Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, introduced the City on a Hill Accountability Plan and explained its use in holding schools accountable to results. She shared that the plan had been provisionally approved by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and was similar to the City on a Hill Dudley Square Accountability Plan approved in June 2019, though had shifts to accommodate changes introduced by the COVID-19 Global Pandemic. Pina highlighted that these shifts included adding virtual options for Community Juries, administrator/teachers meetings with families, and community service days, as well as further defining teacher leadership opportunities.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, introduced the SY21-23 Student Opportunities Act (SOA) Plan as City on a Hill's submission to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for SOA Funding. Pina shared the purpose of the plan as identifying subgroups of students who are not achieving at the same level of their peers, which City on a Hill identified as English Language Learners (ELLs) and Students with Disabilities, and institute programs to address the opportunity and achievement gaps. She shared that City on a Hill selected the DESE programs that address supporting teachers to implementing a high-quality, aligned curriculum and diversifying the workforce through recruitment and retention. Pina shared that metrics selected to measure progress of the plan will be created later in the fall when DESE releases accountability scores, which will be presented to the Board before final submission.

Melisa Lemire, Governance Chair, directed the attention of the Board to the election of the school year 2020-2021 Board Officers. Lemire shared that the Governance Committee is recommending re-electing the current officers:

• Cara Stillings-Candal, Chair
• Jeff Jablow, Vice Chair
• Melisa Lemire, Clerk
• Andres Tejeda-Soto, Treasurer 

Lemire also noted that Stillings-Candal would be ending her final term with the Board of Trustees in the spring and the Governance Committee would be seeking nominations for new leadership in anticipation of her departure. She encouraged anyone with interest to contact the Governance Committee.

Cara Stillings-Candal, Chair, and Kevin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, welcomed Trustees and guests to the school year 2020-2021 Board of Trustees Retreat. Stillings-Candal noted two guests included potential Board members, Jessica Yang and Edelyn Contereras, and invited them to introduce themselves. Following their introduction, Taylor shared that plans for re-opening school for the upcoming year would be address in later sections, and that this section would focus on team building for the Board as we enter the new school year though answering the question, "What draws you to serving on a Board of a charter school with primarily students of color in 2020?" Trustees and guests each had the opportunity to share perspectives, including the urgency of needed change in our communities. Following the share-out, Taylor thanked Board members for their discussion.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, introduced Marc Terry, Partner at Mirick, O'Connell, DeMallie, & Lougee, LLP. Pina shared that Terry would be presenting an overview of governance practices in compliance with Condition #6 of City on a Hill Charter Public School's probationary renewal. She also noted that the Board would review, approve, and submit a Governance Action Plan to address adequate oversight of the School to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) by September 30, 2020. Terry then presented an overview of the duty of care, duty of loyalty, compliance with the State Conflict of Interest Law, disclosure of financial interests, approval of new members by the State, and compliance with Open Meeting Law (OML). Following the presentation, Terry fielded questions from Board members which focused on disclosure of financial interests for members who also work in education in their full time roles at other organizations. Terry shared some of the determinations to make regarding financial disclosures, and offered additional support to individual members following the meeting.

Sonya Pratt, Chief School Officer, and Laura Edouard, Principal, then introduced themselves to new Board members and guests and directed the attention of the Board to the school year 2020-2021 Planning & COVID-19 Update. Pratt shared that she, Edouard, Taylor, and Pina held two Town Halls where parents and community members were invited to review the school's reopening plan, which included options for hybrid and fully remote learning, noting that a fully in-person model would not allow for social distancing due to the limited space in the School.

Pratt shared that students will return remotely through at least Indigenous Peoples' Day, when the School will review epidemiological data, guidances from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and community feedback before deciding whether to begin hybrid learning or remain remote. Teachers and critical support staff will work from the School building in a socially distant manner. Board members probed on to the comfort of teachers with this model, and Pratt shared that the majority of teachers were hoping to have some kind of access to their classrooms, but that School Leadership and the Human Capital Team would work with individuals who live with, care for, or are part of vulnerable populations to address their needs.