River Valley Charter School Board of Trustees · January 14, 2026 · 6:00 PM
RVCS Committee on Trustees Meeting
Committee agreed to send updated bylaws to the full board with a recommendation to approve and forward to DESE, and planned a board retreat with facilitator Kate Scott (including 20‑minute trustee interviews to prepare scope). The committee also advanced succession and board‑recruiting efforts, including outreach to families, alumni and community advisors.
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Key decisions
Send updated bylaws to the full board agenda with a recommendation that the board approve them and forward to DESE for final approval.
Have Kate Scott serve as facilitator for the upcoming board retreat and join the upcoming board meeting.
Conduct 20-minute interviews with each board member to better plan the scope of the retreat.
Place the bylaws and key points from this Committee discussion on the upcoming full board agenda (action items: 'Bylaws to the board agenda' and 'Key points from discussion into the board agenda').
Pursue succession planning and board recruiting in light of multiple trustees leaving at year-end; leverage current board members, families, alumni, and the broader community to build a contact 'rolodex' and advisory support list.
Remove the 'Montessori Minute' from board meetings as a time savings measure and encourage all board members to observe classes; prepare guidance on classroom structure for guests.
Add a call-out for committee support in the Current (school communication) and explore expanding the Current to include the PA and other inputs to aid recruiting.
Pass board-survey concerns about teacher accountability and board engagement to the school leader (Karen) for follow-up; explore scheduling a direct meeting between board members and faculty (e.g., a lunch), with Karen's approval, to allow teachers to be heard.
Agenda
Committee on Trustees
A. Update Bylaws
Discussion of updating the board bylaws, including DESE submission timeline, provisional approval, board adoption, and commissioner approval steps and required amendment materials.
Committee on Trustees
B. Board Retreat
Review of Kate Scott proposal for a board retreat proposed for 3/28/25 and consideration of an external audit.
Committee on Trustees
C. Action Items
Discussion of action items including policy updates, review of board survey questionnaire responses, and recruiting for committees and the Board of Trustees.