The Executive Director previewed the agenda for the meeting.

The Board Chair shared that she is moving out of state and is planning to transition off the Board in June. She plans to remain on the Finance and Facilities Committee.

Transition plans were discussed with he Governance and Compensation Committee and the current proposal is for the Vice Chair, Matt Fates, to transition into the Chair seat and a newer member of the Board, Mike Gaburo, to transition into the Vice Chair seat given interest and capacity.

The Board Chair opened the space for questions, feedback and comments from the Board. 

A member of the Board shared the transition plan made total sense. 

The proposed Chair and Vice Chair plan to make space with Board members to ask questions and share feedback between now and June when the Board will formally vote to approve this plan. 

The Board discussed a few school-based updates for discussion, including a new cell phone policy that will go into effect next year. The Board will formally vote to approve this plan as part of the student handbook in June.

Students will not be allowed to possess their cell phones and/or personal technology during the school day. Items will be collected in different ways depending on the grade. This will be a shift in process and policy. This is connected to a broader shift for the state of Massachusetts. 

Schools have been hosting Family Town Halls to make space for families to ask questions and share concerns. 

The Executive Director previewed additional shifts in policy we will make around deep fakes, recordings, etc. created with AI and shared on social media or via technology given recommended guidance from DESE. 

A member of the Board asked if we were considering dialing back on laptops in school in general given recent guidance. This is something on the team's radar. 

A member of the Board asked for early reactions from students and families. There have not been many complaints, but there are questions around exceptions (i.e. health considerations). Some families have expressed concerns around safety. This is something we're going to intentionally communicate with families about. 

The Executive Director asked if the Board needed any information to consider the vote in June. The Board did not have additional questions at this time. 

A member of the KIPP MA Team shared updates on KIPP MA's participation in the Rethinking Discipline initiative given KIPP Academy Boston was identified as having a higher number of removal rates (in-school, out-of-school and emergency) for students with IEPs compared to the state percentage for two years in a row. The team will bring updates as relevant. 

The team will update the Board in June.

The Chief Finance Officer shared Finance Updates and previewed the 26-27 budget.

He reviewed the FY26 March year-to-date budget vs. actuals and key insights. Both Lynn and Boston met Q3 debt covenants. 

Space was made for questions. 

Personnel expenses continue to be over budget due to the extra paycheck that was not accurately budgeted for. Health insurance savings have offset personnel overages. Those could spike any month, so the team is keeping a close eye on it.

A member of the Finance and Facilities Committee noted we'll need to continue to be conservative with budgeting for our health insurance. 

A member of the Finance and Facilities Committee shared this all feels like good news.

The Chief Finance Officer shared the FY26 full-year budget vs. forecast as of March. 

He shared we're keeping an eye on student expenses, which can be variable. 

By month actuals were shared for health insurance. 

He reviewed FY27 key budget notes. He shared FY27 revenues and FY27 expenses (compared to FY26 forecast). These included updates on tuition, Title I funds, Medicaid, the Circuit Breaker grant, private grants, personnel and non-personnel expenses. 

Space was made for questions and thoughts.

The FY27 preliminary budget vs. FY26 forecast as of March was shared. Overall, we expect a 1.1 debt service coverage ratio for both Lynn and Boston.

A member of the Finance and Facilities noted that if you take out health insurance increase and capital reserves additions, total expense growth is about 2% and revenue growth is 3%. 

A member of the Board asked what positions will be removed. There are a few roles at schools and on the RO that will not be backfilled.

A member of the Board asked for the average compensation increase at KIPP MA. The Chief Finance Officer shared it is 3.7%. 

A member of the Finance and Facilities Committee shared that at a high-level, we'll continue to carry health insurance, which is conservative. As we get more data, we'll adjust moving forward. The capital reserve is a huge help because it's often where we get surprised.

The final review and approval of the budget will happen in June, and we will continue to monitor between now and then and note if any expenses come up that will be relevant. 

FY27 preliminary tuition budget vs. FY26 was shared. The Chief Finance Officer has been asking questions of other charter CFOs, the MCPSA, the state, etc. to get additional insight. 

Notes were shared on foundation rates, above foundation rates, transportation, and facilities. 

The Chief Finance Officer shared benchmarking data to KIPP Foundation in terms of how our expenses are distributed compared to other regions. For expenses, we are on the higher end for staffing costs, which makes sense because we get more for tuition so can afford to do so. We are on the lower end for occupancy costs. 

On the revenue side, we are heavily dependent on state and local funding. Private grants are also low for KIPP MA. We hope that increasing private grants will bolster revenue overall. This is something in our control. 

Space for questions and thoughts was made.

A member of the Finance and Facilities Committee noted how helpful the benchmarking data is to ensure we're not operating in a vacuum. 

A member of the Board asked for updates on the Senior Head of Development role. The Executive Director noted we're doing the recruitment in house, but have clear qualifications for the role. The individual must have a proven track record of results. We plan to engage the Board in the hiring process and are engaging the KIPP Foundation in building a candidate pool.

The Chief Finance Officer reviewed the timeline for reviewing and approving the FY27 budget with the Finance and Facilities Committee and with the Board. 

The Board reviewed and discussed results from the Executive Director's 360 mid-year review. This was reviewed and discussed by the Governance and Compensation Committee in their March meeting.

A member of the Governance and Compensation Committee shared that feedback has been very consistent over the years that the Executive Director is a great leader, and this is something we should celebrate and be grateful for. He noted there weren't significant shifts in feedback, except for maybe some opportunities highlighted for the organization.

A member of the Board asked for the Executive Director's reflection.

The Executive Director shared that she looked at 24-25 and 25-26 results and noted people continue to see her as a leader that communicates trust, leads with heart and holds a high bar. She also noted she needs to grow from being just a people-centered leader to a leader who drives stronger outcomes, alignment and accountability through systems. She acknowledged that she's created a great place for people to work, but that needs to be in service of kids learning. If kids aren't learning enough, we aren't doing our jobs.

A member of the Board noted that the Executive Director has been driving toward system-level change, particularly around PFML policies and special education supports. She has been pushing for conversations around how these impact one another.

A member of the Board touched on feedback shared about the Executive Director standing in strength as a Black woman and the authenticity she brings and how important this is for our work. He noted how this has contributed to the diversity of teachers and the reflection of students' identities in schools and how much it matters.

A member of the Board shared gratitude for doing this process every year. 

The Board reviewed the Governance and Compensation Committee's recommendation of a standard 3.7% increase in salary.

A member of the Governance and Compensation Committee shared that we use base salary to track the market to ensure we're compensating the Executive Director fairly. He noted that we review the market every 3-years, but this year is just a standard increase.

It was noted that performance is recognized as part of the bonus process and is linked directly to the Executive Director's goals along with a discretionary portion. This will be reviewed in June and October when results are available. 

The KIPP MA Team began with reviewing academic updates and data. 

The Chief Schools Officer shared ELA and math practice MCAS performance compared to iReady end of year projections. She explained this is a different way than the Board has reviewed MCAS projections in the best, but is more aligned. Results highlighted bright spots and hot spots and allowed the team to dig in where support was needed. 

Percent correct on practice tests were shared. 

Data was shared on short-term targets for performance training/MCAS prep. Updates were shared on iReady growth monitoring and strategic support for open-ended responses. Significant time and attention went into raising the bar for student writing on essays.

She reviewed staffing and schedule shifts that have happened to maximize the time between ELA and math MCAS.

Upcoming assessments were shared with the Board. End of year DIBELs, ACT and iReady data will be available. MCAS data will still be embargoed.

A member of the Board asked about reflections on iReady. The Chief Schools Officer shared we still need to see how helpful the BOY, MOY and EOY progress monitoring assessments are. She noted we've learned the teacher has to be an active participant for iReady to be successful. It is less helpful as an independent instructional tool. The Executive Director noted the comparison to national and state data is helpful, and that is so far feels more helpful than MAP data. 

The Executive Director reviewed all Essential Questions, including updates on enrollment, applications, and attrition.

The Chief Operating Officer shared insights into our goal on increasing applications for non-English language accounts, as we are not currently meeting that goal. This is something being seen by many districts. 

High-level data on regional assessments was reviewed.

The Executive Director reviewed data on high school and college Match and Persistence. Our goal was 80% of students will enroll in a BA/BS and we're currently only at 71%. A member of the KIPP MA Team noted an increase in students wanting to enroll in a 2-year vs. 4-year school for many reasons, so this was expected. Some students have communicated an interest in transferring after their second year. Our estimated college completion is currently at 75%, well above our goal of 56%. 

The Executive Director shared data on staff retention and recruitment. We are currently at 93.6% retention and 99.7% hired. We currently have 33 potential openings to fill for next year. 

Updates on the PFML Supplemental Leave Policy were shared. The KIPP MA Team with the support of the People Committee found opportunities to address equity and retention issues, including being able to offer a benefit from KIPP MA in years 4-7. This was also previewed with the Finance and Facilities Committee.

Updates were shared for Development, including current Board giving. A member of the Development Team asked members of the Board who haven't given yet to do so to ensure we reach our goal of 100% giving. 

Removal rates were reviewed for ISS, OSS and removal rates across Lynn and Boston. The team discussed instances vs. number of students.

The Executive Director talked about our push to further invest and engage our families in better supporting reading and math at home.

Chronic absenteeism updates were shared. All KIPP MA schools are still improving and approaching pre-pandemic rates.