Soleil Academy
Minutes
Soleil Academy Special Board Meeting
Date and Time
Saturday August 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Location
OR
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Meeting ID: 756 458 5437
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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Board Meeting will be held at 3900 Agnes Ave. Lynwood, CA. 90262 and on zoom on the above date and time. During the meeting, the Board will consider, discuss, and may take action upon any of the agenda items listed below.
PUBLIC COMMENT – Members of the public calling in or participating via Zoom will be given the opportunity to address the Board during the meeting. Members of the public who wish to comment during the Board meeting may use the “raise hand” function on the Zoom platform to indicate their desire to speak at the beginning of consideration of that agenda item or during the period provided for comments from the public on non-agenda items. Members of the public who wish to speak on any item are requested (but not required) to identify themselves and indicate on which agenda item they wish to speak. The Board will provide an opportunity for the public to speak on each agenda item for a maximum of three (3) minutes per person or six (6) minutes if a translation is required.
ACCESSIBILITY – If you need special assistance, disability-related modifications, translation, or other reasonable accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Gricelda Ramirez at (323) 409-0801. Notification at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting will enable Soleil Academy to make arrangements that will ensure accessibility.
Directors Present
B. Weinstein-Sanders, E. Funes, S. Johnson, V. Reynolds
Directors Absent
K. Armstrong
Ex Officio Members Present
B. Gutierrez, J. Kinoshita
Non Voting Members Present
B. Gutierrez, J. Kinoshita
Guests Present
R. Avilez
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Minutes from 6/27/26 Soleil Academy Board Meeting
B.
Re-Election of the Board Chairperson for the 2026–2027 Term
C.
Re-Election of the Board Vice Chairperson for the 2026–2027 Term
D.
Re-Election of the Board Treasurer for the 2026–2027 Term
E.
Re-Election of the Board Secretary for the 2026–2027 Term
F.
After-School Contract
III. Management Update
A.
Soleil Management Updates
IV. Governance
A.
Updates
B. Gutierrez provided an update on the charter renewal process. LACOE's Business Advisory Services (BAS) has recommended waiting until the unaudited actuals are available before submitting the renewal petition. It was discussed that the timing of the submission ultimately remains at the Board's discretion.
B. Gutierrez also provided an update on the proposed material revision. The proposed revision would increase the charter's authorized enrollment from 312 to 365 students to accurately reflect the school's current enrollment and promote transparency with the authorizer.
B.
Resolution of the Board of Directors of Soleil Academy, Inc. Authorizing the Submission of a Charter Renewal Petition to the Los Angeles County Board of Education and Other Actions Related Thereto
C.
Resolution of the Board of Directors of Soleil Academy, Inc. Authorizing the Submission of a Request for Material Revision of the Soleil Academy Charter to the Los Angeles County Board of Education and Other Actions Related Thereto
D.
Board Self-Evaluation Results
J. Kinoshita led the discussion focused on establishing 3-5 governance priorities for the upcoming year, with participants discussing the importance of maintaining a governance-level perspective and leveraging board strengths throughout the priority-setting process. Core questions defining board perspective was reviewed.
The board discussed their strengths, including developing accountability practices with metrics, maintaining open discourse, and bringing diverse educational expertise to the table. They identified opportunities to leverage their collective expertise more effectively through committees by serving as thought partners for strategic decisions rather than just reporting back on updates. The discussion highlighted the need to balance focusing on what matters most versus what's urgent, with plans to develop strategic priorities that connect board discussions and decisions to organizational goals.
E.
Drafting of Board Goals
The board evaluated the candidate priorities for board focus, organizing them into six clusters and using a matrix to assess each against key criteria including strategic consequence, sustained attention, meaningful board role, and governance fit.
The board discussed three strategic priorities: long-term academic excellence, board diversity, and facilities strategy. For academic excellence, the need to codify systems that produce sustained academic gains and define what excellence looks like. Regarding board diversity, members discussed the need to expand the board with additional skill sets, particularly in fundraising and financial expertise. The group considered facilities strategy as part of broader financial sustainability planning, recognizing the need for multi-year planning and financial investment to address long-term space needs.
The board discussed defining and scoping their first priority around multi-year financial sustainability, focusing on academic, financial, and talent sustainability rather than broader strategic direction. They agreed the finance committee would lead the initial work to map out financial options and constraints, with the board's role including learning, decision-making, and holding management accountable for stakeholder input. The group decided to have the academic committee draft the academic priority statement rather than addressing it as a full board item.
Soleil Academy is fully enrolled for the upcoming school year.