No public comment.

It was reiterated that we need to fill positions in several committees and on the Board in light of potential departures in the next several months.

See agenda

The discussion followed the outline provided by Peter Cohen in the Board Pack:

- Covid19 update: School is ready to move into the new phase of "less masked learning" environment (i.e. optional mask wearing in the whole school, except for the nurse's office, where masks will still be mandatory).  Current vaccination rate is 79% within the student population and 100% within the staff and faculty population. 

- Mental health: continues to be an issue at MCCPS and in all schools across the country with higher reports of behavior issues, short-term hospitalizations

- Snow removal: we had several intense snow falls this period. A plowing company takes care of the parking lot and roads, and MCCPS maintenance staff handles egress areas, stairs.  

- Letters to the Board: Due to privacy and OML concerns, Board Members should not respond directly to parent emails beyond redirecting parents to the School administration

- Enrollment: some attrition is expected later this month leading to enrollment of 222 students from 228 when the Board packet was issued. Budget was based on enrollment of 220 students so this is not a concern.

- Lottery: the admission lottery was conducted on Feb 28 and 181 applications were received. This is down from last year but reflects a higher number of applications from sending communities Marblehead, Nahant and Swampscott, which bodes well for actual 2022-2023 enrollment

A discussion was held comparing average MCCPS salaries to local public schools and reviewing the salary progression of MCCPS staff in 2020, 2021 and 2022.  Based on this data, Peter Cohen made the following points:

- MCCPS is now competitive for entry-level salaries

- Some disparities were successfully addressed in the last 2 budget cycles

- The school has no automatic pay increases with seniority, giving it more flexibility to reward performance

- Salary is only one facet of the overall compensation as MCCPS's benefits package is deemed very competitive

A discussion was held with the Board about the merits of the automatic pay scale system.

Will Rockwell presented the latest output from the Facilities task force and in particular reviewed 2 options with the Board. Details of these options were provided in Board materials.

The Board expressed its thanks for the quality of the work presented and gave indication to the Facilities task force to continue its work. Specific feedback included:

- "Low and slow" approach (i.e. a multi-year approach that minimizes cash outlays in any given year) will be favored

- Additions that have an easier fundraising appeal should be prioritized (i.e. Stem Lab)

- Imperative that proposed changes should be careful not to trigger automatic code upgrades   

The Board discussed launching this survey, as a key element of the HOS Evaluation but also as a tool for the Head of School to establish his own objectives.

It was noted during the discussion that the survey was a good idea in general but required several factors to be a successful exercise:

- complete respondent anonymity must be guaranteed

- the survey should be carried out every year with the same questions to better assess results

- some clean up work was required as some questions were missing normal response options ("disagree")

 The survey will be administered by John Steinberg.

Paul Baker shared that the committee met and created a google document regarding Board self assessments. The Committee also discussed ways to have the Board better informed regarding staff/student achievements/actions.

Rudi Herve led a brief discussion of financial results after 7 months, noting the following:

- net income remains strong and reflects enrollment of 228, which is higher than enrollment we anticipate for the end of the year. As has been the case the last 2 financial years, there will be an adjustment at the end of the school year.

- The Board will be requested to approve 2 one-off spend items which will first be discussed in the Finance Committee when more details become available. These relate to:

•  the replacement of the kitchen floor, for which estimates are being sought. It is noted that grants and donations are also available to fund part of the work
• settlement with 2 enrichment vendors who have an ongoing claim with MCCPS  

See above regarding staff surveys and HoS evaluations.

Will be meeting on 3/4/22

Did not meet in February.

Held meeting and have a follow-up meeting planned to discuss Strategic Planning

Please see Facility Design above.

There was no public comment.

Peter Cohen invited Board members to attend the next Exhibition on Mar 17

None