Boston Schools Fund Annual Report 2021-22

BOSTON
SCHOOLS
FUND
ANNUAL
REPORT
2021-2022

CEO AND BOARD CHAIR LETTER
Now in our eighth year of operation, we are proud to share the work and success of
Boston Schools Fund (BSF) from the 2021-2022 school year.
We find ourselves in a new era of partnership. As Boston’s leadership becomes firmly
established with Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper, BSF is moving to
dramatically accelerate access to high-quality schools.
• BSF continues to grow and support great schools.
Through grantmaking and technical assistance, we are investing in schools
to help expand enrollment and apply evidence-based practices to accelerate
learning. BSF also officially launched our Partnering with Educators to
Accelerate Knowledge (PEAK) grant program, a multi-year, $2.3M effort to
improve academic outcomes, close achievement gaps and strengthen the quality
of instruction across 10-12 schools.
• BSF continues to be a source of trusted information and analysis.
With more than 60,000 users last year, Boston School Finder has become an
indispensable tool for Boston families. BSF’s analysis and policy briefs continue
to reach a wider audience, and our “Every Neighborhood, Every Child” initiative
is reflected in the Green New Deal for Boston Public Schools, a $2B effort to
modernize Boston’s school buildings.
• BSF continues to be a convener.
We partner with nonprofits and advocates to create greater access to highquality
schools. BSF is working to sustain the All Children Thrive Boston (ACT
Boston) coalition, which was essential to elevating issues of education in last
year’s mayoral race.
• BSF continues to be an efficient, values-driven organization.
Even with a growing staff and Board and new initiatives, BSF puts its money
into its mission, with only 11 cents of every dollar supporting administrative
costs. Together with staff and our Board of Directors, BSF took meaningful steps
in our journey as an anti-racist organization, with a particular focus on updated
policies and practices (including hiring and evaluation).
We stand in awe of Boston’s educators, families, and children who are overcoming
generational disruption and trauma. Your support of BSF honors their work, and, at this
pivotal moment, opens paths to choice-filled lives and a more equitable system of schools.
Will Austin
Founder and CEO
Lisa Jackson
Board Chair
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AT BOSTON SCHOOLS FUND,
WE WAKE UP EVERY DAY TO CREATE GREATER
ACCESS TO HIGH-QUALITY SCHOOLS.
OUR WORK
For too long, a child’s educational outcomes have been most-influenced by factors outside of their control: where
they live, where they come from, who their parents are, or sheer luck.
Boston Schools Fund believes that a key to addressing this challenge exists in giving more children access to
schools that best-fit their needs and set them up for long-term success. Our holistic approach helps make that
vision a reality: we expand access to great schools; keep families and stakeholders informed on issues that impact
Boston’s children; bring together partners to advocate for change; and actively foster a team that leads through
the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.
We believe that, taken together, these strategies will positively impact Boston’s children, and especially those
who have historically lacked access to high-quality schools: Black and Latinx students, students with disabilities,
and English learners.
OUR APPROACH
WE GROW AND SUPPORT
GREAT SCHOOLS.
We invest to expand
high-quality schools to
reach more students,
accelerate learning at
improving schools to
create more high-quality
options, and sustain quality
in our portfolio schools
over time.
WE PROVIDE TRUSTED
INFORMATION.
We equip stakeholders
in education with data
and play a critical role
in informing the general
public around education
issues in Boston.
WE CONVENE
KEY PARTNERS.
We are an effective
partner in education policy
and advocacy, supporting
family and community
voice related to their
children’s education and
convening key partners.
WE ARE EFFICIENT
AND VALUES-DRIVEN.
As we grow our staff,
Board, and initiatives, we
continue to ensure that as
many dollars as possible
flow to schools while
investing in our journey as
an anti-racist organization.
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WE LEVERAGE FOUR, CORE STRATEGIES TO INCREASE ACCESS
TO HIGH-QUALITY SCHOOLS.
1. EXPANDING ACCESS
2. PROVIDING TRUSTED INFORMATION TO FAMILIES, EDUCATORS, AND
POLICYMAKERS
3. BRINGING TOGETHER PARTNERS TO ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE
4. ACTIVELY FOSTERING A TEAM THAT LEADS THROUGH THE LENS OF
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ANTI-RACISM
1. EXPANDING ACCESS
In 2020, we embarked on our second, five-year Fund and set our sights on an
ambitious goal: to increase the share of Boston students in high-quality schools
by 50% by 2025.
To see this goal realized, we are building on our tried and true investment
approach, providing funding and technical support across three grantmaking
strategies:
1. Expand high-quality schools to reach more students, including launching
new high-quality schools and expanding existing ones.
2. Improve middle-quality schools to progress faster, with a particular focus
on improving outcomes for Black and Latinx students.
3. Sustain quality in schools over time by supporting our portfolio school
efforts to maintain progress and retain enrollment.
We are seeing notable progress as a direct result of our investments across
these areas: our planning and implementation grants supported the expansion
of East Boston High School (EBHS) and New Mission High School from 9-12 to
7-12 schools, adding ~355 new seats; our improvement work with Channing
Elementary and Taylor Elementary helped contribute toward both schools
being named finalists for the School on the Move prize for notable school-wide
improvement; and in response to the pandemic, our multi-pronged Re-Centering
Schools initiative helped us to provide nimble support to leaders at a time when
they needed it most.
“
The grant from
Boston Schools Fund gave
us funding to support
additional planning time
and curriculum professional
development. The grant
supported our SEL,
family, and community
outreach to launch our
sixth grade successfully.
Our entire community is
excited to expand and
welcome the expansion
to our school.
”
Michelle Burnet
Chittick Elementary School
Investment Spotlight: 6th Grade Expansion Grants
In support of Boston Public Schools’ shift to K-6 elementary schools, BSF invested a total of
$90,000 into 12 schools to support planning for the addition of 6th grade students this fall.
Schools used the funds to help school leaders and teachers develop plans for curriculum and
instruction, support new 6th grade staff, and plan for family engagement.
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PEAK
Partnering with Educators
to Accelerate Knowledge
In Spring 2022, we launched Partnering with Educators
to Accelerate Knowledge (PEAK), our initiative to
improve academic outcomes through investing in
high-quality instructional materials and aligned teacher
supports. To select our grantees, we first identified
schools that serve a significant number of Black and
Latinx students, students with disabilities, and English
learners. We then embarked on a rigorous selection
process to choose four schools across the city that
would receive three-year grants up to $100,000 per
year. The selected schools receive support from an
external partner who provides coaching, capacity
building, and teacher support. While some schools are
implementing new high-quality curriculum and others
are building better supports for instruction, all grantees
are working to improve student outcomes.
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BOSTON SCHOOLS FUND’S PORTFOLIO
PUBLIC SCHOOL
Boston Public Schools
Samuel Adams
GRADES SERVED
PK-06
NEIGHBORHOOD
East Boston
ENROLLMENT
249
Another Course to College 9-12 Hyde Park 230
Boston Arts Academy 9-12 Dorchester 494
Boston International High School 9-12 Mattapan 472
Manassah E Bradley PK-06 East Boston 289
William Ellery Channing PK-06 Hyde Park 189
George H Conley PK-06 Roslindale 163
East Boston High 7-12 East Boston 1,276
John Eliot K-8 School PK-08 Central 809
Curtis Guild PK-06 East Boston 251
Nathan Hale PK-06 Roxbury 169
Harvard-Kent PK-06 Charlestown 342
Rafael Hernandez K-8 School PK-08 Roxbury 425
Patrick J Kennedy PK-06 East Boston 264
Thomas J Kenny PK-06 Dorchester 316
Joseph P Manning PK-06 Jamaica Plain 160
Margarita Muniz Academy 9-12 Jamaica Plain 314
Ellis Mendell PK-06 Roxbury 312
Mildred Avenue K-8 PK-08 Mattapan 618
Richard J Murphy PK-08 Dorchester 836
New Mission High School 7-12 Hyde Park 614
Hugh Roe O’Donnell PK-06 East Boston 281
James Otis PK-06 East Boston 414
Oliver Hazard Perry PK-08 South Boston 182
Charles Sumner PK-06 Roslindale 538
Charles H Taylor PK-06 Mattapan 358
Warren-Prescott PK-08 Charlestown 523
CHARTER
Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter
Public School 5-12 Hyde Park 467
Boston Collegiate Charter School 5-12 Dorchester 698
Boston Preparatory Charter Public School 6-12 Hyde Park 695
Brooke Charter School K-12 Multiple 2,223
Conservatory Lab Charter School PK-08 Dorchester 454
Excel Academy Charter School 5-12 East Boston 1,363
KIPP Academy Boston Charter School K-8 Mattapan 577
MATCH Charter School PK-12 Multiple 1,186
Neighborhood House Charter School PK-12 Dorchester 766
Edward M. Kennedy Academy for
Health Careers (In-District)
9-12 Fenway-Kenmore 364
PRIVATE
Cathedral High School PK-06 Roxbury 307
Our Lady of Perpetual Help/
Mission Grammar
PK-08 Allston/Brighton 327
St. Joseph Preparatory High School 7-12 South End 210
St. Columbkille Elementary 9-12 Allston/Brighton 410 *
*2022 ENROLLMENT
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BOSTON SCHOOLS FUND’S PORTFOLIO
TOTAL BSF STUDENTS
20,828
Latino
46.2
Black
31.1%
White
14.7
Undeclared
3.4%
Asian
4.6%
TOTAL BPS + CHARTER STUDENTS
59,881
As Boston Schools Fund continues to expand its
portfolio, we are serving more and more of the
city’s students and their performance is improving –
even as enrollment declines across all sectors and
performance lags in the wake of the pandemic.
As we reach a larger
share of Boston's
students, we remain
focused on growing the
number of historically
underserved students
in our portfolio. Since
78.5% 66.1%
High Needs
Low-income
25.6% 19.1%
English Learners
Students w/
Disabilities
2020, enrollment of Black and Latinx students, students
with disabilities, and English learners in BSF portfolio
schools has remained steady or slightly increased, while
the city overall has seen enrollment declines among each
of these student groups.
Today, the overwhelming majority of our portfolio (73%) are
Black and Latinx students. While per-formance among these
student groups is down compared with pre-pandemic levels,
data from the 2021-22 school year show that students in
BSF portfolio schools are closing these performance gaps
faster than their non-BSF peers. Math proficiency among
Black and Latinx students in 3-8 grade, for example, has
rebounded nearly twice as strongly compared to the city
overall since the onset of the pandemic.
BSF Black 3rd–8th Grade
Math Scores Increased
BSF LatinX 3rd–8th Grade
Math Scores Increased
While enrollment in public schools has decreased
by nearly 7% since 2020, BSF’s portfolio school
enrollment is up by more than 6%.
7%
Compared to the
City’s 4% Increase
9%
Compared to the
City’s 4% Increase
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2. PROVIDING TRUSTED INFORMATION
Boston Schools Fund seeks to provide data to inform and empower
stakeholders in education. In 2017, BSF launched Boston School Finder,
a first-of-its-kind tool to equip Boston families to navigate the enrollment
process for all 225+ Boston schools.
Translated into 8 languages and garnering more than 100,000 total users since launching, Boston School Finder
has become a staple for Boston’s families. Usage has significantly increased during the pandemic, as families
require more accurate, timely information on their school options than ever before.
Usage has also nearly doubled each year, with Finder reaching over 60,000 users in between July 2021
and June 2022.
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SPOTLIGHT: FYI FROM BSF
BSF continues to play a critical role in informing the general public around education issues in Boston. Our
weekly newsletter, FYI from BSF, has grown to a wide distribution, doubling annually since its launch. BSF’s
analysis and work has been featured in the Boston Globe, Commonwealth Magazine, the Dorchester Reporter,
the Boston Herald, WBUR, The 74, NBC 10 News. BSF’s content has shaped the public conversation and policy
in several topics, including Boston’s enrollment decline, K-12 education implications around the mayoral race,
BPS budget and master facilities plans, and more.
INFLUENCING POLICY SPOTLIGHT: MEDIA COVERAGE
In conjunction with providing trusted information to families and the overall education sector, we continue to
leverage our share of voice to help inform and advocate on key education-related policy issues. Through reports,
op-eds, and articles, we seek to be the bridge between information-sharing and action, sharing critical, data-driven
insights from our work with schools with the community and advocacy groups that are seeking to advance change.
Our Every Neighborhood, Every Child Report, which highlighted three major policy
pathways for new city leadership to improve access to quality schools, was featured as
an Op-Ed in Commonwealth Magazine and helped to shape the Green New Deal for
Boston Public Schools.
Our school enrollment trends analysis – in partnership with Boston Indicators – and
Will Austin’s June cover story for the Ideas section of the Boston Globe received wide
local and national coverage.
Kerry Donahue’s article for Commonwealth Magazine on the struggle to find a
permanent home for the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers helped to
pave the way for EMK to identify a long-term building solution last school year.
Where have
Boston’s
children gone?
READ MORE
+
BSF’s work to advocate and inform around the use of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Funds
– including through the creation of “Understanding the ESSER Opportunity” – helped push the district into creating plans around
ESSER, including the majority of funds being school-based.
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3. BRINGING TOGETHER PARTNERS
BSF partnered with Union Capital Boston this year in support of a
project to build parent and caregiver engagement and leadership at the
school level. This project provided free support and capacity building
to parent leaders across multiple Boston school sites.
BSF supports family and community voice through its partnership
with School Facts Boston, a family-led organization that seeks to
ensure families are at the table to drive education decisions. School
Facts Families declared a formal “Proclamation of Urgency” to build an
education system that ensures equitable access to a quality education
for all Boston youth.
In 2021, BSF was a founding member of the All Children Thrive (ACT
Boston) coalition. Comprised of more than 20 member organizations
with reach tens of thousands of Boston families and students, ACT
Boston successfully advocated for education to become the top issue
in the 2021 mayoral campaign. ACT Boston has created a platform to
partner and support the incoming administration and plays a vital role
in providing public accountability for educational progress.
4. FOSTERING TEAM CULTURE
Boston Schools Fund is committed to running an efficient, effective
organization, ensuring as many dollars as possible flow to schools
and supporting initiatives. BSF’s FY22 audit reported that 89 cents of
every dollar raised was spent on BSF programming.
In 2015, BSF launched initially with only two staff members and a
small founding Board, and has grown its staff and Board strategically
to match BSF’s growth and needs. Alongside growing and refining
BSF’s staffing model and Board development, BSF has incorporated
values and practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism to
achieve its goals.
89
CENTS OF EVERY DOLLAR
RAISED WAS SPENT
ON BSF PROGRAMMING
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DONORS
In the first two years of our new strategic plan, BSF raised $7M in grants and commitments while retaining 87%
of our past year’s donors and adding several new individual, foundation, and corporate partners. We are grateful
to all who have joined in this work to advance educational equity for Boston’s students. BSF’s current strategic
plan calls to raise $18.9M by 2025.
$500,000+
$200,000 - $499,999
$100,000-$199,999
$50,000 - $99,999
$25,000-$49,999
$10,000-$24,999
Up to $10,000
Barr Foundation
Imago Dei Fund
Jerry Hausman
Walton Family Foundation
Lynch Foundation
Thomas Henry Lee Partners
Wellington Management Foundation
Bob Stansky
Brian and Stephanie Spector
Liberty Mutual Foundation
Michael and Nancy Tooke
Richard and Joanne Spillane
Rick Burnes
Jeff Naylor and Shawn Baker
Ron O’Hanley
Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation
U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
Anonymous
Cedar Street Foundation
Kelly Family Foundation
Longfield Family Foundation
Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation
Schrafft Charitable Trust
Simon Brothers Foundation
Someone Else’s Child Foundation
Andrea Wolfe
Eastern Bank
Jim and Cathy Stone
John Gilmartin
Lee Gartley
Lisa and Alden Jackson
O’Connor Fillinich Family Fund
Paul and Edith Babson Foundation
Sherif and Mary Nada
Stephen Chan
Tammy Tai
Tony Pangaro
Will and Janelle Austin
“
Right now, BSF is
strategically positioned to
continue the work it has always
done - investing nimbly to
expand high-quality schools in
Boston, developing relationships
with key education leaders,
policymakers, and advocacy
organizations, building an
open and accessible fact base
on school quality, and gaining
a deep understanding of the
issues most pertinent to Boston
families. The Barr Foundation’s
Education Program is an
enthusiastic supporter and
partner with BSF in these
vital efforts.
Jenny Curtin,
Director of Education,
The Barr Foundation
”
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FINANCIALS
Boston Schools Fund ended FY22 in a strong
financial position, with $2,657,814 in net assets.
FY22 REVENUE AND EXPENSES (JULY 1, 2021-JUNE 30, 2022)
TOTAL PROGRAM EXPENSE
$1,944,216
Expand Access
$791,160
FUND II (FY21-FY22) TOTAL
PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT
(Grants and Commitments)
$7,000,000
Trusted Source
$507,592
Sustainable Coalition
$645,464
TOTAL OPERATING +
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE
$708,212
Operating
$570,817
TOTAL EXPENSES
$2,652,428
Administrative $137,395
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STAFF
Will Austin
Founder and CEO
Emily Conner-Simons
Special Projects Manager
Irene Dennison
Director of School Partnerships
Kerry Donahue
Chief Strategy Officer
Matt Hieronimus
Data Manager
Rana Suh Kannan
Chief Operating Officer
Sirak Kurban
Associate Director of Community Partnerships
Meghan O’Keefe
Managing Director of Investment
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2021-2022
Will Austin (President)
CEO, Boston Schools Fund
Hank Boye
Managing Director, Strategic Resources Group
Thomas H. Lee Partners
Stephen Chan
Chief of Staff, President’s Office,
Northeastern University
Lisa Jackson (Chair)
Head of Social Ventures, Tides
Tammy Tai
Principal, Tai Consulting
Andrea Wolfe
Chief Talent Officer, Propel America
Natalya Subbotina
Managing Director of Operations
Alexandra vonBallmoos
Administrative Assistant
CONTACT INFORMATION
contact@bostonschoolsfund.org
617.852.0773
53 State Street, Suite 500
Boston, MA 02109
bostonschoolsfund.org