Mykell Jackson, student at Connect High School, presented a petition requesting the addition of football to the WDV Athletics program. 

Mr. Santiago opened the public hearing. Michelle Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, shared that the schools are required to annually report on LCAP accomplishments as well as the budget.  Russell Stoll, Principal of Da Vinci Design, and Grace Long, Principal of Da Vinci Science, presented the Local Control and Accountability Plans for their respective schools. Ms. Rainey presented for the sites whose principals were at a conference.

Connect K-8 and Connect High Schools are one Local Educational Agency (LEA), and are presented together. Their bright spots include students scoring 27.8 points above standard in the ELA CAASPP test, earning a green rating on the California Dashboard. Connect will focus on increasing cohesive math instruction and curriculum, including improved access, assessment, and data collection for sub groups. Connect K-8 has created a Parent Center on campus and added a new Special Education teacher and a new Core 2 teacher. Connect High school is increasing student body-sponsored welcome activities, has moved Back to School Night earlier in the year, and increased integration in ASU dual enrollment courses. New teachers in math, art, physics, and chemistry have been hired.

Communications bright spots include 70% (up from 32% last year) of English Learner (EL) students making progress, Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway completion increasing from 72% to 87%, and College & Career Preparedness increasing from 77.2% to 87%. DVC will focus on Math & ELA test scores, enhancing literacy and math instruction using data-driven systems, and digital citizenship. 2025-26 changes at DVC include Andrew Daramola moving from Assistant Principal to Principal, and the hiring of a new Geometry and Physics teachers. 

Russell Stoll gave the Design update, noting increased attendance of 95%, up from 92.7%, the six-year WASC accreditation, college & career preparedness rates of 99%, and CTE pathway completion rates of 80%. Design will focus on maintaining strong A-G rates above 90%, increasing math achievement for all, and ELA growth for target subgroups. Design has a new admin team next year: Samantha Navarro will be the Principal, and Korina Pailin (née Barefield) will move from the Dean of Students to Assistant Principal.

Grace Long gave the Science update, noting consistently high College & Career Preparedness, strong parent engagement, and the newly bestowed six-year WASC accreditation. Science will work on aligning instructional and curricular practice, increasing math and reading intervention, and maintaining a positive peer culture at the school. Changes for next year include increasing and diversifying math sequencing options, and offering intentional and effective Real World Learning opportunities, off-campus learning, and mentorships. Science will welcome a new English teacher.

Mr. Boston thanked the principals for the data in the reports, and congratulated them on their WASC accreditations. He would like data updates from all the schools once a semester on subgroup academic supports.

Mr. Ochoa congratulated the schools, thanking everyone for their hard work. He noted his son's happiness and progression at Science.

Ms. Heimov thanked Mr. Stoll for his work at Da Vinci Schools, saying that her daughter is a Design alumnus. She noted Pride month, giving a shout out to all of Da Vinci's LGBTQIA 2 Spirit students and families, and thanking Da Vinci for being a welcoming place for all.

Mr. Santiago also thanked Mr. Stoll and wished him well. He recognized all the graduates and staff who worked hard to make all the graduation ceremonies run so smoothly.

Dr. Webber echoed the other trustees' comments in her appreciation of Mr. Stoll's work at Da Vinci over the years. She wished him all the best.

Dr. Wunder thanked Mr. Stoll, saying that he has been with Da Vinci since 2011, starting as an academic coach before becoming a teacher, Assistant Principal, and then Principal.. He will be a part-time consultant, working with Tim Regalado exploring AI in education at Da Vinci Schools.

Ms. Rodriguez introduced the Alder Residency Program Director Laura Hayes, who shared that the program is a consortium of five smaller charter school management organizations and one traditional school district. 25 students just graduated from the program, and two of them found places at Da Vinci Schools. Students receive their master's degree and teaching credential within one year. They spend three to five days in the classroom with mentor teachers. 

There are three goals to the program:  recruitment, retention, and supporting student achievement. The program gives alumni and classified staff, who already reflect the students and values of their schools, the opportunity to move into the teaching profession.  The program also offers opportunities to recruit teachers in high needs areas. At Da Vinci, priorities were Special Education, Math, and Science. Alder residents are not employees of the schools at which they're stationed during the program. A State grant allows students to receive a living stipend of $44,000.

Da Vinci Science teacher Frank Divinagracia has been an Alder mentor for several years. He shared the benefits of the program, saying that he receives an outside perspective from the Alder residents, training in mentorship, and learns a lot from data-driven activities with the residents.

Charlie Hayman will be teaching Core 2 at Connect TK-8. Prior to his participation in Alder, he was a long-term substitute at Connect. He appreciated the alignment of what he was learning at Alder and what he was practicing at Da Vinci, like universal design for learning and culturally responsive teaching. He found the year working at Da Vinci Schools under his mentor was invaluable, and will set him up for success in his first year as a Core 2 teacher.

Brenda Kao, Charlie's mentor, came to Da Vinci after spending some time at another school. She feels that having an older resident mentee helped deepen her own practice, grounding her in collaboration and project-based learning. She remarked on the alignment of the Alder Da Vinci partnership.

Viviana Navarro, special education teacher at Communications, was searching for the sense of community provided by Alder and Da Vinci Schools. She first heard of the Alder program when she was a one-to-one teacher at Hollyglen Elementary (formerly Cabrillo). She was attracted to the program by its one year length and her interest in Da Vinci Schools, as her nieces were attending and her son would in the future. She felt fully supported and her first year of teaching was wonderful. A 2022 Alder graduate, she will be a mentor in the program in the upcoming school year.

Erin Whalen, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, gave a presentation on his work. 

His role is new:  he oversees programs and initiatives that support student well-being, equity, and academic success. He collaborates with counselors, educators, and Michelle Rainey, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. His work with Ms. Rainey focuses on attendance and intervention programs; he focuses on seat-based attendance, while Ms. Rainey focuses on independent studies attendance.

The student support services' key methodology is human-centered design in a data-driven framework. Data from empathy interviews and listening sessions have begun to be codified and the intent is to share the information so that everyone can see the students' perspective of counseling, McKinney-Vento law and homelessness, for example.

Mr. Whalen also supports Da Vinci RISE High, which has its own governing Board, but is part of Da Vinci Schools. RISE has a high population of homeless, foster, and probation youth, and Mr. Whalen uses his connections and skill sets to help all schools and students across the Da Vinci network.

Regarding English Language Learners, this has been a learning year with a statistical increase in students. English Language Advisory Committees have been implemented at school sites, codifying best practices and learning from what has already occurred and supporting the school sites in doing the work. Much of that work will be based on the curriculum, so Mr. Whalen will work further with Ms. Rainey on training, support, and development for English language learning.

Mr. Whalen is looking at the reasons for chronic absenteeism and school interventions. Much research has been done especially in counseling, so that home hospital and home visit protocols are executed with fidelity for all students, as are student referrals to RISE, Connect, Flex, and home hospital.

Mr. Whalen also oversees the Performing Arts department; all Da Vinci PA courses have A-G certifications, operational policies and procedures have been established, and long-term planning is underway.

In regard to student behavior and restorative justice, Mr. Whalen works with each Da Vinci school leader, focusing on approaching student behavior and behavioral learning in a restorative justice framework. He's been coaching directly, supporting collaboration, and working on cases with site Principals and Assistant Principals, believing restorative justice is something you learn by doing, rather than just reading about. He is mindful of what level of support each school needs, whether it is training a trainer, reviewing protocol, or passing along a resource. He works with counselors, partners like All Cove, and with Dr. Emily Green on restorative responses to student substance use issues. Mr. Whalen is proud of the work the team has done, which has been shared at national conventions and adopted by many other school networks.

McKinney-Vento resources have been revamped. Previously, a single home assessment was executed, which meant that if a family were to go through homelessness or housing instability later in the year, it wouldn't be caught. There are now three assessment periods, which has drastically changed the data. Historically, Da Vinci has had less than 1% homeless students, and this year it was around 74 students identified under McKinney-Vento who received resources and support, which impacts school attendance and academic output. 

Much of Student Support Services' energy has been spent this year supporting immigrant families and young people, and training and collaboration with Ms. Rodriguez, Mr. Bravo, the entire team and every school Principal and teacher has hopefully made families and students feel as safe as possible.

Mr. Whalen holds bi-weekly meetings with all Da Vinci staff that are designated as part of Student Support Services, including counselors, behavior interventionists, and psychologists. Mr. Whalen's goal is to expand their professional development training.

CYBHI (Care Solace) - The State has acknowledged that existing behavioral/mental health work should be reimbursed by medical plans. Reimbursements (for students with and without health insurance, and does not impact private services or create diagnoses on medical records) require medical billing coding. Care Solace has been contracted to be the intermediary between the State program and Da Vinci to allow a more robust program and financial sustainability.

Da Vinci counselors have undergone training for eating disorders, human trafficking, and custody, residency, enrollment, and student records.

Mental Health Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) partnerships have been established/maintained with Hazel Health, Care Solace, AllCove, Soluna, and Da Vinci counselors.

SEL surveys from students and counselors resulted in best practices in Advisories; the work is ongoing.

Mr. Whalen closed by saying that Da Vinci's student services approach is about creating systems that believe in every student's brilliance and meeting them where they are without exception. The team works to ensure that our promise is the same for every kid.

Mr. Boston inquired how Mr. Whalen is working across so many issues. Mr. Whalen shared that he is working closely with Ms. Rainey and Dr. Green on large portions of his work.

Ms. Schaefer inquired about Mr. Whalen's approach for next year, given the state of the country.

Mr. Whalen's concern is equipping school leaders to have hard conversations with their schools. Students get restorative circles in Advisory, but parents are left out. He's thinking about community dialogues with Wiseburn and parents that are safe for us but provide a place to hear those voices. 

Ms. Heimov commented that Da Vinci RISE was called out as a model school providing excellent behavioral mental health services in her California Child Welfare Council meeting recently, and she congratulated Mr. Whalen, saying she knows he had a lot to do with the RISE model.

She inquired about if Da Vinci has been having issues with parents or students being afraid to come to school, and issues around the likely decrease in gender-affirming care and availability of mental health services like the hotlines that are being defunded.

She requested a breakdown of the 74 McKinney-Vento students, saying that the definition of homelessness under McKinney-Vento is more broad than literally unhoused. Mr. Whalen said that there has been a significant increase in folks living in motels and hotels.

Last, Ms. Heimov inquired about the number of students who move between RISE or Connect and the 201 campus schools. Brief discussion ensued about transfers, with space availability and enrollment preferences. Ms. Rainey commented that Mr. Whalen has shared data with site leaders around numbers of McKinney-Vento students, and while historically RISE was seen as the school for those students, in actuality, the data do not show that to be true.

Mr. Amato shared the FY 2025-26 budget. 

ADA percentage is healthy, and based on the 2024-25 numbers. Enrollment is up mostly from Connect, although Design has seen an increase as well. The ADA growth and 2.3% COLA leads to the LCFF (State) funding revenue growth of $1.4MM from 2024-25. 2.57% of Da Vinci's funding comes from Federal sources. Mr. Amato's budgeting includes special education funding and Title funds from the Federal government. There remains the risk of the funding being pulled back.

Mr. Amato went on to discuss other local revenue sources like foundation and corporation funding. The reimbursement program Mr. Whalen referred to is budgeted for $60K, but has the potential to grow. Mr. Amato is uncertain because this is the first year Da Vinci is participating. He will keep the Board apprised. Brief discussion ensued on being reimbursed for staff time costs and having Care Solace do the billing work for a portion of the reimbursement funds.

Brief discussion ensued on the timing of receiving Federal funding.

Da Vinci's budget is based on the Governor's May Revise. While the May Revise is a proposed, not final budget, it was largely approved by the Legislature. Da Vinci should receive $725K from a new, one-time discretionary grant the Governor proposed that Mr. Amato had not included in his budget due to the uncertainty. The funds may be used in two to three years, so it is not calculated in Mr. Amato's 2025-26 budget. An increase in funding for TK ($2,400/ADA) was also not in the budget due to the uncertainty. The Education Code changed a few years ago to require a smaller student to teacher ratio. Da Vinci will have to hire an extra part-time staff member to meet the ratio, as we have enrolled more TK students than we have in the past. The funding will support that staffing need.

Dr. Wunder thanked Mr. Amato, the Board, and the principals for Da Vinci's economic uncertainty reserves and work in reining in expenses. Da Vinci is in a strong position relative to other schools.

Mr. Amato continued on to discuss expenses for the 2025-26 school year, saying that certificated and classified personnel costs (salaries, benefits, stipends, extra pay) are up by about $2.7MM from the previous year. Some cost reductions (decreased number of academic coaches, reduction of one admin position at Design for the Dean who moves up to the Assistant Principal position, reduced stipends, etc.) help to offset cost increases in facilities costs, vendor costs, and CTE pathway spending. Small surpluses at each school site are anticipated.

The schools have seen an improvement in fiscal stability, but are working towards more stabilization. Science, for example, will incur new non-public school (NPS) expenses over the 2024-25 year. Mr. Amato is also reallocating Communications' FUTURES expenses across Design and Science. That special education program has a gross cost of about $600k, although ADA funding offsets $219K of that. All FUTURES students are enrolled at Communications, but the cost should be shared across the schools.

Ms. Schaefer inquired about what Mr. Amato means when he mentions "stabilizing site budgets." He shared that the 201 schools' budgets are not stable fiscally; they are spending more than revenue, in part because of the high cost of the facility and the CTE pathways. Mr. Amato is working toward a stable budget for all schools.

Net operating reserves (liquid reserves) are healthy, but a portion (1% of LCFF) must go into deferred maintenance per the Facilities Use Agreement with Wiseburn, and a portion is set aside for economic uncertainty. Undesignated ERC funds are about to be released in mid-July, but will also be held for economic uncertainty until the Board votes to assign its use. Capital projects expenses include the coffee bar health department-mandated changes, the second part of a big network and firewall upgrade, replacing the server system for the 201 campus security doors, and finally, the cost of the baseball field and Connect TK-8 site improvements. Economic uncertainty and undesignated amounts support the capital projects.

Regarding the future years' budgets, Mr. Amato noted the importance of planning in the face of uncertainty and year-to-year changes. New enrollment from the LifeLaunch program is expected, and Design's enrollment is working up to the 550 mark. 88 ADA percentage is healthy and Mr. Amato is not changing it in his projection. 

Mr. Boston noted that Da Vinci has a very large wait list, so could presumably go to any enrollment number. Dr. Wunder reminded everyone that the 201 campus schools have no space. The team is looking to increase enrollment without impacting facilities, to grow enrollment over time. With increased enrollment come increased staff expenses. Even without giving employees the 2% COLA increase, the step increase is 3%, so Da Vinci is always falling behind.

Mr. Amato added that increases in benefits, costs like health insurance and STRS contributions, educational, and facilities expenses and maintaining a similar level of surplus in the two years is the goal. Even Connect's hybrid model, which has been profitable because of that model, is reaching a maximum space limit.

Dr. Wunder commented on proposed AB 84 legislation working its way through the State Senate that will work against schools like Connect and RISE. It's an area where some bad actors have taken advantage of the system. Ms. Heimov inquired if there has been any outreach to the Board of Supervisors, who have lobbying influence for L.A. County.

Ms. Rodriguez gave the updates for Mr. Bravo.

Delay in setting up an appointment with DSA regarding backchecks for the cafe. A new appointment has been requested for the second week of July. If all goes well with the appointment, the construction bid process will begin.

Similar to the Kitchen, a DSA appointment has been requested for the second week of July. The current cost estimate will be reviewed for any changes upon return of the backcheck from DSA.

The Connect TK-8 and baseball field project is in Phase 2A (Field) and 2B (Hardscape), both of which have a completion date of July 31. The field is being built out and irrigation is being installed to maintain the sod. The sod requires a 90-day establishment period for the sod to take hold. If the timing holds, the field will be available around the start of November, 2025.

Facilities use rate increases are proposed for several of the spaces available for rent, including the parking lot and West Plaza. Mr. Bravo and the team are working with Facilitron to finalize the rates and collaborating with Wiseburn for new rates for the WDV Soccer field at the 201 campus.

Closed session entered at 8:06 pm.

9:04 pm

Mr. Santiago reported that no action was taken in closed session.

Mr. Santiago read the oral summary of the salary and fringe benefits for Matthew Wunder.