There was a 42% participation rate in the review, which is fairly comparable to previous years.

For process, the Executive Director will meet with the Board Chair to discuss the review and determine goals for 25-26. Today, the committee will preview and determine what should be shared with the Broader board in its June meeting. 

A member of the committee shared the overall results with the committee. 

The Executive Director reflected what she learned from the review:

- She received feedback about holding leaders more accountable. This is likely tied to the principal transition the organization experienced. 

- The sense of loss people are experiencing with the shifts in the RO is not a surprise. 

- Her strength of leading boldly came through. 

- It's clear that student outcomes need to be better and more focused on next year-- she believes this will be a hard transition for the organization.

She also noted this was the first time grade-level chairs participated in the review.

A member of the committee shared his takeaways:

- People appreciate the ED's leadership, that she is mission-aligned, highly principled, authentic and takes a human-centered approach to leadership; they appreciate her commitment to inclusion, especially right now, and that she has a clear vision for the region

- In terms of areas of growth, people want more ED presence, are concerned about the sustainability of the ED and her support of the org, and have succession plans on their mind. It will be difficult to fill her shoes, so the Board will need to think about how to do that responsibly. 

The Board Chair agreed that results were consistent with previous reviews. 

The Executive Director discussed her current succession plan, including the Chief Schools Officer, the future Head of Schools, and the Chief of Equity and Engagement. The Committee would like frequent updates on this plan. 

The Executive Director also noted she doesn't have plans to transition any time soon. Her goal is to see the organization through several years of financial stability first. 

Full results will be shared with the Board at the next meeting.

The Committee reviewed comparative information on ED salaries from the MCPSA and KIPP Foundation compensation reports.

Members of the Committee would like to connect separately from the Executive Director to come up with a proposal to bring to the full Board during its June meeting. Part of this will involve working with the Finance and Facilities Committee to determine affordability. We need to make a budget-focused decision. We will need a proposal for June 12th meeting. 

Last time the Committee checked, the ED's salary was on par with comparable salaries. 

All staff will continue to receive salary increases according to our compensation plan. We do not anticipate changes will be made. 

The Committee reviewed the results of the Board effectiveness survey from the MCPSA in partnership with Bellwether. 

In the past, the full Board has reviewed the results, and the Committee would like to review at the Board retreat to make space for people to respond in person. They would like the Board to be able to evaluate strengths and gaps and the plan for moving forward. This can be discussed during the Committee meetings to help drive board strategy. 

The Board Chair would like to surface the data points people responded being unsure of (i.e. "I've seen school goals for this year.").

The Executive Director discussed plan for an acting Executive Director while she is out of the country in 2026. She is going to name the current Chief Schools Officer as acting Executive Director, with the Chief Operating Officer as the back up. 

The Committee was aligned. 

The Committee revisited its 5-year Board recruitment strategy. 

A member of the Committee noted that based on the data from the KIPP Foundation, we feel a little small. We should be aiming for 14-15 total members, which will also help better build out committees. We need to increase our female-identifying Board members. 

What areas of expertise do we need support in? We have a few prospects with experience in education strategy and policy. This could help with political changes in Massachusetts. 

The Committee remains committed to bringing on more alumni. In the long term, the Board should be predominantly alumni. 

In August, the Committee would like to see if we should move to onboard and revisit our onboarding process: school visit, sharing some of key Board materials and key goals, having them meet Chair, join retreat in September.

The Committee would also love to bring more alumni to committees, potentially those that have graduated college given schedules seem to align more strongly. The goal is to have one alumni on every committee.

The Executive Director will aim to meet with an alumni prospect over the summer.