None

Ms. Heimov acknowledged the community members who spoke in support of RISE High and its students at the Wiseburn Unified School District Board meeting.

Dr. Webber wished all the graduating students well during this most exciting time of the school year.

Mr. Santiago commented that he had gone to the British Consulate in support of Da Vinci Design students who had joined a program called "Diplomat for a Day." The students had the opportunity to speak with about 10 or 12 diplomats from other countries. Mr. Santiago received many complimentary comments about the Da Vinci students, and he looks forward to helping support the program in future years.

Dr. Webber thanked Mr. Santiago for his participation in the program, saying it was a great opportunity for the students to view diplomatic life up close.

Ms. Schaefer shared that she attended the Design Freshman Awards ceremony earlier in the week. She appreciated the counseling staff's focus on the students' identifying their strengths as they are developing.

Dr. Wunder thanked the trustees for supporting the graduation ceremonies, and for their support of all students throughout the year.

Ms. Rodriguez shared that a Spark survey was used for a staff survey this year, which was developed by Charter School Growth Fund with several charter schools. The survey looks at leadership efficacy, individual purpose, basic needs, growth & advancement, relationships & teamwork, and belonging. The survey also measures satisfaction, feeling successful at work, and intent-to-return. There were 322 participants (about 65.5% of staff) at Da Vinci, which was slightly lower than the Spark Survey average of 70%.

While most scores were high, the growth and advancement category scores were lower. Although the overall Leadership Efficacy score was high compared to other Spark organizations, there is high variability with the organization in that category. Basic Needs is an organizational strength, but only about half of participants feel their workload over the long term is sustainable. When disaggregating data, participants younger than 30 years old scored lowest in multiple categories, specifically Intent to Return.

Ms. Heimov inquired how many other schools were compared, and how many people in total were compared. Ms. Rodriguez will get the Board more information on the total number of organizations and total number of respondents in the survey. Discussion on the numbers of staff, the four-class-periods-and-two-prep-periods model, and costs ensued. Dr. Wunder acknowledged Ms. Rodriguez' work on equitably calibrating staff stipends for extra duty.

Ms. Schaefer thanked Ms. Rodriguez for her presentation and work, saying the survey results are outstanding. She commented that the younger teachers' results on intent-to-return point to mentorship opportunities, and inquired whether or not the sites provide mentor teachers. She noted the costs of changing number of classes taught per teacher and how people do not understand the ramifications of their requests. 

She has heard the Design staff say they are not aware of what the Home Office does. Is there opportunity for more engagement between Home Office and school sites? Ms. Schaefer also noted that budget decisions need context to help the school staff understand them. Dr. Wunder responded that the Home Office staff is working on that as well as on exposing site staff to the Home Office staff. 

Ms. Rodriguez thanked the site leaders for their assistance.

Principal Grace Long presented the update for Da Vinci Science following an introduction by Michelle Rainey. 

Dr. Long shared professional development themes over the years. This year's theme was "Elevate" and the focus was on elevating math achievement by addressing achievement gaps for students of color and socio-economic disadvantage (SED), as well as elevating staff practice through instructional articulation and collaboration.

Student demographics:  169 (~30%) Free & Reduced Lunch students, 9 English Learners, 31 IEP out of 552 total enrollment. The school is fairly diverse; Science students come from 16 different school districts. Teachers executed a professional development exercise where they went to visit several of the farther districts and Wiseburn communities Science students come from, in order to see what the commute was like and understand and serve students and families a bit better.

Starting in 9th grade, student supports include summer prep (9th grade Wolf Pack days, summer bridge, Welcome orientation, overnighter, etc.), intervention hours before school, target support during school, and tutoring during lunch and after school. 

Dr. Long showed Math and Reading MAP scores for the current 12th grade as well as CAASPP scores. CAASPP 3 year patterns by ethnicity and subgroup show discrepancy between math and ELA scores. Patterns inform the staff's goals. Discrepancies in subgroups and patterns led the team to focus on math growth goal of elevating the previous 48% proficiency score to 51%. The students tested at 58% proficiency for Math after interventions were implemented, like emphasizing different applications for math skills, targeting subgroups and making specific percentage goals.

Math interventions use data to put students into intervention seminars. Intervention and credit recovery have been separated, whereas before they were held in the same spaces. ELA interventions include integrating ELA skills into other classes, focusing on increasing Lexile Levels and student motivation, and individual student conferences with teachers.

Reframing testing: Why does this matter to me? Some colleges and universities still use test scores for admissions, and there are other ways the testing benefits students.

Next school year, the team will focus on research-based interventions, refining instruction and curriculum, finding more frequent, universal assessments, increasing conferencing with students to tailor instruction, and balancing project-based learning with assessment readiness.

Science, which was named a California Distinguished School in 2026, has seen an increase in Dual Enrollment opportunities, an increase in IAB/FIAB implementation, and increase in CTE completion rates, has worked with Dr. Lynn Rodriguez on an accommodations matrix for special education, and the first year of the Certified Nursing Assistant course, and increasing CAASPP scores.

Mr. Boston thanked Dr. Long for the update.

Mr. Ochoa inquired if the team aware of studies being done across other schools regarding low math scores. Dr. Long noted that there is a conversation at the UCs about bringing back the SATs. Every state uses a different measure, so comparison is difficult. Ms. Rainey pointed out that there are schools with high math scores that stop instruction for a month for test prep. She notes that there is free professional development that the sites' staff will be taking advantage of. Dr. Long commented that the CAASP cohort varies from year to year, and is only assessed in 11th grade. There are high-achieving schools which have seen growth whose programs Dr. Long seeks to analyze.

Brief discussion on the testing environment and how test practices affect scores ensued. Dr. Wunder noted that Da Vinci seeks the middle - not sole concentration on test prep, but not completely ignoring testing.

Mr. Boston commented that it's important to note that you can prep for the test with lots of tutoring, etc., so while there may always be a gap, there should be a balance. Ms. Rainey noted that a growth mindset is important for both students and teachers. 

Mr. Amato spoke about competing CharterSafe and Marsh McLennan insurance proposals for Da Vinci's account. Ms. Rodriguez (HR), Mr. Bravo (Facilities), and legal counsel looked at elements of each proposal. Mr. Amato analyzed the differences in premiums and deductibles. 

Discussion regarding deductibles and claims ensued. 

Ms. Schaefer commented that she would break down the components for an apples-to-apples comparison. If you gave CharterSafe the higher deductible, they may meet the price. Mr. Amato will give the Board a memo with the results of further conversation with the vendors. 

Mr. Amato then turned to the preliminary 2026-27 budget, which will be affected by the insurance contract, the Governor's May Revise budget, etc. The funding figures are not finalized; the State must approve the Governor's May Revise budget. The Governor's proposal includes a 4.31% COLA increase, a significant increase in Special Education funding, and an increase in discretionary grants. These increases will offset decreases in funding from one-time grants and increases in expenses from salaries, STRS increases, health benefits increases, maintenance, SPED, etc. that total about $1.2M. These are typical increases that Da Vinci faces each year. 

Mr. Amato is anticipating changes in expenses, Mr. Amato will conservatively keep enrollment flat. The enrollment report is currently positive, but enrollment is a moving target over the summer.  

Mr. Bravo noted the health inspector's visit to the cafe today. Art teacher Chris Mason will be installing a mural in the space, and lettering has been ordered, so the cafe will be looking complete soon. 

The baseball field netting has been installed, so that the field can be used.

Graduation ceremonies will be held in the Gym June 10 through 12.

Summer programs begin on Monday, June 15.

Item pulled for further discussion with vendors.

Closed session entered at 9:05 a.m.

Public session reconvened at 10:24 a.m.

Mr. Santiago stated that no action had been taken in Closed Session.