IN SUPPORT OF BRIMMER EXCELLENCE

Reflections on 2020 from Board Chair David Kreisler

As we all know now, March 2020 was the start of a new period in all of our lives. This was just as true for Brimmer. In March, as the School closed for March break, Brimmer was facing many new and unexpected challenges. But, as usual, Brimmer faculty and staff moved quickly; they did not take the usual March break, but instead dove headlong into the work of establishing remote learning plans and creating a virtual learning environment so that they could welcome students back to their (online) classrooms without missing a beat. This work continued through the spring of 2020 and into the summer, as we focused on finding ways to get students back on campus in fall 2020.

The Board of Trustees worked alongside Head of School Judy Guild and her team throughout the summer on all aspects of pandemic-related issues, including addressing long-term financial decisions, distilling information, brainstorming logistics, and considering strategic alternatives should the need arise. Vice Chair Susie Durocher and I joined the newly formed COVID Response Team and Reopening Committee. We worked many different options, including turning on a dime when the health guidance from the Commonwealth or local towns changed. We worked through the summer to approve the acquisition of new desks, hand washing stations, and PPE materials, among other items. We had no idea what the financial impact of the pandemic would be, but our chief concerns were the safety of our faculty and students and the need to get children back in the classroom.

Was it a different year than most? Without a doubt. But our Board has always been a strong, focused, cohesive, and innovative group—one that meets monthly to address the current and long-term needs of the School—and we brought those strengths to the table immediately to address the urgencies of the health crisis. Our Finance Committee worked on restructuring our debt and overseeing all investment decisions, putting the School in a stronger financial position. We raised significant gifts for the School, resulting in significant progress made towards our Strategic Priorities, including significant gifts focused on faculty compensation and excellence and the completion of a new Lower School playground.

We also moved forward with our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work. When the School added Equity as a Core Value this year and embarked on a School-wide theme of Living Our Core Values and Building an Equitable Community, we knew it was essential to establish permanent and ongoing DEI work at the Board level. Several Board members participated over the summer in the professional development seminar Whiteness at Work, and Brimmer DEI consultant Lawrence Alexander led Board-wide workshops and training with Jessica Christian, Brimmer’s Director of Equity & Inclusion. As part of our Futures Task Force, under the leadership of Trustee Jody Black, we are committed to ensuring that these important conversations remain central to all Board efforts.

Finally, as the virus ticked up in November and December, we were called upon to approve spending for regular student and staff testing in order to remain on campus this winter. Although it was not in the budget, the Board felt strongly that we needed to approve this expense so that in-person learning could continue in the safest way possible.

We worked through the summer to approve the acquisition of new desks, hand washing stations, and PPE materials, among other items.

We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish during this unusual year and we are fortunate that Brimmer is in a position to be nimble and flexible. The Board is confident that, under Judy Guild’s leadership, Brimmer will continue to handle obstacles and challenges, while at the same time furthering our mission and advancing the institution. ■

Safety in Numbers

Since last spring, Brimmer’s COVID Response Team has been meeting weekly to determine exactly what was needed to reopen our School and keep it open. Tents went up, buildings were repurposed, and our campus transformed into pandemic-ready learning spaces. It hasn’t been easy but with the committed support of the entire Brimmer community, and the tireless work of our Buildings & Grounds team, we pulled it off.