Kyna Collins provided the UTLA update.  She thanked Linda Ibach for attending the most recent UTLA chapter meeting.  She also wanted to make sure the Board was aware of UTLA's concerns with issues that have arisen due to the switch of healthcare providers.  She also spoke in support of the Resolution re Black Lives Matter School's Year of Purpose and urged the Board to approve the Resolution.  Ms. Collins also spoke in favor of the agenda item extending the FFCRA leave benefits to staff.  And she spoke regarding the PPP loan forgiveness.  Finally, Ms. Collins spoke regarding the status of negotiations between ECRA and UTLA.

Mr. Hussey spoke regarding having discussions with doctors in the community to have COVID-19 testing and vaccinations available on the ECRA site.

Mr. Hussey reached out to the LA County Dept. of Health, the mayor's office, and LAUSD regarding restarting our cohorts for at-risk students.  Currently, it appears we will get an update by February 1st and that we may be able to bring our at-risk students back onto campus.
We are waiting for a directive from CIF.  CIF will be using the color-coded tiered system, and only certain sports will be able to participate based on the tier.  Currently, we are not close to getting to the necessary tier to be able to participate in sports, so we are waiting to get more information as it becomes more available.
We have started a daily attendance email system that sends an email to parents when a student is absent or tardy to class.
We have created 10 sections of a study skills class, each section comprised of no more than 10 students who struggled in a subject last year.  We provide a tutor for each section, and work on time management, organizational skills, study skills, and academic support as needed.  PETS tutoring is also available on Mondays and Thursdays during lunch, and more days could be added should there be student interest.  And after-school math support will be started next week.
ECRA is also looking to provide a digital marketing class through the University of Wisconsin.  A survey has been sent out, and if there is enough interest we are looking to start this class.  We are also looking to develop classes in mobile app development and software engineering, which will hopefully lead to internships and further development of the Career Technical Education (CTE) program.
We have started a virtual Q&A for incoming students and parents in lieu of school tours every Thursday at 6 p.m.  
Last week, we selected 400 students for lottery spots, and have a current wait list of about 300 students.  We will start calling students off the wait list once our residential numbers are determined.
The Charter Schools Division (CSD) oversight visit will be done virtually beginning April 14th.  CSD will review our budgets, review our documentation, and visit our classrooms virtually.
Phase 2 of the mascot selection will go out tomorrow.  The list has been narrowed down to 11 names; phase 2 will vote for the top 3 names.  And then phase 3 will be voting for the winning mascot name.  This will be done by the end of February.
A month-long digital marketing campaign was launched through US Today, as well as print ads in the Warner Center and Encino papers and banners that will run for 6 weeks on their websites.  Digital ads were also run in the Daily News, and full page ads in the Daily News will be published on January 31.  We have reached out to La Opinion regarding advertising.  We also sent out 50,000 emails; of these emails, 8,328 were opened resulting in close to 800 clicks.  Subsequently, we received 255 additional enrollment applications, 98 of which were open enrollment and 157 residential enrollment.
The Equity Advisory Committee met yesterday and talked about developing a survey focusing on access to the programs we offer.  After the survey, the Committee will talk about refining its goals.  And they will also create a video explaining AP and honors classes; students in the Committee felt that if there was a better understanding of AP and honors classes, they would be more like to take such classes.  
ECRA is working with LAUSD to get access to the AT&T lines which were originally under LAUSD, so that we can determine the purpose of each of the lines for which we are being billed.
We are continuing to work on the heating problem, as there is another crack in the heating pipe resulting in a loss of heating throughout the school.  All the interior pipes look good, but the underground pipes are rotting and will have to be replaced.
Mr. Hussey noted that the custodial department did a great job in painting the outside walls.  They will also be power washing the sidewalks to remove all gum and debris.
Mr. Silverstein stated that he would recommend having a company come out and take videos for a "virtual walk-through" of the campus.
Mr. Archibald spoke in favor of starting the digital marketing class.  Mr. Hussey noted we are also speaking to a digital marketing consultant who may be brought in to assist.
Ms. Chen asked if we have looked into sending text messages for the attendance notifications; Mr. Hussey said that he would look into this.  And regarding the mascot selection, Ms. Chen asked for clarification as to who will be voting.  Mr. Hussey stated that all stakeholders will be invited to vote; we will send information to students, parents, and staff, and we will post this on the local Facebook sites and the ECR Facebook page as well. 
Mr. Hussey noted that we are working on our COVID Safety Plan, and we will be posting this by February 1st.  
Regarding LAUSD employees getting access to our campus, we reported this matter to LAUSD and LAUSD asked that we get the names of these individuals as they should not be using their keys to get onto our campus without authorization.  We can send our school police officer to deal with any such individuals, and we have signs posted on all doors.  Mr. Wright asked if we could change the locks and limit the keys that are given out to the outside doors; Mr. Hussey stated that we put a second lock on the outside doors, and that only ECRA staff have the key to these second locks.

Mr. Wood noted that there is additional funding available for CTE programs.
We should have received our audit report by December 15th, but we are under extension through the end of March.  Our auditors are still awaiting guidance on how our federal funding should be treated; hopefully, we will have an answer by the next Board meeting.
Governor Newsom recently gave a mid-year budget update, and it sounds as though the Governor will be proposing a two-year COLA, which would be good funding news.
Mr. Wood discussed the Investments Review.  Mr. Hussey noted that we are still in the process of selecting our investment advisor, and that we will have a forum for staff to meet the candidates and ask questions.
Mr. Wood went over the Cafeteria Financial Summary.  He noted that we have used more commodities, for which we received a credit of $3,178.89; Mr. Wood said that he anticipates this credit increasing in the coming months.
The ADA report was also discussed; our ADA for P1 of this year has increased compared to last year, but our funding will be based on last year's ADA based on the "hold harmless" provision.  Mr. Wood noted that there was a glitch in the reporting of ADA for month 5, which resulted in an over-reporting of the attendance.  Mr. Archibald asked the source of this glitch.  Mr. Hussey noted that teachers are required to take attendance, and sometimes there is a discrepancy, but the discrepancy report was not sent out to teachers.  Mr. Archibald asked if there was something in place to make sure this type of glitch does not happen again; Mr. Hussey said that the glitch was repaired and there should not be any issues going forward.
Mr. Silverstein asked what the parameters for reimbursement for the meals we are giving out.  Mr. Wood replied that the funding is through the CDE's "Seamless Summer Program," and that we will be under this program for at least the end of this school year.  As a result, we will continue having funding and commodities credits available.

Mr. Wood went over the December 2020 financial report.  
The Cash Flow report has to be modified to restate the cash balance as of December 2019, it should not be -$12M.
The Profit & Loss (YTD) shows the changes attributed to the lack of in-person instruction.
On the Budget Comparison (YTD), the LCFF Revenues are significantly lower than projected in the 1st Interim Budget, but that is due to delays and timing of funding. Mr. Wood stated that there is no reason to believe we will not get all of the funding to which we are entitled.
Dr. Davis asked that Mr. Wood discuss the impact of the expected deferrals and why charter schools had to seek additional funding, such as the PPP loan.  Mr. Wood noted that we have certain funding promised to us, but the question is cash flow.  The state has said that they would be deferring a significant amount of funding.  Mr. Wood also noted that school districts are able to obtain short-term loans from the county or state, but charter schools do not have access to these types of loans.  As a result, we sought the PPP loan, which is a loan that school districts would not, conversely, be able to seek.  If not for this loan, we would have been in jeopardy of not being able to meet our payroll in June/July.  
Mr. Archibald noted that this goes to the request for the funds, but the comments addressed the forgiveness of the loan.  Mr. Wood noted that the PPP loan was obtained based on the information at the time regarding deferrals.

Mr. Wood went over the request for a new credit card, through US Bank.  This card, called the CAL-Card, is specifically intended for municipalities and public organizations, and is not available to the general public.  The benefits offered would allay some of the concerns and difficulties we have been experiencing with AMEX.  The US Bank card also offers quarterly rebates and incentives based on volume and timing of payment.  Mr. Wood noted that we would transition out of our AMEX card with the goal of eventually phasing out the AMEX card entirely.
Mr. Silverstein asked if we still had the vendor-specific cards, with Home Depot and Smart & Final; Mr. Hussey noted yes, but they have not been used this school year to date.

Mr. Wood advised that the window to start the process to seek PPP loan forgiveness was based on when we applied for the loan.  Because we applied during the second round, we fell into a more favorable program, the loan is a 5 year loan at 1% interest.  We have 6 months during which there is no payment required; after 6 months, we have to only pay the interest.  Mr. Wood noted that any forgiveness request we make, the lender has 2 months to consider it, and then the lender would submit the request to the SBA who will make the final determination.  We have yet to submit our request for forgiveness, as our timeline to do so has not been initiated by the lender.
Ms. Chen noted that the Finance Committee wanted to bring this matter up now, instead of at the time the Board may be asked to vote regarding this.

Mr. Silverstein noted that the Board was elected by the staff and community, and that we have a fiduciary obligation to all stakeholders.  We applied for the loan in compliance with SBA requirements, and the money that was paid out is taxpayer money; as such, the Board has a duty to protect the assets and the school.  Also, we have the option of paying it back or not; if we do not pay it back, we have to identify how the money was spent.  At this time, we do not know what will happen in the near future, and so it is premature to consider whether or not to pay the loan back.  
Mr. Archibald stated that there was uncertainty at the start of the loan process as we did not know what would happen with the deferrals and the ADA.  This loan has an option - either to seek forgiveness, or to let the option expire and repay the loan.  Mr. Archibald noted that the intention of the PPP loan was to protect payroll; if the income does not support the ability to make payroll, this loan would help pay employees.  Mr. Archibald asked if, based on the information we have now, whether there will be a degradation in revenue as a result of COVID; Mr. Wood replied that he believed we could still cover our expenses if we were to not ask for forgiveness.  Mr. Archibald then asked if we were worse off with no COVID / no loan v. COVID / repaying the loan; Mr. Wood replied that because we do not know when the pandemic will end and what further funding we may be responsible for and what the Governor's revised budget will look like.  Mr. Archibald stated that the PPP loan was to be used for a specific purpose.  Mr. Silverstein replied that the use of the loan was not restricted to payroll only, but could also be used for other related purposes.  Moreover, we have yet to have teachers and students back in school, and so it is premature to even consider whether to pay the loan back or not.
Ms. Ibach asked, given that most loans are not forgivable, why we would consider paying it back if it was forgivable.  Mr. Wood noted that this is a unique loan which is forgivable in whole or in part; if the current circumstances justify asking for forgiveness, we will discuss doing so.  Mr. Archibald replied that the PPP loan was not intended to protect against future uncertainty.
Dr. Davis noted that there is much uncertainty, and that we have yet to get the Governor's revised budget and do not know what school funding will look like.  We may know more in June and July, but we do not know now.  
Mr. Perez said that his understanding of this program was that the government gave out the monies for a specific purpose, and that entities would receive forgiveness if the funds were used for that specific purpose.  He asked if we can show we spent the money from the loan in the way that the SBA requires; if not, the loan should be considered a low-interest grant that should be repaid.  Mr. Wood replied that yes, we can show we spent it on payroll and other allowed expenses; Mr. Perez said if so, he cannot understand why we would not ask for forgiveness.

Ms. Chen noted that there was a House resolution that was introduced regarding the Black Lives Matter School Week of Action.  Also, it appears LAUSD is also acknowledging the Black Lives Matter School Week of Action, which is also in the current resolution.
Mr. Wright stated that he believes it is the Board's responsibility to observe without interfering or micro-managing the school's day to day activities; he is here to help set policy and work on the school's vision, and to ensure the school complies with the charter and applicable laws.  Mr. Wright stated that he would like to know how this Resolution was created, what stakeholder groups were involved and whether the Equity Advisory Committee was involved.
Mr. Hussey stated that this Resolution was received on Monday, and the Equity Advisory Committee has not had the opportunity to discuss this.  He stated this Resolution as worded would require much work from the teachers, and that he has not had opportunity to review this with the stakeholders.
Dr. Davis noted that he believes there is much good in the Resolution, but he agrees that the process behind the creation of the Resolution and its impact needs to be further discussed and reviewed and the creator of the Resolution should come and present to the stakeholders.  
Ms. Collins noted that the Board voted on a similar Resolution last year, which was written by several teachers.  She stated that the current Resolution was She has been unable to attend all but one of the Equity Advisory Committee meetings as she has another commitment.  She agrees with Mr. Wright that this is not managing the administration, but rather it is about encouraging on-going reflection.  This does not set a specific curriculum, but rather encourages educators to engage in the conversations on how to de-colonize our curriculum and what we can do better to center our Black students here in the El Camino Real community.  The Resolution is about advancing certain principals, and engaging the entire community.  She also noted that this has been an ongoing conversation among several educators, and in fact there was a professional development on this subject this past January.
Mr. Wright asked if this involved all the teachers and staff; Ms. Collins replied that she was not in a position to make the decision whether to forward this to everyone.  She did forward it to the African-American Intervention Coordinator, and some of the parents were included as well.  Mr. Wright asked what the Board can do to move this along.  Ms. Collins replied that we definitely needed buy-in, and that she hoped the Equity Advisory Committee would work along with the Professional Development Advisory Committee to have these conversations and be able to facilitate them to raise the conversations in a way that they should be raised.
Mr. Silverstein agreed with Mr. Wright that the Equity Advisory Committee should have been involved in the creation of this Resolution, and noted that there were defects in the document that needed to be addressed; he specifically noted that the Resolution was too encompassing at times and too exclusionary in other places.  For example, on the second page at the bottom, the paragraph does not mention religious discrimination, which should be considered.  Moreover, he did not agree with the phrase "more counselors, less cops," which has not been discussed.  Finally, he asked if this matter had been submitted to legal counsel to make sure there was nothing self-incriminating, as the prior Resolution had some language that had to be revised.
Mr. Perez noted that, from a parliamentary point of view, we should not table this matter (which would require a vote) but rather postpone it to the next Board meeting.  He also noted that, as a former ethnic studies teacher, he commended students who want to bring back an ethnic studies coursework.  
Mr. Wright made a motion to postpone this item to the next Board meeting.  
Ms. Chen asked that the Equity Advisory Committee meets sooner rather than later.  Mr. Archibald noted that the Equity Advisory Committee should meet as soon as possible, review the Resolution, and then discuss their proposal with administration to present to legal counsel.  After review by legal counsel, the Equity Advisory Committee can subsequently review and then present to the Board.  
Ms. Collins noted that the Oakland School Board approved a similar resolution last night.  She also noted that there was a timing aspect to this as the Week of Action is set to take place the first week of February.  She also stated that she would be willing to have a conversation regarding adding religious discrimination, and reconsider the language regarding funding of counselors rather than police.  

This matter was continued.