Simplified the Mission Statement as presented in the packet.

Would like the Board to look at the Lower School this year.

Patience updates the Board on Curriculum and instructional shifts.
Instructionally, overhaul to make sure we are fully Common Core (CC) aligned.
New K-2 Reading curriculum - staying with Reading Street but purchased the most updated, CC-aligned version. Teachers will receive 2-days PD on how to teach CC-aligned.
K-2 Math: Bring in Envision Math 2.0, latest, CC-aligned version of the curriculum. Goal is to make it more student-centered, students should constantly talking and developing their own strategies. There will be 10 PD visits to train teachers on the new instruction style.
Social Studies and Science: Should not be taught in isolation but instead infused into ELA curriculum. Slow roll-out.
3-4 ELA: Bring in brand new units that are not part of a boxed curriculum - using units from her previous school. All units will be novel-based, units integrated with Science and SS.
Bringing in Cognitively Guided Intervention. Teachers facilitate and kids talk about their strategies.
Looking at our technology, working with Accelerated Reader, and they agreed to provide us with a cart with 30 chromebooks.
Had conversations regarding retention. The process was very difficult. For every program brought in, there will be multiple data collection points and we are working with a data consultant which will help provide standard-based information to teachers and parents.
Joe: Who on staff will support you? Patience: We have a new Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator, we also have external consultants.

Conversation regarding promotional criteria: Nick exposed the framework in place (Promotion in Doubt letters starting in Term 2, meeting with parents, report cards, parent teacher conferences). 

Tish: Sounds like great shift, do students require more support? Patience: Yes, we are making a shift in have 2 adults at all time in K-4 classrooms. Also shifting RTI framework so all interventions happen in the classroom. Niomi: There will also Child Study Team meetings every 6 weeks to review data. Tish: What should the impact be on test scores? Patience: I do not anticipate surprises, we should not wait for the State to tell us how our children are doing. The impact should be positive. 

On instructional staff continuity:
NT: We are not bringing back any "bad" teachers. A sheet showing the list of staff members and who have signed on for next year has been provided. People leave for multiple reasons, and the millennial generation is much more mobile.

Next step: Marlena wishes to take out the word "spiritual" from the proposed Education Committee mission statement.
Goals were presented by Cecelia, they were derived from the school's mission statement.

Parents in attendance on June 21st are those who have made their presence known to the Board. There are a few points the Family Life committee wishes to report on.

Role of the Family Life Committee

Issues brought up by parents
There were 8 or so parents. Had a framework of 1) talking about positive experiences and successes for the year; 2) Things parents were hoping to do more of; 3) tangible ways the Board can help families.
There were no survey among entire population, but the ideas were reasonable. 
4 ideas for Family Life Committee to help families:
Support Services to be in attendance for parent teacher conference -> Families for students who receive special services, although they know they can meet with our staff at any time, they want to be able to meet with the outside providers who serve their children. Major concern is that these service providers are not our employees. Most of them also have other evening jobs - they only get paid when they are physically in front of a child - even if we offer to pay them, they do not want to lose their secondary jobs.
Clarifications:
Kevin asks whether the offer to pay them has already been raised to them. Silbia affirmed that yes, they are not able to stay as they need to go to other jobs.
Patricia asks if parents receive reports on the services provided. Silbia affirms that they do.
Marlena asked when the initial conversation happened: Silbia says that the conversations have happened as early as September regarding compensation for their participation to school-wide events.
Kevin recommends that the school makes a specific request at the point of selection of the service providers.
Two teachers in every classroom in upper grades -> That would be a fundraising campaign from the Family Life committee to fund these additional positions. 
The committee would like to know what the cost of having two teachers per classroom in the MS so they can go back to the parents and let them know what a fundraising target would be to fulfill this request.
Survey of teacher effectiveness -> Wish to develop a survey, perhaps with student feedback.
Question: What is the purpose of the survey? Who would have access to the results? Kevin: To inform the school and parents. Most of the impetus would be to hear from students and families. Who would receive the results was not discussed. Marlena: To give the perception of inclusion in teacher evaluation - it would come to the Board. The format would be different from the DOE survey.
Cecelia: Problem with the word "effectiveness" - are the teachers going to get fired? Kevin: We could call it something else - no one should be fired.
Vicky: Who are they asking to develop and administer the survey? Kevin: Understanding is that parents want input on developing the survey and would like the school to administer it.
Nick: Would like 2-3 Trustees to do research on the development and impact of the survey.
Goal: Committee will inform parents that the Committee will work on developing and researching an instrument and conduct research by September.
Family/community events: Families want to have clarity on whose ideas events are. The Committee needs to talk to parents before open school night to find out what the PFO needs. On Open School Night, need to collect information on who wants to be an officer and have an election in September. From the Board: I would like to have someone who will be assigned to work with Family Life on this project.

Proposal for family engagement in the Fall

How the committee can help parents become more organized

The Board reviewed the Mission and Goals proposed by the Development committee.

The mission was agreed upon by all Trustees.

Goals: Cecelia asks on whether it is necessary to specify amounts. The committee points out that there are many ways funds can be raised but that having a number provides a target. 
Joe shares interest in knowing what the plan is to meet the goals that are presented.
Nick says that we can create assets that allow the Board to have conversations that can lead to financial contributions.

 

Discussion of who staff members go to if they have a grievance.

Nick explained how the process to make a formal complaint is laid out in staff handbook and what the roles of SMT, the ED and the Board are.

Joe:
Executive committee should focus on raising the bar of the school. 
Energies should be dedicated to re-invigorating committees, we need to be more accountable to one another before, during and after meetings. Nick provides guidance on how committees should work and the legal framework within which committee meetings must happen.

Marlena: I think for us what works best is for the committees tot discuss with SMT ahead of time to get the necessary information ahead of time and that decisions can be made during the meeting.

Need to formalize a framework within which families, students, staff and Board can come up with ways to improve student achievement.

 

Nick proposes that we higher BoardOnTrack to survey our Board anonymously to evaluate effectiveness perceptions within the Board.

Review of the statements from the school's bank accounts.

One account is the dissolution account if the school were to be closed, this a mandated amount.

Another account is our savings, there is one million which we are not touching. The Board should make decisions regarding reasons to dip into the savings account. This is the last year with data in the renewal process, so it might be a strategic time to make additional investments. The goal is to get a 5-year renewal.

The last account is at 2,250,000, which includes the last per pupil.

Changes:

• Increase in Title I allocation;
• School will pay for lunch for all students who are not already eligible for free lunch. It will be a draw for families but also be a relief for our staff which has been running after families to pay relatively small bills.
• Decrease in curriculum expenses because of how large last year's middle school expenses were and because the LS curriculum purchases were already budgeted in the previous year's budget.

 

Education committee will stay on as an ad hoc committee.

Marlena proposes that there should be a committee in charge of the ED evaluation. The committee would meet several times a year and provide a mid year review to the ED. The committee should meet by December to have an instrument ready to be used in January. 

Executive
Joe (Chair)
Marlena
Pat
Angel
Cecelia will be the fifth person.

Finance
Angel (Chair)
Victor
Patricia

Education
Cecelia (Education)
Kevin
Marlena
Dalia

Development
Leticia (Chair)
Victor
Marlena

Family Life
Kevin (chair)
Cecelia
Marlena
Pat

Grievance
Victor (chair)
Cecelia
Kevin 

ED evaluation
Joe (Chair)
Marlena
Cecelia
Kevin

Joe will talk with Dalia regarding Leticia's other committee assignments (for Development and Finance).

 

Nick requested to get information on how each committee plans on operating this year in terms of number of meetings and their format.

Quick check on number of trustees needed to accomplish Board goals. Targets ranged from 2-6, with two potential current members are also thinking of making this year their last one.

Marlena proposed that we invest some of our surplus toward our Board expansion search.

Joe recommends that a policy for expenditures from the savings be developed by the Board.

 

Wednesday August 31st
Tuesday September 27th
Thursday October 20th
Monday November 28th
Monday December 19th

January - June will be decided at August meeting.