Jack Gearan, Committee Chair, highlighted the purpose of the Committee for other members, as well as walked the Committee through events that occurred in School Year 2020-21, including, but not limited to, a cooking event and The City on a Hill Virtual Gala. Gearan asked Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, to share more with new Committee members about the scope of Development work.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared the Development Committee's relationship to the City on a Hill Foundation, a separate entity, and how that relationship has changed in order to uphold state ethics laws. As City on a Hill's current bylaws stand, Sonya Pratt, Executive Director, is the only member of both the Foundation Board, where she is an ex-officio voting member, and the Board of Trustees, where she is an ex-officio non-voting member. 

Pina shared that following the advice of CoaH's external counsel, the work of development and fundraising no longer lives at the school-level, and the City on a Hill Foundation is hiring for and will house a new position of Director of Development. Pina reminded the Committee that in Spring 2021, City on a Hill worked with A/B consulting, who conducted  12 interviews with a diverse group of leading charter schools in the Boston area specifically regarding development, with their main recommendation being that City on a Hill have at least one full-time development position.

Pina shared that this Director position job description is still live but has not attracted candidates of the right fit. Pina noted that other charter peers are experiencing hiring delays as well.  The Committee asked management more about what ways the Development Committee can be effective this year, as a Director of Development has not yet been hired.

Pina shared that in the interim of hiring, all revisions and recommendations for the job description for Director of Development position need to occur at the Foundation Board level, as well as any other Development work. 

The Committee shared that members can work on generating Development ideas and continue to work with the Foundation Board Chair to implement those ideas. The Committee asked management more about this shift occurring, specifically relating to Development work living at the Foundation Board level and no longer having any management team members working on Development.

Management shared that in terms of recent trends for other charter peers, in order to best implement our bylaws and conflict of interest guidelines, this development work needs to be kept strictly at the Foundation Board level. City on a Hill's legal counsel has recommended this new structure to all of their clients most recently.  

The Committee asked management about projects that were supported by the Committee in the past, and what the completion of those projects would look like in the absence in the hiring of a Director of Development. Management noted that the main projects are the marketing City on a Hill Annual Report, donor appeals, and the CoaH Gala.

Sonya Pratt, Executive Director, shared that all compliance related items are being prioritized and completed on time, it is the development related items that are non-compliance related are what management does not have capacity to complete this school year. 

The Committee shared that they would ask management for a list of projects that they can support according to ethics, and committed to reaching out to the Foundation Board in order to continue to generate ideas. The Committee asked how they can support management in order to increase capacity. 

Pina shared that the hiring space is challenging right now, and many other charter peers are having hiring challenges as well. This has created a forced capacity when it comes to recruiting and filling open roles at City on a Hill. Management highlighted again that the hiring of the Director of Development  needs to be completed at the Foundation Board level.

The Committee shared that at the Board meeting on Tuesday, 10/26, that it would be helpful to share with Trustees the shift of the Development Committee and what work needs to be completed.

Management shared that with current capacity, a list of projects and outlining the work of the Development Committee can be generated, but it is not likely that this will occur before the October 2021 Board Meeting. The Committee asked what the progress was towards the Foundation's hiring of the Director of Development position.

Pina updated the Committee on the progress of hiring this position, which was posted on July 2021. Pina reviewed that the description has only received two applications, and the description is in the process of being edited by the Foundation Board in order to be reposted. Pina noted that the Foundation Board meets less frequently than the Board of Trustees. 

The Committee asked if the Chair of the Foundation Board attended, if they could push projects forward. Management outlined that if the Chair of the Foundation Board attends, ideas can be generated by the Development Committee but would need to be carried out by the Foundation Board. 

The Committee asked management if City on a Hill's counsel could attend the next Development Committee meeting to outline what development work is permitted by ethics. Pina shared that she would reach out to counsel in order to see if scheduling is possible. 

The Committee's discussion concluded with discussing the Foundation Board Chair attending the next meeting and the potential of City on a Hill's counsel attending as well to better define the role of the Development Committee according to state ethics.