There were no public comments.

J. Flaherty shared that he had received a letter of resignation from board member Fiaau Ohmann, and he thanked her for her service. He reviewed recent developments related to mask mandates in schools pertaining to C-19. Board members shared opinions and asked questions regarding next steps, strategies, and options for responding to changes in mask requirements. The chair requested that the text of the Notice section heading the agenda be provided in Spanish for future meetings.

V. Paredes-Colonia reviewed requirements, components, and outcomes related to annual Audited Financial Statements. The audit was successful, and J. Flaherty congratulated staff, particularly A. Ortiz.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the plans, focusing on parent and community engagement (including town halls and other meeting formats), local and regional suspension rates, and LCAP timelines.

K. Sved described the chronology and importance of determining a COLA increase in relation to offering letters of employment and staff retention.  He reviewed historical COLA rates, regional rates, and the upcoming state increase. Board members asked questions and offered insights concerning staff recruitment; staff retention; current and past benefits, bonuses, and stipends; district salary comparisons; budget planning and sustainability; and the scope of the resolution. 

The board chair highlighted the role and purpose of electing a board vice chair.  He nominated N. Crivello for the position. 

The board chair summarized the process by which the recommendation emerged, including the development of a report completed by J. Flaherty and S. Hegde concerning optimization of organizational success, the review and support of related findings by the Governance Committee, and the recommendation on the part of that committee for the board to approve the creation of an Organizational Success Committee. Drawing from a memo on the topic, he summarized six main areas of focus for staff (training, evaluation, operations, data, communication, and outreach) and six key areas of focus for the board (onboarding; reorganization; strategic planning; diversity, equity, and inclusion; fundraising; and site presence) pertaining to the optimization of mission-driven, organizational success. Members recognized organizational strengths and expressed excitement toward advancing the Navigator Schools model and its positive impact on students and communities in a post-pandemic world.