August 31, 2009 Regular Meeting
Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
August 31, 2009
Minutes
In attendance: Emil Ronchi, Dr. John Sullivan, Cynthia Canavan, Bob Sousa, Matt Cronin, Dr. Alice de Koning, Nina Cullen Hamzeh. Mr. McEnaney and Ms Vaucher arrived at 7:42. Not Present: Chris Fauci
Also Present: Dr. Albert Argenziano, Interim Managing Director.
Location: Community Room at the Marblehead Community Charter Public School, 17 Lime St, Marblehead MA 01945
The Board of Trustee Chair, Mr. Emil Ronchi opened the meeting at 7:36 P.M. In the absence of the Clerk, the Chair appointed Ms Cullen Hamzeh as Clerk Pro Temp.
He went on to call for public comment. Noting there was no public comment, he continued.
Mr. Ronchi recited the School’s Mission and encouraged all Trustees to commit it to memory.
He then recognized Dr. Sullivan for the Treasurer’s Report. Dr. Sullivan noted there will be a Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday morning at the School, and that he will present a complete report at the next meeting.
Mr. Ronchi recognized Ms Cullen Hamzeh to provide the Academic Director’s Report, a copy of which is attached.
Mr. Ronchi called on Dr. Argenziano to provide his report, a copy of which is attached. Dr. Argenziano also shared that in the Boston Mayoral elections, the issues of Charter Schools is a significant topic, and he noted that the Pioneer Institute has recently published research findings on the success of the Charter School program in Boston and statewide.
Mr. McEnaney presented proposed dates for the upcoming year. The board settled on the following dates for Regular meetings: September 3 2009, October 1 2009, November 5, 2009, December 3, 2009, January 7, 2010, February 4, 2010, March 11, 2010, April 1, 2010, May 6, 2010 and June 3, 2010. The Clerk will formally post the meeting schedule.
Decision: Mr. McEnaney moved and Dr. Sullivan seconded a motion to approve the minutes of the May 7, 2009 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Motion Tabled by Chair until September Regular Meeting.
Board members completed their Disclosure of Financial Interest by Charter School Trustee as required by the State. These documents will be filed with the DESE, SEC, and Marblehead Town Clerk.
The Chair reminded the Governance Committee that he was looking for input from the Committee about the issue having sitting Public School Committee members also serving as members of the MCCPS Committees and Board, and any potential conflicts that may create. Ms Canavan cautioned that the Board be aware of both real conflicts of interests as well as the appearance of conflicts of interest when looking at potential members.
The meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.
Respectfully Submitted
John T. McEnaney
Clerk
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Marblehead Community
Charter Public School
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17 Lime Street
Marblehead, MA 01945
Tel: (781) 631-0777
Fax: (781) 631-0500
MarbleheadCharter.org
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Academic Director’s Report
Submitted by Nina Cullen-Hamzeh
8-31-09
The school year began smoothly and pleasantly:
- Many parents attended the Opening Ceremonies
o Glover’s Regiment participated
- PTO hosted a lovely gathering on the first day of school
- The faculty and staff are talented, excited to be a part of - Enrollment is at capacity, and a long waiting list exists
- Foreign language offerings have been expanded to include Spanish for grades 4-8
- Student needs in ELA and math are being met via acceleration and remediation
We are in compliance with DESE expectations:
- The annual report and charter renewal application were submitted on time
- Our site visit is scheduled for the week before Thanksgiving
- MCCPS Enrollment Policy was revised per directions from Charter School Office
- Induction program for new employees is well underway; mentors have been assigned, and orientation was productive
- The Student/Parent Handbook and Faculty Handbook have been updated
School Reform Activities:
- With Pam Miller and Matt Cronin, assisted Westminster Elementary School with their efforts to become a Readiness School
- Have been assisting educators in Maine with efforts to bring charter schools to their state
- Working with Molly Wright, Ryan Redmond, Pam Miller, and the Center for Collaborative Education on a Building Quality Performance Assessments initiative
Professional Development:
- 3 days of orientation for new faculty/staff and 3 days will the full faculty/staff provided for a positive and powerful beginning to the school year
MCCPS fosters a community that empowers children to become capable, self-determining, fully engaged individuals
who are critical and creative thinkers committed to achieving their highest intellectual, artistic, social, emotional,
and physical potential. We are dedicated to involving, learning from, participating in,
and serving our school community and the community at large.
To: Board of Directors
From: Dr. Albert F. Argenziano
Re: July/August Report
I am writing to provide a summer update since our last meeting of July 20, 2009. Since that time, I have focused on public relations, funding, and proper allocation of Chapter 70 monies. Our next meeting will follow the opening day of school for 2009. We will be quite tight for money until our November payment. Our last check in June was less than expected, and our first check in September will be more than expected.
The climate for Charter Schools is improving statewide. A movement to lift the cap on charter schools actually may end up on the ballet in 2010.
I have continued my meetings and discussions with the Town Manager and Superintendent of Schools in Marblehead. This is quite important as we prepare in the upcoming year for expansion. It will not be readily accepted in our community but we have sufficiently mended fences to deal with the upcoming growth of our school.
Lastly, the school well open on August 27, 2009 with a full enrollment.
Thank you.
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