Parents are now invited to our board meetings and to make public comments

Evan Warner from STV and George Dole from Jones Whitsett Architects presented the Baystate Academy Charter School New Gymnasium Building Project to the board.

The proposed plan was provided to the Board for review including the exterior and interiors. (See plan provided to the board for review) The gym will be able to be divided by a netting. 

A question was asked regarding increasing the handicap parking capacity as of now only 2 spots are regulated for the gym. There is only one shower per gender bathroom because students don't use the showers. Showers should be near the front of the gym so that showers are not isolated to secure the safety of the students who might be using them. The family restroom will be a gender neutral bathroom as well as a changing table. The architects will report back to the board regarding the rubber flooring in the workout room being latex free. 

The total of all construction is estimated at $6,792,287 and the total gym expansion budge as of 9/8/2023 is $8,622,056.35. There are some cost cutting areas (such as geothermal) that could reduce the total project budget through incentives to a total of $7,872,556.35. We do not have final financing numbers from the bank/lending institution and the budget will be updated once we get those real numbers. 

A question was asked about whether bidding had been used to get the figures for the gym. The presenters stated that they felt that on this project that a hard bidding process would be the most cost effective and would give us a better pool of contractors. Another question was asked regarding minority and women owned businesses. The presenters stated that they will follow the guidelines of the state to have a certain percentage of the hired contractors must be minority/women owned.

The board voiced a concern that the bank/lending institution will require a 10% contingency and that the budget provided to the board only includes a 6% contingency. The board also inquired when the incentives would expire and if the construction would be completed in time to take advantage of the incentives. The presenters felt confident that the project would be completed long before these incentives expire. 

The roof will not be a flat roof. It will be a low slope roof so that snow and ice will melt off the roof in a safe manner and not risk the roof collapsing under any of the weight. A question was asked about whether social panels could be installed for incentives. The property will be "solar ready" so that it could hold the weight of solar panels. The presenters stated that the roof area is not "great" for solar panels due to the size and available sunlight due to the schools location. 

There are items in the budget that could be removed to save money such as electronic/motorized shades and the covered sidewalk that links the school to the new gym. The presenters stated that this would be a last case scenario. 

The architects will provide the board with internal renderings at future board meetings. 

The construction will take 10-11 months and be fully occupiable. There might be some slight work needed in the summer (such as paving) as not to disrupt the school year.

The board asked if there was anyway to make the school building more energy efficient while we are building the gym? The architects feel that the complexity of a dual construction project would not be recommended as it would be costly and increase the time line significantly. 

The architects would like to get bids rolling in November 2023 so that construction could start in January 2024. Tim Sneed informed the board that the bank has been presented with the rendering and the budget proposal for review for financing. The board will most likely call a special meeting after the bank does their due diligence to get the decision of the gym made as soon as possible.

Rebecca Connolly presented the Finance Committee Summary Report ending August 31, 2023. This report is incorporated in the board's packet. 

Student Enrollment for FY2024 total is 419 (the school budgets for 400) the total capacity however is 560. Student Enrollment for FY2023 was 377. There are 25% of the overall student population this year is new to the school 

Staffing: We should not see any contract teachers this year due to hiring of teachers except for substitutes. 2/3 of our teachers are returning from last year. 

Bernard Ball presented to the board regarding major changes for 2023-2024 including entry/dismissal and transition routes which has been changed to keep younger and older students from interacting during class changes. 

Middle school and High School students wear different colored shirts to make sure that students are where they need to be and the grades have been segregated so that their classrooms are together to keep students of similar age together and avoid issues. 

Students are now given restroom passes that limit the amount of times they can request to go to the restroom. (5 restroom passes for each class and two emergency passes) There is no bathroom use during transitions. 

We now have an academic multi-system of support.

Electronic Device Policy has been updated in that all electronic devices are taken from the students in the beginning of the day at homeroom and returned to them at the end of the day in homeroom. The electronics are put in bags and a plastic container and held for the day. The board raised concerns about parents claiming that electronics were broken during the day and blaming the school. Mr. Bell reports that a vast majority of students and parents have been accepting of this new policy. 

The rest of the agenda items will be discussed at the next meeting due to the time. Mr. Sneed will circulate the required documents to the board prior to the next meeting. 

The board thanks Mr. Ball for his efforts and offers him a warm and grateful welcome.