Kevin Taylor, opened discussion regarding the meeting that members of the COAH Leadership Team and Finance Committee had with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) regarding COAH's FY21 audit.

The Committee asked management specifically about AAF, COAH's audit partners, acting as a consultant for finance functions for the school. Taylor shared that because COAH is halfway through the school year, AAF is set to work on a consulting basis until June 2022. While City on a Hill is not posting for a full time position to fill the role of Business Manager right now, that role will be re-posted in June 2022.

Sonya Pratt, Executive Director, shared that COAH is also working with another consultant to fill the accounts payable function of the Business Manager position. The Committee asked if consulting with AAF is comparable to the cost of hiring a new Business Manager. Pratt shared that while the consulting relationship with AAF is more expensive than hiring a full time Business Manager, because of hiring challenges and a plan for an ongoing relationship with AAF, management has committed to contracting with AAF through June 2022.

Pratt noted that AAF has handled COAH's audit in the past and knows the school's context very well and is very knowledgable about working with charter schools and what the Department is looking for as far as deadlines and deliverables. Pratt shared that another consultant was considered in this process, but the organization did not have any experience with Boston charter schools.

Jordan Pina, Chief of Staff, shared that consulting with AAF provides the opportunity for management to research and revise the Business Manager role and the finance department at COAH as a whole. Pina shared that management will be looking at other charter peers organization charts and role descriptions as COAH plans to hire for a full time employee in the Business Manager role for SY23. 

The Committee asked management if there were any budget or enrollment updates. Taylor shared that as COAH's consultants, AAF will be handling the budget forecasting that will be shared with the Board moving forward. Taylor noted that from an enrollment perspective, COAH enrollment has stabilized and is where the school was projected to be at this point in the school year.

Pratt noted that because of the timing in the school year, management has also stabilized remaining open positions at COAH. The Committee asked about current staffing, specifically if every class has coverage. Pratt shared that each section that has an open position has coverage, and that the instructor who started the year covering the class remains in those sections.

The one section that does not have consistent coverage in Spanish 1, as the hiring of a Spanish teacher has been ongoing throughout the School Year (2021-2022). Pratt noted that this hiring challenge is happening across many Boston charters right now as well.

The Committee concluded discussion by discussing the path towards City on a Hill getting off of probation, more specifically, COAH's probationary conditions from DESE. The Committee discussed ongoing progress towards these conditions. Pratt shared that the main goal of management continues to be to prove that COAH is both financially stable and academically sound.