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Dr. Brann announced that it is his 70th year in the Wiseburn area, and shared that he and Dr. Wunder helped judge the Youth & Government Bill Hearing Night at Da Vinci Science, and that he is once again bringing visitors to visit the school sites.

Mr. Meath spoke of Wiseburn Board's request to disband the Governance and Finance & Facilities working groups and create a new group in the future. Mr. Santiago added that the Wiseburn board members in the Arts & Athletics group also spoke of convening a new group in the next few weeks.

Dr. Wunder shared that he looks forward to in-person board meetings in March.

Dr. Hawn spoke of Da Vinci's partnerships.  There are 33 students in the new Da Vinci Choir program. Dr. Hawn thanked the Wiseburn partners who helped move the program forward. She also noted that thanks the work of Mr. Vicente Bravo and Dr. Steve Wallis in creating a partnership with the military, Da Vinci can participate in a program that will provide a counselor for Da Vinci's military-connected students at no cost to Da Vinci Schools. 

Dr. Hawn also noted the Service Academy Day being held at Da Vinci Schools on January 28, hosted by Congressman Ted Lieu.

She also shared that Da Vinci higher education partner Southern New Hampshire University visited and thanked Connect Executive Director Michelle Rainey, Connect High School principal and assistant principal Tami Christopher and Robert Anthony, respectively.

Violet Peña-Gomez gave the Science update, speaking of Youth & Government Bill Hearing Night and Sacramento conference; installation of period machines; wearing blue for human trafficking awareness; the beginning of the FRC robotics season; tours for Dana Middle School students; and CEA Honors Field Trip; and "chiseling," which students practice to keep their school and personal lives in balance.

Olivia Griffin gave the Communications update, sharing events such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Spirit Week; an ice skating event at the Toyota Sports Center; and Community Dialogue and Semester Awards.

Amelia Griffin gave the Design report, speaking of Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Dana student tours conducted by Da Vinci students; period machines; and the students' enthusiasm for the new Vocal Choir program.

Milissa Sutton gave the Connect High School update, sharing the college course progress of Connect students; planning for Black History Month; Dana student tours; and Connect High's culture and learning model.

Quinn Schell gave the Connect TK-8 update, speaking of the FAN's Next Annual Rhythm Event, California Distinguished School award, World History Projects, and Persuasive Writing work.

Marcy Kearney, of Christy White Associates, gave the Annual 2021-2022 Fiscal Year Audit Report. The firm gave Da Vinci Schools a clean, Unmodified Opinion, which is the best possible, on the Independent Auditors' Report, as well as on the Financial Reporting, Federal Compliance, and State Compliance reports. She thanked the Da Vinci Schools Business Office and CSMC for their help in making this a smooth audit process.

Mr. Meath thanked Ms. Kearney, Mr. Amato, and Mr. Denniston for their work resulting in the clean audit report.

Mr. Boston inquired about the auditor meeting separately with the board without management, prior to finalizing the audit in order to get a candid assessment. Discussion ensued. Mr. Boston and Mr. Meath clarified that best practice would include the auditor reporting directly to the board going forward.

Mr. Amato shared the November and December financial update, covering the summary balance sheets, and profit & loss statements.

Mr. Amato also shared that Da Vinci has received $1.7M for the first quarter ERC payroll tax credit. Mr. Amato will bring a resolution before the Board to defer those funds until three years have passed and the IRS has audited and possibly adjusted the funding amount. Brief discussion ensued.

Mr. Amato also spoke of the Governor's proposed 2023-24 budget. Overall there is good news for charter schools such as the proposed 8.135% COLA and no deferral plans. However, Mr. Amato does not expect to see future one-time grants as were seen in the past year.

Mr. Denniston shared that the statutory COLA is 8.13%, the highest statutory COLA ever, and the past year's COLA was the result of a 6.56% statutory COLA and an added discretionary COLA.

Mr. Meath inquired if Mr. Denniston is tracking tax receipts in the State compared to last year. Brief discussion ensued.

Mr. Bravo shared that the Fire/Life/Safety inspection for the new space at 550 Continental Blvd. has been scheduled for early February, and if all goes well, Connect could receive a certificate of occupancy was early as February 8.

The soccer field dirt may be moved by a company which needs it, at a savings to Da Vinci.

The cooling tower has passed DSA, and will hopefully be installed during Spring Break in April.

The coffee bar is in the process of hiring staff.

The CTE Studio RFP will go before the Wiseburn Board in mid-February.

The Certified Nursing Program being conducted in the Skybox is going well, and Dr. Green is discussing possible funding for a second cohort with a program company.

Mr. Bravo thanked Waxie, which provided menstrual product dispensers. 

19 new lunch benches were added at the 201 N. Douglas St. campus to alleviate crowding at lunch times.

Mr. Bravo also spoke of the nonviolent crisis intervention training the grounds supervisors and safety officers have taken and implemented. Narcan training is scheduled for February 3, and all sites' front office security has been improved, and critical incident training drills will be held soon. And Mr. Bravo's team is exploring options to help alleviate congestion during pickup and drop off times.

Service Academy Day will be held on Saturday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m., on January 28.

Also coming up are a three-day gymnastics competition in the gym, the FRC L.A. Regionals robotics event, and CARnival event.

Regarding the Involuntary Disenrollment policy up for approval, Da Vinci Schools has resident and non-resident students. There are options to address issues not involving discipline for non-resident students. This is not an expulsion or suspension policy. The policy gives Da Vinci the ability to operate like a regular school district would for permit students, not to treat them differently, but to impose consequences for non-compliance, including for independent study. This policy has been in place for RISE, but not the other Da Vinci sites.  It has not been used at RISE, but it could have been helpful in the past. Due process is built into the policy and procedures.

Parents and students have already been informed about the opioid dangers around Halloween. Now, site administrators, grounds and safety teams and others will be trained to use Narcan, and Narcan will be available at all Da Vinci school sites.

If all goes well, the soccer field will be in place by June.

Mr. Boston raised a question about CAASPP test scores. Dr. Hawn shared that she and the team are preparing a report on data and assessments for the February board meeting. Mr. Boston's questions and concerns are shared by the administration. She offered to talk to Mr. Boston and the team to ensure that his concerns are addressed in the data presentation next month.

Closed session entered at 7:32 p.m.

Public session reconvened at 10:00 p.m.

Dr. Brann reported that the Board took no action in Closed session.

The Board then took a vote on the approval of the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Annual Audit Report.