Da Vinci Schools
Minutes
Da Vinci Schools Board Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday February 24, 2021 at 6:00 PM
Da Vinci Schools ("DV") welcomes your participation at its Board meetings. The purpose of a public meeting of the Board of Directors ("Board") is to conduct the affairs of DV in public. Your participation assures us of continuing community interest in our schools. To assist you in speaking/participating in our meetings, the following guidelines are provided:
- Teleconferencing will be conducted through Zoom. Join Zoom meeting at https://zoom.us/j/93495971222, Meeting ID: 934 9597 1222, or dial (669) 900-6833.
- Agendas are available to all audience members on the Da Vinci Schools website at www.davincischools.org.
- Audience members who wish may speak on any agenda items or under the general category of "Public Comments," which is time set aside for members of the audience to raise issues not specifically on the agenda. However, due to public meeting laws, the Board can only listen to your issue, not respond or take action. These presentations are limited to three (3) minutes and total time allotted to non-agenda items will not exceed fifteen (15) minutes. Non-English speakers who use a translator shall have six (6) minutes in which to address the Board.
- The Board may give direction to staff to respond to your concern or you may be offered the option of returning with a citizen-requested item.
- The chair will recognize such individuals who wish to speak on a specific agenda item at the appropriate time. When addressing the Board, speakers are requested to adhere to the time limits set forth, and to not repeat remarks made by those who preceded them.
- Any public records relating to an agenda item for an open session of the Board which are distributed to all, or a majority of all, of the Board members shall be available for public inspection at 201 N. Douglas Street, El Segundo, CA 90245, during Business Office operating hours. Please contact the CEO's office at 310-725-5800.
Trustees Present
B. Meath (remote), D. Boston (remote), J. Morgan (remote), J. Webber (remote), R. Ochoa (remote), R. Santiago (remote)
Trustees Absent
D. Brann
Guests Present
A. Wohlwerth (remote), Aaron Diaz (remote), B. Silvers (remote), C. Levenson (remote), Carisma De Anda (remote), Chiamaka Offokansi (remote), Christian Salinas (remote), Daniela Torres (remote), E. D'Souza (remote), Emma Enriquez (remote), Franki Johnson (remote), G. Long (remote), Gene Wade (remote), Glenn Noya (remote), J. Hawn (remote), Josh Wilson (remote), Juanita Reynolds (remote), K. Toon (remote), Leilah Harper (remote), M. Amato (remote), M. Denniston (remote), M. Rainey (remote), M. Ring (remote), M. Wunder (remote), Makayla Wilson (remote), Mathew Silver (remote), Nate Breitling (remote), Neil Goldman (remote), Noah Chan (remote), Pam Baker (remote), S. Ayala (remote), Samuel Renteria (remote), Tania Newman (remote), V. Bravo (remote), V. Rodriguez (remote), Victoria Jackson (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Call the Meeting to Order
J. Morgan called a meeting of the board of trustees of Da Vinci Schools to order on Wednesday Feb 24, 2021 at 6:04 PM.
B.
Record Attendance and Guests
C.
Approval of Agenda
B. Meath made a motion to approve the agenda as amended.
J. Webber seconded the motion.
Item F. was pulled from the agenda.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
D.
Public Comments
None
II. Discussion
A.
Honors Pathway
Dr. Wunder introduced the Dr. Gene Wade and Honors Pathway, which is does work similar to Da Vinci Extension on a larger scale, partnering with multiple colleges, and 130 high schools in California and about 6 in New York.
Dr. Nate Breitling and Dr. Juanita Reynolds spoke of the issue of college readiness, access, cost, and completion. Honors Pathway operates MicroCollege programs where students complete transferable college courses in small cohorts with support, at no cost to students. The program is not dual-enrollment, but a college extension program taught by college faculty with a mastery-based framework. The program runs from July through June; students take college classes, attend mandatory study hall, and have academic and non-academic supports. There are 33 students per cohort, and an 11:1 student to advisor ratio.
MicroCollege students attend in person (COVID aside). Further discussion on MicroCollege's physical reach and ramifications of the pandemic ensued. Dr. Webber spoke of a group called Intern X that connects industry internships and disadvantaged students, and the DEI work on which STEMConnector is focusing.
III. Special Board Action: Approval and Installation of New Student Board Members
A.
Installation of New Student Board Members
Dr. Wunder administered, and Franki Johnson and Aaron Diaz took the oath of office.
B.
Approve Two New Student Board Members
J. Morgan made a motion to approve.
D. Boston seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
IV. Information
A.
From the Board
Mr. Boston congratulated Mr. Ray Santiago on being awarded the 2021 Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) Award for Outstanding Achievement, recognized as a Modern Day Technology Leader.
Ms. Morgan acknowledged the huge amount of work that has been and continues to be done after a year of COVID-19.
B.
From the CEO
None
C.
Presentation: Return to School Data Collection Process and Timeline
Drs. Wunder and Hawn shared the following timeline and process, reminding the board of the rapidly changing variables that affect the situation.
2/25 Staff Town Hall
2/26 Staff Survey
2/26 - 3/10 - Staffing Planning Process
3/2 - Family Town Hall
3/10 - Staff presentations to the Board on input from families
3/12 - Staff planning PD Day - finalizing plans
4/12 - Launch Return Plan
Each school site will survey students as well, and will create a plan. The Staff and Family Town Halls will be recorded and pushed out to staff and families, respectively. Brief discussion on vaccinations ensued.
D.
Student Board Member Update
Ms De Anda shared that she, the student board members, the principals and Drs. Wunder and Hawn have been collaborating on the best ways to share the student updates.
Leilah Harper, Aaron Diaz, Franki Johnson, Mathew Silver, Makayla Wilson, and Emma Enriquez presented the updates. Da Vinci Design has mandatory multicultural classes. Da Vinci Science surveyed students on how well the school maintained student culture. Connect is focusing on student engagement through study groups and school-hosted events. Communications also surveyed students about school culture; students value collaboration, accountability, and activities like Spirit Week.
Ms. Morgan thanked the student board members.
E.
Financial Update
Mr. Amato shared that the Second Interim Financial report (including the January YTD and updated current year and multi-year projections) will be presented for approval at the next board meeting. The 2019-20 Financial Audit will also be presented then.
The second stimulus package (ESSER II) should provide about $994K in funds, and will be spread fairly evenly among Da Vinci schools, as opposed to the previous round which focused on classroom-based schools, and therefore did not provide much for Connect. The first round of funds were not included in Mr. Amato's projections for this year, but will be added going forward.
Mr. Boston inquired about California potentially paying schools for reopening; Mr. Amato shared that the payments are proposed, but not approved. Mr. Denniston added that the Governor's proposal was different from the State Legislature's proposal (tied to a reopening date of April 15). Agreement has not been reached.
F.
Operations Update
Athletics:
Mr. Bravo shared that the state Department of Public Health guidelines were revised to allow return to play once the Adjusted Case Rate is 14 or less per 100,000. He is now seeking an Athletic Director, Swim Coach, and Boys Soccer Coach. The athletics teams will become part of one of three South Bay Athletic Association (SBAA) leagues: Bay, Ocean, or Pioneer, in late March.
Safety Team:
Mr. Glenn Noya, Lead Safety Officer, spoke of the team's work patrolling the 201 N. Douglas, Isis, and RISE Hawthorne campuses. The team also conducts wellness checks on students at the request of counselors and administrators. The team visits students at home to inquire about their needs (technology, etc.) and help to resolve them. The team also assists with the meal program, with student supply distributions, graduation, and administering COVID-19 protocols.
Indoor Air Quality:
Mr. Bravo spoke about the importance of indoor air quality. He then introduced Mr. Josh Wilson of Micron Disinfection, which is a local company with which Da Vinci Schools has contracted since April 2020. The company is now focusing on indoor air filtration and a long-term program to improve air quality.
G.
Presentation: Update on Teacher Credentialing Laws
Dr. Hawn spoke about AB 1505, which changed teacher credential requirements for charter schools. Previously, charter schools had more latitude in hiring instructors. Charter school educators are now required to hold the appropriate credential authorization for their teaching assignment (enacted in October 2019, too late to make any changes for the 2019-20 year).
Credentials are either Multiple Subject, Single Subject, CTE, or Special Education (types), and either Preliminary or Clear (term). Authorizations for EL or SpEd may also be additionally required.
Most credential exceptions/errors at Da Vinci were based on seminars (for which Da Vinci brought in industry professionals), teachers who came from out-of-state (from Teach For America), Career Technical Education (CTE) classes, where some teachers' credentials are in-progress, and master scheduling issues. Collaboration between authorizer, principals, course reporting systems, and data will fix the errors. The State is aware that charter schools were not previously held to the requirements, and Da Vinci has five years to correct the issue.
V. Approval of Minutes
A.
Approval of Minutes of the January 20, 2021 Regular Da Vinci Schools Board Meeting
B. Meath made a motion to approve the minutes from Da Vinci Schools Board Meeting on 01-20-21.
J. Morgan seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
VI. Consent Agenda
A.
Accept Payment Register - January 2021
B. Meath made a motion to accept the Payment Register - January 2021.
J. Webber seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
B.
Approve the Comprehensive School Safety Plans for Da Vinci Connect, Communications, Design, and Science
B. Meath made a motion to approve the Comprehensive School Safety Plans for Da Vinci Connect, Communications, Design, and Science.
J. Webber seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
C.
Approve MOU between Da Vinci Schools and Cal State Los Angeles for PPS-CWA and MFT Fieldwork
B. Meath made a motion to approve the MOU between Da Vinci Schools and Cal State Los Angeles for PPS-CWA and MFT Fieldwork.
J. Webber seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
D.
Approve MOU between Da Vinci Schools and USC Rossier School of Education
B. Meath made a motion to approve the MOU between Da Vinci Schools and USC Rossier School of Education.
J. Webber seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
E.
Approve Updated Uniform Complaint Policy and Procedures
B. Meath made a motion to approve the Updated Uniform Complaint Policy and Procedures.
J. Morgan seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
F.
Approve Lease Agreement for 121 N. Douglas Street, El Segundo
Item pulled from the agenda by Dr. Wunder.
VII. Closed Session
A.
Conference with Legal Counsel
Closed session entered at 8:02 p.m.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Reconvene for Public Session & Closed Session Reporting
The Board reconvened for Public Session at 9:00 p.m.
Ms. Morgan reported that the Board took no action.
B.
Adjourn Meeting
R. Santiago made a motion to adjourn.
J. Morgan seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| B. Meath |
Aye
|
| J. Morgan |
Aye
|
| R. Ochoa |
Aye
|
| D. Boston |
Aye
|
| J. Webber |
Aye
|
| R. Santiago |
Aye
|
| D. Brann |
Absent
|
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
A. Wohlwerth