Melisa Lemire, Committee Chair, shared that City on a Hill, as a one-school, boutique charter school as a result of the consolidation last year and surrender of the New Bedford charter, has decided to that it is in the best interests of the organization to return to an Executive Director model of leadership. 

Lemire explained that the ED model was in effect before City on a Hill expanded to Dudley Square and New Bedford and the CEO model became necessary. Because of this, Lemire shared that the CEO position is being eliminated starting in the 2021-21 school year and Sonya Pratt, Chief of School, will be recommended to the Board at the June 2021 meeting to be promoted to the role of Executive Director at City on a Hill. Kevin. T. Taylor, CEO, was thanked for his transformational leadership and will remain with the organization in that role through December 31 to allow for a smooth transition to Pratt.

The Committee discussed meeting with Pratt in the future, including her participation in next the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association’s (MCPSA) New Leader Cohort. Taylor shared that the timeline of recommending Pratt as Executive Director, if approved by the Board, will allow for her to join the cohort of other new charter leaders across the Commonwealth for School Year 2021-22.
The Committee discussed the vote that is scheduled to take place at the June 2021 Board Meeting, and the logistics that need to occur after the vote to fulfill City on a Hill's bylaws.

The Committee discussed, if approved by the Board, Taylor's plans to onboard Pratt in an Executive Director role. The Committee discussed the plan to share communication surrounding the transition, if approved by the Board, to students, families, donors, etc. Taylor shared with the Committee that those communications are being drafted with the strong support the MCPSA.

Melisa Lemire, Committee Chair, shared that historically, the Governance Committee has taken an inventory of the current Board Committees to ensure there is balance and Board Member's background and talents are best utilized. 

The Committee discussed how scheduling has been planned in the past, which is a process of looking at past school year's schedules to find times that have worked best historically for the Board. This schedule will be submitted to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in City on a Hill's Annual Report. 

The Committee discussed the act extending certain COVID-19 Measures adopted during the state of emergency signed into law by Governor Baker on June 16, 2021, which will extend remote meetings until April 2022. 

The Committee also discussed scheduling preferences for the August Board Retreat and the opportunity for the retreat to be held in person. The Committee discussed a location for the retreat if it were to occur in person, which include, but are not limited to, City on a Hill's office suites on Allerton Street or City on a Hill's forum at Circuit Street. With the challenges of meeting in person and school starting in August, the Committee decided to meet remotely for the August Board Retreat. 

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared with the Committee that she published postings to forward City on a Hill board growth and received several applications that included resumes and a short answer question. Pina shared that 10-15 candidates applied and she conducted interviews to gauge their experience, their equity and inclusion lens, and their commitment to City on a Hill.

Pina shared the three candidates that she spoke with in an interview, sharing a short background with the Committee for each. Pina also shared that she will be submitting an application herself, as she will transition out of her Chief of Staff role at City on a Hill in the coming months.

The Committee discussed the amount of Board positions the Committee is currently looking to fill, which is four. The Committee discussed onboarding new Board Members in cohorts, as to have staggered Board member terms. The Committee committed to calling the candidates to have an initial conversation with each.

Taylor shared that in the last meeting, the Governance Committee agreed to send a letter to DESE Commissioner regarding CoaH’s probationary status. In the time since, the letter has been revised in light of City on a Hill's site visit from DESE in March 2021. The Committee reviewed the letter and discussed the results of the site visit. The Committee committed to circulating the letter for further review and signatures.