El Camino Real Charter High School
Minutes
Regular Board meeting
Date and Time
Thursday December 19, 2024 at 5:30 PM
Location
El Camino Real Charter High School - North Campus
7401 Shoup Ave. West Hills CA 91307
Meeting can also be seen and heard at:
Media Center - 5440 Valley Circle Woodland Hills CA 91367
REGULAR BOARD MEETING
For board meeting materials, please go to the school's main office, or call (818) 595-7500. Some board meeting materials are also posted on the school's website (https://ecrchs.net - click the ECR Board tab).
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRESENTATIONS TO THE BOARD BY PARENTS AND OTHER MEETING ATTENDEES: El Camino Real Alliance (“ECRA”) welcomes your participation at ECRA’s Board meetings. The purpose of a public meeting of the Board of Directors (“Board”) is to conduct the affairs of ECRA in public. Your participation assures us of continuing community interest in our charter school. To assist you in the ease of speaking/ participating in our meetings, the following guidelines are provided:
PUBLIC COMMENTS
1. Agendas are available to all audience members at the door to the meeting.
2. “Request to Speak” forms are available to all audience members who wish to speak on any agenda items or under the general category of “Public Comments.” “Public Comments” is set aside for members of the audience to raise issues that are not specifically on the agenda. However, Due to public meeting laws, the Board can only listen to your issue, not respond or take action during the Public Comments periods. The Board may give direction to staff to respond to your concern or you may be offered the option of returning with a citizen-requested item.
NOTE: Public Comments, effective with the March 24th, 2022, Regular Board Meeting, are limited to two (2) minutes and total time allotted to all agenda and non-agenda items will not exceed thirty (30) minutes.
A member of the public who requires the use of a translator, in order to receive the same opportunity as others to directly address the Board, shall be permitted twice the allotted time to speak. The Board may give direction to staff to respond to your concern or you may be offered the option of returning with a citizen-requested item.
3. You may also complete a “Request to Speak” form to address the Board on Agenda items. With regard to such agenda items, you may specify the item(s) on your “Request to Speak” form and you will be given an opportunity to speak for up to three (3) minutes before the item is addressed, and total time allocated to agenda items will not exceed six (6) minutes for a Discussion item and nine (9) minutes per Vote item. A member of the public who requires the use of a translator, in order to receive the same opportunity as others to directly address the Board, shall be permitted twice the allotted time to speak, and the total allocated time shall be appropriately increased as well.
4. When addressing the Board, speakers are requested to state their name and adhere to the time limits set forth. In order to maintain allotted time limits, the Board Chair may modify speaker time allocations or the total amount of allotted time for an item.
5. Any public records relating to an agenda item for an Open Session of the Board which are distributed to all, or a majority of all, of the Board members shall be available for public inspection at 5440 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills, California, 91367.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PUBLIC COMMENTS: Effective September 2022, public comments presentations at all ECRA Regular and Special Board Meetings and at Committee Meetings must be made in person. There is no obligation on the part of the school to have a school official read public comments during inperson Board Meetings. Powered by BoardOnTrack 2 of 4 A member of the public is welcome to appear at the Board meeting to make a public comment or make arrangements with another person in attendance to speak on the person's behalf.
Consent Agenda: All matters listed under the consent agenda are considered by the Board to be routine and may be approved/enacted by the Board in one motion in the form listed below. Unless specifically requested by a Board member for further discussion or removed from the agenda, there will be no discussion of these items prior to the Board votes on them. The Executive Director recommends approval of all consent agenda items.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and upon request, El Camino Real Alliance may furnish reasonable auxiliary aids and services to qualified individuals with disabilities. Requests for disability related modifications or accommodations shall be made 24 hours prior to the meeting to David Hussey, in person, by email at comment@ecrchs.net, or by calling (818) 595-7500.
Directors Present
Alexandra Ramirez, Brad Wright, Gregg Solkovits, Ronald Laws, Steven Kofahl
Directors Absent
Danielle Centman, Sebastian Winter
Guests Present
Ryan Guinto
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
B.
Record Attendance and Guests
C.
Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America (USA)
D.
Public Comments
Mr. Guinto reported that no public comments had been submitted.
E.
Executive Director Update
Mr. Hussey gave an update:
- The fall semester is concluding, with finals wrapping up on December 20, 2024. The spring semester is scheduled to commence on January 14, 2025.
- Winter sports are currently underway, with well wishes extended to all participating teams.
- A heartfelt message from a senior student, Allison, was shared, expressing gratitude for the opportunities provided by the school. The message highlighted the significant impact the school community had on the student’s academic and personal growth.
F.
Chief Business Officer Update
Mr. Wood provided the update highlighting the following:
The charter school division’s November review is ongoing, with remaining queries being addressed by the business office.
There are two open positions within the business office: Director and Accountant. Ms. Ramirez is assisting with the interview process for these roles.
Productive discussions were held with Chief Business Officers from other local schools to explore collaborative opportunities and enhance operational efficiencies.
G.
Board Chair Update
Stakeholder surveys are finalized and will be distributed during the third week of January 2025. These surveys will support the evaluation process for the board’s leadership and strategic initiatives.
Mr. Wright thanked the community for their input and emphasized the importance of responsible and constructive engagement. He reminded attendees that the school’s primary focus is on the students.
II. Consent
A.
Approve Minutes of November 21, 2024, Regular Board Meeting
B.
Discuss and Vote on November 2024 Check Registers
C.
Discussion and Vote on November, 2024, Credit Card Charges
III. Finance
A.
Investment Update
Greg Wood, CBO provided a detailed financial update:
The OPEB account stood at $32.6 million, reflecting a significant recovery from October levels. Year-to-date retiree payments amounted to $265,000, while the account gained over $5.8 million in value.
B.
Discussion and vote the First Interim 2024-2025 Report
Prior to the vote, Mr. Wood presented the updated interim financial report which reflected a projected total revenue of $46.1 million and expenditures of $45.4 million and a net surplus of $757,000.
C.
Discuss and Vote on the 2023-2024 Audit Report
Prior to the vote, Mr. Wood highlighted the following points from the report:
- The audit received a clear (unmodified) opinion, with no major findings.
- The fully funded OPEB account is now reflected as an asset rather than a liability.
- Reserve designations for deferred maintenance amounted to $15 million.
D.
Discuss and Vote on ECRCHS' Fiscal Policies and Procedures (FPP)
Prior to the vote, the board reviewed updates to the fiscal policies and procedures, which included changes to credit card providers and bid amount limits.
IV. School Business
A.
Discussion and Vote on Compliance Monitoring and Certification of Board Compliance Review 2024-2025
Prior to the vote, the board reviewed the annual compliance monitoring and certification submission required by the charter office.
B.
Discussion and Vote on Expulsion Administrative Panel Appointment
The board appointed the following individuals to the expulsion administrative panel:
- John Turndrip (Chairperson)
- Sue Schuster
- Sue Dillon
C.
Discuss the California School Dashboard
Mr. Hussey presented the latest California School Dashboard data, noting:
- Improvements in suspension rates, English learner progress, and college and career readiness.
- Declines in ELA and math performance, attributed to lingering post-COVID challenges. Targeted efforts are being made to support students with disabilities and other impacted groups.
The board entered closed session at 5:59 PM.
V. Reconvene to Open Session
A.
Report on Actions Taken in Closed Session, If Any
No action was taken during the session.
Noah led the Pledge of Allegiance.