Robert Wong made a public comment regarding his daughter's experiences with the robotics team's 2023-24 student leadership selection process. He inquired why he had not received a response from the Board regarding his previous request.

Ms. Heimov nominated Mr. Ray Santiago for the board vice president office.

Dr. Webber seconded the nomination.

The vote was suspended to allow Mr. Boston and Mr. Meath to arrive.

Ms. Heimov thanked the administration for its communication to the Da Vinci community acknowledging the conflicts happening across the globe.

Dr. Webber noted the student enthusiasm for the cross-site dance that had just occurred, thanking the staff for their work in producing it. Mr. Bravo noted that the event was planned by Da Vinci Design and Connect High School.

Mr. Boston shared that a few weeks ago, Da Vinci hosted the So Cal Showdown robotics tournament. The Da Vinci Vitruvian Bots team did very well. Mr. Boston thanked everyone involved in making the tournament a success, including the mentors, who give countless unpaid hours of service. He also thanked Mr. Bravo and his team for their work in producing the event. He would like to see banners in the schools commemorating the efforts of other teams like robotics, youth & government, and music, similar to athletic teams.

Dr. Wunder thanked the trustees for volunteering their time on the Board, and for their leadership. He stated that whenever there is a complaint from a staff member, student, or parent, Da Vinci takes that complaint seriously and encourages stakeholders to bring issues forward. He commended Ms. Veronica Rodriguez and Mr. Vicente Bravo for the inordinate amount of time and effort they take regarding these issues. Da Vinci doesn't sweep things under the rug, but takes the time to investigate properly, often obtaining legal counsel to ensure that matters are handled appropriately. Due to the strict confidentiality of these matters, we cannot respond to complaints shared in public.

He also thanked the staff and students presenting at the meeting, because there is so much work done in preparation for the presentations.

Ms. Rodriguez spoke about the Wellness Committee composed of representatives from each site and the Central Office, and the staff survey which reflects a desire for staff cross-site wellness clubs and social activities and asynchronous learning opportunities throughout the year. 

She also noted that differentiated PD (professional development) for new and veteran teachers would also be explored. She will bring a plan to the Board by March 2024.
 

Ms. Heimov inquired about the statistics around staff longevity, which Ms. Rodriguez said she would be happy to provide.

Milissa Sutton (Connect HS) and Olivia Griffin (DVC), Student Board Coordinators, opened the presentation. 

Devin Ponciano presented the DVS update, speaking about Student Led Conference (SLC) week, the robotics SoCal Showdown, Hispanic Heritage Community Dialogue, the Phantom Formal dance, SAT/PSAT/MAP testing, and college visits to UCI, UCLA, Cal Poly SLO, CSULB, and Cal Poly Pomona.

Okiki Ogunnaike presented the DVC update, commenting on SLCs, college visits to the University of La Verne. Occidental College, UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, and Santa Monica College. He also shared that a Kaiser Permanente representative spoke to students about substance abuse and mental health awareness, the DVC community dialogue had a Latinx American Heritage theme, and field trips to the Griffith Observatory and Japanese American National Museum were held.

Kimora Evans-Moutra gave the DVD update, noting the freshman overnighter to Camp Pondo, the club fair, for recruiting members to new and existing clubs, the Graphic Design pathway seniors' field trip to the Jean-Michel Basquiat gallery, college visits, the Phantom Formal dance, Latinx Spirit Week, the Multicultural Food Fair, and Feel Good Friday, a counselor-run event focusing on mental health.

William Bleier gave the Connect High update, sharing the Literature Club's book drive, Hispanic Heritage month dance and Día del Los Muertos celebrations, SLCs, Red Ribbon week for drug awareness, and Wear Purple Days for domestic violence awareness.

Aaron Peters gave the Connect TK-8 update, sharing the excitement of Astro Camp and Catalina Camp, the Multicultural Fair, the Parent Educator Conference, SLCs, Theater Club, and the 8th grade student tour of the various Da Vinci high school sites.

Dr. Webber thanked the students, saying that it is gratifying to the board members to hear about all that goes on at the schools.

Mr. Santiago thanked the students and noted their professionalism and poise.
 

Consultant Ms. Christina Joubert presented the update, sharing that the number of community stakeholders who have been open to collaborating with Da Vinci has been gratifying.

Ms. Carla Levenson spoke about the PTA events at Wiseburn schools which Da Vinci Schools is supporting by providing a photo booth, food, supplies and volunteers. Over 225 Da Vinci students are volunteering at Wiseburn school events. The Da Vinci Schools Fund offered financial incentives to Da Vinci student groups with over eight volunteers. Students will wear blue Da Vinci t-shirts denoting their volunteer status. 

Community tours will be held each Monday from 1-2:30 p.m. at the Douglas Street campus beginning on October 30. 

Ms. Joubert shared that a new Da Vinci Schools newsletter will outline what is happening in the Da Vinci Schools for the wider community in order to create awareness of Da Vinci's philosophy, programs, impact, and community connections.

She also spoke about the Wiseburn Da Vinci Performing Arts partnership, sharing that Alexi Paraschos, Sarah Nitsos, Toby Harwell, WEF leaders, etc. have met to collaborate on ideas and strategies. Alexi and Christina are visiting area high schools to see what their performing arts programs are doing and bring back ideas that could inform the WDV performing arts continuum for 2024-25.

She also spoke about playground research at Connect TK-8, which was done in response to Dr. Webber's request. The school's administrators have spoken to each classroom about how students feel during and after "body breaks," and what opportunities for play may be missing. Students would like more climbing equipment, shade, access to the big field, more water fountains/hydration stations, more table stations for quieter activities, more gardening activities, and more athletic equipment.

Ms. Heimov was happy to hear about the Da Vinci site tours and community events. She inquired  if a communication from the Trustees should be part of the newsletters.

Dr. Webber thanked Ms. Joubert and Ms. Levenson and said it was amazing to see how much work has been done. She wanted to hear ideas on reaching out to other community members without students at Da Vinci or Wiseburn schools, like retirees. Ms. Joubert noted that an upcoming events section will be put in the newsletters, and flyer door drops are planned.
 

Dr. Allegra Johnson and Mr. Russell Stoll gave the update on Ethnic Studies. According to the California State Department of Education, Ethnic Studies' aim is to empower all students, not just students of color, to engage critically in the world around them, and through an intentional focus on the histories and experiences of people of color within the U.S., and including that focus across all aspects of school curriculum. The intended outcome of the ethnic studies mandate is to develop a collective respect for cultural diversity, and encourage understanding the positive advantages of inclusion of people across all types of identities within society. 

Research has shown that ethnic studies curriculum positive academic and social emotional benefits for all students. Given the increase of racial diversity across the state, ethnic studies offers an ideal opportunity for educators to support students in situating themselves within their historical and ancestral origins and reducing the risk of stereotype threat. 

Dr. Johnson shared the State's model curriculum. She noted that there are some members of our community who believe that explicit discussions on race or oppression, inequity, intersectionality and inclusivity do not belong in schools. As a school community, we ask for their understanding in the light of the fact that the California Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the Governor and the State Superintendent of Instruction have been very explicit that this is the direction and level of dialogue expected in all State high schools for all students. The curriculum is a State mandate written into the Education Code, and Da Vinci's goal as always is to remain in compliance. Beginning with the 2025-26 school year, all California high schools are required to offer Ethnic Studies courses. Two Da Vinci high schools currently offer ethnic studies courses, but two Da Vinci schools do not. In the 2029-30 school year, the graduation requirements board policy must include at least one semester of ethnic studies. The updated policy must be approved by the Da Vinci Board prior to 2029 in preparation for the requirement.

Da Vinci Communications offers Ethnic Studies electives in ninth and twelfth grades. Da Vinci Design offers multiple ethnic studies courses. Mr. Stoll, Principal of Da Vinci Design, spoke about the Ethnic Studies courses at Da Vinci Design, which have been offered since 2020-21. Ethnic Studies has been taught as a twelfth grade, year-long course which is UC and CSU-approved.  Another offering is an eleventh grade elective course. In addition to their career pathway course option, students have the option of taking an African American Studies or Chicano Studies course, both of which are year-long, UC-approved history/social science courses. Since first being implemented, about 370 students have successfully completed a year of Ethnic Studies.

Mr. Stoll invited the Board to visit Design during Exhibition in November to see the Ethnic Studies project work that has been done. Students have told him that they have gained a lot from the courses.

Mr. Santiago inquired about the next steps. Dr. Johnson noted that there was a 2-year runway to give the other Da Vinci sites time to incorporate the course into their master schedule and work out staffing. The courses are in addition to current courses, not replacements, which is why it will take time to work out the logistics.

Mr. Amato gave the Financial update, sharing the September balance sheet and profit and loss statements. Over half of accounts receivable funds have been collected in October, leaving $2M in AR, which is representative of this time of the year. What remains to be collected are the usual special education and some grant funds. Year-to-date (July-September) decreases in net assets are temporary until funding catches up to expenses later in the year, which is another traditional situation.

Mr. Amato spoke about the $81,188 Federal supply chain assistance grant, which was not included in the budget and is specifically to support Da Vinci's food nutrition program staffing, resulting in a positive variance in revenue. Another positive local revenue variance of just under $37,000 is due to bank account interest revenue being better than anticipated. Expenses are tracking as expected with only a small variance for service and other operating expenses. As of the first three months of the year, finances are doing better than planned by about $117,000 due to the positive revenue items.
 

Ms. Noemi Zamudio gave an update on the CTE Studio Phase 1 cost estimate provided by Erickson-Hall. The cost of Phase 1 (the 4,200 square foot hangar building including some utilities infrastructure for Phase 2) is almost $4.3M. The actual cost of construction is roughly $3.6M. "Below-the-line" costs for contractor bonds, insurance, builder's fee, etc. make up the remainder. Ms. Zamudio noted that her firm negotiated lower builder's and pre-construction services fees, resulting in a savings of about $100K. A lower 2% escalation fee rather than 5 or 6% is based on the anticipated February 2024 start date.

Ms. Zamudio shared that her firm is looking for other ways to reduce costs, but the project is already very "bare bones," as it is an empty building, with no specialty spaces, no equipment, nothing other than electrical HVAC low voltage.

Mr. Meath inquired about the percentages used for the construction and errors and omissions contingencies. Ms. Zamudio responded that they are 5% each, which she feels is acceptable only because Erickson-Hall has conducted a constructability review of the drawings and has resolved potential plan issues with the architect of record. The plans going out to bid are clean.

Dr. Webber inquired about soft costs. Typically, 75% of the project costs are hard costs. 25% of the project is typical for soft costs such as design and architect fees, inspector and lab of record fees, geotechnical engineer fees, etc. She would plan with soft costs included, for $5M overall for Phase 1. Mr. Boston inquired about the $3.2M original estimated budget. Mr. Bravo explained that the estimated budget he was referring to was provided by SVA in January, 2023. 

Discussion on construction costs ensued. Ms. Zamudio shared that the funds should be in the bank (Wiseburn's account) by the end of December, when the guaranteed maximum price would need to be approved by both Da Vinci and Wiseburn boards in order to begin construction in February 2024. The CTE $1.2M grant has a four-year deadline for use or the money will be lost. The approval item on the current Da Vinci agenda authorizes the bidding process to begin. 

The soccer field project was also discussed. 854-seat bleachers can be added to the project at a cost of just over $500K. The project was originally intended to be funded by Measure EE, was projected to cost $2M.  Soft costs, bleachers, upgraded scoreboard, and maximizing the space puts the project total cost at about $3.6M. Brief discussion on types of turf ensued. Safety and injuries on different turfs and with different shoes are a consideration.

Mr. Boston asked for clarification on what the Da Vinci Board is being asked for regarding the soccer field. (Wiseburn Unified had taken over full financial responsibility for the project several months ago.) Ms. Zamudio shared that she is hopeful that Da Vinci will agree to split the costs of the project with Wiseburn, which had originally budgeted $2M for the project which is now coming in at $1.6M over budget. Ms. Heimov inquired as to why Da Vinci would not be asked for the $1.6M as opposed to half of the total cost. Ms. Zamudio responded that Da Vinci would be primarily using the field, and Wiseburn has other Measure EE projects that are also coming in grossly over budget, so they would like to free up funds to continue those projects. She stated that it is the Da Vinci Board's decision.

Brief discussion on interest in soccer field rental and the necessity of the bleachers followed.

Mr. Bravo spoke about the security cameras, which are tentatively scheduled for final installation in two to four weeks. Vape detectors will be installed at RISE High sites and Connect High School.

He also shared that two new pieces of opioid legislation are coming, where schools are obligated to post information online about opioids, and have a school safety plan protocol for treating overdoses. All Da Vinci security and grounds staff have been trained in the use of Narcan. Mr. Bravo warned all parents listening not to allow unwrapped Halloween treats to be eaten.

Brief discussion on drugs on campus ensued. Ms. Heimov inquired if there is a single high school in the State that has not found drugs on campus. She clarified for the public meeting that ingesting Narcan does not harm anyone who is NOT suffering from overdose, and it is better to be safe than sorry. Mr. Bravo responded that the goal is to have resources available and staff trained to keep students safe.

Items H, K, and M were pulled.

On a motion by Mr. Boston, seconded by Ms. Heimov, Consent items A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I, J, L were unanimously approved.

Mr. Meath inquired about scope of services for the AALRR contract. Dr. Wunder responded that AALRR works exclusively on HR and SPED issues at Da Vinci, but they are also Wiseburn Unified's main legal firm.

Ms. Heimov requested changing the language in all instances of "parent/guardian" to "holder of educational rights" throughout the policy.

Mr. Boston inquired as to the process for adding new sports. Did this item go through the process? Dr. Wunder responded that esports began at Da Vinci Connect during the pandemic lockdown. It is a club, and this item is for approval to expand the club. Mr. Bravo commented that there was some confusion as to whether or not it was a CIF sport. Mr. Santiago asked staff to clarify that the process is for more than CIF sports. Mr. Bravo offered to bring Athletic Director Davidson to the board to discuss the process that esports underwent. Ms. Heimov noted the need to clarify expansion vs. new sport/club. Dr. Wunder apologized for bringing the item forward without going through the process. 

The item was pulled from the agenda.

Closed session entered at 8:07 p.m.

Public session reconvened at 10:02 p.m.

Dr. Webber stated that no action had been taken in Closed Session.

The meeting adjourned at 10:02 p.m.