MCCPS Board of Trustees
Minutes
MCCPS Monthly Board of Trustees Meeting
Date and Time
Tuesday March 28, 2023 at 7:00 PM
Location
17 Lime Street
Marblehead, MA
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Trustees Present
Ian Hunt, Jessica Gelb, Jessica Xiarhos, Katie Holt (remote), Lindsay Smith, Nick Santoro, Paul Baker, Peter Cohen (remote), Rodolphe Herve (remote), Tim Wadlow, William Rockwell
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
Alyssa Crimmins (remote), Andrea Barlow, Andrea Daniels (remote), Ariane Purdy (remote), August Bell, Ben Cayes (remote), Beth Taranto, Bob Erbetta, Chris Bruell, Connie DeBoever (remote), Elizabeth Burns (remote), Emily Miner (remote), Gina Yrrizarry, Ivy Walsh (remote), Jeff Barry (remote), Jenny Prag (remote), Jens Kollserud (remote), John Romano (remote), Justin Walsh (remote), Karen Zieff (remote), Katie Sullivan, Keiko Zoll (remote), Kim Bell, Kim Ginsberg (remote), Larry Zoll (remote), Meg Upton (remote), Melissa DeLeo (remote), Michelle Kallelis (remote), Molly Robbins (remote), Molly Teets, Pamela Robbins (remote), Rachel March (remote), Rebecca Whidden (remote), Ros, Rosalie Moleti (remote), Sarah Biltcliffe, Stephanie Brant, Susan Irizarry (remote), Thomas Taranto (remote), Tyler Kelleher (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Tim Wadlow called a meeting of the board of trustees of MCCPS Board of Trustees to order on Tuesday Mar 28, 2023 at 7:06 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
Tim Wadlow made a motion to approve the minutes from MCCPS Monthly Board of Trustees Meeting on 02-28-23.
Paul Baker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Tim Wadlow |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| Peter Cohen |
Absent
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Abstain
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Jessica Gelb |
Abstain
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
II. Public Comment
A.
Public Comment
- Bob Erbetta
- thanked the Board for their involvement, as he is.a former board member
- As a founder, was not happy to hear what was going on at the school... we tried to provide an experience that our local district didn't have focused on project based learning and offering a dimension of diversity
- Jeff and Bob had made contact
- Keiko Zoll
- Parent of 4th grader at MCCPS
- Saw yesterday's email
- Raised to the board's attention that the students know that something is going on so whatever information the board intends to share, asked that the board understands that whatever information they do share will trickle down to the students
- Tim- at this time, we cannot share much more than was shared in the
- Becca Whidden
- Will the letters that have been directed to you be added to the record?
- Paul- these emails are being recorded though we will have to confer with counsel as to whether we can make
- Felt the letter was inflammatory and unfair to Dr. Cohen... hope the Board has conversations regarding what school leadership will look like because providing thoughtful communication is critical, especially with
- Responding to Bob's mention of scuttlebutt, does not believe it is appropriate to mention that during this meeting
- Asked who the school's counsel is, who is doing the investigation, what the timeline is for the investigation is
- Tim- we are receiving advice from Al Gray, the school's counsel
- What is legal is not always what is right... my experiences with Dr. Cohen as a board member and parent w
- Will the letters that have been directed to you be added to the record?
- Heidi Walsh
- Understands why the Board sent the email but feels it was inflammatory and has lit fears and left people speculating and as parents, we need to be able to explain what's going on to our kids
- Pam Robbins
- Said people are speculating and think it is important to ensure the students are more
- Did become aware there are cameras in the school and do not believe we were notified of this... finds this concerning
- Sara Bielcliffe
- Offered to remind children that the school is safe, that they are loved
- Encouraged parents to have kids come to her and that their teachers are still their teachers and that everyone in the school
- Becca Whidden
- React to Pam's comment about the cameras
- Asking parents to peruse meeting minutes is a lot of reading
- Cameras are the absolute standard for MA communities besides a couple that have opted out
- React to Pam's comment about the cameras
- Connie Di
- Asked if the Board have an estimate as to how long the investigation may take
- Tim- with counsel's advice, we cannot commit to a timeline at this time
- Asked if the Board have an estimate as to how long the investigation may take
- Melissa
- School psychologist, reiterated that MCCPS will
- Keiko Zoll
- Being intentional with communication is critical.... agrees with others that it was written in an inflammatory manner and wants to express to the Board that there is deep and intentional thought into this matter and while Keiko appreciates the assurances of the school's staff members, as a parent who has not completed their intent to return form this does not give me much faith in the school's leadership
III. Opening Comments From Chair
A.
Tim's Comments
- Tim requested that the Board members introduced themselves to the public
- Each Board member subsequently introduced him/herself and spoke about their experience/relationship with MCCPS
- Tim provided opening comments
- Before we put out our statement, we conferred with legal counsel and are trying to do what we believe is best for the students
- To clarify a few things- the incident involved the head of school and a staff member and no child was involved
- The Board did in fact meet last night for an Executive Session
- The result of that meeting is that we need to do a proper investigation which will involve more than we've done to this point
IV. Board Annual Items
A.
Upcoming Meeting Agenda Items
- Tim outlined upcoming items
- Apr: Budget Adoption '
- May: HOS Annual Evaluation
- Jun: Annual Board Retreat
- Katie Holt asked where the
- Paul cannot do June 10th
- Tim offered to send a Google poll with potential dates
V. HOS Evaluation Process
A.
HOS Evaluation process
- Note: Please see Head of School Evaluation Presentation attached to these minutes
- Katie Sullivan introduced herself and provided summary of what the end of year HOS evaluation timeline is
- Summative report, review performance indicators, HOS goals
- Reviewed timeline
- Katie and John reviewing surveys with staff tomorrow
- John will then aggregate data and deliver presentation
- Reviewed summative report to be completed by Board members, evidence to be used in this evaluation and
- Board members will send to to Board Chair, who will then aggregate data and this will go into the head of school file
VI. HOS Report
A.
Monthly Report
- Note: please see Monthly HOS Report attached to the meeting packet
B.
Updated Succession Plan
Tim Wadlow made a motion to Accept the updated MCCPS succession plan with the contingency that the word "Principal" is replaced with "Assistant Head of School" where appropriate within the document.
Paul Baker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Jessica Gelb |
Aye
|
| Tim Wadlow |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Peter Cohen |
Absent
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
VII. Committee Updates
A.
Governance Committee
- Did not meet this month
B.
Finance Committee
- Please see Agenda Item 7A for update
C.
Personnel Committee
- Paul- met this month, currently reviewing MCCPS policies and procedures
D.
Academic Excellence
E.
Development & Communications
- Entrepreneurial Fair is about set, with approximately 50 students involved
- Weaver Orthodontics donated $1000
- Jess- requested clarity on defining role of Development Committee
- Ian- as former member of this committee, this committee is about both spreading the word about the school and raising funds (awareness re: what MCCPS is about and raising funds to support community)
F.
Strategic Plan Committee
- Didn't meet this month
G.
Facilities Task Force
- Met this month, brainstormed with committee members regarding latest Ebbrell plans
- Ebbrell expected to deliver test fit plan by the end of this week
VIII. Public Comment
A.
Public Comment
- Becca Whidden
- My memory is that the school was on much worse financial footing 6-7 years ago and the improvements since are a credit to Rudi, Andrea, Jeff and Dr. Cohen
- Recognized Dr. Cohen's contributions to professionalizing the school during his tenure
- My memory is that the school was on much worse financial footing 6-7 years ago and the improvements since are a credit to Rudi, Andrea, Jeff and Dr. Cohen
- Stephanie Brandt
- Attending monthly meeting with MHD public schools to understand their protocols for situations of emergency
- Did a drill in December with students
- Confirmed that all MHD schools have cameras inside and out
IX. Board Member Comments and Resolutions
A.
Board Member Comments and Resolutions
- Jess G requested information regarding safety protocols/systems in place at MCCPS given the recent school shootings in the country
- Will offered to look into this and get answer
X. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
Tim Wadlow made a motion to Adjourn March meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Nick Santoro seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Jessica Gelb |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Tim Wadlow |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| Peter Cohen |
Absent
|
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
William Rockwell