Open Meeting ended at 9:11 AM. Executive Session began at 9:12 AM.

Executive Session ended at 10:05 AM. Open Session began at 10:08 AM.

Elizabeth Dignan, Senior Director of Finance, introduced the need to present a vote to approve the Guaranty by City on a Hill Charter Public School Circuit Street of the $1,000,000 Line of Credit for the City on a Hill Foundation, Inc. and to request approval of the term of repayment of this guaranty of financing from the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Dignan provided an overview of the line of credit, which totaled $1,000,000 and named its uses as $750,000 for pre-construction costs at City on a Hill Circuit Street and $250,000 for working capital needs at the schools. Dignan also outlined the repayment terms of 18 months with possibility to refinance the pre-construction costs as part of existing debt which is due to be refinanced in 2021. Dignan discussed that the line of credit resides at the Foundation and would not all be accessed immediately, but as needed. Dignan also mentioned that the Board is not personally liable for the debt. 

Melisa Lemire, Chair, gave an update about the pipeline of additional possible Board members to be presented for vote, including Gary Morton, who was in attendance.

Cara Stillings-Candal, Committee member, introduced the purpose of the Chief Executive Officer Evaluation and highlighted trends, noting that the Committee was heartened by the fact that feedback from both the Board and direct reports of Taylor were consistent.

Jordan Pina, Executive Assistant, introduced the Dudley Square Accountability Plan and explained its use in holding schools accountable to results. Pina next described the process of creation of the document as lead by Katie Kline, Director of Data and Compliance, in conjunction with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), which has provisionally approved the plan. The Board then discussed the plan, probing on differences from the last plan, such as shifting from process-oriented goals to outcomes-oriented goals.

Jordan Pina, Executive Assistant, presented the City on a Hill Circuit Street Application for Charter Renewal as created by City on a Hill Circuit Street and Network Office leadership teams. Pina reviewed the process for renewal, including possible outcomes and next steps pending provisional approval by the Board. The Board discussed feedback provided electronically on the application over the previous weeks.

Jordan Pina, Executive Assistant, reintroduced the purpose of the Needs Assessment Action Plan for City on a Hill New Bedford (CoaH NB), as it relates to the conditions of CoaH NB's probation as set forth by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Pina then described the methodology of the creation of the plan in conjunction with an external consultant, SchoolWorks, as well as students, families, teachers, and Board members of CoaH NB. Next, Pina reviewed the plan's six goals surrounding MCAS proficiency, 9th grade attrition, classroom culture, and suspension rates, and the Board discussed feedback provided by Trustees and other stakeholders to produce the final plan which will be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on June 26, 2019.

Kevin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, reintroduced the purpose of The COAH Effect to the Board and guests as a progress monitoring tool. Taylor walked through the dashboard and provided explanation of the status of each goal, and paused for brief questions from the Board, noting that there would be a deeper dive into results during the Annual Retreat in August 2019.