December 6, 2007
Minutes
In attendance:
Kay O’Dwyer, Cynthia Canavan, John Sullivan, John McEnaney, Cathy Vaucher, Emil Ronchi, Robert Sousa, Christopher Fauci, Nina Cullen-Hamzeh Not Present; Pam Wheaton Shorr. Dr. Sullivan departed at 8:45.
Also in attendance, Dr. Albert F. Argenziano, Interim Managing Director
Location: Community Room at the
The Chair, Ms Kay O’Dwyer opened the meeting at 7:09 P.M. She began calling for public comment, and noting that there were no individuals wanting to address the Board for public comment at this time.
Decision: Mr. McEnaney moved and Mr. Sullivan seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the November 1 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Yeas: 8 Nays: 0 Abstain 0 Mr. Fauci did not vote Motion Passes
Decision: Ms. Vaucher moved and Mr. Ronchi seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the November 8 Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 Abstain 1. Mr. Fauci did not vote Motion Passes
Decision: Mr. McEnaney moved and Ms. Vaucher seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the November 18 Special Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Yeas: 6 Nays: 0 Abstain 2. Mr. Fauci did not vote Motion Passes
Decision: Mr. McEnaney moved and Ms. Vaucher seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the October 11 Executive Session of the Board of Trustees.
Motion Tabled to give members time to review the minutes again.
Ms O’Dwyer recognized Ms Cullen Hamzeh, Interim Academic Director, who provided her report, a copy of which is attached.
The Chair recognized Ms Miller to provide this month’s Classroom Commentaries, a summary of the activities at each grade level. Ms Miller commented on the excitement that the staff felt at a successful Exhibition, and noted that they are looking forward to moving on to a successful second term.
The Chair recognized Dr. Sullivan, Treasurer, to provide a Financial Committee update. Mr. Sullivan shared his report, a copy of which is attached. He stated that we are in better financial position now than we had been. He attributed that to the rallying of the faculty, staff, and community to close the gap. Dr. Sullivan stated that the he currently estimates the gap to be about $54,000. The core reasons are that revenue has increased through increased enrollment, and expenses have been closely scrutinized and cut where possible. Dr. Sullivan said the one expense that has not been looked at, and that he doesn’t anticipate looking at, is the faculty salary expenses. He commended the administration and staff for there diligence in addressing both revenue and expenses.
Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 Abstain 1 (Mr. Sousa recused himself). Mr. Fauci did not vote Motion Passes
Decision: Mr. Vaucher moved and Dr. Sullivan seconded that the Board reappoint Ms. Pamela Wheaton Shorr as a Class A trustee, to fill a three year term commencing at the close of the January 2008 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees, and expiring at the close of the January 2011 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Motion tabled. In the Chair’s opinion, it is better to wait to the next meeting, regular or special, of the Board of Trustees, in order for Ms Shorr to be present to accept the nomination.
Decision: Mr. Vaucher moved Mr. Ronchi seconded that the Board reappoint Ms Cynthia Canavan as a Class A trustee, to fill a three year term commencing at the close of the January 2008 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees, and expiring at the close of the January 2011 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 Abstain 1 (Ms. Canavan recused herself). Mr. Fauci did not vote Motion Passes
Ms. Vaucher reminded the Board that in May, the Board established a set of priorities for the Governance Committee’s, including Tier 1 and Tier 2 priorities. She said that the Committee has been steadily working through those priorities, and the remaining Tier 1 priorities include a policy on record management, policy on evaluation of positions, the development of Board Training materials and schedule, and a review of the Code of Ethics.
Decision: Ms Vaucher moved and Mr. McEnaney seconded a motion to task the Governance Committee to draft and present for their approval: a review and update of the Charter of the
Yeas: 7 Nays: 0 Abstain 1 Mr. Fauci did not vote Motion Passes
Ms O’Dwyer acknowledged that Ms Wheaton Shorr was not present and communicated that to the Chair that she had nothing to update. Mr. Ronchi noted that he felt the Board was very far behind in the process for hiring a new Chief Staff Person and that he felt active recruitment should be underway by now. Mr. Sousa expressed that he shared Mr. Ronchi’s concern, and would follow up with Ms. Shorr to get a status for the Board. Dr. Argenziano expressed that he felt strongly that the Board and Personnel Committee needed to communicate interactively with the Faculty and the Community about the process for and direction of the search for a Chief Staff Person.
The Chair recognized Mr. McEnaney for an update from the Community Relations Committee. Mr. McEnaney began by thanking the Chair for her note in last month’s update asking for interested community members to join the Community Relations Committee. He went on to ask the Chair to appoint Mr. Tim Stonecipher and Ms. Joanne Osborne as members to the Committee and Mr. McEnaney as the Chair of the Committee pursuant to Article VI Section 1 of the By Laws. Ms O’Dwyer formally appointed the members recommended by Mr. McEnaney.
Mr. McEnaney went on to report that the new Committee collaborated closely with the School in organizing the two recent open houses last week on Thursday, November 29 from 6:30-8:30PM and Saturday, December 1 from 10:00-12:00PM. He reported that though the foot traffic was on the light side (there were approximately 15 families tour on Thursday and 6 families tour on Saturday) the interest level was high. There are presently two fourth graders who are considering coming mid-year -- one of whom spent the morning in Mrs. Miller's class today. Parents provided refreshments and were available on both days to answer questions. Many staff members were present and students enthusiastically provided tours. Mr. McEnaney thanked all that were involved in the success of the Open Houses, particularly Ms Cullen Hamzeh, who attended on Thursday evening, and Dr. Argenziano, who was there on Saturday, with a special thanks to Eileen Perry for coordinating the front door and all follow-up from families.
Mr. McEnaney then addressed the Chair’s request for the Community Relations Committee to organize a Stakeholder’s meeting prior to the end of 2007. Mr. McEnaney acknowledged that he knew he was putting the Chair in a difficult position, but he apologized that the committee has not been able to organize this event. He reported that the committee was having difficulty finding a moderator, as well as completing all the tasks associated with this event so close to the holidays while the Committee is just getting established, and helping so closely with the Open Houses. Mr. McEnaney reported that the Committee recommends moving the Stakeholders Meeting to January, when it may be easier to get people’s attention. Mr. McEnaney reported that the Committee has drafted an agenda that he plans to review with the Chair, the Personnel Committee and our selected moderator, and to present to the Board at the January meeting. As a highlight, he reported that the committee anticipated a 90 minute event highlighted by over 60 minutes of dialog between the Board and the Community. He also reported that the Board would have 15 – 20 minutes to provide an overview of the role of the Board, as well as a presentation of near and long term goals.
He said the Committee planned an extensive ‘marketing’ campaign for the meeting, including a survey of the community prior to the meeting as well as email, flyers, ‘ad’ on school website, a ‘push’ at a PTO meeting, and personal outreach. Mr. McEnaney asked that the Board agree tonight on a date for the meeting – offering several suggestions. The Board agreed to host a Stakeholders’ Meeting on January 23, 2008, pending the availability of Ms Shorr. Ms O’Dwyer to follow up with Ms. Shorr to check the January date.
Ms. O’Dwyer recognized Mr. Ronchi who provided a Foundation Report that He recognized Mr. Jeff Barry and Ms. Eileen Perry for there extensive work on the Foundation. Mr. Ronchi reported that a key activity of the Foundation is adding Trustees and that progress is being slowly made. Mr. Ronchi read the draft of the updated mission statement for the Foundation:
The
Mr. Ronchi went on to note that there would be a year end mailing going out to the community at large next week seeking donations. He further noted that there has been disappointing additional progress in identifying and reaching out to potential high dollar donors. He reported that there is a developing strong collaboration with the PTO. Mr. Ronchi asked that Dr. Sullivan plan to discuss at the next Finance Committee Meeting the interplay between School funds and Foundation funds in the school budget. Finally, Mr. Ronchi reported that the current Foundation balance is approximately $90,000, of which $60,000 is unrestricted.
Ms. O’Dwyer then reported that her and an number of Trustees attended a DoE sponsored workshop in
- The importance of lobbying state legislators by inviting them to the schools, and to ask parents to get actively involved in reaching out to legislators.
- The creation of Pilot Schools that lack the independence of Charter Schools, but could limit the State’s willingness to approve new Charter Schools.
- The anticipated introduction of proposed legislation in January 2008 by the State Association of School Committee that would limit charter school funding to $5,000 per pupil.
New Business: Ms. Canavan asked if there were any planned fundraising activities. Ms. Cullen Hamzeh noted a Crafts Fair at the school in two days. She also noted that there would be a wine tasting just before Valentines Day.
Decision: Mr. McEnaney moved and Mr. Ronchi seconded a motion that the Board of Trustees adjourn to Executive Session for the express purpose of reviewing, approving, and determining the release status of the Executive Session Minutes for July 23 2007, July 30 2007, and August 22.
Ms Vaucher – Yes; Mr Fauci – did not vote; Mr. Ronchi – Yes; Mr. McEnaney – Yes; Ms O’Dwyer – Yes; Ms Canavan – Yes; Mr. Sousa – Yes; Ms Cullen Hamzeh – Yes. Motion passes 7 yea, 0 nay, 1 abstain.
The chair informed the public that the Board did not intent to return to Open Session at the conclusion of Executive Session.
The Chair adjourned the meeting to Executive Session at 8:53
Respectfully Submitted
John T. McEnaney
Clerk
Report of the Interim Academic Director, December 6, 2007
State of the School Report
12-06-07
1) Enrollment Update
· Total of 205 students as of Friday, November 30, 2007
- new students nearly every week
- school continues to give tours when requested
· Open Houses were held on November 29th & December 1st
- drew families interested in this year & next
· Tours continue to be available upon request
2) Faculty Evaluation Meetings
· Completed 2nd round of evaluation meetings w/new staff
· Over the next 2 weeks will be meeting with other staff
3) CUE Report will be available for parents & students to view on Monday
4) Conference Report Summary
· Academic: 2
· Discipline: 2
· Special Needs: 6
5) Recent Events
· Exhibition was a great success
· Girls’ & Boys’ basketball teams
· Intramural teams coming soon
Report of the Interim Managing Director, December 6, 2007
To: Board of Trustees
From: Dr. Albert F. Argenziano
Re: November Monthly Report
The month of November was successful and extremely fruitful. The end of the month will be the 58th day of this school year, which is 31% of the total year, and we are estimating that on 12/1/07, we will have 208 students. This will be a total increase of 16 students since we opened our doors for this school year. We have reduced our net loss from last year to under 10%. This is a credit to our staff and parents for not losing faith in our quality product.
The Fall Auction, Exhibition Night, and our PTO meeting were all quite successful. Our solid reputation is returning and I believe our enrollment will increase over the next 60 days. Mary Jo Hollender, Esq. provided our Board with a hands on working session on the Open Meeting Law. I attended a
November 7, 2007, I met with Dr. Paul Dulac, Superintendent of Schools in
After our last FINCOM meeting, I have established the following short term goals to erase our deficit and provide additional funding to provide equity in our salary offerings. They are: schedule meetings with our parents to determine the feasibility of having a
In closing, we have a great deal to be thankful for at this time. We have quality staff, students and parents who continue to support our school. In 58 days, we have regained our credibility and reliability and offer a quality education in a safe environment.
Thank you.
Pre
EXPENSES:
One
One Para Professional (.5) $12,000.
Operations: $ 7,000.
INCOME: $75.00 per day, per child, x 5 days x 19 weeks = $ 7,125. per child
NET GAIN: $104,500.
Thank you.
Summer School Proposal:
Dates: July 7, 2007 thru August 7, 2007. Five weeks, Monday thru Thursday, total 20 days, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Enrichment courses: Music Appreciation, String Camp, Art Appreciation and Ceramics, Technology Offerings, Woodworking, Great Books, Global Issues, and other suggested course offerings.
Income: 50 students X $2000. Per student = $100,000.
Expenses: Summer School Director, 8 Instructors, Supplies, Food = $30,000.
NET PROFIT: $70,000
This will be a decent cash flow to begin the 2008-2009 school year. The building is air conditioned and would make use of our facility for 12 months.
This is a draft proposal and will need significant discussion with staff, parents and students.
Thank you.
Financial Report to the MCCPS Board of Trustees
John D. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Treasurer & Trustee
Executive Summary
The driving force behind this turnaround has been a direct result of the efforts of the faculty, staff, and community.
Notably, the enrollment has steadily increased from 192 in since September leaving us with 206 current students. On a budget basis, this improves our financial situation by approximately $112,000.
The auction was also a great success adding approximately $29,000 to the school’s coffers.
Forecasted expenses versus actual expenses to date were very positive, but this is not an accurate reflection of how well we’re doing. In general, forecasted versus actual expenses being a valuable tool overall for analysis, it has some limitations with the
A revised budget reflects revenue of $2.018 million with an expense structure for slightly less than full-capacity. On an income statement basis for the revised budget, the school will reflect a loss of approximately $329 thousand.
Commentary
On an income statement basis, the school can be maintained through the fiscal 2007/2008 year. However, on a cash flow basis, the school will experience difficulty in the first quarter of the 2008/2009 academic year.
The problem the school has is still time sensitive. That is, if the problem is solved early, the less of an impact it will have on the school itself. If this were discovered six months from now, the decisions would be far more difficult to make.
We need to find approximately $54,568 thousand in net savings or revenue in the budget to ensure financial viability for next year.
No line item expenditure should exceed its current budget.
The Finance Committee needs to develop a contingency Financial Plan if the future revenue strategy that will be proposed by
I would like to propose that the current budget be approved by the board.
MCCPS FY08 Approved Operating Budget
MCCPS Profit and Loss Statement as presented Dec 6, 2007
