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1. Col. Mia Walsh, Commander of the Los Angeles Air Force Base, presented the Purple Star School Award Designation to Da Vinci Schools.  She thanked the administration for their work with military-connected families and providing a sense of community and welcome the students may not otherwise have. 

Mr. Santiago noted that volleyball season had begun, and asked for support for the teams.

Mr. Boston shared that robotics season had also begun, with the first tournament happening on the upcoming weekend in Port Hueneme.

Dr. Webber noted that the archery team's first tournament of the year was also coming up the next weekend in Cherry Valley.  She also remarked on the performing arts students' rehearsal of the Addams Family going on in the Atrium.

Dr. Wunder commented on the passing of assistant principal, Larry Simonsen, who had been instrumental in obtaining WASC accreditation.

Dr. Wunder went on to say that he was working with Dr. Blake Silvers on several issues important to Da Vinci Schools and Wiseburn Unified School District as an educational community, that he is very encouraged, and will share plans with the Board in the future.

Coordinator Milissa Sutton introduced the student reports.

Liya Nartey gave the Connect High School update, sharing February events like Boys' Soccer's Quarter Finals Playoffs and Senior Night, club happenings, prospective 8th grade visits, BSU Black History Month events like Decades Day and a potluck, and Valentine's Day Grams.

Aaron Peters shared Connect TK-8 events such as the 8th graders' Da Vinci high school tour, the Parent Educator Conference, performing arts activities, and the Speaker's Jam, an oral poetic performance event.

Isabella Dimeo shared that students at Communications enjoyed the Semester Awards, Black College Expo, a DVC National Honor Society and Red Cross blood drive, Spirit Week's themed dress days, Random Acts of Kindness week, the Black History Month CD, Spring Semi-Formal, and the photography seminar's exhibit at the El Segundo Public Library.

Sydney Parsons commented on Da Vinci Science's Alumni Luncheon, Addams Family auditions, Black History Month CD, Spirit Week, National Association of College Admissions and Counseling (NACAC) Field Trip, Civil Engineering Honors students' work with architects Brent and Christina Freeby, and the Youth & Government Conference in Sacramento.

Kaden Schneider gave the Design update, commenting about the Black History Month CD, the first-ever TED Talk-style POL Excellence Awards, Clothing and Supply Drive hosted by the Feminism Club, benefitting the Downtown Women's Center, and multiple field trips, including college tours of Otis College, Cal State Long Beach, and UC Riverside, and the 9th graders' visit to Da Vinci Connect K-8. Kaden also noted Design's tribute to Nex Benedict, an Oklahoma non-binary high school student who experienced bullying due to their gender identity, and who died after being beaten by other students. 

Dr. Webber thanked the students, and added that it may be heartening for the parents in Oklahoma to know that students in a different part of the country chose to commemorate Nex Benedict in this way.

Data team Gloria White and Chris Miller spoke about data Da Vinci is gathering from kindergarten through high school and beyond. 

The team looks at data milestones for students, including MAP and CAASPP test scores for grades 3-8, and MAP, PSAT, and Math and ELA grades for grades 9-12, especially where non-Da Vinci or Wiseburn students enter our schools in 9th grade. The goal at the K-8 level is gathering many points of data, including MAP testing, CAASPP testing, attendance and engagement.

Da Vinci examines 8th grade CAASPP results and previous Math and ELA grades, works closely with Wiseburn to obtain STAR Math and ELA data, and lastly, Da Vinci administers a MAP Math and ELA screener for all incoming 9th grade students. Mr. Miller noted that all the Da Vinci schools have incoming students with different skill sets, ability levels, and areas of need, therefore the schools intentionally have different systems in place to better meet the needs of their students. The Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) use the data "buckets" of Academics, Attendance, and Socio-emotional Engagement and the intersections of those areas to determine where a student might be struggling, and provide them appropriate supports.

Mr. Miller spoke of testing for grades 9-12, where data is examined through different subgroup lenses. He also looks at attendance data each day, at the student and family level as well as daily and organization-wide attendance. 

The California Dashboard gives CAASPP, graduation rates, and college & career readiness data, success after high school, and now looks at growth in CAASPP scores. All Da Vinci Schools are at State level or above, and though there have been some declines, which are being addressed, there has also been significant growth.

Regarding College & Career Readiness, 67.5% of Da Vinci students complete CTE coursework, as opposed to the 18.7% State average, and 91.6% of Da Vinci students are A-G eligible per UC and Cal State requirements, as opposed to the 44.5% State average. 

An alumni survey for the classes of 2016-2018 (6-8 years post-Da Vinci) has been conducted. The number of respondents was 125 out of 800 graduates. The national survey group contained 2,500 respondents. 53% of Da Vinci students feel financially stable vs. 36% overall nationally. 61% earn a living wage in their region as opposed to 59% nationally. 57% are in a strong early job vs. 49% overall, 55% report positive feelings about the present and optimism about the future, vs. 39%. 64% say high school exposed them to varied career options vs. 48% overall, and 84% say their post-secondary education was worth it, vs. 69% overall nationally. 42% of Da Vinci students are career undermatched, which is the same rate overall nationally. Career undermatching occurs when a student takes a job that doesn't require their degree.

Ms. Heimov inquired about the percentage of total alumni responded. Staff noted that about 16% of the alumni 6 to 8 years out of Da Vinci responded to the survey.

Mr. Miller commented that very few organizations have this kind of data.

Mr. Boston requested a meeting with the data team for further information on subgroups.

Carla Levenson gave a recap of the community events in which Da Vinci students have volunteered from October through February. More events are coming up: Wiseburn Middle School Movie Night & Tour on March 8, and Community Aviation Day on March 23. 

Christina Joubert shared that the Life @ DV newsletter will eventually include a print edition that will be distributed in the neighborhoods. She also noted that the team held an articulation meeting with Wiseburn Education Foundation and the District team regarding the Performing Arts pathway from middle school through high school. 

The summer athletics camp registration opens for Wiseburn and Da Vinci students on March 1, and for the general public on March 16. Camps will be six weeks long, four days per week, two to four hours a day, and open to rising 4th through 12 graders.

Included sports are boys and girls basketball and soccer, baseball, runners' club, and archery, with optional add-on for strength and conditioning. The program is being run through DVSF

Tami Christopher, Connect High School Principal, and Kaitlin Toon, Connect K-8 Principal, gave the mid-year update for Connect High School and K8, noting mid-year, community-building highlights like the Spring Dance led by Connect HS and RISE, K8 Parent Educator Conferences, Coffees with Admin, high performing arts participation from both the K8 and High School, and the success of using the Da Vinci van to transport students from Connect HS to the 201 campus.

Connect HS embeds time for best practices like creating intentional staff time to co-plan across general and special education, grade levels, and subjects. The K8 and HS have held math professional development for parent educators. The K8 conducted TK-5 math curriculum focus groups, and the HS is partnering with Arizona State University in a Math Fellowship.

Da Vinci Design Principal Russell Stoll shared Design's College & Career Readiness rates are soaring, and the school will be recognized by California Charter School Association (CCSA) as one of ten schools that exemplify best practices in supporting underserved student groups. DVD has increased tutoring offerings and implemented new disciplinary practices and expectations which have led to a decrease in suspensions and no repeat suspensions. MTSS caseloads have decreased by 40%, and the team has instituted rewards for positive behavior (Design Tickets) which have gained traction among students.

Communications Principal Erin D'Souza shared mid-year highlights including increased staff satisfaction with the professional learning time afforded them, and an increase in student grades and attendance. DVC has increased communication and opportunities for families to connect with administration, as well as tutoring and math seminar opportunities for students and providing Professional Learning Communities and Math-specific professional development for teachers.

Principal Grace Long gave the Da Vinci Science update, sharing DVS staff conducts math teacher collaboration, peer tutoring, and co-teaching between 9th and 11th grade math teachers. The team has increased classroom engagement and family engagement opportunities like monthly parent coffees, as well as increased office hours, interventions, and access to college credits. Staff are recalibrating Mastery Based Grading practices and communicating them to students in order to foster students' interest and joy in learning.

Mr. Boston commented that the theme across many presentations is math interventions. He applauds that focus but wonders if the principals have considered weaving math into other coursework across curriculum, making it natural for students to talk about math. Brief discussion ensued.

Dr. Webber thanked the team for their work in analysis and improvements. She would like to talk further with Tami Christopher about the SPED worksheet, which she feels is innovative and a great communication tool.

Mr. Amato spoke about the 2022-23 Federal and State tax returns up for approval. There are no major changes from the previous year. Da Vinci is ready to file on time once the Board approves the returns.

The Fiscal Policy bid limit threshold has been updated to reflect the State's Public Contract Code 2011A limit of $50K.

The Governor's 2024-25 Budget proposal has revealed that tax revenues were falling short of expectations, a deficit of billions of dollars. The Governor did not indicate cuts to education funding, and included a small COLA of .76%. Mr. Amato's team has begun second interim projections. Mr. Amato will be conservative in projecting the next two years' budgets due to the uncertainty.

Prop 28 Arts funding is a new funding source for a variety of programs, including startups of new programs. Da Vinci received about $350K. The amount per school is based on enrollment, ADA, etc. 80% of the funding must be spent on staffing for arts and music instruction. The remaining 20% may be used for training, supplies, materials, and partnership programs. Mr. Santiago inquired if the same staff are being used across the schools for arts and music instruction. There are five arts and music seminar consultants teaching across the schools.

Regarding the spending analysis, Mr. Amato shared comparisons between the different expenses and the net expense totals in various areas as well as the number of students being served in each area. Mr. Boston inquired about the method for determining allocations across the areas of athletics, robotics, and Youth & Government. Mr. Amato explained that the adjustments are made in the second interim. All groups meet with Mr. Amato, and he makes adjustments to the budget based on the needs of the program as they go along the process. Mr. Boston requested further information about how those decisions are made. 

Mr. Nick Eddy from SiteLogiQ, a design-build general contractor energy services company, VP Dave Koch, and Construction Director Mr. Jonathan Brown addressed the Board. Over half of their client base is in California. They have installed solar systems in over 240 school districts.

Wiseburn Unified requested SitelogiQ apply for the Net Energy Metering (NEM) 2.0 application to SCE in April 2023, which is $3.2M less than the current rate for the NEM 4.0. The project details include an 826kW solar size with an annual production rate of 1,239,858 kW/hour, and a 65% offset (the difference between the amount of energy generated and the amount used). SiteLogiQ projects an annual savings of $263,758.

The Inflation Reduction Act allows Da Vinci to obtain the federal tax credit as a direct payment (rebate) for solar, energy storage, and microgrid controllers. Mr. Eddy projects up to 40% of the project investment would be returned to Da Vinci in an IRA rebate.

Mr. Eddy presented a financial summary indicating an implementation cost (project plus financing interest rate of 4.83%) of $8.64M. The savings over the life of the equipment including the IRA rebate are projected to be $9.1M. Mr. Boston inquired about the interest rate of 4.83%. Mr. Eddy claimed that the interest rates have decreased, and SiteLogiQ would work with the lender to secure the best rate possible. Mr. Eddy clarified that Da Vinci would own the system, that SiteLogiQ is the installer and the cost would be financed by a third party over a 20-year term.

The inverters will need to be replaced every five years. Mr. Eddy projects operations & maintenance costs of $987K over the 30-year lifespan of the solar panels. Dr. Webber inquired about Moore's Law of Technology - is this the right time, or will the technology improve in the future? Mr. Eddy noted that the technology wouldn't change much in 14 months (the time to install to take advantage of the NEM 2.0). 

Dr. Webber inquired about upgrades:  are components are upgradable, and how much has solar technology evolved in the last five years? Mr. Brown noted that the capacity of the inverters would incrementally increase (they currently run at 96% efficiency), and as they are replaced about every five years, the project would benefit from inverter technology improvements.

Dr. Wunder inquired about the roof of the gym. Mr. Eddy responded that DSA would need to be involved for anything over a student-inhabited space.

Mr. Boston asked for clarification on the amount of electricity generated on any given day. Mr. Eddy responded that it is a 65% offset. Discussion on offsetting off-peak power going back to the grid ensued. The utilities give very small amounts back for anything over 100%. If the system exports power back to the utilities below 100% generation, the utility will give back full retail rate credit under NEM 2.0 ($.32/kWH).

The project installation "deadline" is February 2025 to take advantage of NEM 2.0. Summer construction time would be less disruptive to school operations. Setting the steel structures would take up the entire parking lot all at once, but the electrical work could be done in about 10 parking spaces at a time. Brief discussion on summer programming and parking alternatives ensued.

Mr. Amato inquired if SiteLogiQ was part of the bid process with Wiseburn. Mr. Eddy responded that no, they were not involved. As a design-build firm they used Government Code 4217, which streamlines the procurement path for energy projects which benefit the community.

Mr. Meath inquired how long it would take to break even. Mr. Amato commented that there is a positive cash flow from the start due to the upfront IRA payment. The payment offsets the cost of the first 13 years in which the energy savings are outweighed by the cost of the project. and the project would see an average $14K per year savings. It's not a lot of annual savings per year, but year 13 increases positive cash flow. Mr. Meath inquired about the typical accuracy of SiteLogiQ's forecasts of energy savings. Mr. Brown responded that in terms of energy production, 90-95%, but that they do not control the energy company's rates. Mr. Meath indicated that for him, it is a significant ask. Mr. Eddy clarified that they are asking for a Letter of Authorization in order to finalize the project and return to the board with a hard plan with firm costs. Dr. Webber commented that the Board could not commit to an LOA at the current time, but will focus on the project and get back to the SiteLogiQ team.

Closed session entered at 8:25 p.m.

Public session reconvened at  10:13 p.m.

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

The Board proceeded to vote on Item VI. H. of the agenda, Approve Consultant Agreement for Hendrickson Consulting, as amended with an end date of March 31, 2024 and with a total cost not to exceed $45K.