Kevin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, provided an updated overview of distance learning. Board members discussed indicators of learning and retaining during distance learning, and probed on plans for remediation of students in school year 2020-2021. Taylor confirmed that Tutors were being hired for the upcoming school year as part of a remediation plan.

Cara Stillings-Candal, Chair, directed the attention of the Board to the draft Fiscal Year 2020-2021 (FY21) Budget, and asked Elizabeth Dignan, Chief Operating Officer, to provide an overview of management's considerations in creating the proposal.

Dignan first provided an overview of how per pupil tuition from the state, which is the bulk of City on a Hill's funding comes from, and shared the components of per pupil tuition as foundation rate, above foundation rate, facilities and tuition. Dignan cautioned that the COVID-19 Pandemic will have significant negative impact on education funding for school year 2020-2021 and beyond. She also shared that spending by Boston Public Schools (BPS), which has also been reduced due to COVID-19, negatively impacts the above foundation rate. Given this, Dignan shared management is recommending budgeting for a per pupil tuition of $19,152, which is a 7.7% reduction from the FY20 budget. Due to technical difficulties, Dignan temporarily left the meeting.

Taylor began explaining how the enrollment figures submitted as part of the City on a Hill Circuit Street and City on a Hill Dudley Square Consolidation Amendment (279 students) have shifted given the COVID-19 Pandemic. Taylor shared that while creating the draft budget, management anticipated higher attrition and churn rate for 9th graders but a lower attrition rate for 11th graders, and is budgeting for 275 students.

Dignan returned to the meeting, and provided additional context on the academic and culture investments City on a Hill is making in the draft SY20-21 budget, including tutors, academic consultants, and a Director of Climate & Culture. These investments are being funded by the restructured debt payments at the City on a Hill Foundation, which reduced the rent that City on a Hill Circuit Street would pay to the City on a Hill Foundation.

Finally, Taylor shared that the Finance Committee voted to recommend approval of the budget in their May 2020 Finance Committee Meeting and asked if there were any additional questions before requesting a motion to approve the budget. Board members probed on which items of the budget would be cut in the case of a worse than anticipated per pupil tuition reduction, and Dignan returned to the list, which included eliminating spring sports, reducing professional development spending, and reducing marketing costs.

Melisa Lemire, Committee Chair, extended another welcome to Jack Gearan, CoaH's newest Board member, and Ted Gileda, who was shadowing the meeting as a potential Board member. Lemire offered the opportunity for Gileda to introduce himself, and put out another call for additional recommendations for Board members.

There was no update from the Academic Excellence Committee.

Given the discussion above, there was no additional update from the Finance Committee.

Jeff Jablow, Committee Member, reiterated that the 25th Anniversary City on a Hill Gala was postponed until 2021, but encouraged continuing to make connections within networks. Board members asked how to best connect potential donors with opportunities. Taylor confirmed that Dignan would share directions following the meeting on how friends of City on a Hill can donate.

Additionally, Stillings-Candal announced that the Board was relaxing its "Give or Get" Policy for yearly donations, understanding that the COVID-19 Pandemic has changed financial realities for many people.

Cara Stillings-Candal, Chair, reminded the Board that the CEO Support Committee and Taylor had come to an agreement of an extension of his contract by an additional two years, and reminded Board members that his evaluation would be discussed at the June 2020 Board of Trustees Meeting.

Jordan Pina, Deputy Chief of Staff, shared that the CEO Evaluation Survey invitation would be sent out at the end of the meeting, and all anonymous feedback would be due via BoardOnTrack by May 22, 2020, to ensure the CEO Support Committee was able to review feedback and evaluate results.