Board, staff and guests conducted the pledge of allegiance.

Refer to attendance information recorded above.

L. Schlottman, Principal at MSA-8, welcomed and congratulated the school's new Assistant Principal D. Boagni to the team. D. Boagni, introduced themselves. J. Choe, Principal at MSA-6, announced that today was their first day of school. He thanked home office staff from being present and supporting the school. He reported on his enrollment for the first day of school.

Lee Rosenberg, Senior Council at Young, Minnie & Corr LLP (YM&C) provided an extensive Brown Act and Conflict of Interest Training to the Board. Board Members and staff questions were addressed by legal counsel. D.Sheehan, Board Member, was not present during this training. All other Board Members were present and in-person. 

K. Mann, Director of EL & ELA Programs, presented that every year staff go through a revision process on MPS wide English Learner Master Plan to support English learners. She stated that feedback was received from EL Coordinators and school site leaders and worked in collaboration with the SPED Coordinators lead by A. Callaham, Director of Special Education and Support Services. She added that significant updates were made to the English Learner Master Plan to better serve the students especially Dually Identified students (students with disabilities and English learners). She went over the proposed revisions which include: guidance on determining domain exemptions for students with disabilities which preclude assessment in that domain, guidance on assigning the Alternate ELPAC for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, and reclassification criteria. She informed the Board how these revisions would better support students. Board Members questions were addressed. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Audit & Facilities Committee Meeting was not held therefore the Committee did not discuss the item. P. Ontiveros, General Counsel & Director of Facilities, presented the educational specifications for the MSA-5 school that would be at the 7111 Winnetka Avenue location. He presented that these are approvals that the CDE requires. This was done in collaboration with E. Acar, Chief Academic Officer, and A. Kaplan, Principal at MSA-5 which they presented to P.Ontiveros and M.Sahin, Project Manager. Furthermore, DLR Group, Architect of Record, was presented the information and added some modifications. E. Acar, added that these were consistent with ensuring that the physical space is in line with the STEAM programs offered by Magnolia Public Schools which they took into consideration. Board Members questions were addressed. 

The Audit & Facilities Committee Meeting was not held therefore the Committee did not discuss the item. P. Ontiveros, General Counsel & Director of Facilities, introduced Jim Bush, who has helped charter schools with state funding awards and acquiring state approvals. He added that in order to ensure a successful project, the recommendation was made to bring in a seasoned professional who has experience in these matters. He also added that he has helped previously in the MSA-Santa Ana project. Jim Bush was present and introduced himself. He reported that he has been involved in state school facilities for over 30 years. He ran the School Facilities Division under the Department of Education for around 10 years and sat in the State Implementation Committee who put together the regulations that fund school projects in the state which most are still in place. P. Ontiveros, reported that the ask from the Board will be to amend the existing motion and replace $9,500 to $20,000 in the event extra funding is needed if the engagement is more intense than they anticipate. Board Members questions were addressed by staff and Jim Bush.

The Audit & Facilities Committee Meeting was not held therefore the Committee did not discuss the item. M. Sahin, Project Manager, presented the information for choosing Yesco to provide two digital stand alone signs for MSA-San Diego. He stated that since MSA-San Diego occupies its campus under a ground lease with the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), SDUSD had to review and approve the project which took many months to obtain that approval. He reported that an RFP was released and they received two proposals. Yesco was decided to be the best choice. He reported that the project will take 6-9 weeks to complete. G. Serce, Regional Director & Principal at MSA-San Diego, stated that this project was a need for their school as they currently use banners. He stated that the signs would be placed on the corner of the street and in front of their school to communicate better with the parents and the community. Board Members questions were addressed by staff. 

E. Acar, Chief Academic Officer, presented there is a increase demand for expanded learning programs and the imperative to uphold Magnolia wide accountability measures.  He also stated that in alignment with the quality standards for Expanded Learning in California, the need for an ELOP Manager would represent an opportunity to have a profound transformation in the educational journeys for the students. He went over the job description and duties for the ELOP Manager position. Board Members questions were addressed by staff. 

M. Wittek, Principal at MSA-7, presented a revised organizational chart to add a third administrator for MSA-7 to help focus on the academic needs of the school which took a hit during the pandemic and which they are facing challenges to close those gaps. This would create a Dean of Academics position for which they would be coaching and providing instructional development to the teachers. She went over the deficiencies of having a two administrator model. She also presented their current academic data and the goals they are aiming for. Board Members questions were addressed by staff.

S. Acar, Chief Operations Officer, presented the need for MSA-8 to install surveillance cameras. Since MSA-8 is in a co-located LAUSD site, the project will be planned and designed under the authority and the supervision of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Facilities and contract departments. He stated that as of now there is no clear timeline of the installation. Magnolia staff and LAUSD staff have had meetings to calculate the cost of the project. The amount set forth by LAUSD is $86,913.67. L. Schlottman, Principal at MSA-8, reported out the need for working cameras at the school site to ensure safety for the students and staff. Board Members questions were addressed by staff. 

S. Budhraja, Chief Financial Officer, reported that after research and a survey conducted to Magnolia staff, approximately 60% of employees indicated that they would be interested in participating in a 403b plan. Staff looked in to different companies and Nationwide provided plans that would allow MPS employees to participate in supplemental retirement plans including 403b and 457 plans. Currently, MPS offers supplemental retirement plans through John Hancock. Joseph Fay from Securian Financial Services Inc. presented the Nationwide Retirement Plans that would be offered for all MPS employees. Board Members questions were addressed and directed staff to provide further financial analysis to ensure the organization is financially sound in order to make an informed decision. The Board would not take action at this moment until further information is received and would amend the motion to table the item.

S. Budhraja, Chief Financial Officer, presented that during the last Board Retreat, one of the goals for the Finance Department was to become more sophisticated with the organizations financial system. Currently, there are multiple systems with separate programs and to have a more consolidated approach, staff looked into finding a software provider to support in the areas such as accounting, budgeting, general ledge, financial reporting and other related items. He outlined the current deficiencies of the current programs and systems that has been reported by staff when retrieving data and finding information. Oracle NetSuite provided a built in reporting system, security and features. The costs have been budgeted. Ideal time for implementation would be in January 2024. For the record, it was recorded to strike out $185,204 from the budget implications. All other questions from the Board Members were addressed.