MCCPS Board of Trustees
Minutes
Board of Trustees Retreat
Date and Time
Saturday June 15, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Location
MCCPS
17 Lime Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
Trustees Present
Carol McEnaney, Ian Hunt, James Lewis, Jessica Xiarhos, Katie Holt, Kimberly Nothnagel, Lindsay Smith, Nick Santoro, Paul Baker, Polly Titcomb, Rodolphe Herve, Stephanie Brant, William Rockwell (remote)
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
Emily Promise, Kathy Egmont
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance and Guests
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
Katie Holt called a meeting of the board of trustees of MCCPS Board of Trustees to order on Saturday Jun 15, 2024 at 9:16 AM.
C.
Review Agenda and Expectations
- Will provided a summary of today's agenda, and Katie asked that everyone grab coffee, food, etc. as we proceed throughout today's session
II. Board Training
A.
Board Training
- Please see attached for full training presentation
- Summary
- Introduction
- Kathy asked that each Board member share his/her name and a bit about where where he/she attended 8th grade and what the school was like
- Noted difference between public versus private board- all decisions are accountable to the public and processes must be transparent
- True or False
- Kathy reviewed some basic Board responsibilities
- Board members are special state employees
- No gifts of more than $50
- Board is subject to public meetings
- Minutes must be kept and made available to public (both committee and Board)
- Exec. Session is permissible in certain instances (personnel, contract issues, etc.)
- Amendments to Charter DESE must be submitted by 8/1
- Allows
- Financial Disclosure forms must be submitted to Town Clerk, DESE, and Ethics Committee
- Board members are special state employees
- Kathy reviewed some basic Board responsibilities
- History of Charter Schools
- Began in the 1980s, developed model of receiving funding directly from state rather than town superintendent
- Public schools are still reimbursed for each pupil taken by Charter school
- Began in the 1980s, developed model of receiving funding directly from state rather than town superintendent
- Governance
- The Board defines the school's mission, approves school policies, hires and holds accountable the executive director, formulate a long range plan ensuring the viability of the school, and serve as financial stewards of the school
- Kathy and the Board discussed fundraising & foundation options
- Kathy discussed the concept of a Foundational Board and methods for managing public and private funds
- Board Approved Annual Functions
- Include Accountability Plan, Annual Audit, Annual Report, Charter Renewal & Amendments, CORI Checks, Fire Inspections, and many more
- School Authorization and Oversight
- Faithfulness to charter, academic program success, culture and family engagement, and org. viability
- Kathy and the board discussed common misconceptions about Charter schools and the role of Charter schools in serving the needs of special ed students
- Noted that MCCPS received a glowing review from the state this year regarding its special ed. services
- Kathy recommended that the Board set aside time during Sept. Board meeting to review policies and DESE's questions in advance of their October site visit
- Kathy also recommended that the next strategic plan be developed after DESE's October visit, as their findings will inform strategic plan
- Board would vote to approve during June, 2025 meeting
- School finances
- State dashboards available showing DESE's view of a school's finances
- Can be accessed online through the DOE (navigate to Board of Ed site, lookup charter schools and you'll find financial dashboards)
- Assessment based on money in the bank, debts, enrollment
- Can be accessed online through the DOE (navigate to Board of Ed site, lookup charter schools and you'll find financial dashboards)
- State dashboards available showing DESE's view of a school's finances
- Access and equity
- Kathy reviewed access and equity information and shared links on the topic for the Board to review, and also noted the importance of understanding the perspectives of the community, their circumstances, and their experiences
- Strategic Plan
- Kathy walked through guiding principles for the development of a strategic plan
- Finances
- Kathy reviewed financial differences between public and Charter schools
- Public schools' facilities are paid for by their municipality, whereas Charter facilities are not
- This makes it much easier for public schools to provide higher salaries, as these capital expenses aren't a concern
- Public schools' facilities are paid for by their municipality, whereas Charter facilities are not
- Kathy and the Board reviewed the four components of Charter tuition (foundation rate, above financial rate, facilities, and transportation)
- Recommendation for looking at finances
- Look at admission and understand who you want to serve
- If you have foundation holding money for school you use a compound audit
- Foundation could raise funds and allocate it without public interference (but these must be private funds)
- Kathy reviewed financial differences between public and Charter schools
- Scenarios
- Kathy and the Board walked through several scenarios
- Takeaways included notes that texts shouldn't be used for any official business, the importance of not providing opinions on school matters/procedures outside meetings, the role of Board members as mandatory reporters, and the requirement of CORI test for all Board members
- This is especially important because Board members, as state employees, can have their cell phones and records taken in the event of a lawsuit
- Takeaways included notes that texts shouldn't be used for any official business, the importance of not providing opinions on school matters/procedures outside meetings, the role of Board members as mandatory reporters, and the requirement of CORI test for all Board members
- Kathy and the Board walked through several scenarios
- Kathy concluded and offered to help with the development of the next strategic plan in the future
- Introduction
III. 10 Minute Break
A.
10 Minute Recess
- The Board took a brief break for food and coffee
IV. Vote on Board of Trustees Candidate
A.
Vote on candidacy of Emily Promise
William Rockwell made a motion to the Board appoint Emily Promise as a member of the MCCPS Board of Trustees to fill a term commencing immediately upon approval by Department of Elementary and secondary Education and expiring three (3) years from the date of DESE approval.
Katie Holt seconded the motion.
- Polly recommended Emily to join the Board of Trustees, as the Governance Committee met with her last week to review her candidacy
- Also noted that Emily has no direct interest in the school, which is always valuable
- Emily spoke to her own background and experience and the opportunity to join the Board and serve as Treasurer
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Polly Titcomb |
Aye
|
| Carol McEnaney |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| James Lewis |
Aye
|
| Kimberly Nothnagel |
Aye
|
William Rockwell made a motion to move that the Board invite the newly appointed Trustee, Emily Promise, to all Board Meetings and activities while her approval is pending with the Department of Elementary and secondary education. Polly will be entitled to participate as provisional Trustee and will be able to participate in all activities and discussions, except voting, until the formal approval from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and will not be counted when determining a quorum.
Katie Holt seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Carol McEnaney |
Aye
|
| Polly Titcomb |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| Kimberly Nothnagel |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| James Lewis |
Aye
|
V. Planning SY24-25 Committees
A.
Deliberate on current committees & discuss purpose of each
- Current Committees
- Governance
- Finance
- Personnel
- Academic Excellence
- DevCom
- DEI
- Katie noted that, after speaking with Stephanie, we should begin to rethink/reconsider how we perceive "community", as this is a regional school and said that we, as a Board, should strive to have committee/Board composition reflect this diversity
- This would be a great potential goal for SY24-25
VI. Selection of Board Officers & Committee Chairs for SY24-25
A.
Board Officer & Committee Elections
Katie Holt made a motion to reelect Will Rockwell as Board Clerk for a two year term ending June 14th, 2026.
Polly Titcomb seconded the motion.
- Rudi noted what a wonderful job Will has done as clerk compared to the last one!
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Polly Titcomb |
Aye
|
| Carol McEnaney |
Aye
|
| James Lewis |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Abstain
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| Kimberly Nothnagel |
Aye
|
Katie Holt made a motion to Emily treasurer.
Paul Baker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| James Lewis |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| Kimberly Nothnagel |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Carol McEnaney |
Aye
|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Polly Titcomb |
Aye
|
B.
Update on Current Board Member Terms
Katie Holt made a motion to reelect Will Rockwell for a second three year term as a Board of Trustees member for MCCPS.
Paul Baker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| James Lewis |
Aye
|
| Polly Titcomb |
Aye
|
| Carol McEnaney |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| Kimberly Nothnagel |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Abstain
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
- The Board discussed and decided upon chairs for each of its current committees
- Katie Holt: Personnel
- Polly Titcomb: Governance
- Emily Promise: Finance
- Lindsay Smith: DEI
- Ian Hunt volunteered to join this committee as a member
- Kim Nothnagel: DevCom
- Jeff Lewis volunteered to join this committee as a member
- Jess Xiarhos: Academic Excellence
- A question raised asking the definition of a "work group" versus a "committee"
VII. 10 Minute Break
A.
10 Minute Recess
- The Board elected to continue rather than take a break
VIII. Board and HOS Goals
A.
Review SY23-24 Goals
- Note: SY23-24 Goal 1: Conduct a thorough process and documentation review and establish standard operating procedures (“SOPs”) for documents and archives, ensuring complete OML compliance and easy access to important information for both internal and external stakeholders on the school website, BoardOnTrack and other avenues.
- Katie acknowledged that this was overall a success, as students enjoyed their year, recruitment improved, and the staff appears energized
- Jess added that SOPs are a work in progress, as it sometimes feels like the Board repeats itself on several processes (ex: Board member onboarding) and Katie mentioned that this is likely a multi-year goal
- The Board noted that great progress was made on MCCPS website and cited Meg Upton's work on this
- Katie acknowledged that this was overall a success, as students enjoyed their year, recruitment improved, and the staff appears energized
- Note: SY23-24 Goal 2: Build and promulgate the MCCPS brand through community engagement, events, and digital and print messaging.
- Katie noted that great progress was made on this, as Rose, Kim, Stephanie, Meg, and others have put great effort into this with great success
- Board members mentioned the importance of ongoing engagement from Board members, whether that is attending events, advocating for the school, or volunteering
- The Board also discussed the role of DevCom and Kim mentioned that she, Stephanie, and Katie would meet to sharpen the focus of this committee
- Kim noted that Stephanie invested in paid advertising that was incredibly well executed and felt that this provided a lot of value
- Stephanie also mentioned the effectiveness of the second round of mailing
- Rudi asked the teachers on the Board about the in-school environment and whether there is anything more the Board can be doing
- Jess mentioned that there's a systemic exodus of teachers from the profession and that they're certainly short staffed... that said, morale is good and the staff feels empowered to do great work
- Nick mentioned that he feels there's a recognition of ways to grow and how to make things better among the staff
B.
SY24-25 Goals
- Katie opened by recommending goals centered on enrollment and engagement and reiterated Kathy's point made during the training that we as a Board can do a lot to engage with the larger community outside MHD
- Lindsay mentioned that she's considered visibility as a goal and felt this is encompassed in the broader engagement/enrollment idea
- The Board discussed ways of making itself more visible, with Polly raising the possibility of the Board introducing itself during Exhibition
- Stephanie mentioned Board attendance at the upcoming class-by-class dinners she'll be holding during the year
- Nick also mentioned having Committee/Board attendance at Exhibition, potentially having a table set up, and/or having Board members at the school in the morning
- The Board gave kudos to Kim and Lindsay for their constant presence at MCCPS
- Emily noted development of MCCPS Foundation as worthy of being a goal
- Polly added the development of a student handbook as a goal
- The Board then discussed current and future-facing composition of the school, as MCCPS isn't currently at 80% of required in-district students
- The Board then talked about 7-8th grade enrollment, citing a trend of Village School students coming to MCCPS instead of MVMS
- Will to draft Board goals and share next month
IX. 10 Minute Break
A.
10 Minute Recess
- The Board elected to continue rather than take a break
X. Preparing for SY24-25
A.
Current SY24-25 Outlook
- Enrollment
- Projected enrollment of 190
- Currently have 183 confirmed students for SY24-25 with dozens of applicants (56 total) for upcoming lottery
- 15 applications for 4th (5 are in district), 10 for 5th (6 are in district), 17 for 6th (2 in district), 9 for 7th (3 are in district), 1 in district for 8th
- Have space in grades 4, 7, and 8
- Currently have 40 students in Grade 7 and 24 in Grade 8
- Grade 8 will be one advisory
- Currently have 40 students in Grade 7 and 24 in Grade 8
- In Stephanie's conversations with DESE, they've mentioned that enrollment is down across the state and very few schools are adding students this year
- Budget
- Rudi expects we will lose another $13k this year
- Classes
- Spanish will be offered beginning in 4th Grade
- Stephanie mentioned that she hasn't heard any complaints from parents regarding the loss of French last year
- Spanish will be offered beginning in 4th Grade
B.
Upcoming Items & Deadlines
- The Board will skip its June meeting, as this retreat has sufficed, but Personnel and Finance will meet this month
- The Board will meet in July and will be prepared to vote on the following reports
- Charter Renewal due 8/1 (requires Board vote)
- Annual Report due 8/1 (requires Board vote)
- SY24-25 Budget due 8/1 (requires Board vote)
- The Board will vote to extend the current strategic plan for another 12 months during its July meeting
C.
Strategic Plan
XI. Closing Items
A.
Action Items & Next Steps
- Will reviewed action items for next meeting
- Will to draft Board goals and share before next meeting
- Will to send Polly previous committee goals
- Will to submit request to DESE for Emily's candidacy
B.
Adjourn Meeting
Katie Holt made a motion to adjourn today's Board Retreat.
Paul Baker seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| Jessica Xiarhos |
Aye
|
| Katie Holt |
Aye
|
| Polly Titcomb |
Aye
|
| Rodolphe Herve |
Aye
|
| Stephanie Brant |
Aye
|
| Paul Baker |
Aye
|
| William Rockwell |
Aye
|
| Lindsay Smith |
Aye
|
| James Lewis |
Aye
|
| Kimberly Nothnagel |
Aye
|
| Carol McEnaney |
Aye
|
| Nick Santoro |
Aye
|
| Ian Hunt |
Aye
|
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 1:41 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
William Rockwell
Documents used during the meeting
None