Kevin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, shared that City on a Hill's enrollment numbers are as forecasted. He also shared that the lottery numbers for the upcoming School Year of 2021-2022 are as budgeted. Taylor shared that more specific enrollment numbers will be shared during the COAH Effect section of the agenda.

The Board discussed the multiple enrollment checkpoints throughout the School Year where City on a Hill is given allocations per student. The discussion concluded with Taylor sharing the timeline in which these checkpoints take place.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared the rationale and purpose of City on a Hill's Enrollment Policy. Pina shared that revisions to the Enrollment Policy were made to update language after the Dudley Square and Circuit Street City on a Hill school campuses consolidated last school year, as well as more specific language around backfilling seats for ninth and tenth grade at City on a Hill. Pina shared that the Leadership Team at City on a Hill has met with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) multiple times to finalize the policy. 

The Board discussed if City on a Hill has historically backfilled grades. Pina shared that City on a Hill has backfilled ninth grade, but School Year 2019-2020 was the first year that City on a Hill backfilled for tenth grade as well.

After the Board reviewed the Enrollment and Amendment plan, Andres Tejeda Soto, called for a vote.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared the rationale for creating a CEO Succession Plan as a best practice of City on a Hill's Governance section of probationary measures. Pina outlined each section of the plan, including the plan implementation, priority functions, as well different scenarios when this plan would be put in place.

The Board discussed the difference between Acting CEO and Interim CEO. Pina shared that the Acting CEO outlined in the document would be a temporary position for short term leaves of absence that would consult with Board Chair and CEO Support Committee to make major decisions, while the Interim CEO would act as the CEO for long term leaves of absence, including in decision making.

Laura Edouard, Principal, shared that specific numbers from City on a Hill's hybrid model, including 69 students in Hybrid Group A, 66 students in Hybrid Group B, and 141 students opting to continue to learn remotely. 

Edouard shared preparations that were executed to re-open City on a Hill in a hybrid model, including Family Reopening Meetings via Zoom, two days of in-person student orientation, as well as an orientation video sent to all remote students. She also shared facilities updates that have been made to the Circuit Street building including, but not limited to, air purifiers in every classroom, permanent assigned seating and sanitizing materials in every classroom.

The Board discussed attendance policies in a hybrid model, specifically if students who are enrolled in the hybrid model could attend classes remotely. Eduoard shared that hybrid students can attend classes remotely for the day if their parent or guardian contacts the main office that day for tracking purposes. 

The discussion concluded with the Board inquiring about lunch procedures and the configuration of Circuit Street's forum (where lunch takes place).  Edouard shared that lunch benches have been replaced with desks that are spaced out according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)'s guidelines.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, reviewed additional updates to City on a Hill's Academic Action Plan which was previously approved by the Board. These updates included language around culturally responsive teaching, suspension of students, and retention of City on a Hill teacher's.

The Board discussed the academic achievement measurement tool that City on a Hill is using this year to track growth, the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. Edouard shared that MAP is a nationally normed test aligned to Common Core standards. She shared that because of this, MAP allows schools to assess students for growth during the school year, as well as use this data as a comparative tool to other schools in both the state and country.

The discussion concluded with the Board discussing MAP data allowing schools to differentiate and adjust instruction for individuals students, as well as track their academic progress.

Kevin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, shared that charter schools in the state of Massachusetts are required to have their upcoming school year's balanced budget approved by the Board of Trustees by June 30. 

Taylor shared that historically, City on a Hill has provided a preview of the FY22 Budget to the Board in April, and the Finance Committee evaluates the budget in May in order to recommend a decision for the full Board to vote to approve the budget in May 2021. 

Taylor shared that the document compares the School Year 20-21 budget to the School Year 21-22 budget. Taylor highlighted that the biggest difference is revenue, and that revenue is driven largely by budgeted enrollment. Taylor shared that Leadership has again budgeted conservatively for next school year. 

The Board discussed the COVID-19 related relief grants that have been allocated to schools and how that will impact the City on a Hill budget in School Year 2021-2022. The Finance Committee plans to discuss those grants in depth at the May 2021 Finance Committee Meeting.

Kevin Taylor left at 6:05 PM.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared a presentation with the Board that highlighted Diversity, Inclusiveness, Civic Engagement and Equity (DICEE) initiatives this school year. The presentation included a timeline of DICEE at City on a Hill, DICEE training sessions that all City on a Hill faculty and staff have participated in this school year, as well as feedback from City on a Hill families and staff via Panorama and TNTP surveys. 

Pina also shared the launching of City on a Hill's Equity Task Force, officially launching in December 2020 and comprised of 10 staff members. The Task Force's main responsibility this school year is providing feedback on the DICEE Vision of Excellence (VoE). The Equity Task Force looks to present a final draft of the DICEE Vision of Excellence to the Board at the June 2021 Meeting.

The Board discussed DICEE Affinity Groups, launched in March 2021, as a vehicle for moral support, targeted learning, and collective responsibility. The Board discussed the set up of the Affinity Group, which Pina shared are lead by a volunteer Affinity Group Coordinator. Discussion concluded with the Board discussing feedback following the first DICEE session these groups were launched. 

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared the purpose of the CoaH Effect, a snapshot of school data that can be read like a dashboard. It is created to allow for understanding of key measures at the school and steps the organization is taking to move forward towards school year goals.

Pina walked through COAH Effect dashboard and provided explanation of the progress towards each goal, including additional context for goals that do not have data available currently such as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System data (MCAS), which was not taken due to COVID-19 pandemic, and the student and staff climate survey data, which will be gathered through the second administering of the TNTP survey in the Spring.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, and Jack Gearan, Committee Chair, shared a brief update regarding planning the City on a Hill Virtual Gala in May. Pina shared that the invitations for the Gala were sent out to City on a Hill supporters today and several speakers have already been confirmed for the event. In addition to the speakers, the event will feature a raffle with tickets can be purchased in real time. The Gala is scheduled to take place on May 6 at 6 PM.

The Board discussed sharing the invitation with their various networks. 

The Academic Excellence Committee did not meet in March 2021 and will provide an update at the next Board meeting.

The CEO Support Committee did not meet in March 2021 and will provide an update at the next Board meeting.

The Finance Committee did not meet in March 2021 and will provide an update at the next Board meeting.

The Governance Committee did not meet in March 2021 and will provide an update at the next Board meeting.