Mets Charter School Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
452192004
IRS 990 coverage
2018–2019
Forms available
Form 990 2019
Location
Jersey City, NJ, USA
Phone
2015268500
Rating
84
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Secondary, High School

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$10,282,109
Expenses
$10,639,467
Assets
$1,614,782
Liabilities
$698,256

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

7 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • YULEE KIM (PRESIDENT)
  • LEAK DELEON (VICE PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DAMION FRYE (LEAD ADMINISTRATOR): $121,750 total reported compensation
  • GAIL LONG (BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR/SEC): $99,945 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2019. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

The mission of m.e.t.s. Charter school states that m.e.t.s. Charter school is an early college preparatory school that utilizes research-based instructional practices to achieve student proficiency in mathematics, engineering, technology, and science. Our school is committed to providing a high quality education focused on college and career readiness while fostering an equitable, innovative, and creative learning environment.we prepare all students to take college level courses and graduate from high school within four years with up to 60 college credits and/or an associate degree. Our school promotes postsecondary success by prioritizing admission to a four-year college or university for each member of our graduating class. We dare every student to be extraordinary!

What it reported doing in 2019

M.e.t.s. Charter school is a college preparatory school. Our design is one that facilitates dual enrollment, largely based on the early college high school strategy proposed by the woodrow wilson foundation and jobs for the future. This approach affords our students opportunities to earn college credits before they graduate high school, so they are already on the path to higher education matriculation and a college degree.

Operating model

Revenue model
Grant-funded. 100% of the money available for current operations came from government grants.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Program spending has declined or grown slowly and revenue has declined or grown slowly.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 87
  • Transparency & Controls: 92
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 22
  • Growth: 0

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 99.3%; rating input score 99
  • Program expense ratio: 96%; rating input score 96
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 62nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 8 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.5%; rating input score 18; 18th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.15; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.43; rating input score 40; 40th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 2.1%; rating input score 71; 71st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -6.3% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: -6.7% per year; rating input score 0; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -23.2% per year; rating input score 0; 0th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 99.3% of revenue deployed · 96% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $10.2M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $122K · 7 people listed
  • Consistency: 23 of 23 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 5 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 2 filing years from 2018 to 2019
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 2 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Growth: Revenue growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 18/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 3/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 40/100.