Dr. Blake Silvers thanked Vicente Bravo and his team for their responsiveness with a water leak at the 201 N. Douglas Street, as well as the installation of plexiglas shields in the District office.

Ms. Morgan shared that she and Dr. Brann have been working on filling the vacant board seats.

Ms. Latuner congratulated the team on receiving the NGS? grant funds.

Mr. Meath shared that he and the team working on the Magna Carta and FUA revisions will soon be ready to share the new documents.  He thanked the Wiseburn district.

Mr. Boston echoed Mr. Meath's comments, expressed gratitude for the book , and congratulated the team on the grant.

Dr. Brann spoke about the board vacancies, and thanked Dr. Hawn for her assistance in creating the rubric for assessing the candidates.  He thanked the team working on the Magna Carta and FUA.

Ms. Carla Levenson gave the update, saying that in one month's time, Da Vinci Schools have received 187 new applicants for all grades.  There are over 1,100 on the waitlist for all grades.

She shared current vs. projected enrollment.  
DV Connect high school has enrolled 71 (100 projected) - offers are still being made
DVX has enrolled 96 (100 projected)
Connect TK-8 has enrolled 488 (450 projected)
DVC, DVD, and DVS are over-enrolled, as is the usual practice as historically, there are several students who do not show up on the first day, despite the Enrollment team's best efforts to ensure an accurate count.
DV Remote - has 24 enrolled. Enrollments are paused in light of funding uncertainty.
DV RISE High has 225 enrolled (250 targeted) and is continuing to enroll daily

Ms. Levenson shared new enrollment numbers by district (excluding RISE High).  
RISE, Connect High, and DV Remote are continuing to enroll.
Some students are still completing the enrollment or re-enrollment process.
The team is confirming with the 43 mostly Connect families who have said they are not returning 
Intra-school transfer requests are being completed.
Eligible transfer students in grades 10-12 are being enrolled as space permits.
Rollover from SchoolMint to PowerSchool has been completed, thanks to Gloria White.
Annual Notifications are ready to be sent out.
Ms. Levenson thanked the enrollment team of Fabiola Martin, Gloria White, Irene Canizales, Jacob Diaz, and Christian Navarro.

Dr. Brann commented on the issue with the SB 98 state funding uncertainty and how it will affect enrollment growth.  Mr. Meath thanked Ms. Levenson for her report.

Dr. Brann asked for a Development update in a future meeting from Ms. Levenson.

Ms. Sabrina Ayala gave an update on the In Lieu of Property Tax payments.  She shared that previously, the FY20 ILPT taxes were not paid in state-mandated fashion.  The Da Vinci team worked with the Wiseburn team on an agreement to have the taxes disbursed in state-mandated payment percentages in FY21.  $3.1MM had been paid as of May 30, and $2MM has been paid as scheduled at the end of July 2020.  Mr. Amato thanked Mr. Dave Wilson of the Wiseburn Business Office.

Dr. Wunder noted that in previous years when Wiseburn performed all back office services for Da Vinci, the previous method of ILPT disbursements made sense.  Moving the services in-house and using Charter School Management Corporation made the traditional payment schedule more logical. Dr. Wunder thanked Dr. Silvers and Mr. Wilson for their responsiveness and the ease of implementing the change and Mr. Amato and Ms. Ayala for their leadership.

Mr. Amato thanked the District for their assistance in getting $1.6MM CTEFP grant.  Dr. Wunder thanked Ms. Levenson, who has been working since November 2018 to secure the grants.

Mr. Amato spoke of the FY20 end-of-year financials, which represent the finance team's projections, and shared that the books will officially close by mid-August.  Revenue was higher than had been previously budgeted for due to elements such as higher than expected ADA, and grants from the CTEFP and the Ahmanson and Parsons foundations.

Personnel expenses reflect a high variance, which is offset by services and operating expenses.  Mr. Amato discussed the high revenue to expenses, saying that the CTEFP grant is tied to two categories:  equipment and construction. The equipment that would be covered by the grant may not have been purchased yet, resulting in the revenue without offsetting expenses.  The construction category is similar.
[Mr. Amato's internet connection dropped at this point.]

Mr. Amato went on to say that $860K was received for construction, with 30 years' depreciation, it works out to a $38K expense this year.  The bottom line looks very strong because of the $1.1 MM expense doesn't hit in a single year but rather in 30 years.   A normalized bottom line is $850K.  

Mr. Amato went on to the revised FY21 Budget planning scenario, sharing budget models reflecting the effects of the SB98 hold harmless ADA agreement.  The finance team had planned conservatively based on the the State's initial indication that districts should plan for a 10% budget cut. The State has decided to use a flat revenue model.  Mr. Amato's first model reflects the $82K deficit if Da Vinci does not get paid for enrollment growth. The second model reflects the $1.9MM surplus resulting if Da Vinci gets paid for growth.  None of the scenarios not take into account the NSVF grant, the CARES Act funds forgiveness, or ESSR funds.  

If a $1.9MM surplus is achieved, where could the funds be used?  Mr. Amato reminded the board that Da Vinci salaries were frozen; if increases were paid, it would be a $575K expense.

Dr. Brann commented that with the grants and other revenue, the freeze on step and column increases seems less necessary to him.

Mr. Scott Warner cautioned that the state's decisions on deferrals create issues with cash flow in the second period, as the schools would not see LCFF revenue until possibly November 2021.  He would act very conservatively regarding spending on step and column increases.

Dr. Wunder shared that the government in Sacramento seems to be focused on unemployment benefit increases, rather than school funding.  The issue for schools would be how to prove planned enrollment and manage the chance that the funding would be based on a pre-pandemic cutoff.  If the government makes the decision about the Hold Harmless issue, a Special Board meeting may need to be called. 

Dr. Brann asked Dr Hawn about the date when payroll could avoid retroactive salary payments for Da Vinci staff.  Dr. Hawn responded that although 12-month staff has already received their first payment of the fiscal year, the second week of August is the drop dead deadline for 11-month employees to avoid retroactive payments.  

Ms. Ayala asked about starting increases later in the year to avoid having to issue retroactive payments.  Dr. Brann expressed the importance to him of the step and column salary increases in light of the good revenue news received so far.

Ms. Morgan asked about the models Mr. Amato presented.  
Mr. Amato clarified that there are few expenses that track with LCFF revenue, therefore expenses fluctuate in accordance with revenue fluctuations.
Ms. Morgan then inquired whether or not expenses for cleaning and disinfection if students are brought back to campus have been accounted for in the FY21 budget models.  Mr. Amato verified that the COVID-19 expenses have been planned for.

Mr. Meath commented that he appreciated Dr. Brann's comments, but that he would prefer a little more time to see where the finances go.  He would be amenable to a Special board meeting to decide the issue.  Dr. Brann noted that perhaps the week of August 10 would work for a special meeting.  Mr. Meath added that he is cautiously optimistic but would prefer to hear about the federal government's decisions.

Dr. Wunder noted that after looking at enrollment numbers, it was determined that Da Vinci had under-reported enrollment by about 50 students, which necessitated revising the budget to prove planned growth, and for a special board meeting to approve the revised budget.

Mr. Richard Greenberg gave a brief update on Strategic Planning, recapping the actions of the Vision team on improving and streamlining the mission, vision and values statements at the Board's request. There is a plan to now involve all stakeholder voices and input this feedback loop process.

Mr. Greenberg also spoke of the new Decision-making and Communication audit project, saying that in every organization's life, the decision-making process and practices need to be reviewed. Challenges include lack of clarity about accountability and responsibility and who should be involved; increased risks that some decisions will be delayed or fall through the cracks; potential disagreements about decision control and authority. This project will run from September through November 2020.

The project will ask the following types of questions:
What is the optimum decision-making model regarding individual site autonomy and CMO authority? 
How will decisions be made?
What are some example processes?

The outcome will include a report clarifying the decision-making process and authority in partnership with all stakeholders.

Dr. Brann thanked Mr. Greenberg and reminded everyone of the fact that two new members of the board will be brought on soon and should be included in the process.

Dr. Wunder commented that he has attended faculty meetings at the various school sites and has been asked more than once about the site staff being included in the decision-making process, which has led to this project.

Ms. Morgan noted that it is critical that the board be aligned with the staff in decision-making, and the project would help the board guide the CEO to achieve the desired outcomes.  Mr. Greenberg offered to help the board if they wished.

Mr. Meath commented that Mr. Greenberg had done outstanding work with the board last summer, and he looks forward to working with him again.

Mr. Boston concurred that he looks forward to working with Mr. Greenberg.
Dr. Brann directed Dr. Wunder to calendar a workshop for the Board to work with Mr. Greenberg on this project.

Combined with Mr. Greenberg's previous presentation.

Mr. Bravo spoke about the burst pipe at the 201 N. Douglas campus. The plumber brought in commented that it was a fluke.  The eight other similar pipes will be carefully monitored.  Mr. Bravo thanked Ms. Cathy Waller for taking the initiative and quickly notifying the maintenance staff of the issue.  None of the equipment on the first floor was affected, although some classroom furniture was damaged.

Mr. Bravo spoke of the changes to the facilities rental agreement, mainly the rental fees, and some additional areas for rent.  

Regarding safety, since the students will be in remote learning at the beginning of school, Mr. Bravo's team has more time to plan.  Mr. Bravo showed the board images of floor decals for social distancing, movable plexiglas barriers being assessed for additional protection for the staff, portable screens, masks for staff and students, and tents and canopies.  Tents and canopies must be ADA compliant.  The 20 'x 40' tents are $3,800 each and can hold up to 16 socially-distanced students.  They would be used at the Connect and 201 campuses.

Mr. Bravo went on to talk about HVAC and COVID-19.  Filtration systems and UV lights, plus ventilation are key.  Outdoor classes would be necessary.  Furniture needs would be minimal.  HEPA air purifiers - the 201 building has 100% circulation - air comes in, and goes out without being recirculated.  In the other sites, HEPA filters could be used at Connect and RISE Hawthorne.  Mr. Bravo's team would also work with the APCH and New Earth partners for the RISE sites.

Guidelines for staff are being worked on by Emily Green, Matt Wunder, and Vicente Bravo.  

Dependent on the ability to safely return, CIF athletics will have two seasons, Fall and Spring.  Fall sports will be Girls' and Boys' Volleyball and Cross Country.   Mr. Bravo and the coaches are considering conditioning programs from UCLA which can be done on Zoom (and would require purchasing equipment such as resistance bands).

Headphones with mics are being ordered for every student not just remote learning but also testing.  Hotspots have been ordered and received for the less than 2% of students need wi-fi access.

Ms. Morgan inquired about the possibility of having teachers and staff on campus. Schools are now designated essential workplaces.
Dr. Wunder thanked Mr. Bravo, and reminded everyone that the board has yet to decide when the staff are coming back to campuses.  

Dr. Ring commented that the CDPH is expected to send out recommendations the following day.

Ms. Morgan inquired whether or not the fee amount ($28K) is reasonable compared to the previous contract with Mr. Greenberg.  Dr. Wunder commented that Mr. Greenberg's hourly rate has not changed. Dr. Wunder will clarify with Mr. Greenberg.

Mr. Meath noted that he is comfortable with the contract.  His expectation would be that the fee for this type of service is in this range.

Ms. Latuner inquired about the page 65 fee schedule.  Dr. Wunder and Mr. Bravo clarified that the items in question were removed since they are not available.

Ms. Morgan asked about the Connect High School handbook.  Dr. Wunder shared that given the pandemic, the handbooks will be more like living documents.  In the future, there may be other policies that will need to be incorporated into the handbooks.

Dr. Wunder commented that policies that are not absolutely correct can weaken the ability to enforce them.  Legal counsel soft edited the policy.  The policy may be brought back to the board for a future revision. Dr. Wunder asked the board to approve the policy subject to the committee's review of the modest modifications.

Entered at 8:13 p.m.

Reconvened at 9:10 p.m.
Dr. Brann reported no action was taken.