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Board Chair Rodolfo pulled 12/15/2025 minutes from the consent agenda because both he and Peter were absent from that previous meeting and will be abstaining from voting.

Mary Busby, Senior Director of Student Services and Special Education presented an overview of student performance data, noting positive trends and progress across all performance bands due to intentional instructional shifts. She highlights that the network's proficiency rates in ELA and Math exceed those of both West Contra Costa and Oakland Unified school districts. Additionally, she showcases progress for multilingual learners, emphasizing an increase in students meeting standards and a narrowing achievement gap for those receiving targeted support.

Dr. Walker, Principal of Benito Juarez Elementary, presented significant academic growth, highlighting that 36% of students met or exceeded ELA standards and 28% reached math proficiency, surpassing neighboring district averages. These gains are attributed to intentional instructional shifts, including the ASES program, SIPS literacy sessions, and weekly data driven coaching for all teachers. BJE successfully surpassed its previous year's proficiency projections of 22% in ELA and 19% in math. Following this success, the school has significantly raised its targets for the current year, challenging teachers to exceed even higher projected benchmarks. This ambitious goal is supported by the high-quality implementation of the iReady core curriculum and the use of data to target student needs.

Board member Davis asked about specific grade level success at BJE and asked if targeted efforts in first and second grade contributed to the increase in third grade performance.

Dr. Walker attributes the school's significant growth to the implementation of iReady curriculum, which allows staff to target core competencies like vocabulary for English Learner populations. This data driven approach has led to a projected 60% proficiency rate for third graders, supported by a daily routine where scholars complete 15 minutes of both reading and math practice at home.

Board Member Peter expressed concern that over 60% of third graders have not yet met ELA standards, noting that this grade level is an essential academic milestone. He questioned the school's strategy for addressing this performance gap and emphasized the importance of foundational support in first and second grade to ensure long term student success.

Dr. Walker explained that second grade is now treated as a pivotal year, with students remaining at school longer to match the schedule of upper elementary grades and better prepare for third grade content. She also highlighted the use of data driven programs to identify specific learning gaps and create interventions for students working both below and near grade level.

Board Chair Rodolfo commended the team's commitment to intervention, noting the difficulty of balancing elementary school curriculum. He specifically highlights the impressive achievement of a 14% decrease in students performing far below standard.

Mr. Lyons, the Dean of Instruction at Downtown Charter Academy, reported that 74% of students met or exceeded math standards and 78% did so in ELA, marking a record high for the school. He emphasized a shift toward tracking individual student growth via NWEA benchmark testing and improving academic performance through increased classroom discussion and targeted support for multilingual learners. DCA opted to continue using NWEA rather than switching to iReady to maintain data cohesion for their upcoming charter renewal.

Board member Peter asked about the school's specific strategy for closing the significant achievement gap currently existing between Asian and Latino students.

Mr. Lyons said DCA has five instructional tutors for targeted classroom support and they do small group sessions.

Board Chair Rodolfo asked what curriculum DCA uses. 

Mr. Lyons said DCA uses Desmos currently and plans to supplement it with Illustrative Math lessons to achieve a better balance of digital and offline learning.

Dr. Ellingberg, Principal at Oakland Charter Academy reported that while math performance has remained largely stagnant over the past three years, ELA results show significant progress with over 20% fewer students failing to meet standards. He highlights record growth in ELA across multiple grade levels, resulting in OCA being recognized as a top growth school and details current strategies focused on data informed interventions and high quality instruction.

Vice Chair Margie asked if walkthroughs are the same across all school sites.

Mary explained that the leadership team is currently using a newly created instructional rubric to define rigor and conduct standardized classroom walkthroughs. She noted that the entire team used this tool earlier that day to evaluate student engagement as part of their ongoing effort to align instructional standards across the organization.

Board member Peter asked how often do teachers meet to evaluate student data.

Ms. Coleman, Director of Curriculum and Instruction explained that the leadership team recently analyzed mid year iReady assessment data to identify students with stagnant growth and implemented a 6 to 8 week plan for targeted instruction. This initiative includes using a standard specific tracker to monitor progress, conducting 1 on 1 goal setting conversations with students, and holding monthly meetings where teachers use daily exit tickets to plan immediate reteach lessons.

Ms. Landers, Principal at Richmond Charter Academy reported RCA maintained previous math gains and saw consistent ELA growth. To further accelerate learning, the school is focusing on evidence based coaching for Tier 1 instruction and has piloted small group interventions for Tier 3 students, showing early proficiency indicators of 26% in ELA and 19% in math.

Board Member Jorge asked how data and student knowledge is being applied to improve learning for diverse students.

Ms. Landers explained that RCA has prioritized small group instruction focused on vocabulary to specifically support their high population of English language learners. She noted that these targeted groups allow teachers to address individual student needs and improve decoding skills, which is expected to drive better overall reading comprehension compared to whole group instruction.

Board Member Davis asked about iReady's accuracy in terms of predictions.

Ms. Landers said iReady has been highly accurate in predicting end of year student performance. Their tool allows educators to visualize potential outcomes based on current progress providing a ballpark assessment that informs instructional decisions before it is too late to act.

Board member Peter mentioned that AMPS previously maintained a robust credentialing program to help teachers clear their credentials and enhance their instructional skills. He expresses concern over current SARC data showing a high number of teachers who currently lack clear credentials and asked how the staff is combating that.

Ms. Landers highlighted a successful Teach Start partnership with Scoot, a pipeline program that places intern teachers in classrooms while they work toward certification and receive additional professional development. She also noted the recent addition of a second credentialing pipeline program facilitated by the home office to further strengthen the school's long term talent pool.

Mr. Drakeford, Principal at John Henry High School reported significant growth in math proficiency due to reimagined classroom structures, such as dual-sided math notebooks and integrated SAT/SBAC prep, which they are now expanding to the 9th grade. While ELA scores were stagnant due to previous staffing challenges, the school is now fully staffed and focused on professional development to replicate their math success across all departments.

Board member Davis asked if there is high retention pipeline of RCA students to JHHS.

Mr. Drakeford noted that many incoming students transition from RCA and he is working with Ms. Landers to review 8th grade academic data and implement early supports for struggling scholars as they enter the 9th grade.

Board member Peter notes that 42% of the student population are English learners and expresses concern that this demographic is currently in the red on the school's performance dashboard. He asks the leadership team to explain their current strategies and interventions specifically designed to support these students.

Mr. Drakeford reported that JHHS achieved 27% growth among multilingual learners on their SBAC assessments. To sustain this progress, the school is utilizing a bilingual instructional assistant and moving away from full translations to encourage students to engage more deeply with the core curriculum.

Board member Peter asked for the projected graduation percentages for the current academic year.

Mary said graduation rates were 94% in 2019, 79% in 2023, 94.4% in 2024, and 92.2% in 2025, graduating A-G.

Board Chair Rodolfo urged the leadership team to meticulously review four-year cohort graduation data before submitting it to CALPADS, noting that discrepancies often arise when enrolled students who never attend are still counted in official metrics. He asked the team about credit recovery.

Mary stated that the school utilizes the Edgenuity platform for credit recovery, primarily targeting 11th and 12th graders while requiring 9th graders to repeat Algebra in person.

The board reconvened from closed session at 7:50pm and there were no reportable actions.

Maria Arechiga, Chief of Staff, presented the 2024-25 School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs) for the five Amethod Public Schools LEAs, which are legally required annual reports covering performance, staffing, and finances. These reports are compiled using data from CALPADS and internal department reviews.

Board member Liz pointed out the schools appear to have different mission statements. As a point of alignment, she suggested the team work toward standardizing these mission statements across all schools, given that they all operate under the same umbrella organization.

Board Chair Rodolfo said the entire board will be reviewing and approving the audit since the committee was just formed. Going forward, the Audit Committee will support the Board by: 
assisting the Board in selecting an auditor, if necessary, negotiating the auditor’s compensation, conferring with the auditor regarding the Corporation’s financial affairs, and reviewing and accepting or rejecting the audit. He noted this is the language stated in the bylaws.
 

Maria, Chief of Staff reported that due to a legislative bill, the organization received an audit extension until late January 29th from the authorizers. She celebrated this as the first audit in some time to return an unmodified status with no findings, confirming that all material weaknesses from previous audits have been successfully resolved.

Mary, Senior Director of Student Services and Special Education presented a new policy in response to Senate Bill 154. The policy is designed to ensure timely identification, referral, and coordination of behavioral health services for students. The policy aims to promote equitable access to these supports, specifically focusing on high risk populations such as students with disabilities, foster youth, and homeless youth.

Board member Liz asked who the designee would be as stated in the policy.

Mary said she would be the designee conducting the annual needs assessment.

Maria, Chief of Staff presented a draft of the 2026-27 academic calendar, which was developed by the senior leadership team using the previous year’s schedule and neighboring district benchmarks as a starting point. The new draft proposes pushing the school start date back by one week for better alignment with West Contra Costa and reintroducing the February break to address previous dips in student attendance.

Board member Peter pointed out a typo in the June dates for summer school session.

Adrienne, CEO announced that AMPS is retaining Fisher Phillips as defense counsel. This engagement is managed through insurance via Sedgwick Claims Management, with a $50,000 deductible for self-insured retention per claim.

Mary, Senior Director of Student Services and Special Education presented a plan for the closure of Oakland Charter High School. The plan requires board approval to meet authorizer requirements, details the management of student records, funds, assets, and ongoing communication with families.

Adrienne, CEO presented a renewal to the lease for the existing facility for Downtown Charter Academy. The current lease ends June 30th, 2026 and this amendment will add 6 years to the lease. Which will cover DCA through another charter term, with two additional one-year optional extensions, for a total term up to eight years.

Adrienne, CEO provided an update on the ongoing DCA material revision and noted that charter renewals for both DCA and BJE are for next year. Additionally, she reported that enrollment and ADA levels overall remain near budget targets despite minor declines at a few sites, and  will be updated in the second interim reports. She shared highlights from the recent student government pinning ceremony at RCA.