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Dr. Jennings shared her gratitude to all DV RISE staff in attendance at the TFA annual benefit event.

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RISE 2021-22 Priorities: Data-driven, campus culture, college, and career.

March Data and Demographics Data Update
RISE serves 224 students, 41% of whom are opportunity youth. ADA from 3/7-
4/1 was 55.63% at Richstone, 51.18% at APCH, and 53.19% at New Earth.
School-wide ADA is 53.40%. Mr. Whalen shared a breakdown of the number of
foster youth, probationary youth, housing unstable (which changes weekly), and
parenting youth across the RISE sites.

Student Support Services Update
Mr. Whalen highlighted data pertaining to student support services provided from
January through April from APCH and Richstone.

Partnership and RISE Updates
APCH: Basketball courts are now open. Lunch services are in the main building. In-person after school APCH programming is from 5pm - 6:30pm. Student internships are taking place.

Richstone: RISE and Richstone staff collaborated on Intersession programming and offered a week of World of Work experiences. Hawthorne PD provided CPR & First Aid training and discussed their careers and passions. Kinecta Credit union branch manager and reps taught a financial literacy session. There were two career panels, one with SpaceX employees and the other featuring entrepreneurs, social media content creators, and a financial advisor.

NE: New Earth students were provided Academic Support during intersession. Students engaged in Unstoppable Week, which included an aquarium trip, staff-student kickball, substance-use awareness, yoga, and girl’s group. The New Earth gala is on Sunday, May 1st.

RISE Advocacy and Fundraising
LACOE Board members and staff visited RISE at Richstone. They spent time with students, observed STEM and Humanities courses, and discussed data with Mrs. Lara and Mr. Whalen.

Members of the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, Magic Johnson Foundation, and Gibson Consulting and Solutions also visited RISE at Richstone. They shared their interest in the work RISE is doing regarding trauma-informed practices. These groups are seeking to support RISE through advocacy and possible financial sustainability.

Senator Kamlager sat down with RISE staff and students during a virtual visit. She had a chance to meet staff, discuss RISE’s impact, review data, and join student circle. Senator Kamlager shared her interest in supporting RISE in the future.

Grants currently in progress are the Homeless Initiative HIP grant due April 29th and the California Community Foundation LA Scholars Investment Fund due May 3rd. Letters of Interest for the Parsons Foundation and Ballmer Group are currently in progress.

2022 Spring Intercession
At Richstone, students learned CPR and First Aid from Hawthorne Police Department officers and paramedics. The officers shared how the police departments have focused on increasing their capacity to provide lifesaving aid as first responders. One of the officers shared how he is also an ER Doctor at Torrance Memorial. At APCH, the students were engaged in a scavenger hunt seeking out the works of Basquiat, Warhol, and more at the Broad Museum. Many students displayed their refined speaking and listening skills by leveraging the museum staff to assist them with finding the needed information.

Mr. Whalen asked for support as students approach a heavy testing season. Due to multiple accountability measures, RISE students will need to complete the following assessments before the end of the year: CAASPP, CAST, PFT, and NWEA MAP. This amounts to over 10.5 hours of testing for many students, which is particularly challenging because many students have negative associations with testing. Staff are doing their best to motivate students and are requesting help in seeking incentives and rewards for their hard work.

Mrs. Montes-Rodriguez inquired about school partnerships for next year. Mr. Whalen shared that MOU's are in progress and will be shared with the Board for review and approval. Mrs. Montes-Rodriguez asked about space limitations with increased enrollment and on-site learning. Mr. Whalen shared that space at APCH and NE is not an issue. Staff is seeking creative ways of utilizing space at Richstone. 

Dr. Jennings and Dr. McCullough thanked staff for their amazing work. 

Mr. Amato reviewed the March financial statements starting with the Balance sheet through the end of March. Cash-in-bank is $299,560. The last transfer of the original XQ grant ($693,000) will boost cash for the remainder of the year. Accounts receivable and liabilities are normal. Profit and loss show a large loss, but the incoming transfer of XQ money is revenue that affects total net assets.

Dr. Jennings asked about the timeline of the XQ transfer, and Mr. Amato shared that the money will be coming in at the end of the week.

Mr. Amato reviewed the P&L and noted a surplus of $11,996 in the second interim year-end projection. RISE is on track to come in at the $11,996 surplus. The bottom line net income through March shows a large loss, but with the XQ revenue in April, net income will balance out.

Mr. Taylor inquired about the about projected revenues and liabilities for the 22-23SY. Mr. Amato shared that the budget will be presented at the June Board meeting. Mr. Amato stated that with the new funding from XQ, Ballmer, and other areas of new funding, RISE will continue next year with the current model of 3 sites. Fiscally, next school year looks similar to this year with a financially stable model, and healthy reserves of around $900,000. Mr. Taylor clarified that given the influx of funding from XQ and Ballmer, it can be expected that at year-end next year to be at a small surplus with our reserves at what they are now baring any extraordinary circumstances. Mr. Amato agreed.

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