Item previously approved at the Special Board meeting held just prior to the Regular meeting.

None

Dr. Brann shared that Ms. Jennifer Morgan, who resigned from the Board, had been both Vice President and Secretary.  He nominated Dr. Jo Webber for Vice President and Mr. Raul Ochoa as Secretary of the Board of Trustees.

Mr. Boston welcomed everyone and expressed his thanks to all the administrators and staff for all the work they've done over the summer to launch the new school year.

Dr. Brann shared that after 14 years, he is very proud of the impact Da Vinci has and will continue to have on students and families.

Dr. Webber commented that this summer has been one of the hardest for staff due to the large amount of recruitment needed. She shared that from what she has seen, the new and experienced staff have gelled well, and students are eager to get back to school.

Mr. Santiago shared that it has been difficult to get the Arts & Athletics working group together during the summer, but that he will reach out to Wiseburn trustees Nelson Martinez and Rebecca Hamburg-Cappy and coordinate a meeting with him and Mr. Ochoa.

Mr. Meath shared that the Finance and Facilities working group and the Governance working group met in August.  The Finance group went over a list of expenditures that the Wiseburn trustees shared and discussed funding models and whether or not they should be changed, as well as naming rights, responsibilities and approvals. The group will meet again in early October. Dr. Webber shared that the work Joanne Kaneda and Roger Banuelos did to compile the history of various documents and models and allow for input was very helpful. Both Mr. Meath and Dr. Webber look forward to continued work with Ms. Kaneda and Mr. Banuelos.

The Governance group of Mr. Meath, Mr. Boston, Mr. Goldman and Mr. Banuelos discussed the Magna Carta and Facilities Use Agreement, which were created before the current facilities existed. Conversations around the challenges of the unique oversight model, delegating authority, and updating the key documents are ongoing. The Governance working group, like the Finance and Facilities group, will meet in early October.

Dr. Wunder shared that this has been a very smooth school opening.  He noted that Da Vinci enrolled the schools as it has in the past, and the classes may be currently overenrolled but will settle out soon. He thanked Ms. Carla Levenson, Ms. Fabiola Martin, and the enrollment team.

He also shared his thanks to Dr. Hawn for her work in meeting staffing challenges of the Great Resignation.

Dr. Wunder noted that Da Vinci is an incubator of school models, and communication and collaboration between our schools are vital. Happily, through the work of Mr. Steve Wallis, the information sharing among the schools has already increased.

Dr. Wunder commented that Da Vinci RISE contributes greatly to the broader educational community with its particular focus on social justice, restorative practices, socio-emotional learning, and competency-based independent study. Dr. Wunder is grateful to Dr. Brenda Thames, El Camino College President, who is working with RISE to provide another site for RISE High on the El Camino campus to support historically disadvantaged youths. She and her team are also working with Da Vinci to increase dual enrollment opportunities.  RISE is opening up opportunities for all of Da Vinci Schools by increasing the exposure to various educational entities and institutions like El Camino College, UCLA, New Schools Venture Fund, the Charter School Growth Fund, etc.

On a last note, he mentioned that Da Vinci has made it to the next round for a grant of $500K from the W.M. Keck Foundation for the CTE Studio project.

Dr. Hawn shared information on the demographics and retention data for Da Vinci Schools' certificated staff.  

Brief discussion on comparative data with other school districts ensued. Most districts are reluctant to share staffing data, although anecdotally, Dr. Hawn finds that every district is seeking Special Education teachers.

She went on to share hiring practices across the administrators, teachers, and staff reflective of student diversity at Da Vinci.

Mr. Boston asked if exit interviews are conducted and data collected. Dr. Hawn shared that it is typically the administrator conducting the interview, and there have been discussion on hiring a neutral consultant to conduct the interviews to garner more data.

Mr. Ochoa inquired if Da Vinci has seen any "quiet quitting." Dr. Wunder shared that it is more common to have to ask Da Vinci staff to not work so hard and to take some time for themselves.

Dr. Wunder also noted that Dr. Hawn is starting a Wellness Team to increase staff self care.

Dr. Brann commented on the increasingly diverse hiring practices, and thanked Dr. Hawn.

Ms. Levenson shared that the community outreach that Da Vinci Schools conducts, including Robotics, Graphic Design, and Leadership summer camps, Rock Around the Block participation, CARnival, and Society of Women Engineer events.

A community newsletter was distributed to Wiseburn homes, and can be seen on the Da Vinci Schools website. 

Enrollment outreach such as a dedicated Wiseburn Resident webpage, regular contact with Dana Middle School counselors and contributions to the Dana newsletters, flyers, school visits, etc.

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook accounts, the Athletics blog are actively maintained, and a social media team, including three media interns, meets weekly.

A Parent/Guardian Advisory Committee was organized to increase Wiseburn parent engagement and establish direct communication with Dr. Wunder. Administrators, board members, and central office staff had access to Basecamp, which was used for project management.

Wiseburn + Da Vinci collaboration has included curriculum articulations, special education, assessment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Dr. Wunder thanked Dr. Allegra Johnson for her work on this.

Mr. Santiago shared that the Da Vinci sports and robotics teams participated in Rock Around the Block, and the Da Vinci girls' softball team participated in a Wiseburn Little League event, which allowed them to share information and excitement about Da Vinci with other outside groups.

Mr. Meath inquired if the newsletter will become quarterly.  Ms. Levenson responded that she is unsure, but can commit to at least an annual newsletter.

Dr. Brann noted that the printed newsletter can maintain the Wiseburn community's connection to Da Vinci over the years. It's an old-school method of connection, but not everyone has social media accounts.

Mr. Meath shared that the Governance working group is discussing additional ways to engage the Wiseburn community.

Dr. Blake Silvers thanked Ms. Levenson for her presentation, saying that it is not often evident how much work goes on behind the scenes on community outreach.

He went on to introduce Dr. Monique Ingram, the District Coordinator of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance.

Dr. Ingram shared that she is beginning her fourth year at Wiseburn. She has been an elementary school counselor/coordinator, and is a licensed marriage and family therapist, who has worked with other school districts and charter schools before coming to Wiseburn Unified. All of her experience has helped to prepare her to work with Wiseburn and Da Vinci.

Her goals are to build partnership, increase communication, and increase visibility with Da Vinci as the two organizations work more closely with each other.

Compliance/Organizational Information that will be reviewed, such as the LCAP, educational program, facilities and operations, governance, personnel, and student services.

Partnership work including administrative collaboration between Dana and Da Vinci principals, math articulation with Dr. Johnson and Da Vinci staff, student STEM competition meetings, and social-emotional learning and mental health.

Mr. Meath inquired about the number of hours that will be spent on Da Vinci oversight and Dr. Ingram's other roles at Wiseburn. Dr. Ingram and Dr. Silvers shared that it is their belief that the compliance is more organization and review of documents and baseline data, and that the partnership efforts and success are the main focus.

Brief discussion on reports and presentations to joint board meetings as the end product ensued.

Mr. Amato shared the unaudited actuals, which will be submitted to Wiseburn. The audit process has already begun and will be completed later in the year. He thanked the business team of Pamela Li, Sara Deulofeu, Maryam Diaab, and Miles Denniston and CSMC for their hard work on the year end close.

Mr. Amato went on to share the current assets, saying that $4MM in receivables have been collected. He expects to collect the full ~$6MM in accounts receivable; the Federal government owes Da Vinci about $1.7 of the remaining $2MM that Mr. Amato is awaiting. Fixed assets of $2.98MM (buildings and improvements, fixtures, construction, etc.) represent cash that has been paid and expenses taken over time.  Deferred revenue of $1.65MM in various funding from the State and other grants will be spent in future years. Mr. Denniston pointed out that the Federal Government, while slow in paying all the money Da Vinci is owed, also has given $`1.6MM of cash early that has not yet been spent.

Mr. Amato went on to share the Profit & Loss sheet, and restricted and unrestricted results, saying that 2022 unrestricted funds total $572K, and projected net reserves of $9.6MM will be used for deferred maintenance, future economic uncertainty (20%), the soccer field project, and undesignated reserves.  

He discussed the Employee Retention Credit program, for which Da Vinci didn't originally qualify. In 2021, the federal government changed the rules for the credit program.  Ms. Pamela Li, Da Vinci's Senior Manager of Finance and Accounting, discovered this and researched the complicated rules. Organizations that were economically hurt during the pandemic can receive a credit based on payroll and other factors. Da Vinci is working with a consultant, legal counsel, the audit firm, and Mr. Meath to conduct due diligence to gain up to $3.7MM. Brief discussion ensued on qualifying based on operational disruption versus gross receipts.

Mr. Meath is hopeful that this is an opportunity of which Da Vinci can avail itself. 

Mr. Amato discussed Ms. Sara Deulofeu's promotion to Senior Operations Administrator, and adding a Senior Accountant to the Business team to help handle the volume of projects and transactions. Ms. Maryam Diaab's work as Grants Manager has been great. The Senior Accountant position has been budgeted, but is now presented for formal approval.

Mr. Meath thanked Mr. Amato's work to close the year's books and conduct compliance work while short staffed.

Mr. Bravo shared that the soccer field soil report has been received - now the soil must be removed.  Mr. Bravo is investigating taking advantage of a FIFA-level turf offer. The DSA process should be quick, as there are no structures on the field.

The first fire drill will be conducted this Friday. The El Segundo Police Department used the 201 N. Douglas campus for their shooter on site training. Mr. Bravo is working with other law enforcement organizations to have them do the same at the other Da Vinci sites.

Safety officers and grounds supervisors have been trained in everything from de-escalation and student interaction to bomb threats.

Athletic director candidate interviewing is going into second rounds; Mr. Bravo anticipates having a new Athletic Director for approval at the next board meeting.

The grab n' go coffee bar is nearing completion, as is the cooling tower project.

CTE Studio is underway; Ms. Nancy Bartolo has been brought on board as project manager.

Brief discussion on the soccer field ensued. 

Mr. Meath would like to table this item while due diligence is being conducted. The consultant will continue to work on the project until Da Vinci is ready.

Item tabled.

Closed session entered at 7:52 p.m.

Public Session was reconvened at 9:09 p.m.

Dr. Brann reported that no action was taken in Closed Session.