Ted Gildea, Board Vice Chair, announced that the Board would be entering Executive Session, citing purpose #3: To discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or litigation if an open meeting may have detrimental effect on the bargaining or litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares. Gildea confirmed that he believed public discussion of the topics might have a detrimental effect on the School's collective bargaining position, noted that the Board intended to return to public session, and called for a motion to enter Executive Session.

Public Session ended at 5:14pm. Executive Session began at 5:15pm.

Executive Session ended at 5:40p. Public Session began at 5:41pm.

Next, Gildea directed the attention of the Trustees to the Amendment Discussion. Jordan Pina, Chief Operating Officer, projected the School's amendment request and began to describe the process of an amendment to a charter. 

She noted that there are two general types of amendments, with some being decided on by the Commissioner of Education and others being evaluated by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). 

Pina noted that City on a Hill's amendment request to update its grade span from 9th through 12th grade to 11th through 12th grade was one that belonged to the latter category, and that that the Board would need to vote to direct School leadership to submit the amendment request on their behalf. 

Trustees inquired as to the timeline for potential approval, and Pina shared that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) was hoping to present this to BESE at their late-February meeting. She also noted that School and Board leadership had spoken with the Charter School Office (CSO) and the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) about the amendment as it related to the School's plan to operate an upper school model in school year 2024-2025 and the Board's intention to elect not to seek renewal of the School's charter.