J. Cunningham updated the Board on the Student spotlight

Said 19 year old alumni is currently a junior in college in Washington DC and took it upon herself to start a fundraiser to subsidize a current students trip to Italy following her own experience on the trip, she wanted to create an opportunity for another student to experience the same thing.

J. Cunningham updated the board on Academics in Molly's absence

PSSA

• KPPS ELA Proficiency Rates By School 3rd - 8th grade
• KPPS Math Proficiency Rates By School 3rd - 8th grade
• KPPS Science Proficiency Rates By School 3rd - 8th grade
• KWPP, the West Middle School had good performance on Reading and are continuing to pull ahead of the pack.
• KPPA & KNPA dropped down as this is their first year 

J. Cunningham updated the board on the Keystone

When one school or one cohort of students doing exceptionally better than the others, it indicates that a mix of the leaders in that school are making strong moves or the have a strong group of teachers or veteran teachers. We have some of our senior most ELA teachers call out the teachers. 

• Keystone cohort proficiency rates were affected by COVID across schools and grades
• Comparative data do not exist at this point.

J. Cunningham updated the board on the SY 22-23 Instructional Strategy

• 5 big areas include Teacher Coaching, Leader Development, Focus Grades/Content, Strategic ESSER Investments & Accelerated Learning.

Teacher Coaching - Focused on asking teachers to have a weekly meeting where these 3 things happen: Observation/(RTF)Real Time Feedback & Debrief/Practice, Data Meeting &  Internalization/Planning. 

• Observation/(RTF)Real Time Feedback & Debrief/Practice - To assess what 5 things teachers are doing to do better. Encourages real time assessment of issues with a view to coaching on how improvements can be implemented immediately. 
• Data Meeting - This is where a leader and the teacher sit down and review student achievement data. How to reteach those common misunderstandings that showed up in the quiz and give kids more practice opportunity on it.
• Internalization/Planning - a more sophisticated way to internalize the lesson and show multiple ways of understanding the content so they can be nimble as they teach

All of these are instructional depths that we are taking in terms of how leaders and teachers interact to improve teacher practice.

H. Richman asked if there were written documentation after these meetings.

J. Cunningham responded affirmatively. Especially as a means to track the amount of support, management and oversight that teachers received.

Leadership Development - Priority Coaching Area - Driving Coaching

Focus Grades/Content - 

With 13 grades these focus grades are prioritized based on where we are:

1. K-2 Literacy Foundations - Increased Observation, Feedback,
   PD
2. 3-4 Reading Curriculum - Curricular Modifications
3. 5-6 Math - Leader Training
4. 7-8 English Language Arts - Close Monitoring
5. 9th Algebra - Ongoing Problem Solving

S. Wilson jones asked if this takes into account where we see success within a particular grade level or are we just looking across the spread.

J. Cunningham responded that there are some areas where we are better positioned to move and there are others where we know that if we dont get aggressive here we will never make it.

For example where the foundation is not properly laid in for instance pre-Algebra it creates a problem in the next grade so we want to make sure we are attacking it adequately.

ESSR Investments - how these funds are being leveraged on the academic side

- Additional staff
- Tutoring
- Mental Health Supports
- Teacher/Leader Coaching
- Teacher PD - aligned to priorities

*ESSR funds will get reimbursed through June of 2024. So only one more year left before we have to wind down on things.

W. JONES UPDATED THE BOARD ON:

FY23 Revised Budget Proposals

Staffing

Our staffing models at the schools are in place for the upcoming year. Significant shifts in staffing composition will impact revised budgets in the fall. Recruitment team is actively working to fill positions for current vacancies.

Per Pupil Funding

• Budget included the revised per pupil numbers that we got from the District in June. 
• Not as much of a decline on the special Education as was anticipated
• Significant decline on the general education side.

Enrollment

This is the first year that we are passing a budget where we do not expect full enrollment.

Low enrollment is reflected in the reduction in the per pupil revenues across all the Charters.

FY23 BUDGET SUMMARY

KPCS & KPOC FY23 BUDGETS

KIPP Philadelphia Octavius Catto (KPOC)

• Challenges are the FY23 budget projects $1.6M deficit at committee meeting. Currently that deficit is down to $1.1M. This is not uncommon for start-up school. Growing the school by grade level limits economies of scale. Because we are starting with 2 grade levels and paying for the full facility of this building. Other opening charters we were always able to scale the rent with the schools growth but not this time.

1. Key factors include:
   High fixed and start-up costs for new facility like tech infrastructure, wiring, food service equipment etc.

• Catto's opening delay increased facilities costs for the first year.



KIPP Philadelphia Charter School

One of the covenants for the Bonds at KPCS - Under the revised budgets, we did some more testing and we would violate the debt service coverage ratio under the strictest calculation of the metrics because there is no uniform agreement between our Bond council and our auditors about how those metrics should be calculated. 

On the debt service coverage ratio front we are working with your auditor now revisit the conversation using a legal email that outlines how the council thinks we should calculate the metrics and aligning it with the auditors.

Next steps include:
o Deep dive with school leadership to review expenses to make sure revenue numbers are correct.. 

o Continuing to review cash management strategies. To make sure they are need-to-have and not just nice-to-have.

• Cash infusion from KASC (loan or grant)
• Negotiate timing of payments with key vendors

J. Cunningham asked if the revised budgets will be presented at the end of the calendar year.

And if the goals needs to be moved to later. B. Cummings opted to move it to later.

W. JONES UPDATED THE BOARD ON:

FY22 Audit Update

On the differing interpretations regarding how management was treating ESSER reimbursement  

Auditor was concerned about filing too far back as that might be an internal control issue.

N. Wiltshire & W. Jones spoke with the auditor today and they are in agreement with our treatment of the reimbursement. Because we were following the timeline laid out by Pennsylvania Dept of Education especially with ESSR 2 & 3 applications not approved by the Dept until December 2021 hence the absence of reimbursement prior to 2022

FY23 YTD Budget-to-Actuals

Revenues

• Revenue is $6.7M due to timing of fundraising and other local revenues.
• Per pupil revenues are based on estimates. District will true up YTD revenues this month but will be reflected the December Board Meeting.

Expenses

• Expenses are $7.7M ($2.9M lower than budget) driven by lower than expected benefits.

• Timing of purchases and other expense adjustments to be reflected in revised budgets.

Net Surplus/(Deficit) - ($0.9M)

N. WILTSHIRE UPDATED THE BOARD ON REAL ESTATE

Real Estate Update

N. Wiltshire welcomed the board to the KIPP Catto location.

Progress is ongoing but in Catto the playground is not started yet. Which might delay things a bit. That's the one lingering issue but there are no concerns as to its completion & execution.

For Whittier there was a delay with getting Pico to power the building appropriately following the excessive power voltage that was experienced earlier. 

The voltage issue is fixed and October 31 is the confirmed hand off date to us. Finalized by November 16 which would be the first day for students. Teachers will be in before that date to familiarize themselves with the building for about 2 days before to get everything in place.

This is a phased delivery since we have access to 50% of the building.

First floor & main office and courtyard will still have construction on-going after the handoff.

Entrances to the first & second floor is restricted for students. a Separate stairwell is set up for the contractors and their equipment is in the courtyard so no access to that yet.

Windows will be delivered in December.

H. Richman asked what the economic consequences of this delay were.

N. Wiltshire responded that consequences are the savings in the rent amount.

H. Richman asked what the guaranteed delivery date is.

N. Wiltshire responded that by June 2023 we have to have full building delivery

N. Wiltshire is in regular meets with MIS

C. Benson updated the Board on:

FY 22-23 PROGESS TO GOALS

Trustees

Annual Commitment: 0%

Goal: 100%

Campaign Commitment: 100%

Goal: 100%

J. Cunningham updated that we are $9.2M currently. Some money has been raised since the development committee meeting. That number is expected to be higher before the holiday break.

• Reimagined Learning Spaces: $4,925,000
• KIPP Forward: $690,627
• Regional Operations Expansion: $2,879,743

C. Benson updated the Board on:

Campaign Update

Campaign Timeline

3-6 MONTHS

Pre-Campaign Planning

• Clarify objectives
• Board approve campaign
• Define working goal
• Select consultant

Feasibility Study

• Engage consultant
• Assess readiness
• Interview donors
• Select campaign consultant

6-9 MONTHS

Campaign Planning

• Create and distribute feasibility study
• Refine case for support
• ID and engage prospects
• Recruit campaign chair and committee.
• Create collateral materials
• Draft mmeline and policies

Solicit Gifts

• Clarify objectives
• Board approve campalen
• Define working goal
• Select consultant

Prospect Engagement

• Implement prospect portfolio plans
• Execute cultivation and engagement plans

9-12 MONTHS

Celebratel

• 50%+ of goal raised
• Announce goal and progress to goal
• Highlight major donors
• Earned media to highlight successes
• Initiate public phase

Kick off Public Phase

*We are just shy of 50% and still determining what number we feel comfortable with to go fully public

Next Steps:

• Ribbon cutting Catto & Whittier

        -Beginning of the new year (Whittier)

        -Early December (Catto)

• EOY solicitations
• Capital campaign committee '23 events
• Public Announcement strategy

C. Benson updated the board on:

PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY & IMPACT

• Engaged WhitPR
• Focus on raising brand awareness:

          -Earned media

          -Social media engagement

          -Speaking engagements

          -20th anniversary planning

          -New donors

          -New partnerships

          -Student Recruitment

          -Teacher recruitment

          -Advocacy support

A. AERTS  UPDATED THE BOARD ON:

DRAFT - Governance SY22-23 Goals

1. Identify, cultivate and interview potential new board members who: (a) add diversity more reflective of the demographic of KPPS' student population from the professional and philanthropic community; and (b) support KPPS' strategic, development and academic needs. This will include a focus on core competencies the Board deems needed within the pipeline and members of the Board.
2. Continue to re-envision the role of the Board, Leadership Council and Young Friends to forward KPPS's mission and vision through coordinated efforts with Board Committees, Subcommittees and Ad Hoc Committees.
3. Develop and implement Board and board member evaluation process.

Board Recruitment Update

A. Aerts is working on recruitment. Key goal here is focused around cultivation of our pipeline of new board members and conversations are on going about a strategy to fill the pipeline.

We have a couple of people on the pipeline and a couple we are reaching out to that will help us tap into individuals in the community who might be interested in getting involved with an organization like ours both from a diversity perspective and other perspectives.

KEY PRIORITY

An evaluation process needs to be set up for board members to encourage us to do better &  determine what impact members want to leave behind to the board and the community.

Meetings have been set up with some potential Alumni or parent in Higher education or finance to fill the pipeline as these are the target areas needed this year.

Suggestions are welcome especially in Higher Education & Finance.

S. Jones updated the board on

- 2022 Goals-

proposed to revise committee goals within individual committee meetings and have ready for review and approval for December board meeting. 

Intent is to wrap up the work we have been doing with Rebecca and Chatara by December.

• Will continue to support the schools with a $6M ask for fundraising
• Board Recruitment and retention
• Continue to re-envision the role of the Board, Leadership Council and Young Friends to forward KPPS's mission and vision through coordinated efforts with Board Committees, Subcommittees and Ad Hoc Committees.
   

J. Cunningham updated the board on Talent changes-

Now that C. Benson has been promoted to Chief of Staff, we will be kicking off with our Progress to gaol monitoring around strategic planning as well as making sure we move into the upcoming fiscal year with a strongly aligned process that maps out to our long term 2025 goals. That work began last week with C. Benson & N. Wiltshire & is on going.

A more robust update will come in the December Board Retreat.

S. Jones updated that Voting on goals is moved to the December Board Meeting

-Real Estate updates-

M. Carter asked what other things are there at our disposal if the building isn't delivered on time.

N. Wiltshire responded the she is in daily conversation with them. Seeing as the issue causing the delay was a very specific one, she does not believe there will be further delays once that issue is resolved.

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