Board member Jorge left at 7:21pm.

No public comments.

Katrina Greco, an ELA teacher and department lead at DCA, addressed the board to report that multiple teacher mentors and leads have not received their promised stipend pay or clear communication from the home office since August. She expressed concerns about issues with financial transparency, delayed school materials, and unresponsive senior leadership.

Board Chair Rodolfo announced and acknowledged Board member Peter's resignation.

The board reconvened from closed session at and there were no reportable actions. 

Board Chair Rodolfo made a recommendation to pull item.

Adrienne, CEO provided an update on charter renewals for DCA and BJE, noting that contractors have been hired to ensure an accelerated timeline for July submissions while partnering with community organizations for engagement. The decision hearing for DCA's Material Revision will be on March 4th. Additionally, she highlighted recent school events, including a health focused field trip for girls and a Black History Month "Wax Museum" celebration featuring student research and art.

Board member Liz reported on the inaugural meeting of the fiscal oversight committee, noting that the group conducted a thorough review of the second interim long forms and financial forecasts for all schools. She stated that the committee's objective is to maintain tight financial oversight and, following their detailed inquiry into budget variances, they recommend the board approve the second interim reports listed on the agenda.

Mary, Senior Director of Student Services and Special Education presented Downtown Charter Academy's mid-year update on the 3 year LCAP, noting that all schools are meeting goals related to Common Core alignment, family engagement, and student well-being. Specifically for DCA, she highlighted successful parent training initiatives, the impact of the dedicated wellness counselor on school culture, and a strong average daily attendance rate of 98%. John Henry High School is making steady progress toward its LCAP goals, maintaining a college-prep curriculum that has resulted in an 87%-89% college eligibility rate. She also highlighted strong family engagement through parent committees, a decrease in suspensions due to restorative practices, and a solid average daily attendance rate of 92%.

Michelle, Director of Curriculum and Instruction reported that Oakland Charter Academy is making steady progress toward its academic goals by providing standards aligned materials and ensuring all teachers complete annual professional development. She noted that the school is prioritizing family engagement during its upcoming unification and is focused on improving student well-being by targeting a 90% average daily attendance rate.

Mary reported that Richmond Charter Academy is advancing its academic goals through weekly data monitoring and student incentives while strengthening family engagement via regular communication and meetings. She also highlighted the school's focus on a safe environment through weekly SEL lessons, culturally responsive activities like African drumming, and an improved attendance rate of 95% due to intensified support processes.

Michelle reported that Benito Juarez Elementary is meeting its academic rigor goals with strong baseline proficiency in ELA and math, supported by weekly data driven professional development. She also noted that the school is on track with parent engagement and maintains a safe environment with low suspension numbers and a 90% attendance rate.

Board member Liz congratulated the schools on maintaining strong, consistent attendance post COVID and sought clarification on specific LCAP metrics. She questioned why certain data points, such as middle school dropout rates and five year graduation cohorts, were marked as "in progress" or "not applicable" for schools where those categories do not apply.

Mary explained that while current staff weren't involved in the original LCAP development, the "not applicable" or "in-progress" metrics have sparked important internal discussions about defining a graduate profile at every grade level. She noted that these metrics are driving the team to clarify exactly what academic rigor and college preparation look like for students as they progress from elementary through high school.

Board member Liz suggested tracking retention from grade to grade as a baseline which may be more applicable. 

Board Chair Rodolfo noted that the next year marks both the end of the current three year cycle and the start of planning for the next one, recommending that the board begin considering the implications for future goals. Following this, he pointed out that while most targets were met or in progress, the CAST scores for Benito Juarez were not met, and he requested a specific plan for improvement.

Coleman reported that Dr. Walker has significantly prioritized the science curriculum at BJE after identifying it as a key area for improvement. Students now receive core science instruction multiple times per week and participate in science projects to ensure they are better prepared for the CAST.

Board member Liz requested clarification on the "not met" designation for certain metrics, suggesting that "in progress" might be a more accurate label. She noted that while "not met" implies a lack of action, the verbal reports indicated significant positive work is actually occurring, and she questioned the specific reasoning behind the current classification.

Michelle clarified that the "not met" status was used because the mid-year update was based on last year's CAASPP scores. She emphasized that although the target wasn't reached previously, the school is currently "in progress" and actively working toward meeting those goals for the current cycle.

Board member Rodolfo continued the discussion on LCAP data labeling, specifically questioning how to categorize physical fitness and health metrics for students. He asked for clarification on whether a goal should be marked as "not met" or "in progress" if it was based on last year’s dashboard information.

Board member Liz suggested that "in progress" is a more appropriate label for a mid-year update when the school is actively working toward a goal. She recommended that the team revisit their reporting methods to ensure consistency, noting that "not met" should only be used if there is a complete lack of action toward a specific metric during the current year.

Maria, Chief of Staff explained that the new policy formalizes internal responses to comply with AB 49, a state bill that prohibits schools from participating in certain immigration enforcement practices. The policy covers student privacy (FERPA), staff protocols for on campus enforcement, and anti-bullying measures, and it will supersede any existing visitor policies in the event of a conflict.

Marisol, Senior Director of Operations presented the Comprehensive School Safety Plans, which must be reviewed and approved annually by March to ensure compliance with emergency response and communication procedures. Key updates include new protocols for immigration enforcement notifications, sudden cardiac arrest responses, and a policy prohibiting student electronic device use during emergencies to keep phone networks clear and ensure students follow safety directions.

Board member Liz asked for clarification on whether the Comprehensive School Safety Plans or student handbooks include language regarding SB 906, the law requiring schools to report homicide threats to authorities. She questioned if this specific reporting mandate is a required component of the CSSP or if it is addressed elsewhere in the school's formal procedures.

Marisol clarified that the safety plans are living documents reviewed continuously with the organization's legal counsel from YMC. She noted that she would need to verify the specific inclusion of SB 906 language. 

Adrienne, CEO presented the 2nd Interim Financial Report, confirming that despite various budget adjustments, all school sites maintain fund balances that meet or exceed authorizer reserve requirements. While some schools like OCA and RCA are projecting deficits due to enrollment dips and prior year adjustments. JHHS deficit reduced to ($115k) following an increase in enrollment. DCA and BJE remain in surplus, with a network-wide focus now shifting toward student recruitment and retention for the upcoming year.

Board member Liz praised the preparation of the financial long forms, noting they were easy to follow and that she appreciated the condensed summaries provided at the end. Her only recommendation was to double check the state COLA figures, as she noticed discrepancies in those specific data points across some of the different school site forms.

Adrienne stated it was a typo in the long form but the calculator is the same across all sites.

Board member Liz said the budgets are good to go pending approval of the typo revision. She recommends the 2nd Interim for approval.

Board Chair Rodolfo requested a presentation for the next board meeting focusing on current staff vacancies and the organization’s overall talent strategy. He emphasized the importance of this timing, noting that because it is March and peak hiring season, the board needs a clear understanding of the plan for recruitment and retention.

Adrienne, CEO explained that while the organization originally intended to move budgeting and compliance services in-house to reduce costs, the current lack of a finance lead has made this difficult. As a result, Charter Impact has agreed to a contract supplement to reinstate these essential services through June 30, 2027. This adjustment returns the scope of work to its original level and includes a monthly fee increase of $10,000.

Maria, Chief of Staff recommended the board approve Christy White as the auditor for the 2025-26 fiscal year. This selection is based on a renewal option from the 2024 RFP process, which covers the cycle ending in 2026. Following this final year of the current agreement, the organization will open a new RFP process for next year's auditing services.

Adrienne, CEO explained that the CharterSafe Notice is a formal requirement that allows the organization to shop for insurance and explore alternative options. While submitting the notice provides the flexibility to potentially leave CharterSafe, she clarified that it does not guarantee a change; rather, it ensures the board is performing due diligence to find the most competitive insurance coverage for the upcoming year.

Adrienne, CEO summarized the updates to the Amended Fiscal Policies & Procedures, which primarily focused on adding required language regarding federal contract regulations and updating job titles such as updating site leaders to principals. She also noted a structural change to approval authorities, establishing a $10,000 limit for Senior Directors compared to the $5,000 limit for Director-level positions.

Vice Chair Margie advised staff to provide a redlined version to any updates.

The board noted that site director language is still mentioned on the document and will postpone the Amended Fiscal Policies & Procedures item to a later meeting pending corrections.  

Adrienne, CEO presented Vertex Education to provide comprehensive HR support, citing a need for a more robust team to handle the full employee life cycle. The contract includes talent acquisition, onboarding/offboarding, HR compliance, and employee retention, utilizing a ticket-based help desk for support. She also noted that the final version of the contract in BoardOnTrack includes updated insurance language and a correction to a typo under talent acquisition, and changing the focus from bilingual educators to all educators.