Board of Trustees
PVCICS is a public charter school and as such is governed by a Board of Trustees. Board members are volunteers who serve according to set terms. Click link for the Board of Trustees bylaws. The Family Handbook contains both the Complaint Procedure and Grievance policy. To contact the Board of Trustees, please email info@pvcics.org.
Board Meetings
The Board of Trustees meets monthly for regular meetings and the schedule is below. Board Meetings are open to the public and are held virtually using Zoom due to Covid until further notice. When meetings return to in person meetings, they will be held at PVCICS, 317 Russell Street, Hadley, MA 01035. The meetings will start at 6:00 PM and be on the first Thursday of the month unless otherwise noted. A hard copy schedule is posted at the school's main office and on the bulletin board in the main lobby.
Upcoming Meetings
May 2, 2024
June 6, 2024
As per Open Meeting Law, this announcement meeting has been posted in the PVCICS office and sent to the Secretary of State’s office, fax: 617-742-4822 and the Executive Office for Administration & Finance, fax: 617-727-2779
Note: These are tentative dates and agenda items.
Meeting Agendas and Past Minutes:
Agendas for meetings can be found by clicking here.
Minutes for past meetings can be found by clicking here.
Board Members
(In alphabetical order by last name)
Mr. Charles Bagley (Treasurer), joined the board in 2023.
Ms. Cynthia Farmer (Board Chair) joined the board in 2020. Ms. Farmer has been an Educator 35 years, She is currently a Math Educator with the Springfield Public School District, where she teaches 7th grade Math and HS Geometry. She has been involved in the Greater Massachusetts area working as a teacher, running After School/Out of School Time and Summer Programs, as well as, supporting the community, the youth and their families physically, mentally and spiritually. Ms. Farmer is the former Campus Director of the National Program called Citizens School, an After School Out of School Program founded in Boston. She holds a Bachelor of Science in the Psych-Social Dynamics of Learning with a concentration in Elementary Education and a Master’s in Mathematics.
Ms. Ann Kochis joined the board in 2021. She has been working with adults, at-risk children, and families for over 30 years. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Western New England College and a Master’s of Social Work degree from Boston College. She is licensed at the LICSW level. For the past 24 years she has been an employee of the Department of Children and Families, and for the past 22 years has served as a supervisor there. She has worked to keep children home with their biological families, reunify children with their biological families, but when that is not possible to find a forever home for children whose goal is adoption. Her three children graduated from PVCICS’s high school after having been here since Kindergarten. She has found the PVCICS education and its strong sense of community invaluable in her children’s lives.
Ms. Hsinpei Lee Normand joined the board in 2023 as the PVCICS Faculty Representative. She is a Middle School Chinese teacher. Teaching at PVCICS since 2010, she brings extensive experience to her position. Beyond her dedication to Chinese language education, she prioritizes amplifying the voices of students and faculty. Furthermore, as a parent of two PVCICS students, she deeply understands the community's needs. Hsinpei is a graduate of Hawaii Pacific University and holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Teaching from Fitchburg State University.
Dr. Gina Ocasion joined the board in 2021. She is an educator and programming specialist, working to support access to college-level courses as the Academic Director of the Bard College Clemente Course in the Humanities in Springfield. She holds a PhD from UMass Amherst in American Studies with published research in Childhood Studies. In addition to her administrative role, she teaches classes in Women’s Studies, Asian American Studies, and Indigenous Studies in the Five Colleges. As a board member, Dr. Ocasion plans to draw on her experiences in curriculum development and academic programming to support the mission of PVCICS. She is the parent of a PVCICS student.
Mr. Michael Rooney (Vice Chair) joined the board in 2021. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst with a Bachelors degree in History (1972) and doctorate in Educational Administration (1992). He also received a Masters degree in Counseling from Antioch University (1981). Mike has 30 years experience as a teacher, counselor, and administrator in several regional school districts in Western Massachusetts and served as Distance Education Director for the Collaborative for Educational Services, establishing a network of videoconferencing connections in over 20 school districts throughout Western Massachusetts. Mike joined the faculty at PVCICS for a three year period following retirement as an administrator. He was drawn to PVCICS because of the unique combination of fluency in Mandarin Chinese and an International Baccalaureate diploma that graduates can receive upon graduation. PVCICS represents the essence of what charter schools provide to communities which is a curriculum not available in the existing public school districts in the Western Massachusetts area. Mike also worked with PVCICS administration to develop an interscholastic athletic program which would provide the basis of a strong extracurricular program which encourages students to remain at PVCICS through high school and graduation. The PVCICS athletic program has become a participating member of MIAA. The school now offers programs in soccer, cross country, basketball, nordic and alpine skiing, wrestling, tennis, and Ultimate Frisbee.
Mr. Greg Rota, Greg Rota joined the Board in 2021 as the PVCICS Faculty Representative and served a one year term. Upon his retirement as a Grade 4-10 PE teacher and the PVCICS Athletic Director, he re-joined the Board in 2022 as a Trustee. Greg is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in Physical Education. He also hiolds a M.Ed. in Special Needs from Eastern Nazarine College and a second Masters in Elementary Administration from Providence College. Additonally, Greg has completed his CAA and RSMAA Certifications.
Mr. Frank Soleimani joined the Board in July 2021. He has a strong background in languages. Mr. Soleimani learned Persian-Farsi at a young age, having grown up in a multilingual household. He took interest in the French Language in the 7 th grade and continued with French classes throughout high school and college. Mr Soleimani maintained his interest and proficiency in languages even after college, where his last assignment in the military was with a Military Intelligence Unit, which required him to hold and maintain a language. Mr. Soleimani has been employed in the public safety sector for the last thirteen years. He is currently employed as a Game Warden with the Commonwealth, where he has worked since 2015. Mr. Soleimani holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Biology from Westfield State University in his hometown of Westfield. He currently resides in Southwick with his wife and two children. Mr. Soleimani served on the Southwick Conservation Commission from 2015 – 2018. He is the parent of two PVCICS students.
Ms. Iris YuYing Tang, joined the board in 2024.