The Board and KIPP MA team built the team with an ice breaker.

The Executive Director reviewed our agenda for the meeting, which had been shared before the meeting.

The Board of Trustees and KIPP MA team engaged in a discussion around literacy and freedom led by the Chief Equity and Engagement Officer. 

The Executive Director reviewed KIPP MA's 8 Essential Questions and let the Board know we were going to do a deep dive into 4 specific areas: enrollment and attrition, academics, people and finances.

The Board and KIPP MA Team reviewed the data dashboard and space was made for questions. 

The Chief Operating Officer and Director of Strategic Projects led the Board in an overview of enrollment-- we are enrolled above budget in Boston and Lynn. Applications are now officially closed. We are currently 60% enrolled for Kindergarten in Boston. The Executive Director confirmed we're in a good space and left space for questions. A Board Member noted what a big deal this is. The Executive Director noted how many schools are currently experiencing issues with enrollment, and so this is particularly important.

The Chief Operating Officer reviewed attrition data-- our goal is to be under 6% in Lynn and under 10% in Boston. Boston is not currently meeting the goal, but attrition has decreased. Lynn is meeting the goal, but attrition is increasing. We are losing students in Lynn due to out of district or out of state moves. This is something we need to keep an eye on. 

The Executive Director reviewed suspension and removal data. The Chief Schools Officer talked about the work the Compliance Team has been doing with the Dean Teams to review data and recalibrate. She reviewed data for in-school suspensions, out of school suspensions, and emergency removals.

A Board member asked for clarification on what the numbers represent and the Chief Schools Officer explained the charts represented percentages. The Board Chair asked for exactly how many students each percentage represents. 

The Executive Director noted our goal is to be below the sending district and the state. She noted we've experienced an increase of students with significant needs in Lynn this year. The Board Chair noted the resiliency she's seen in visiting the schools. 

The Executive Director grounded the conversation in our 27-28 KIPP goals: 75% of students are on track to be college-ready.

The Executive Director named we are on track to meet or lifting goals for this year, but not to meet or exceed the state average yet. 

The lifting strategy for MCAS was reviewed, as well data from practice MCAS assessments. 

The Board Chair asked if MCAS was our bar for 75% for college-readiness. The Executive Director shared there will be multiple indicators and that MCAS will be one measure. 

The Executive Director reviewed Match and Persistence updates. She reviewed 8th grade high school application data for Boston. We will be able to share out acceptance data in June. 

100% of our high school students have submitted a FAFSA. We currently only have 10-20% of students who have been able to make decisions for next year because of FAFSA challenges. The Board Chair noted what an accomplishment 100% of students submitting a FAFSA is. 

The Executive Director noted we are only currently 30% hired.

The Chief Finance and Talent Officer noted we are not currently where we want to be, but hope to make progress on hiring in the next month and a half. 

We hired a new Principal for KIPP Academy Lynn Middle School, which is exciting.

Staffing Model Updates have been a big project this year with the loss of ESSER funds. 

The Board reviewed retention data for staff. This is below where we've been the last few years and where we want to be. 

Space was made for questions. 

The Executive Director shared an update on the Boston Compensation Plan-- she met individually with each school team. 

The Board Chair asked for a breakdown of how staffing model shifts are impacting Boston and Lynn-- the loss of staffing is even across districts. 

We currently have zero openings in Boston. 

A Board member asked if we were noticing a difference in the quality of applicants as we're trying to fill positions. We are noticing a difference and the Recruitment and Retention Team is working very hard-- they've noticed a different culture around recruiting. We are also seeing a smaller candidate pool. This highlights the need to retain our best people.

We've also seen more non-renews this year at KIPP than in other years-- Principals are refining their bar for excellence.

The Chief Finance and Talent Officer shared we are on track to meet our financial requirements. The team has done a good job of staying conscious of the budget after making reductions in the fall. The focus is very much on next year and budgeting for discretionary spending.

Schools and Regional Office Teams have had to make difficult decisions about spending for next year to get to a balanced budget with the loss of ESSER funding. 

The draft budget was reviewed with the Finance and Facilities Committee last week-- we're budgeting conservatively. 

The Managing Director of Development gave updates on fundraising goals and Board giving. To be able to report 100% Board giving is really important-- we're currently at 6/11 Board members, and our goal is to hit this before the next goal meeting.