Amethod Public Schools
Minutes
Regular Meeting of the AMPS Board of Directors
Date and Time
Wednesday March 27, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Location
1450 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804
The Board of Directors (Board) and employees of Amethod Public Schools will be holding this meeting in person at 1450 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804.
Members of the public who wish to attend in person can join us at Richmond Charter Academy (RCA) at 1450 Marina Way South, Richmond, CA 94804. Or members of the public may meet via the Zoom meeting platform at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83187954557
We also offer two-way teleconference locations for the public to attend in our Oakland school sites:
Oakland Charter High School- 2365 Coolidge Ave, Oakland, CA 94601
Downtown Charter Academy- 2000 Dennison St, Oakland, CA 94606
Oakland Charter Academy- 4215 Foothill Blvd, Oakland, CA 94601
Participating by Telephone: 669-900-9128 Meeting ID: 831 8795 4557
Public Comment: Members of the public attending in person who wish to comment on an agenda item please fill out a speaker card and submit it to a staff member. The Board Chair will call on you to enter the Boardroom. Members of the public who are join in via teleconference, please use raise hand tool in the reactions tab located at the bottom of the zoom screen or press star (*) nine if joining by telephone. The Board Chair will call on you. Please note that comments are limited to two minutes. The Board Chair may increase or decrease the time allowed for public comment, depending upon the topic and number of persons wishing to be heard.
Access to Board Materials: A copy of the written materials which have been submitted to the School Board with the agenda relating to open session items may be reviewed by any interested persons on the Amethod Public School’s website at www.amethodschools.org following the posting of the agenda. Amethod reserves the right to show or distribute additional information and/or documents to the School Board at the meeting, and will make copies of such documents relating to open session items available to the public upon request.
Disability Access: Requests for disability-related modifications or accommodations to participate in this public meeting should be made 72 hours prior to the meeting by calling (510) 965-4562. All efforts will be made for reasonable accommodations. The agenda and public documents can be modified upon request as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
ORDER OF BUSINESS MAY BE CHANGED WITHOUT NOTICE
Directors Present
A. Emmanuelli, E. Gallegos, E. Quiroz, G. Lopez Jr.
Directors Absent
None
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
C.
Announcements
D.
Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items
No public comments were made.
II. Consent
A.
Approval of 02/21/2024 Regular Board Meeting Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| E. Quiroz |
Aye
|
| E. Gallegos |
Aye
|
| G. Lopez Jr. |
Aye
|
| A. Emmanuelli |
Aye
|
B.
Approval of Updated AMPS Organization Chart
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| G. Lopez Jr. |
Aye
|
| E. Quiroz |
Aye
|
| A. Emmanuelli |
Aye
|
| E. Gallegos |
Aye
|
C.
Approval of Printer Lease Agreement with Konica Minolta
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| E. Gallegos |
Aye
|
| E. Quiroz |
Aye
|
| A. Emmanuelli |
Aye
|
| G. Lopez Jr. |
Aye
|
D.
Approval of Updated Finance Handbook
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Emmanuelli |
Aye
|
| E. Gallegos |
Aye
|
| E. Quiroz |
Aye
|
| G. Lopez Jr. |
Aye
|
III. Business
A.
Approval of 2nd Interim Financial Reports
Michele Powell, Budget Manager presents the 2nd Interim Financial Report. She shares the certifications and the budget goals, the reporting calendar, and the deadlines for each action item. She shares the recap of the 2nd Interim, the 1st Interim, and the variances it presents. Reserves are now calculated to meet a 5% threshold at all sites.
Board Member Elisa asks what steps are taken to ensure schools are aligned with the budget.
Michele says by maintaining expenditures to align with the budget that is already developed, regular monitoring of expenses, and sharing it with the site level to ensure we are fiscally sound.
Board Member Edgar asks if submitting the budget late to our authorizer will affect the school.
Michele identifies this as an area that needs to be adjusted by setting board meetings on dates where budgets can be submitted to our authorizers on time.
Board Member Andres asks what employee retention strategies are being implemented to ensure we are retaining staff.
Michele says by maintaining a positive working environment, providing support to teachers, offering COLA increases, and informing site leaders on where resources are coming from and how to effectively spend funding.
Board Member Andres shares that there needs to be a process in the budget from the bottom to the top. During meetings, there needs to be an emphasis on need and want to ensure every dollar is going to the students.
Board Chair Gilbert ask, what does the budget meeting look like with the school sites?
Michele says they are 1-hour meetings bi-weekly or monthly with school sites.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| E. Quiroz |
Aye
|
| E. Gallegos |
Aye
|
| G. Lopez Jr. |
Aye
|
| A. Emmanuelli |
Aye
|
B.
Approval of Auditor Selection for 2024-2025
Michele says the finance team reviewed 30 auditors and is presenting the final 3; BakerTilly, CLA, and Christy White to the board. She shares the cost analysis, delinquency rates, and how much Amethod Public Schools spent this past year. Michele says, based on the 3 auditors presented, she recommends Christy White for board approval.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Emmanuelli |
Aye
|
| E. Gallegos |
Aye
|
| E. Quiroz |
Aye
|
| G. Lopez Jr. |
Aye
|
IV. Discussion
A.
Mid Year Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) Update- Richmond Charter Academy
Site Director, Michelle Coleman presents Mid Year Local Control and Accountability Plan Update for Richmond Charter Academy. Shares the goals and action plans implemented to ensure college and career readiness, a positive school climate, parent support and engagement, and increased student access to technology.
Board Chair Gilbert asks what Kickboard entails.
Ms. Coleman says Kickboard is a platform that the school uses to incentivize the students.
Board Member Andres asks if there are restorative justice practices and school counseling provided to students before a student is suspended.
Ms. Coleman says the suspension rate is very low and the school is proactive with restorative justice practices. She says students are given a chance to improve their behavior and are taught how their actions affect others. She shares that there has been a recent departure of their school counselor but, there is still counseling available to students by staff.
Board Member Andres asks if we incentivize teachers to meet with parents.
Ms. Coleman says there have been 2 parent teacher conferences, and the school also sends out an update once a week to parents. There have been major improvements in communication between teachers and parents.
Board Member Elisa asks if strategies are implemented or if there is training for parents on how to use ParentSquare and Powerschool platforms.
Ms. Coleman says there is orientation and training at the beginning of the school year to train and support parents on how to use the platforms. There are parents who actively attend monthly FST meetings and Coffee with the Parents meetings. ParentSquare offers a portal to view parent and teacher activity.
B.
Interim CEO Report
Interim CEO, Sylvia Flores presents her report and shares an update on the Innovare Dashboard building process. She says by the next board meeting, the dashboard will be ready and available for the board members to view data and monitor progress. She says all schools currently have middle tier status for charter renewals and all schools are aiming for high tier status. If schools are given the high tier, that means the schools' charter will automatically be renewed for another 5 years. She shares that the charter petitions are in progress and will be ready for submission in July/ August. John Henry High School completed their site visit in February and Oakland Charter Academy had their Spring Site Visits last week. Ms. Flores highlights that Downtown Charter Academy was recognized and named A California Distinguished School for 2024. Oakland Charter High School was recognized by Families in Action for Raise the Bar Awards. Ms. Flores provides an update on recruitment, enrollment numbers, filling vacancies, subleasing Livingston space, and introduces Mary Busby, the new Director of Special Education. She shares the team is looking into offering retention bonuses for teachers and the active hiring of a Chief Academic Officer, External Affairs Coordinator, and Youth Engagement Coordinator.
Board Vice Chair Edgar asks who issues the tier status.
Ms. Flores says the California Department of Education issues them. She shares that Downtown Charter Academy is close to high tier. Oakland Charter Academy and Oakland Charter High School are heading in the right direction. She says Home Office is working with the county to improve Richmond Charter Academy and John Henry High School's tier status and it has been trending in the right direction.
Board Member Andres asks what the board can do to support the schools.
Ms. Flores says the board can help with strengthening partnerships within the community, networking, and offering support and internships to students.
V. Open Session
A.
Conflict of Interest Training for Board Members
Board Chair Gilbert announces the board will take a 5 minute break and will resume for open session at 7:30pm.
The board reconvenes from break at 7:34pm.
Paul Minney from Young, Minney and Corr begins his Conflict of Interest Training. He covers AB 2158 Ethic's Laws, Fair Political Practices Commission, and reporting of Financial Interests. He shares elements surrounding Government Code Section 1090 and violations, Political Reform Act, Form 700 Statements of Economic Interest, and Common Law on Conflicts of Interest.
B.
Public Comments on Sylvia Flores' Interim CEO Selection and Contract
No public comments were made.
VI. Closed Session
A.
Employee Evaluation
The board reconvenes from closed session at 10:01pm and there are no reportable actions.
B.
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL-EXISTING LITIGATION
No reportable actions.
C.
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL-ANTICIPATED LITIGATION
No reportable actions.
No announcements were made.