The minutes for the October meeting will be presented at the next scheduled meeting in December

The minutes for the special meeting in November will be presented at the next scheduled meeting in December

Two 8th grade senators provided an update to the board regarding their research topics and various ongoing activities and initiatives within which they are involved.
 
 

There were no representatives from the PTO at the meeting.

There were no public comments presented.

Artie Sullivan reviewed all of the action items listed providing current status and relevant updates.
 

The board calendar dates with expected upcoming items and topics per meeting were also reviewed by the Board Chair, Artie Sullivan.

The group walked through the current Board Goals and overall plan for the upcoming school year, noting overall the progress on goals appears on track.  Discussion highlights including:

• By-laws review and update
• Celebration of 25 year anniversary
• Site visit from the state

See above - the board goals and school year planning was more of a combined discussion.

Katie Sullivan - a member of the Personnel Committee (and founding teacher at MCCPS) provided an in-depth training presentation regarding the HOS Evaluation process.
She reviewed the sequence of events and the expected steps to be followed by the board to deliver the mid-year and final full year assessment on time.
Based on a question by Ellen Lodgen, Katie agreed to follow-up and assist in clarifying how teachers are expected to participate.
 

Rebecca Whidden walked the group through the strategic plan, highlighting various components and elements, providing insights and explanations regarding how the content was developed and prepared.  She noted that while the concepts and areas are adequately defined, that additional details and information will be refined and developed by the various responsible parties.

While the team agreed there are some minor updates and proof-reading corrections needed, the concepts and areas of focus are on-point and reflect the expectations of the board.  It was also noted that the plan needs to be evolving and refined based on various current events such as the MCAS scores, as well as the charter renewal process with the anticipated report being sent back to MCCPS early in 2020.  Everyone present was appreciative of the work put forth by the sub-committee.

 

There is a meeting scheduled for November 20th, with the primary topics to be covered include:

• By-laws refresh
• Recruitment efforts
• Expiring terms / open seats
• Board composition

Rudi Herve - presented financial results for October, highlighting overall position and anticipated challenges faced.
The group considered the use of Board on Track and if the subscription cost should be voted into the budget.  Given the extensive use of the tool as well as the favorable feedback provided by the representatives from the state during the charter renewal meetings, the board unanimously elected to continue the subscription.
 

The personnel committee previously presented the HOS evaluation training and no additional updates were required.

Jessica Xiarhos updated the board on the progress made by the Academic Excellence Committee.  She noted that she is now attending the Instructional Leadership Team and noted that she believe the different groups are now collaborating more than in recent history.
The group hopes to enhance and further develop measurable indicators for both exhibition projects and overall throughout the curriculum.
 

Ellen Lodgen updated the group on the recent Development committee efforts.
The primary focus was on the status of the calendar raffle and the ongoing planning for the 25th anniversary celebration in the early spring of 2020.



 

Please see the earlier presentation of the strategic plan - there were no additional updates.

Dr. Cohen noted that a sub-committee meeting hasn't been held as of yet, however there will be one in short order.  
He also noted there is an 'Internal task force' which will meet first and then report back to the sub-committee on matters such as the status of web-site and social media pages.
There may be a cost to upgrade the web-site and Peter will provide that update after quotes are obtained.  Becca Whidden will be providing some additional information (on potential web development) to the committee for consideration.

Dr. Cohen indicated the management team is now waiting for feedback / a response from the state after the visit held.  Additional updates will be available after the report is received early in 2020.

As indicated earlier, there were two meetings held and the task force will be presenting Governance with the proposed edits for their review and commentary.  When fully approved by Governance, the updated by laws will be presented to the board.

Dr. Peter Cohen reviewed in detail his monthly Head of School report

Please refer to that document for the items covered.

The committee focused in on, and asked additional question relating to the following areas:

• IXL - the nature of the tool and how it is being utilized by both teachers and students.
• Overall process, systems and team assignments (both Admin and Teaching staff)
• Charter school visits
• Available interns or fellowships
• Budgeting and enrollment figures

Lastly the group continued to discuss the strategic plan and potential capital campaign efforts.

There were no public comments.
 

Concerns were presented by some of the board members that the meeting was too lengthy and that participants may not be fully focused or able to fully express themselves given the late hour.
The pros and cons of splitting monthly meetings into two meeting times was discussed in detail.
 

The following action items were noted:

• Strategic plan was adopted
• Board on Track service was approved along with the payment for subscription fees 

 

Again the excessive length of the meeting was discussed with potential solutions debated.