Ms. Samantha Barnes introduced herself, and said that she is applying for the open Board of Trustees seat.
The applications are due by August 5, 2019.

Dr. Wunder introduced Mr. David Herjeczki, the Gensler architect who is spearheading the Kitchen/Grab & Go Cafe.  Dr. Brann welcomed Mr. Herjeczki, saying that he and his colleague, Nathan Kim, are inspirations for Da Vinci students.  Dr. Brann mentioned the PLTW summer camps for STEM educators from across the country that were held at the 201 N. Douglas Street campus, saying that Mr. Herjeczki and Gensler's work has been seen by people from all over the nation. 

Mr. Herjeczki presented the build out plans for the kitchen, servery, and Grab & Go cafe, including seating areas.  Originally, the kitchen, servery, and coffee bar were part of the design work done in 2015, but were put on hold.  The old plans were reevaluated by Gensler, food service company Chartwells, and Da Vinci staff.  Restrooms accessed via the plaza yard are included in the plans, because due to health department regulations, the hallway behind the kitchen/servery would be turned into a true service hallway, cutting off student access there.  Alternative student restrooms opening onto the plaza would be convenient for students, and allow the ability to lock the building and still have restroom access.

Brief discussion on funding sources ensued.  Dr. Wunder requested the Board allow for a little more time for the CEO and CFO and his team to discuss the funding. 

Dr. Wunder introduced Mr. Benjamin Trask and Ms. Marla Zaslansky, who led the Sandbox presentation.  The intent of the Sandbox is to afford a space for sharing Da Vinci's innovative ideas in education, and afford a little rental revenue.  Ms. Zaslansky spoke, saying that she is a member of the Da Vinci Board of Regents, was President of the Manhattan Beach Education Foundation, and produces TedX Manhattan Beach.

Ben Trask is a consultant and former Vice President of IT and e-commerce at Warner Music Group.

The Sandbox Design and planning team is made up of Ms. Zaslansky, Mr. Trask, Mr. Herjeczki and Ms. Megan Wagner of Gensler, Mr. Bob Tarnofsky of Continental Development Corp., Mr. Allan Mackenzie of Mar Ventures, and Dr. Matthew Wunder, Ms. Natasha Morrison, Ms. Megan Martin, Ms. Carla Levenson, and Mr. Vicente Bravo of Da Vinci Schools.

The Sandbox is envisioned as an education accelerator where a stakeholders come together for connection, collaboration, and idea-sharing to create solutions for education.

Potential participants are K-12 and higher education thought leaders, industry partners & experts, foundations, content developers, workforce development & training partners, professional development providers, community, government, social entrepreneurs, etc.

Mr. Trask said that other accelerators in the country exist, mostly in higher education at colleges and universities, but are not as inclusive as the Da Vinci Sandbox vision.  Higher education accelerators are usually driven by the host's needs, where the Da Vinci Sandbox would be driven by the members. 

Opportunities for students and programs would be brought into the building.  Members would be invited to become mentors, and would enjoy strong social capital by participating and working with Da Vinci students and teachers.  

Mr. Trask spoke of safety being the foremost operational concern since the start of the design process.  All members would be required to be vetted by Live Scan (or similar systems).  The kitchen construction and plaza access restrooms would create physical separation of children from adults, the existing Da Vinci front desk Raptor scan, and having Sandbox staff posted inside the doors would provide layers of safety.

Operations overview:  membership management and reservations systems software would be researched.  Two new staff positions as well as interns, will support the community and space.  These staff will also support Institute and Real World Learning. 

Sandbox participants will be curated.  They must demonstrate that they will make a significant impact by providing resources to the "infrastructure" to the DV schools and to other members.  A selection and screening team would confirm that the member shares a common goal with either Da Vinci or the membership.

Revenue will be generated by memberships, anchor tenant facility rental, sponsorships, curriculum development, events, workshops, conferences, etc.  Revenue and expenses will go through the Da Vinci Schools Fund.

Some Numbers:
Capital build = $2.4M
Additional start up costs = $550K
Ongoing costs = $250K/year (for salaries, pass-through costs, marketing, etc.) 
Revenue & profit sharing (from curriculum development/licensing, professional development program, content distribution partnerships)
No government funds would be used.

Mr. Herjeczki presented visuals on the Sandbox.
A brief was developed with the team of Ms. Zaslansky, Mr. Trask, Dr. Wunder, and other Da Vinci Institute, Real World Learning staff, etc.
The 8,200 sq. foot space includes a welcome/check-in/support center, an open flexible work space, adaptable conference rooms (that convert to classrooms or presentation/event spaces), flexible smaller meeting rooms, a printer/copier room, and a kitchenette/vending area.

The look of the space is contemporary, warm, welcoming, hosted by Da Vinci but not the same as Da Vinci.  
A living room-type area just inside the doors would offer space for quick presentations, or tour debriefing, etc.
The reception area would lead into the work area with potential rentable work stations.  Some features are lockers, write-on walls, and collaborative spaces.

Potential anchor tenants:  Southern New Hampshire University, Alder Graduate School of Education, Millennium Space Systems, El Camino College, Project Lead The Way, LRNG, etc.

Timeline:  The Phase 1 schematic/big idea design is complete.  Phase 2 construction documents = 6 weeks.  DSA Intake and review = 18 weeks.  Bidding = 4 weeks. Construction = 18 weeks (assumed).

Ms. Morgan asked about parking demand, and Dr. Wunder and Mr. Bravo responded that the current parking lot is adequate if all events are coordinated.  Approximately 75-100 spaces are available throughout the day.  Ms. Levenson, Mr. Trask, and Ms. Zaslansky have done extensive research, speaking to internal Da Vinci and external stakeholders.  Dr. Brann spoke with appreciation of that research.

Mr. Brown asked about the end goals for the space.  He inquired about the product that the Sandbox members would be able to contribute to Da Vinci Schools.  Dr. Wunder responded that bringing mentors and internships to the schools, and having the members in closer proximity to the Da Vinci educators and students would be the key goals.  Dr. Brann asked Dr. Wunder to share any written literature and research with the Board.  

Mr. Brown asked about the costs and whether or not the employees of the Sandbox would be driving the program. Mr. Trask answered that the employees would offload the work from the Da Vinci employees. Ms. Zaslansky responded that the Sandbox would be run as a business, so that any use of Da Vinci resources would be charged back to the member.

Further discussion on costs ensued.  Mr. Brown asked about prioritizing funding for the different projects.  Dr. Wunder stated that the Del Aire campus completion is the first priority.  Mr. Bañuelos asked Mr. Herjeczki about infrastructure such as alarm and fire systems in the Sandbox.  Mr. Herjeczki responded that the Sandbox was originally meant to be occupied, so that the infrastructure already exists.  Mr. Bañuelos also asked about the furniture costs and requested a comprehensive budget. Dr. Brann agreed that the Board should discuss funding priorities and sources.

Dr. Brann spoke about the open Board seat.  The application deadline is August 5.  Dr. Brann has narrowed down the list of applicants, but offered the other Board members the opportunity to review all of the applications and give their comments.

On August 13 and 14, Dr. Brann will conduct review sessions with the assistance of Ms. Levenson.  Ms. Morgan is available to assist on August 13.  Mr. Bañuelos and Mr. Brown will not be in the country on 8/13 or 14, but will review the applications and give Dr. Brann their comments.  

Dr. Brann stated that all Board members will be sent all applications for their review, along with Dr. Brann's recommendations, so that they will have the opportunity to give thoughts and comments.

Mr. Meath thanked Dr. Brann for his leadership on the search.

Dr. Brann hopes to be able to present the new candidate for approval at the next Board meeting on August 22, after which the Wiseburn Board will put the candidate up for approval at their meeting.

Dr. Wunder introduced Ms. Veronica Rodriguez, new Da Vinci Design principal.  The Board welcomed Ms. Rodriguez.
Dr. Wunder added that Mr. Russell Stoll, who was the acting Assistant Principal, is the new Assistant Principal at Da Vinci Design.  Dr. Wunder also commented that former principal Kate Parsons has been supporting Ms. Rodriguez to ensure a smooth transition.

Dr. Wunder spoke of the Board Retreat on August 8.  All the Board members have appointments to speak with Mr. Richard Greenberg on the Board's goals for the retreat.
 

Mr. Bravo stated that the three bungalows have been delivered to the Del Aire site.  Staff have been clearing the classrooms of excess furniture and technology.  

Del Aire community residents will be notified of construction in advance.

If all goes well, Connect will be able to move in by start of second semester (January).  The work must be done correctly to avoid unnecessary rectifications.  Alarm and fire systems have already been checked, and plumbing is being checked.

Mr. Bravo spoke of the possibility of practice space in the gym being marketed to the NBA, WNBA as a revenue stream.

Brief discussion on the Da Vinci Extension site move ensued.  Mr. Bravo responded that everything is on schedule.  Spaces in the parking structure will be reserved for students and staff.  Visitors will park in a separate area.  DVX has not had very many students driving themselves; most are dropped off or use public transportation.

Mr. Bañuelos commented on the Wiseburn Board having put the soccer field on hold, due to liability clauses in the contract that legal counsel recommended against.   

Mr. Mayotte presented the May Financials.  
Currently, Da Vinci is outperforming last year's budget. 
Mr. Mayotte compared financial performance among all the Da Vinci Schools.
Da Vinci Science will break-even if all costs other than salaries are controlled.
Da Vinci Extension, a program, is supported by all the high schools.
Da Vinci Communications is projecting to have a loss due to year-end special education costs and the fact that it is not yet fully enrolled (this will occur in the 2020-21 school year).  It does receive all the ADA from Futures students (Special Education moderate-severe needs students), but the cost of the Futures program is spread across all the DV schools.  Dr. Wunder added that the decision was made to spend on behalf of the Communications students rather than fund a reserve.
Science and Communications are both in El Dorado Charter SELPA, and so have more revenue than Design, which is in the Southwest SELPA, and is supporting all LACOE students.
Design is receiving no subsidy from the other high schools for being in the SELPA that funds less, and for taking on SPED costs.

Before shared costs (IT, custodial, athletics, etc.), DVX has a positive net income although it is producing a net loss, because it is too small.
Non-Payroll costs must fall:  payroll and benefits are increasing across the organizations.  By maturity, certificated salaries are projected to increase 48% (the state high school average is 42).  Mr. Brown asked about the number of professional development days.  Dr. Wunder explained that Da Vinci teachers work more days (198; state average is 186).  Da Vinci teachers teach 4 classes, but get paid for a fifth.  This equals about 20% more staffing but is key to retaining the teaching staff.

Mr. Mayotte spoke of discretionary spending, saying that payroll and benefits are forcing the reduction of discretionary spending (i.e., stipends, supplies not including lunch program, PD and meeting food, field trips, instructional aides, substitutes, student transportation, equipment leasing, and consultants).  The focus would be on reducing stipends, instructional aides, substitute costs, and consultants by $1M.

Goals for 2019-20:  improve general ledger coding, including better LCAP tracking; implement SMAA; implement LEA (to provide additional $30-50K revenue per year); implement the revenue tracking features of Blackbaud.

Dr. Hawn commented on the Commission on Teacher Credentialing Waiver request, saying that a public notice was required, but that a letter stating that the Board had approved the waiver request was also required, and thus this item was also placed on the consent agenda for this meeting.  Da Vinci Schools has a teacher in a Masters program who qualifies to be a speech language pathologist under the waiver.

Dr. Ring added that this is not uncommon.  Wiseburn Unified School District retained an employee under the same waiver last year.  Having an employee hired under the waiver prevents the school from having to hire through an agency at greater expense.

Closed Session entered at 8:18 p.m.

Open session resumed at 9:33 p.m.
Dr. Brann reported that no action was taken.