current panels, updates and improvements
E.
Executive Director Support and Evaluation Committee
Next sub-committee to be held in July
V. Items for Board Discussion
A.
Security
- Evolv metal detectors discussion
- Facilities sub-committee to review and discuss further
VI. Unfinished Business
A.
Bond Holders
Topic by Chair McCarthy:
Discussion about history and information of the bond to ensure new board members are aware of necessary information related to the bond.
Future board meeting will have a brief summary of bond to ensure everyone knows the details.
VII. Closing Items
A.
Next Board Meeting
Next board meeting is Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
- Budget vs Actual April 2026.pdf
- Budget vs Actual March 2026.pdf
The Board of Trustees recited the school's mission to constantly remind themselves of our purpose.