Soleil Academy
Minutes
Soleil Academy Mid-Year Retreat
Date and Time
Saturday February 1, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Location
12315 Thorson Ave Lynwood, CA. 90262 (Satellite Option: 3900 Agnes Ave. Lynwood, CA 90262)
OR
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7564585437?pwd=cmdKc1huRFl4MjJGanVCLzZ6dHEwUT09
Meeting ID: 756 458 5437
Passcode: 155911
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Board Meeting will be held at 12315 Thorson 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
J. Noel, K. Armstrong, L. Safa, V. Reynolds
Directors Absent
S. Johnson, V. Gonzalez-Diaz
Guests Present
J. Kinoshita, M. Serrano, R. Avilez
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance
II. Consent Agenda
A.
Minutes from 12/18/24 Soleil Academy Board Meeting
B.
2023-24 SY SARC
C.
Restraining and Seclusion Policy
D.
Audit Vendor for SY 2024-25
III. Management Update
A.
Soleil Management Updates
B.
Sub-committee updates, goal review and 2025 planning
Facilities Commitee Midyear Check-in
Prop 39 & Multi-Year Agreement:
- The district appears open to a two-year extension of the current facility use agreement (FUA), with a possible third year.
- No updates yet on the district’s formal FUA response; expected soon.
- The preliminary offer is due by February 17, with a response deadline of March 1, and a final offer by April 1.
- If the multi-year agreement falls through, the standard Prop 39 process will determine space allocation based on in-district enrollment.
Exploring Alternative Facility Options:
- The team is considering purchasing a facility but faces financial and zoning challenges.
- Discussions are ongoing about a mix of private facilities and Prop 39, but feasibility is uncertain.
- Facility grants are being explored, with leadership attending the CCSA Conference to identify potential funding opportunities.
- We are also reassessing rental and purchase options within Lynwood
Need for a Facilities Plan:
- The team emphasized creating a structured table of facility options, outlining feasibility, financial requirements, and outstanding questions.
- The push is for clarity on long-term options and next steps before making major decisions.
Audit Commitee Midyear Check-in
- Finding from the audit was a need for improvement in the end-of-year closing process.
- Following the audit review, the committee assessed proposals for selecting an auditor for the current school year. After requesting proposals from Eide Bailey, WHLPP, and Windes, the committee decided to continue with CLA due to their strong understanding of the organization's operations and consistent service.
- While past practice has been annual reviews, the committee discussed the feasibility of shifting to multi-year commitments.
- The committee also discussed the possibility of implementing a memorandum of understanding with CLA for a multi-year agreement including flexibility to reassess the auditing contract when necessary.
- The discussion of the topic will be continued upon the return of the full time Executive Director.
Compensation Committee Midyear Check-in
Committee focus was to evaluate compensation structure and vision. Staff surveys were conducted and completed compensation analysis
- Gathered staff input on salary fairness and priorities.
- Work-life balance and positive work environment were highlighted as key strengths.
- Performance-based bonuses were suggested but will require further discussion.
- Compared salaries and benefits with similar charter schools.
- Found that Soleil salaries are competitive, with stronger long-term earning potential.
- Health benefits and retirement plans are highly competitive.
- Identified areas for improvement in salary scales and incentives.
- The committee recognized the need for further revisions and strategic planning, so full implementation has been pushed to the 2026-27 school year, but management is identifying low-budget-impact initiatives that could be introduced earlier.
- Some necessary adjustments have been made to meet new state rules about exempt roles and minimum hourly wages.
- Soleil is working to make the compensation system more transparent, with an ongoing effort to communicate clearly about why decisions are made and help staff see the full scope of compensation, which includes base salary, benefits, and professional development opportunities.
C.
Salary Scales for 25-26 School Year
- The starting salary for teachers has increased, which resulted in increases across other salary steps. Custodians and campus monitors' wages were adjusted in preparation for hourly rate changes in LA County.
- Teachers with intern or prelim credentials remain on an alternative salary scale. The goal is for these teachers to progress to a full, clear credential status, and individual plans are in place to support them.
- The potential need to provide an incentive for teachers to transition from intern status was discussed. R. Avilez emphasized that no teacher should remain in intern or prelim status for more than one to two years.
- Teachers who achieve a full credential will move to step one of the regular salary scale.
IV. Governance Committee
A.
Updates
Committee Goals
- The goal was to have two new members by the mid-year retreat and summer retreat, but that goal hasn't been met yet.
- The school is also looking at expanding its influence within the community, including potentially involving outside members in the community schools advisory committee.
- A community event at the end of the month is mentioned as an opportunity for board recruitment and engagement.
- There's a push to improve communication with parents about board member recruitment.
Brown Act Training will be moved to the 2/28 meeting.
V. Finance Committee
A.
Updates
Committee short term goal is to grow reserves for a private facility. Long term goal is to afford a private faciliity while maintaining a strong reserve.
- The committee discussed school growth, especially considering facility constraints, while trying to manage long-term capital expenses such as curriculum renewals and the potential need for more tech resources like Chromebooks. We are being conservative, preparing for future growth, but also trying to align the goals with available resources.
- The committee is also mindful of balancing financial sustainability and operational growth, especially regarding costs related to SPED and other educational materials.
B.
December Financials
- Enrollment is currently 1 student above budget and ADA is 12.70 above budget, contributing
to an increase in LCFF Revenue. - The actual ADA differed from the budgeted figures. The forecasted TK ADA is lower than expected, while the ADA for grades 1-3 and grades 4-6 are higher than budgeted. Since higher grades have higher ADA rates, this change contributes to an increase in LCFF funding.
- The forecast includes restricted one-time funds, with additional funds available for spending through FY27/28. These funds consist of Educator Effectiveness and Learning Recovery Block Grant funds.
- The revenue variance from the prior month is primarily due to increased ADA and additional funding for Arts and Music. The expense variance of is mainly attributed to fluctuations in wages.
VI. Academic Committee
A.
Updates
Committee Goals:
- Outperform the state (distance from proficiency) in our significant subgroups for ELA
- Outperform the state (distance from proficiency) in our significant subgroups for Math
- Outperforming the state in ELA and Math, respectively
ELA MAP Data
The update focused on winter MAP data, showing overall growth and progress towards academic goals. Key points include:
- The proficiency data from MAP suggests upper-grade cohorts are on track with spring academic goals.
- In the first half of the school year, 3 out of 13 cohorts showed growth greater than three-fourths of a year. Six out of 13 cohorts were halfway to a year's worth of growth.
- The growth required by the end of the year is attainable based on past results, with accelerated growth observed in recent years.
Math Data and Progress:
In analyzing math proficiency, the school is positioned in the "low performance, high growth" quadrant, showing strong growth despite some low achievement.
- 53% of scholars are on track to meet their typical growth by the end of the year. While proficiency levels in some areas remain low, there is evidence of upward mobility in lower-tier intervention groups.
- Kinder has the strongest proficiency level and correlates to them utilizing student i-Ready pathways.
- % of students improving placements correlates with us landing on the low performance/high growth quadrant.
Key Findings:
- Gaps in instructional quality are closing
- The data suggests that curriculum implementation is supporting the quality of instruction across grade levels.
- MAP reading proficiency scores are calibrating among grades.
- Growth needed by the end of year less than a year for majority of the part.
- Teachers that been in the classroom 3+ years are showing 50% additional growth
- The data suggests that curriculum implementation is supporting the quality of instruction across grade levels.
- Interventions for students near proficiency
- High growth and low achievement in math
- High growth for ELA focus students and supporting being on track with ELA Spring SBAC goals.
- 53% of all scholars are on track to meet their end of year goal on i-Ready.
Priority Plan
Data Cycles
- Focused on improving intervention groups for the March meeting. Key adjustments will be based on major data insights.
- Emphasis on achieving double the typical growth with whole-school interventions.
- The intervention team analyzed student cohorts for progress, and detailed updates will be provided in the March meeting.
Professional Development
- Emphasis on leveraging peer-to-peer learning opportunities to build on teacher strengths and growth. Teachers are encouraged to learn from one another to enhance their practices.
- Continued focus on using star data to create effective instructional groups. This approach has already been implemented and is proving beneficial.
Targeted Intervention
- Progress monitoring windows have been expanded for targeted groups, specifically in ELA for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.
- Increased focus on utilizing Star testing and i-Ready assessments for progress monitoring. The aim is to be intentional with feedback and address gaps in student learning.
People Development Action Plan
2024-25 Foundational PD on Tier 1 Instruction Strategies
Deliver foundational PD on data literacy and reteaching, while supporting department leaders in facilitating PLCs and providing ongoing coaching to reinforce data-driven adjustments.
2025-2026 : Advanced PD on Differentiation and Long-Term Data Use
Provide advanced PD on differentiation and long-term data analysis, with case studies and reflection sessions, while offering targeted coaching on applying differentiated instruction based on student data.
Effective Tier 1 Instruction Action Plan
2024-2025 Support Professional Development and Collaboration
Professional development and collaboration are essential. Teachers will integrate CKLA and i-Ready into targeted sessions, with coaches providing support to align lesson planning. Regular collaboration will allow teachers to share strategies and refine methods, while PD will focus on aggressive monitoring in ELA and math whole also collecting data through entrance and exit tickets
2025-2026: Monitor & Evaluate Progress
To monitor student progress, we’ll collect exit ticket data in ELA and entrance ticket data in Math to assess understanding. Regular STAR, i-Ready diagnostic and unit assessments will help track growth and adjust instruction. Bi-weekly data meetings will review trends, discuss progress, and plan any necessary instructional adjustments or reteaching.
M. Serrano reviewed actions taken for each of the LCAP goals:
Goal 1: Community School Commitee, SEL Survey
Goal 2: i-Ready Teacher training, Guided Reading workshop, Growth Breakfast celebration
Goal 3: Cafectios, Parent Workshop (SEL), Winter Wonderland, Black History Month Committee
R. Avilez reviewed Operational updates: