None.

Dr. Johnstone greeted everyone happy holidays. 

Dr. Jennings shared that it is Mrs. Montes-Rodriguez's last Board meeting, noted that it was great to see everyone, and mentioned connecting with Principal Lara regarding a in-kind donation opportunity. 

None.

Mrs. Michelle Rainey thanked Principal Lara and Elaine Salango for support on the audit. Auditors provided a new list of students and the team pulled together to submit all the requested materials. 

Mr. Whalen thanked Mrs. Montes-Rodriguez for all of her work as a Board member through the years and wished her well on future endeavors. 

Principal Lara reviewed December Demographic Updates. RISE served 176 students; Richstone enrollment is 79, and APCH enrollment is 97. 42% of students are opportunity youth. Target populations include 22% of current and former foster students, 11% homeless, 9% current and former probation, 35% students with IEPs, 14% EL students, and 10% pregnant and parenting. 
 
Principal Lara shared a 6-year ADA Comparison chart. The ADA for Month 1 is 71.79%, Month 2 is 77.28%, and Month 3 is 65.94%. 
 
Principal Lara welcomed new members of the RISE team: Dean of Student Success and Culture Jonathan Crouch and APCH Campus Safety Officer Kynelle Spencer. Mr. Crouch introduced himself, sharing his background and passion for working with at-promise youth. 
 
Principal Lara shared feedback from the RISE and Springpoint Participatory Action Research Visit. The visit was a two-day collaborative action research visit with a team of esteemed school leaders from across the US and Barbados. The outcome of the visit led to the RISE team narrowing an identified Problem of Practice to two core questions: 1. How can students be drivers of their own learning? Both on campus and off campus. 2. What kind of culture of learning would be necessary in order for students to consistently carry the cognitive lift? Culture of Learning includes, but is not limited to, mindsets, practices, rituals, routines, expectations, shared expectations, and ways of being. 
 
Principal Lara also shared the RISE + XQ Instructional Focused Work. This includes: Hybrid Independent Study Curriculum Design: Redesigning curriculum with a blend of on-campus and asynchronous modules that align with XQ Competency Framework and core content standards, supporting a flexible, high-engagement learning model. It also includes Innovative Technology Solutions: Implementing advanced technology to support real-time progress tracking, goal-setting, and competency-based learning for students. Lastly, Staff Professional Development: Providing comprehensive professional development for staff on competency-based education, PBL, and hybrid instructional design to improve teaching efficacy and student outcomes.

Mr. Amato reviewed the summary of the auditors’ results. There were no adjustments to the results presented to the Board in August. RISE received an unmodified report, also known as a clean audit. Mr. Amato thanked his internal accounting team and the CSMC team for their work. He reviewed sections of the auditors’ letter regarding counting estimates, noting RISE’s financial statement disclosures are neutral, consistent, and clear. There were no corrected or uncorrected misstatements, no disagreements with management, and no audit findings or issues.

Mr. Amato reviewed the balance sheet, year-to-date accrual through October.  Total cash and cash equivalents is $681,814.987. RISE opened up an account with Banc of California and will transition fully for all operating purposes and the benefit of earning interest.  Accounts receivable is normal at $362,819.62. Overall year-to-date is positive $206,266. Net Assets at $550,976.03 is the residual from last year in reserves. Total liabilities and net assets are $1,157,680.65.

Mr. Amato reviewed the P&L, noting that the positive variance is due to new grants that were not initially planned. He also noted a small unbudgeted variance in certificated salaries for retention and signing bonuses Da Vinci could pay due to good financial standing.

Mr. Amato then reviewed the grants and awards grid. He noted that Boeing granted RISE $85,000 for the transportation program. RISE originally planned to receive $100,000. Mr. Whalen explained that Boeing was experiencing internal changes and needed to make cuts but wanted to continue to support RISE. XQ also provided RISE with an additional grant, which will be used to expand and enhance the program. Mr. Amato noted that $11,000 was carried over from the HIP grant from the previous year that was not budgeted for, as well as additional funds from the CSI program. Federal funding comes through LACOE and will support boosting graduation rates. 

Mr. Amato also mentioned additional funds from Prop 28 Arts funding, which is new from the State of California, as well as the California Community School Partnership Program, the Mental Health and Accountability and Oversight grant, as well as the Ethnic Studies Program Grant. New grants are the Golden State Pathways grant and two new CTE Pathways: Career and Technical Education Pathways. Additionally, RISE is applying for the CTIG grant and a medical billing program, which could lead to a recurring stream of funding year over year in the form of reimbursements from the State of California. Reimbursements would be for time staff spend on students with IEPs and special needs and counselor support.  Another new grant is the Children’s Partnership Peer-to-Peer grant which will provide funding of just over $520,000 over a 3-year span. This grant will support current staffing expenses and allow hiring more Special Education-related staff. Cotton-on awarded RISE $20,000 this year, which was unexpected; A-GAME provided $5,000, and the Elevate Youth Grant through our Partnership with Richstone Family Center carried over $1,500 from last year.

The team was asked how the Peer-to-Peer grant came about, and Mr. Whalen shared that it was introduced to Erin by Nurse Emily Green, who thought it would pair well with the Golden State Pathways grant and would be a great fit for RISE.

Mr. Amato reviewed the first interim budget and the first interim revised budget, noting the differences between the two. RISE initially projected 169 enrollment, 63.5% ADA, and 107.3 ADA. The revised budget shows 170 enrollment, 68% ADA, and 115.6 ADA. RISE’s enrollment fluctuates month to month and is currently trending above average, which is good news. RISE’s ADA is currently closer to 70% and desires to maintain an average of about 70% or above 68%. Due to the increase in enrollment and projected ADA, RISE is looking at an extra $150,000 in funding due to higher enrollment and ADA. Mr. Amato also noted that there is slightly more special education funding due to higher ADA. Tile 1, 2, and 4 are similar to what was budgeted.  The positive variances in LCFF State Revenue, Other State Revenue, and Federal Revenue are due to increased ADA averages and new grants. Other state revenue shows positive variances. RISE is up in total revenue from just over $3 million to just under $3.8 million, about a $750,000 positive revenue change.

Mr. Amato shared that grant money will be spent in certain areas and refunding other expenses not in the original budget. Shifts include personnel certificated salaries, most notably the Dean of Students Success. Also included are classified salaries such as paraeducators, Attendance and Re-engagement Personnel, Office Managers, custodial staff, and safety officers. There is about an $80,000 increase from the newly hired security official at APCH. Increases are also attributed to personnel benefits. Non-personnel increases will fall under the Material and Supplies category, as well as travel, professional consulting services, transportation, and new grant expenses. Due to extra funding from LCFF, there is an opportunity to rebalance the CMO fee, but this will not be considered until the end of the year. Discussion ensued regarding the work done and the process behind balancing the budget.

Mr. Bravo shared that things have been steady and consistent at the school sites. 

RISE hired a new safety officer specific to RISE. Mr. Bravo met with APCH's Director of Campus Safety to review cameras angles and walk the site. He shared that APCH is installing a weapons detection system in the entry way. To support staff, Mr. Bravo is planning staff training: DIRT, Narcan, de-escalation. 

Mr. Bravo noted that RISE will work collectively with APCH safety team, and is working to set up monthly or bi-monthly check in meetings.