June Board Meeting Recap
Reminder: Independent parent group — not affiliated with or endorsed by FASD.
Year-end updates, new bylaws, new Board members — and familiar gaps.
TL;DR
The School Director shared a year-end update covering enrollment, staffing, systems work, STAR growth data, and STAMP language proficiency.
Enrollment was reported as mostly stable: 224 students at October count and 223 at end of year.
STAR math growth was generally positive. STAR reading growth was more mixed. STAMP results showed FASD students above national averages in grades 2–5.
The Board approved SAC bylaws and PTO bylaws. Neither vote included a public walkthrough of what changed or why.
The updated SAC bylaws had not yet been posted publicly as of this posting (6/30/2026). The previous SAC bylaws are part of FASD’s signed DPS charter contract, Appendix B, pages 69–78.
The Board approved Will (incoming Kinder parent) and Wendell (FASD grandparent) as new Board members. Welcome!
The Board voted to retain Kiana as Interim Board Chair through September and said she does not intend to seek election as Board Chair. Kiana and Yana also indicated they may step down before the end of their terms once the Board is on more stable footing.
Strategic planning is now expected to happen in late August.
Parent Recap (What Happened)
The June Board meeting included the School Director’s year-end report, committee updates, votes on SAC and PTO bylaws, Board recruitment, PTO introductions, and a brief strategic planning update.
The School Director’s update covered enrollment, staffing, systems work, and assessment data. Enrollment was reported as 224 students at October count and 223 students at end of year.
The academic update included STAR and STAMP data. STAR math growth was generally positive. STAR reading growth was more mixed. STAMP results showed FASD students in grades 2–5 above national averages.
The Board voted to approve updated SAC bylaws and PTO bylaws. Neither vote included a public walkthrough of what changed, why the changes were made, or how the new bylaws compare to prior versions. The updated SAC bylaws were not yet posted publicly as of the meeting (or this post), and Board members did not ask any questions on either set of bylaws.
The previous SAC bylaws are part of FASD’s signed 2025 DPS charter contract. They are attached in Appendix B, “Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws,” spanning pages 69–78 of the signed contract. Article IX of the SAC bylaws says Articles I–IX may be amended by action and approval of the FASD Board of Directors.
The charter also includes a DPS notice requirement. Section 5.C, “Corporate Status — Governance,” requires any modification of the articles or bylaws, or any change in the composition of the School’s governing body, to be submitted to DPS Authorizing & Accountability within ten business days of adoption.
The Board also approved two new Board members, Will (incoming Kinder parent) and Wendell (FASD grandparent) — we are now at Board capacity with nine member. I know the entire community appreciates them stepping up and we wish them well. Welcome!
The Board also voted to approve PTO bylaws. Under the PTO’s previous bylaws, the PTO is a membership-governed organization: bylaws are approved and amended by the membership, and Board members are ineligible to serve as PTO officers.
Facilities updates were brief. The per-student facility-use structure at Harrington was discussed previously at the May town hall. The June meeting did not answer several St. Ignatius-to-Harrington transition cost questions: whether FASD expects to recover its St. Ignatius deposit, what the physical move cost, or whether there are other lease-exit costs.
Finance included a review of monthly financials. Consulting costs remain visible in the financial detail, including within MLO 2020.
Strategic planning, started this past summer, is expected to resume in late August.
The “Since You’re Here…” Section
Unofficial reflections — offered in good faith (and with a grain of salt)
I want to be explicit: the section above is my attempt to keep things factual and balanced. This section is my personal perspective.
Still more readout than governance
The June meeting again felt mostly like a public readout of work done elsewhere.
Reports were given. Votes were taken. People were thanked. But there was very little public questioning or pressure-testing by the Board.
That remains the recurring issue. A charter school Board is not supposed to function mainly as an audience for administrative updates. It is supposed to govern.
The SAC vote should be in front of DPS
FASD now has Board-approved SAC bylaws for the first time in the school’s history. That is progress, and it is good for the school.
The problem is that the school community had little-to-no input into the bylaws and still has not seen what the Board approved.
Under Colorado law, SAC is not just another committee. It has specific responsibilities: recommending school spending priorities, advising on school performance and improvement plans, increasing parent engagement, and meeting at least quarterly. It also needs meaningful, parent-majority representation. See our “Who’s Who at the School” resource for a fuller explainer.
The Board had authority to amend the SAC bylaws. That is not the issue.
The issue is transparency and follow-through. The Board revised bylaws that are attached to FASD’s DPS charter contract, did not walk families through the changes, and did not say whether DPS will be notified.
Our charter says DPS must be notified of bylaw changes and changes in Board composition. That requirement is in Section 5.C.
If the new SAC bylaws preserve SAC’s statutory role, parent voice, and advisory independence, great. Post them, explain the changes, and notify DPS.
If the new bylaws narrow SAC’s advisory scope or make parent participation more dependent on Board or School Director appointment, that is a serious oversight concern. A SAC should be an accountability body, not an echo chamber.
Either way, the change belongs in front of DPS — not buried in a vote with no discussion.
Why is the Board approving PTO bylaws?
The PTO vote also raises a governance question.
The PTO’s existing bylaws describe a membership-governed parent organization. That seems healthy. The PTO should support the school, build community, and organize parent volunteers without operating under the Board’s or School Director’s thumb.
So why is the Board voting to approve PTO bylaws at all? Maybe there is a good answer. But the line between independent parent organization and Board-controlled auxiliary should be clear.
Good academic news, but watch the trend
The STAMP (the French language proficiency test) results were strong. That is good news.
But STAMP is also a lagging indicator. French proficiency builds over multiple years. Current results likely reflect structures already in place: the French curriculum, Jules Verne teachers, and the instructional model families chose FASD for.
The question is whether those results hold over time. If the French curriculum is diluted or the staffing model shifts away from highly qualified and certified Francophone teachers, the impact may show up later.
Facilities and finance still need daylight
The Harrington facility structure is clearer than it was a month ago. The transition costs are not.
Will FASD get its St. Ignatius deposit back? What did the physical move cost? Are there other lease-exit costs? No one asked.
Consulting costs also remain visible in the financial detail, including under MLO 2020. That question has been sitting there since March, when I asked why voter-approved MLO 2020 dollars — funds for facilities, technology, and teachers — were being used for consulting. See: So About That $450k Facilities Number.
We can debate whether FASD should spend money on consultants. But do we really need to debate whether facilities, technology, and teacher dollars should be spent that way?
The new building is not a strategy
Strategic planning is now expected to resume in late August. The Harrington building should be an enabler of FASD’s strategy. It should not be a substitute for strategy.
A better building does not answer the most important questions: What kind of school are we trying to be? How do we protect the French curriculum? What does academic excellence mean? What staffing model supports the mission? How should parent voice fit into governance?
The Board may have this backwards.
What to watch next
When the new SAC and PTO bylaws are posted.
Whether FASD notifies DPS of the SAC bylaw changes and Board composition changes.
Whether the policy audit-lite ever resurfaces.
Whether St. Ignatius-to-Harrington transition costs are explained.
Whether MLO 2020 consulting costs are justified or reconsidered.
Whether official parent survey results are shared.
Whether August strategic planning starts with mission and academics, not just the new building.
A few suggestions moving forward . . .
1. Take Board onboarding seriously.
FASD now has three relatively new Board members. Onboarding should be more than a checklist. New members should read the charter, understand the Board’s fiduciary duties — care, loyalty, and obedience — and hear multiple perspectives on where the school stands.
2. Finish the table-stakes policy work.
We know a CORA policy has appeared on the website, but the Board has not publicly voted to adopt one. There are likely other policy gaps. The Board should know what they are, close them, and document compliance. Compliance with the charter is not a nice-to-have. It is a need-to-have.
3. Lean into financial transparency.
Families should know the full cost of the Harrington transition, why consulting dollars remain in MLO 2020, and how Fun Run dollars will be used as advertised. Transparency would go a long way toward rebuilding trust.
~ Greg
