Literacy First Charter Schools
Minutes
Literacy First Charter School Board of Trustees
Date and Time
Wednesday May 13, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Location
To attend this meeting in person go to:
698 W Main Street
El Cajon, CA 92020
To attend this meeting remotely go to:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82824105333?pwd=Yy0HNqgSCO7wJ8b4yx9MLvMQVgtRbJ.1
Meeting ID: 828 2410 5333
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Teleconferencing Locations:
799 E Washington Ave El Cajon, CA 92020
1012 E Bradley Ave El Cajon, CA 92021
1850 Alpine Blvd Alpine, CA 91901
Literacy First Charter Schools exists to nurture the whole child from kindergarten through high school graduation by igniting a passion for comprehensive Literacy and equipping our students to wholeheartedly participate in their community.
Trustees Present
B. Johnson, J. Lewis, K. Evans, M. Simone, P. Schreiber
Trustees Absent
None
Guests Present
D. Beyer, S. Robinson
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Flag Salute
D.
Minutes from the April 15, 2026 Regular Board Meeting
E.
Current Agenda
F.
Public Comment on Agenda Items
G.
Public Comment on Non-Agenda Items
None
II. Executive Director's Report
A.
School Events, Program, and Staffing Updates
The Executive Director provided the board information on current attendance, calendar events, state testing, AP testing, and National Charter School week.
B.
Induction Candidates' Presentations
Ten teachers in their second year of the induction program presented the results of their culminating research project.
C.
2026-27 Declaration of Need
Declaration of Need: Board to approve the 2026-27 school year Declaration of Need (DON) for fully qualified educators at Literacy First Charter Schools. Board Approval will allow for future hires as needed for the 2026-27 school year and is in compliance with the requirements and Ed Code set forth by the Commission of Teacher Credentialing with the new and current DON CL-500 form 5/2/2024.
D.
2026-27 Committee on Assignment
Committee on Assignment (COA) Board Approval will allow Mr. Chris Castberg's assignment to teach high school ceramics in the 2026-27 school year, and is in compliance with the Superintendent of the San Diego County Board of Education. EC 44258.7 (c)(d)(e)(s) (Elective classes only)
E.
2026-27 LFCS Calendars
The Executive Director recommends the board approved the 2026-27 LFCS Family, LFCS Staff, LCHS Family, and LCHS Staff calendars.
F.
Safe Haven and Immigration Enforcement Policy
The Executive Director recommends the board approve the LFCS Safe Haven and Immigration Enforcement Policy
III. Chief Business Officer's Report
A.
Current Financial Report
The CBO shared the LFCS financials including the budgeted and actual revenue and expenditure amounts and cash flow as of April 30, 2026. Expenditures are on pace and revenue is expected to exceed expenditures.
B.
Contracts and Large Purchases Notifications
SchoolMint Renewal for 2026-27: $15,500; enrollment and lottery program.
Pearson: 2026-27 AimsWeb Renewal; $13,562.50; assessment system for reading and mathematics.
C.
Facilities Report
LCHS Alpine: Nothing new to report.
Junior Academy: Solar for 1012 and 1030 E Bradley is in permitting and is scheduled
to be installed during the summer of 2026 with an expected completion date in
October 2026.
Primary Academy: Nothing new to report.
Liberty Academy: A wall in the back alley was demolished in preparation for the
concrete work which is being scheduled. The new solar system cut our SDGE bill in
half for the month of April.
D.
Legal Issues
No legal issues to report but we do have an insurance claim filed against LFCS due to an unsecured gate hitting a parent's car at the Junior Academy.
E.
2026-27 Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance Renewals
The CBO recommends the board approve the 2026-27 Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance Renewals. LFCS pays up to $12,000 per year to each eligible employee to help cover the cost of these insurance coverages. "Employee Only" medical, dental, vision, and life insurance remains 100% covered by this $12,000 depending on plan choices. Eligible employees who elect not to take the medical
insurance are "bought out" for $2,000. For 2026-27, we will be offering the Sharp HMO plan with the Difference Card, the Sharp PPO plan, Principal Dental, VSP, and Mutual of Omaha life insurance.
F.
Moving Insurance and Workers Compensation Coverage from the San Diego County JPA to Marsh & McLennan
The CBO recommends the board approve the final notice to the San Diego County Schools Risk Management Joint Powers Authority of Literacy First Charter Schools final decision to withdraw its membership effective July 1, 2026 and to transition to Marsh McLennan for our property liability, professional, auto, cyber, and workers compensation insurance coverage.
G.
Approve the 2026-27 Application for Funding for Title I
The CBO recommends the board approve the 2026-27 Application for Funding for Title I funds through the Consolidated Application and Reporting System. We expect about $470,000 in Title I funding in 2026-27 which we use to fund our Intervention Program and services to our homeless students.
H.
Approve the 2026-27 LFCS Salary Schedules
The CBO recommends the board approve the 2026-27 LFCS Salary Schedules effective July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027.
IV. Governance
A.
Governance Committee Report
Nothing to report.
B.
LFCS Board of Trustees Recruitment Packet
The Board President recommends the board approve the LFCS Board of Trustees Recruitment Packet.
C.
LFCS Board of Trustees Job Description
This item is tabled until the June 10, 2026 board meeting.
D.
Nomination of 2026-27 LFCS Board Officers
The Nominating Committee recommended Katina Evans to serve as President,
Priscilla Schrieber as Vice President, and Mathew Simone as Secretary from July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027.
E.
Mat Simone to continue as Chair of the Finance Committee
Mat Simone will serve as Chair of the Finance Committee July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| P. Schreiber |
Aye
|
| M. Simone |
Abstain
|
| B. Johnson |
Aye
|
| J. Lewis |
Aye
|
| K. Evans |
Aye
|
F.
2026-27 LFCS Board of Trustees Calendar
G.
Finance Committee Report
Nothing to report.
H.
Facilities Committee Report
Nothing to report.
V. Closing Items
A.
Other Issues
Priscilla Schrieber inquired to which community associations LFCS belongs. The Executive Director replied that LFCS belongs to the El Cajon Chamber of Commerce, The California Charter School Association, and The Charter School Development Center. LFCS also belongs to the California Interscholastic Federation and to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
None