Board Chair Rodolfo expressed his gratitude to the staff for coming in during their week off to support the rescheduled board meeting.

No public comments.

The board returns from closed session at 6:34pm and there were no reportable actions.

Adrienne, Interim CEO requested board approval for an agreement with auditor Christy White to conduct the Measure G1 and Measure T audits. Although the individual amounts are small, they push the total audit expenses over the CEO’s $50,000 approval threshold, requiring formal board approval.

Sally, HR Coordinator presented a request for board approval of a Provisional Internship Permit (PIP) for three teachers at Richmond Charter Academy. Similar to a previous PIP request for other schools, this PIP is needed because the teachers are actively or currently enrolled in an internship program and require emergency permits while completing it. The board’s approval is needed to submit the request to the CTC.

Board Chair Rodolfo emphasized the importance of having a clear plan to ensure the teachers progress toward earning their preliminary credentials and ultimately clearing them.

Adrienne, Interim CEO explained that the updated CharterSafe insurance proposal reflects the current status of the organization’s schools, employees, and properties. While adjustments can be made if changes occur, such as with OCHS, the proposal represents the current needs and is being recommended for board approval.

Adrienne, Interim CEO shared that multiple janitorial service proposals were received, including from the current provider, Rojas Janitorial, and NorCal Cleaning Solutions. Due to recent team changes, she recommended negotiating a new agreement with Rojas Janitorial and bringing it to the Board for approval in July. In the meantime, services would continue under the existing contract.

Adrienne confirmed the plan to negotiate with the current vendor for the 2025–26 term and to continue their services until the Board approves a new contract in July.

Board member Margie asked whether one janitorial company serves all school sites or if there are any full-time, on-campus employees handling the cleaning.

Adrienne explained that they use both an external vendor, Rojas Janitorial, for all sites, and some on-campus staff, as both are currently needed.

Board Chair Rodolfo clarified that since no contract is being approved today, this is just an update for information, and the Board will vote on the contract when it is presented later.

Maria, Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer requested approval for a contract with Measure Education for the 2025–26 school year. The organization has partnered with AMPS for 4-5 years to manage the student information system and state reporting. The contract includes a 3% increase, and adjustments were made to remove OCHS with a potential monthly cost added depending on OCHS’s future status.

Board Chair Rodolfo asked for clarification whether it is a 3% increase or decrease overall.

Maria says the overall contract reflects a 3% price increase, but with OCHS removed, the cost is actually lower. If OCHS is reinstated, the 3% increase would apply. The vendor provides these services for all their schools.

Adrienne, Interim CEO explained that since 2024, AMPS contracted with Charter Impact as their full back-office service provider. Payroll was brought back in-house, and the current updated contract allows budgeting and compliance to be handled internally while maintaining external accounting and bookkeeping with Charter Impact. This approach ensures continuity, professional bookkeeping, and better control over budgeting and compliance. The role of Assistant Director of Finance, shown later in the organizational chart, will offset this arrangement. 

Board member Liz asked if the service prepares data for the Assistant Director, who manages submissions for budgets and compliance reports to authorizers and other agencies, which Adrienne confirmed.

Adrienne, Interim CEO requested the Board’s approval to continue contracts with the current HVAC vendor, noting that the total contract costs and any additional services exceed the CEO’s approval threshold. The vendor has been providing HVAC services at the sites, and a reassessment will occur after the contracts expire.

Adrienne, Interim CEO proposed changes to the 2025-26 board meeting calendar: removing the February 19 meeting due to a closely scheduled meeting the following week, moving the June 18 meeting to June 15 to meet authorizer deadlines, and moving the December 18 meeting to December 15 to meet audit deadlines. Additionally, for July 18, she suggested holding two meetings, a regular board meeting and a full-day board retreat with Dr. Brian Carpenter as part of their corrective action plan, and asked for input on preferred times. 

The board agrees to hold the retreat from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by the board meeting from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, and then resume the retreat from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

Adrienne, Interim CEO requested board approval for five consolidated federal funding applications, noting that a few technical corrections will be made before submission. She explained that these applications specifically for Title I, Title II, and Title IV funding are also updated midyear, providing another opportunity for adjustments if needed.

Adrienne, Interim CEO presented the consolidated federal funding application for John Henry High School and requested board approval, subject to technical corrections. She noted updates are needed to reflect that Title II funds for 2024-25 were spent, and to clarify language regarding support for homeless students stating that while no students were identified as unhoused, funds would be used if needed. These updates will apply across all school applications.

Adrienne, Interim CEO presented the consolidated federal funding application for Oakland Charter Academy and requested board approval, subject to technical corrections. 

Adrienne, Interim CEO presented the consolidated federal funding application for Richmond Charter Academy and requested board approval, subject to technical corrections.

Adrienne, Interim CEO presented the consolidated federal funding application for Richmond Charter Elementary-Benito Juarez and requested board approval, subject to technical corrections. 

Adrienne, Interim CEO presented the 2024-25 AMS Prop 28 report for Downtown Charter Academy and noted that all schools currently show $0 in reported spending. This is due to the new team not finding proof of a submitted plan. A plan will be brought forward for the 2025-26 year. Although no spending is reported, funds have been received and are being properly deferred per Charter Impact.

Adrienne, Interim CEO presents the Protected Prayer Resolution which applies to all five schools and confirms that there are no restrictions on students or staff who wish to pray during school.

Adrienne, Interim CEO requested board approval for the 2025-26 EPA spending plan, which is based on board-approved LCFF budget figures. She noted that the plan must be approved before spending begins and that the funds must be used for instructional staff, not administrative staff.

Maria, Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer shares that the next five items involve updating the previously approved comprehensive school safety plans from March to include the newly required instructional continuity plan. This combined plan will continue to be reviewed annually by March 1. She requested board approval for the updated plans.

Mary, Interim CAO presented the Local Indicators report, which is part of the LCAP. While state indicators include measures like chronic absenteeism and dashboard data, local indicators reflect LEA self-assessments across six state priority areas: basic conditions, implementation of state standards, parent involvement, school climate, and access to a broad course of study. She reviewed self-reflection data for each school, noting strengths such as zero Williams violations, strong implementation of state standards, and active parent engagement through Family-Student-Staff Teams (FSTs). School climate data was based on YouthTruth surveys, showing positive relationships and feelings of safety among students. All schools ensured access to a broad, standards-aligned curriculum. Mary concluded by stating these local indicators will be included in the LCAP and submitted to the CDE by July 31. The item was presented for discussion and information only.

Mary, Interim CAO requested board approval of the LCAP for all five schools, noting that the review process included the LCAP, its budget, associated metrics, and the recently added local indicators.

Board Member Liz requested that the charts showing projected revenues by fund source be corrected for clarity, as the version she downloaded had overlapping text. She emphasized the importance of readability since the document will be publicly posted.

Adrienne, Interim CEO requests to withdraw the OCA Renewal Petition from the agenda.

Adrienne, Interim CEO presented the updated organizational chart, noting challenges in displaying it clearly on one page due to its width. The chart places the Board of Directors at the top, with the CEO reporting directly to them. It was designed to encourage cross-department collaboration with many dotted-line relationships between roles. Key changes include renaming site directors to principals, keeping the CAO role vacant while supported by consultant Elise Darwish, and restructuring by replacing the Chief Strategy and Compliance Officer with a Chief of Staff overseeing multiple roles, including data, compliance, and communications. The chart also outlines leadership over student services, curriculum and instruction, operations, and HR. Adrienne also noted that the Community Schools Grant, currently tied to Oakland Charter High, will require reapplication to extend funding to the other five schools. She says the chart reflects a unified team structure focused on collaboration.

Board Chair Rodolfo asked Adrienne if she has an estimate of the savings resulting from the adjustments.

Adrienne explained that the goal was to save about half a million dollars, but they are currently falling short, saving around $100,000. She added that some positions may remain unfilled pending confirmation regarding OCHS.

Shameka, HR Consultant explained that the 2024-25 employee handbook was recently revised and brought to the board. The 2025-26 handbook includes additional legal updates, such as requirements from AB 2534 for employment verification and new time-off policies for fertility treatments. They clarified the vacation policy by detailing different vacation amounts based on employee tiers and work schedules. A redline version showing all changes was provided. She requested board approval of the handbook, pending final legal review.

Board member Jorge raised a concern about ongoing questions regarding diversity among students and staff and asked if there is any emphasis on continuous outreach to all communities, including ethnicity, gender, and culture in the current plans or policies.

Shameka clarified that diversity outreach isn’t typically included in the employee handbook. She confirmed the organization is an equal opportunity employer and noted that while staff diversity is strong, the concern is more about student diversity.

Board member Liz noted that although the board agenda mentioned a redline version of the document was uploaded, she only saw the clean version. She requested that the redline version be provided in the future to clearly show the changes.

Board Chair Rodolfo suggested waiting to approve the handbook until after legal reviews it and the board has a chance to review the redline version.

Shameka explained that some policy changes, like the updated vacation policy, need to take effect by July 1 to avoid confusion and extra work later. She noted that the handbook was reviewed by legal last year, and the current updates are mainly to incorporate new legal requirements.