AMSA Policy Page

AMSA Board of Trustees Policy for Formulation of Policies

The Board of Trustees of AMSA develops written policies to serve as guidelines for the operation and successful functioning of the Board. A policy is a broad principle adopted by the Board that sets a framework for standards and procedures for actions. It indicates the intent of the Board regarding its operation to the School’s administration, faculty and staff as well as the general public.  

Process of Policy Development

• Policies are consistent with all state and federal laws as well as the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and AMSA’s own charter and By-Laws
• Policy proposals may originate with any individual Trustee, any Board Subcommittee or the Executive Director
• The Governance Subcommittee of the Board conducts the research necessary to develop a policy and will develop written drafts of all policies
• The Board will discuss all proposed policies at regular meetings of the Board and will allow public comment prior to a vote Process of Policy Adoption

The Board of Trustees reserves for itself the final authority on policy adoption.  The formal adoption of a policy is recorded in the Board meeting minutes.  Each policy adopted will be assigned a policy number and included in the Board Policy Manual.  Each policy adopted will supersede any existing policies that may be in conflict.

Policy Number Adopted A-100 June 13, 2013 

SCHOOL-WIDE ALTERNATIVE EDUCATIONAL SERVICE PLAN 

In accordance with M.G.L. c.76 s21 and 603 CMR 53.13, the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) makes available alternative educational services to any student who is suspended from school in excess of ten (100 consecutive school days or expelled. If a student is suspended in excess of ten 910_ consecutive school days or expelled, AMSA will work with the student and family to provide opportunities for the student to receive alternative education services necessary to enable the student to make academic progress including earning course credit toward the completion of graduation requirements. For students suspended more than ten (10) consecutive days and or expelled, academic work is given and corrected by AMSA staff. AMSA staff (counselors, learning specialists, teachers acting as tutors) will work, support and supervise students during this suspension or expulsion. This may take one of the following forms: 

Individual or small group tutorial services The suspended student will be assigned to individual or small group tutoring sessions to be conducted at school after school hours or at a location to be determined by AMSA. There is an expectation for the student to complete work independently.  

Online curriculum with tutoring The online curriculum will align with AMSA requirements and be credit bearing. Curriculum is completed both independently and with the support of a tutor provided by AMSA (2 hours per week) 

Parents and students may select the preferred alternative educational service. Upon selection, AMSA will facilitate and verify the student’s enrollment in the preferred alternative educational service. Parents and students with questions regarding the available alternative educational services should contact the Principal, Michael Nawrocki at 508-597-2410. 

Unbudgeted Expenses Approval Authority 

Each Spring, the Finance Committee recommends that the Board of Trustees approve the following school’s fiscal year (July-June) operating budget and capital investment expenditure plan.  The operating budget and capital investment expenditure plan combined, are known as the school budget for the upcoming fiscal year.  During the school fiscal year, there will be unbudgeted expenses.  The following guidelines lay out the approval authority for these unbudgeted expenses.  These unbudgeted expenses are grouped into two categories:

(1) Unbudgeted expenses, but the  school stays within the school budget

(2) Unbudgeted expenses, but the  school does not stay within the school budget

(1) Unbudgeted expenses, but the  school stays within the school budget

The Executive Director may approve unbudgeted items up to $20,000.  The maximum total dollar amount that the Executive Director can approve is $100,000 per fiscal year as long as the school can stay within the school budget (within the operating budget if the nature is operating and within the capital investment plan if the nature of the expense is capital).  This cumulative amount will be tracked throughout the fiscal year and reported to the Finance Committee monthly as needed.  

The Finance Committee is required to approve unbudgeted items greater than $20,000.  The maximum total amount that the Finance Committee can approve is $300,000 per fiscal year as long as the school can stay within the school budget(within the operating budget if the nature is operating and within the capital investment plan if the nature of the expense is capital) . This cumulative amount will be tracked throughout the fiscal year and reported to the Finance Committee monthly as needed.  Cumulative amounts greater than $300,000 will require a full Board vote.

In certain circumstances where timing does not permit a Finance Committee vote, the Treasurer may approve on behalf of the Finance Committee up to $50,000 per contract but no more than $100,000 cumulatively with such approvals counted against the finance committee limits in a fiscal year as long as the school can stay within the school budget(within the operating budget if the nature is operating and within the capital investment plan if the nature of the expense is capital.)  These approvals will be communicated from the Treasurer to the Finance Committee and the Board of Trustees.

(2) Unbudgeted expenses, but the school does not stay within the school budget.

The Finance Committee may approve unbudgeted items, provided that the total amount approved does not exceed $100,000.

For cumulative expenses that fall above $100,000, a full board vote will be required. 

Approved 12-9-2025 

Ex Officio Committee Member Policy 

The purpose of this policy is to help ensure highly effective committees by including AMSA Administrative staff with relevant expertise in designated committees of the Board.

The appointment of Committee Chairs and Committee members is governed by section 5 of our Bylaws.  

AMSA Board Committee ex officio voting members  

Education-- Principal

Finance & Audit--Business Manager

Governance--Director of Accountability

Implementation

The Committee Chairs will appoint the above ex officio voting members to their respective committees in accordance with section 5.1 of our Bylaws.

Policy Number A-110  Adopted 6-15-17 

Attending School Events and School Visit Policy 

Guiding Principles  

• Board members are encouraged to visit AMSA and to attend AMSA events.  
• Board members should be visible and known to the school community, and help nurture a collegial atmosphere.  

Representation at School Events

On an annual basis, each member is assigned a group of events that he or she shall serve as the Board representative at special events such as promotions, award ceremonies, and back to school nights.  

At no time, while visiting AMSA for events, representation, or information shall a member make promises, either overt or implied, interfere with administration, or involve him or herself in personnel issues, student records, or union activities. Board members should behave in a manner that shows respect for all and preference for none.

School Visits  

Board members are encouraged to visit AMSA and AMSA events. When visiting AMSA other than to provide ceremonial representation, members will:  

Contact the principal for arrangements. This will ensure minimal disruption to the school program.  

Sign in at the school office upon arrival. 

Be considerate of administration, faculty, and staff time by:  a. expressing objectives of visit b. adhering to the time allotted for the visit  Additionally, to help create a successful visit, members will:  

Refrain from disrupting classes that are in session  

Respect a denial of observation in a particular program or class if there is testing, etc.  

Refrain from asking personnel questions of administration, faculty or staff

Refrain from asking for personal information about students

Report visit experience to Board members at open meeting

By observing the above protocols for visits, members will be well received. Faculty and staff enjoy “showing off” their programs and will appreciate the interest taken in them by the Board.

Parts of policy modeled on http://www.fsusd.org/cms/lib03/CA01001943/Centricity/domain/50/protocols/P%2030%20Visiting%20Schools.pdf

Policy Number A-109  Adopted5-18-17 

Remote Participation Process Policy

The AMSA Board of Trustees has approved the use of remote participation in meetings. This policy describes the process for using remote participation in Board meetings including executive session, Committee meetings, and other meetings subject to Open Meeting Law (OML) within the jurisdiction of the AMSA Board of Trustees.  

The AMSA Board of Trustees strongly recommends that members physically attend all posted meetings whenever possible. The AMSA Board of Trustees acknowledges their responsibility to ensure that remote participation is not used in any way that defeats the purposes of the OML, namely promoting transparency with regard to deliberations and decisions on which AMSA Board of Trustees policy is based.  

Permissible reasons for remote participation

1. Personal illness

2. Personal disability

3. Emergency

4. Military service

5. Geographic distance

Remote participation requirements  

Meetings using remote participation are subject to the following procedures and restrictions:

1. A quorum of the Board, Committee, or Task Force must be physically present at the meeting location. Members who participate remotely shall not be deemed to be absent.  

2. A member who wishes to participate remotely must, as soon as reasonably possible prior to a meeting, notify the Chair or, in the absence of the Chair, the person chairing the meeting, his/her intention to do so and the reason and facts supporting the request.

3. The Chair or the person chairing the meeting shall make the determination of whether the request for remote participation is valid.

4. The Chair must announce at the beginning of the meeting the name of the member(s) participating remotely, the reason for the remote participation and the means of remote participation.  

5. The acceptable means of remote participation is conference telephone or any other technology that is available that enables the remote participant and all Committee members and visitors present to be clearly audible to one another.  a. If video technology is used, the remote participant must be clearly visible to all persons present at the meeting location.  b. The Chair or, in the Chair’s absence, the person authorized to chair the meeting shall make the determination on the means of participation.  

6. When feasible, the Chair or, in the Chair’s absence, the person chairing the meeting, shall distribute to remote participants, in advance of the meeting, copies of any documents or exhibits that he or she reasonably anticipates will be used during the meeting.  

7. All votes taken in the meeting must be roll call votes and recorded in the minutes.

Remote participation meeting minutes requirements  

When a member participated remotely, the minutes shall reflect the following:  

1. Means by which remote participation was delivered

2. Beginning time for remote participation

3. Technical difficulties noted

4. Interruption in the remote participation, if applicable  

5. Time of interruption or disconnection of remote participation, if applicable

At the Chair’s discretion, discussion may be suspended in the event of any technical difficulties or disconnection by the remote participation of member(s).  

Executive session requirements

A member participating remotely may participate in an executive session, but shall state at the start of any such session that no other person is present and/or able to hear the discussion at the remote location, unless presence of that person is approved by a simple majority vote of the public body.

Legal Ref.: 940 CMR 29.10; M.G.L. Chapter 30A, Chapter 39: Section 23A and 23B

Policy Number A-108  Adopted August 18, 2016 

Task Force Policy  

The Chair of the AMSA Board of Trustees from time-to-time appoints a Task Force to investigate a topic and report back to the Board.  A Task Force can consist of both Trustees and members of the public.  The primary roles of a Task Force are to research information and track data about a specific topic.

Policy

1. A Task Force should be primarily tasked with gathering information and reporting back to the Board.  Task forces should not be operating in a way to handle decisions or other work within the Board’s jurisdiction.  For example, the task force should not be delegated with decision-making authority to select the recruiting firm to assist in hiring the executive director.

2. A Task Force must not consist of a quorum of the Board.

3. Task Force members should avoid meeting to discuss “opinions.”  Rather, Task Force members should be gathering facts, to be reported to the Board, and then analyzed and discussed with the Board pursuant to open meeting laws.

4. Task Force members may not operate in a manner where they represent themselves as having the authority to make decisions, or act on behalf of, the Board.

5. Task Force members engaging in email or other conversations should not copy or forward to other Board members who are not on the Task Force.

6. Task Force members should consult with the Secretary if they have questions or concerns regarding the scope of the Task Force or Open Meeting Law.

7. A Task Force will disband when its assignment is complete. If a Task Force is fact-finding, it is not subject to Open Meeting Law requirements. If a Task Force’s purpose includes making recommendations, their meetings are subject to Open Meeting Law requirements.

Policy Number A-107

Adopted August 18, 2016 

Executive Director Professional Development Policy 

The Board of Trustees believes that the excellence in teaching, administration and support services are critical drivers of success for AMSA and its students. We also believe that achieving and maintaining excellence is an ongoing process of learning. Therefore, AMSA provides professional development opportunities to help teachers, administrators and staff to continuously improve their skills.

Process of Professional Development  

To achieve the goal of ongoing professional development of all staff, the Executive Director will budget and oversee a program for all personnel, including himself or herself, as appropriate.

As a matter of school operation, the Executive Director will have final authority over the design, execution and disbursement of funds for professional development activities.

Any professional development event for the Executive Director with an expense greater than $2500 or more than three (3) consecutive school days requires Board Chair approval.

The Executive Director may also propose unbudgeted professional development activities for himself or herself to the Board of Trustees for approval.

The Board of Trustees will approve such requests, if in its opinion the benefit to AMSA is proportional to the expense incurred.

Policy Number  A-106

Adopted  4-28-16 

Evaluation Policy

The Board will evaluate the Executive Director annually. The evaluation shall be:

• To promote professional excellence and improve the skills of the Executive Director
• To improve the quality of the education received by AMSA students
• To improve the basis for the review of the job performance of the Executive Director

The Board has developed this process for annual review of the Executive Director’s performance based upon the evaluation tool available through charter school governance specialist, Board OnTrack. The final evaluation report of the Executive Director will guide compensation decisions and goal development for the following school year.

Process for Evaluating the Executive Director (ED)

Phase 1: Annual Goal Development Board Input: The Board identifies key areas of focus based on the prior year’s evaluation and AMSA’s overall goals and strategic plan.  A list of areas of focus is provided to the ED for review and reflection. ED Goal Development:  Based on the prior year ED’s assessment, the ED identifies at least two goals to propose to the Board: one related to improving his or her own professional practice and one related to improving student learning and achievement.  

Phase 2: Analysis, Goal Setting, and Plan Development  The Governance Committee reviews the ED’s proposed goals, key strategies, and benchmarks of progress. In consultation with the ED and with the objective of achieving mutual agreement, the committee revises, as needed, and adopts at least one professional practice and one student learning goal. Once adopted by the Board, the professional practice, student learning, and other goals—with their key strategies and benchmarks of progress—become the ED’s Annual Plan. The plan serves as a basis for assessing the ED’s performance.  

Phase 3: ED Plan Implementation and Collection of Evidence The ED implements the Annual Plan, with assistance from the Board, as appropriate; Board members and the ED individually collect evidence of progress on goals and performance.  

Phase 4: Mid-Cycle Goals Review At a mid-cycle review, the ED reports on progress being made on the goals in the ED’s Annual Plan. The Governance Committee reviews the report, offers feedback, and discusses progress and possible midcycle adjustments with the ED.  Mid-cycle adjustments and progress report are presented to the full Board.  

Phase 5: End-of-Cycle and Summative Evaluation Report The ED prepares and submits an End-of-Cycle Report on progress toward each goal in the ED Annual Plan.  

The Board agrees on a third-party evaluation survey (e.g., Board OnTrack’s “CEO Evaluation” tool) and all Board members complete the survey.  The survey will evaluate the following:

• ED’s ability to manage, lead, make decisions, communicate
• ED’s use of physical and financial resources in a judicious manner
• ED’s demonstration of broad knowledge of matters that aid in the effective management of AMSA

Board members will have at least one week to complete their individual evaluations and submit to the third-party evaluation survey company.  Board members must be objective in their assessments and evaluate the ED based upon evidence observed throughout the year and information provided by AMSA stakeholders.  The Board may agree to seek additional input (e.g., from the ED’s direct reports, other specific constituencies).

The Chair appoints a task force comprised of three members to summarize all feedback into an evaluation summary memo.  The memo will be based on all feedback received, including but not limited to the results of the third-party evaluation survey, results of stakeholder surveys and evidence provided by the ED.  The task force will present the summary memo to the Board for discussion during open session.

Adopted Policy Number A-104 November 21, 2013

Amended October 27, 2016 

Meeting Schedules for Standing & Special Committees Policy A-103 

Background Standing Committees are permanent Board committees, established by the AMSA Board bylaws, which meet on a regular basis to conduct ongoing governance of AMSA.

Special (ad-hoc) Committees are created for specific purposes and meet on an as needed basis and are subject to Open Meeting Law.

Process for Meeting Schedule Development

1. Standing Committees will meet no less than quarterly.

2. Standing Committee meeting schedules will be published at the start of the school year along with regular meetings.

3. Meeting agendas will be distributed to Committee members within a reasonable time prior to meetings allowing for review and meeting the public posting deadline in accordance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

4. Written minutes of all committee meetings shall be adopted and kept in accordance with the Open Meeting Law and AMSA Board of Trustees Minutes policy (A-102).

Adopted Policy Number A-103 June 13, 2013

Amended May 28, 2020 

Agendas for Board Meetings  

Policy A-101 Background A written agenda for all business for Board meetings is always prepared. Agendas are made available to the public in advance of all meetings in accordance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

Process of Agenda Development

At the end of the previous meeting, the Chair solicits requests for topics known at the time to be addressed in the future and the Chair, in consultation with the Executive Director, agree on advance topics that will be added to the agenda for future meetings.

All Sub-Committee Chairs send requests for agenda topics to the Chair advance of the scheduled Board meeting allowing for reasonable time prior to the posting notice deadline of 48 hours, in accordance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

The Chair develops a draft agenda and submits it to all Board members in advance of the scheduled Board meeting allowing for reasonable time prior to the posting notice deadline of 48 hours, in accordance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

All Board members, including non-voting members, may request additions to the agenda in advance of the posting deadline.  

The Chair and the Executive Director will work together to formulate the final agenda. The agenda includes the items listed below plus any other business that may legally come before the Board, such as policy development and grant acceptance:

o Public Comment

o Action on Minutes

o Review of Outstanding Action Items

o Executive Director’s Report

o Subcommittee Reports

o Old Business

o New Business

The Chair may alter the order of the agenda, especially if guest speakers or participants are scheduled.  

Process for Agenda and Supplementary Documents Distribution

The Chair and Executive Director will distribute the agenda to all Board members within a reasonable time to allow for review and the Director of Accountability will post for the public in all municipalities of the regional school district as well as on the AMSA website in accordance with Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.

If the Board plans to hold an executive session before, during, or after an open session, the agenda will state the purpose.

The Secretary and the Director of Accountability will compile all supplementary documents. Board Subcommittee representatives and individual Trustees tasked with agenda items will send all supplementary documents to the Secretary and/or the Director of Accountability within a reasonable time prior to the meeting.  

The Secretary and/or Director of Accountability will deliver supplementary documents to all Board members prior to a meeting, providing a reasonable time for review. All Board members are responsible for reviewing all supplementary documents in advance and arrive at the meeting prepared for discussion.

Any additional supplementary documents that are distributed at the Board meeting must be submitted to the Secretary and the Director or Accountability the day after the meeting.  

Within five business days of the meeting, the Director of Accountability will post supplementary documents on the AMSA website.

Adopted Policy Number A-101 June 13, 2013 Amended Amended October 24, 2013 May 28, 2020 

AMSA Competency Determination (CD) Policy

English--Required Courses English 9 and English 10

Minimum Course Grade 60% or Higher

Required Grade 9 Assessment- A four-page literary research essay. The student must earn a 50% or higher.  

Required Grade 10 Assessment- A five-page literary research essay. The student must earn a 50% or higher.

Math-- Required Courses Algebra I  (8 or 9) and Geometry (9)

Minimum Course Grade-60% or Higher

Required Assessment--In grade 10, the students will take a comprehensive assessment covering Algebra I and Geometry, and they must score 50% or higher on the assessment. 

Science--Required Course Biology 9

Minimum Course Grade 60% or Higher

Required Assessment--The student must earn 60% or higher on three-quarters of the laboratories given within the year. 

History--Required Course US History I

Minimum Course Grade 60% or Higher

In grade 10, the students will complete a document-based question at the mid-year point on the United States Constitution. The students must earn 50% or higher on this assessment. 

Approved 10/16/2025