001Good afternoon everyone. I call to order the regular board meeting, GCC board meeting um June the 9th, 2026 at 3:30 or so. Roll call. Mr. Mark Anderson >> here. >> Mr. Harry Block >> here. >> Mr. Bruce Mandre, >> present. >> Mr. Jack Turner, >> Absent. Lily Campbell, present. We have four board members that are present. We have a quorum. Thank you. Welcome everyone. So good to see you. Thank you for being here. We're here for a exciting meeting and we are ready to get started as soon as I get my agenda up. Oh well. Thank you. Okay. Public comments. Do we have public comments regarding matters not on the agenda? >> Yes, ma'am. We do have public comments. The first one is from Katherine Day. Are we good? Can you can you hear me?
002>> Hi. >> Good afternoon. I'm Katherine Day. I'm the transition vocational coach for Gateway Community Charters and I came to share with you a little bit about my role and some of my good things, my wins for this year. So, this is my seventh school year with Gateway Community Charters. I started as the special occa special education clerk and in that role um I was the case management person. I was also the person who was tasked with calling last year's IEP graduates and dropouts to see where they were a year later. And what we were finding is that our students needed a little bit more support if they went to college. They were not connecting with the disability center at the college. So, the transition coach job was born and I wanted to um point
003out that we are one of the few charter schools that has this position that is not workability funded. So, I am I'm we should be very proud of that. Um so, what do I do? Um I bought you a menu. I I provide one-to-one group support for not just IEP students, but for anybody who wants to come to one of my workshops. Um I arrange and um execute and drive on field trips to the colleges to um work sites to unions to um this year cosmetology which created a win. We have two students that are all signed up and ready to go um at local cosmetology schools. Um I attend IEP meetings um and I provide support for our counselors and our teachers and our R and our RSP specialists. Uh, I drove over 2,400
004miles this school year. I went back and I counted to eight of our high schools. I attended two of our um junior high career fairs. Um, I took 12 field trips to all kinds of places. Um, especially the the community colleges because our students need to see what college looks like for themselves. Uh I assisted 10 students um collaborating with SETA, the Sacramento Employment um training agency, which provides work experience for students before they leave us. Um my my most proud moment is we secured four birth certificates for students so that they could get their um state ID before they left high school because that was another problem that we saw. they're leaving, but if they don't have a state ID, they cannot get employment and they cannot sign up for community college. Um, we
005had several students chosen for the Old Navy um seasonal opportunity. Um, it was it's very competitive and we got we got four of our students into there. Um, I worked with the senior leap class at Sava Power and and provided monthly workshops so those seniors really all know what their next steps are before they leave. And um I also have a digital job board. So students can get a job um any time at home. They can scan this and see what's hiring in their area. There's one for the one side of the town and one for the other. So and I have copies for you if you want. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. Thank you sharing with us. Thank you. Do we have other >> Yes, we do. Roman Persliaak. >> Good afternoon.
006My name is Roman Perslak and tonight I am here not to ask for anything but just to say thank you. I stand before you wearing a few different hats. Most importantly, I'm a father of two current students with a third child preparing to enter TK. I'm also an educator who has had the privilege of serving as a fourth grade teacher and instructional coach and now a vice principal. These experiences have helped me see this organization from multiple perspectives and they have filled me with gratitude for the leadership vision and commitment to students that I have witnessed over the years. As a parent, there is nothing more important than knowing my children are safe, valued, challenged, and cared for. That peace of mind does not happen by accident. It is a result of this board, Mr.
007Sample and your leadership team. While much of that work happens behind the scenes, I get to see its impact every day in the opportunities my children receive and the experiences they bring home from school. As an educator and leader, I am equally grateful for the investment that has been made in me. I began my journey as a classroom teacher have grown into instru because of the leaders who believed in developing people, creating opportunities and empowering others to serve. There's one experience in particular that has stayed with me and serves as a powerful example of leadership that the privilege to witness and learn from. When the war between Ukraine and Russia began, many families arrived in California after being forced to leave their homes, their communities, and everything familiar to them. Many of them, if not
008all, did not know the language, the school system, and where to turn for support. I remember one Sunday when Mr. Sample visited my church to speak directly to the members of the Ukrainian community. He spoke about his schools, the support available to families, and the opportunity available to to their children. What moved me most was not simply what he said, but the passion, compassion, and genuine care behind his words. As a parent, I saw a leader willing to meet people where they were and offer hope during a difficult time. As a new administrator, I saw a power powerful example of leadership in action. It reminded me that leadership is not about titles or positions. It's about serving others, building relationships, and showing up when people need you most. That experience helped me shape my own
009understanding of leadership and reinforce that student centered leadership begins by caring for families. For that, I want to simply say thank you. Thank you to the board members for your service, dedication, and commitment to our students, families, and staff. Thank you, Mr. Sample, and your leadership team for your vision, your mentorship, and your unwavering commitment to putting students first. And I'd like to close with the words that our board president, Miss Campbell, often shares, and I truly feel that reflect the heart of his organization. We love you. We love you. We love you. Thank you. >> More comments. >> Yes, ma'am. Uh we have Marggo Santana. >> Good afternoon, board. My name is Marco Santana. I'm here actually standing proxy for my son Brian Payne. This is what Brian Payne wanted me for y'all to
010hear. In 2009 2010, one Mexican, two black kids, one male, one female. I was that black milk at Future High School on Don Julio. My freshman year at Grant, I was confused in a lot of schools. The school was large and it was a lot of kids. It was 2200 students. I had attended Higher Learning Academy on Porer Street, so I was used to a smaller setting. I heard about the school prison pipeline, which you see the shirt that I'm wearing. I didn't want to head down that wrong way because growing up in my community of Del Paso Heights, it was either school, prison, or deaf. Mr. sample shared with me and my sister about a school called Futures High School. He shared with us that it was different and there would be some challenges
011but we would be successful there with support. I came with so so grades due to futures it was tough confusing for some of us black kids we went through a little bullying but Mr. Sample would say hang in there and future high school. I found the JRTC program that piqued my interest. As of today, I am a veteran of Fort Hood, Texas, United States Army, plus a business owner of a trucking company where Futures was the school where I received my driver's certification. I must repeat today, I am a veteran of the United States Army and not an inmate of the State of California prison system. Due to Mr. samples guidance and leadership and support with my life and education my youth and adulthood I also attended college in New York with support and calls
012from Mr. Sample again under your guidance and leadership you didn't save one you have saved many thank you due to Mr. sample going to the CIF on my behalf as a student at Futures. Mr. Sample went and navigated and took me along the way where I was able to play for Grant High School for the football program where that's the year we won the state championship. Again, I would like to say thank you, Mr. Sample. I'm Brian from United States Army veteran. I'm a husband, a father, and a career man. Thank you. >> Thank you for those remarks. Thank you. >> Do we have any more? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. Um, we have Marina Va. Okay. Good afternoon, President B member, superintendent and GCC community. My name is Marina Ashkova and I'm speaking today
013both as a parent and as an employer of GCC. My family and I came to the United States as immigrants carrying many hopes for our children's future. Like many families, we were looking for a place where our children could receive a strong education, feel supported, and have opportunities to succeed. I am grateful to say that we found that place in GCC. My daughter attended CLA Middle School where she received not only a strong academic foundation but also encouragement to dream big. Today she is a student at UC Davis pursuing her goal of career in medicine. As a mother, there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your child work toward a future that once seems so far away. My son recently completed fifth grade at COA Elementary and will be attending COA Middle School next year.
014He loves singing and participating in school activities and performances. I have watched him grow in confidence because he has teachers and staff who recognize his talents and encourage him to be himself. GCC has also had a profound impact on my own journey. Before coming to the United States, I had extensive experience in education. When I arrived here, I wanted to continue serving students, but I had to learn how to navigate a new educational system and rebuild my career. I began volunteering at CRA. The support and encouragement I received opened doors for me to continue growing professionally. I was a par educator at CRA Elementary. Today, I am proud to work as a substitute teacher in GCC, but preferably at COA. Now I'm working toward obtaining my teaching credential. These opportunities have allowed me to continue
015pursuing my passion for education while serving the community that welcomed my family. I share our story because it reflects what GCC makes possible. GCC does not only educate students, it create opportunities to entire families. It helps children discover their potential and it helps parents grow, contribute and build better futures for themselves and their communities. As both a parent and an employee, I see every day the positive impact that GCC has on students and families. I am deeply grateful to the superintendent, the board of directors, and all those who work to make these opportunities possible. Thank you for your leadership, your commitment to students, and your support of families like mine. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm not sure if I can keep smiling all this. I've got a whole bunch of tissues up here.
016>> Would you have more comments? >> I'm so sorry. >> Dr. Daniel Diego. >> Well, good evening everybody or everyone. I don't have my uh end of the year presentation this year. So, wanted to come and just express my thanks and as we wrap up the year. So, as the year comes to an end, I just want to take a moment to again express my thanks, my appreciation for everybody here, every one of our board members, Superintendent Sample, President. Um, everything we do is made possible because of the support we feel from you all. Now, this year marks my the end of my 18th year with GCC. Um, when I reflect on that journey, I feel incredibly fortunate to have started with this uh with with the school district fresh out of my credential program.
017You know, I've had the opportunity to grow from teacher to instructional coach to vice principal to principal of COA middle school now. And every step of that journey I really do believe was uh made possible because of the support, the um encouragement, the guidance, the direction, everything that I uh received from a young man to where I'm now. Um I believe that GCC has really helped me achieve the things that I've done, my accomplishments. Now, like any meaningful work, there have been challenges and stressful moments, of course. But when I think about my career, I can honestly again say that GCC COA has really been truly been a blessing to me. The relationships I've built, the lessons that I've learned, the experiences I've had have not only shaped me as an educator, but as a
018human being as well. the values that we promote, the kindness, the connection, the putting students first, they've had a huge impact on me as I've grown into the person that I am today. The capturing kids hearts, for example, has impacted me more than I would have even imagined. Um, you know, it's helped influence how I am, how I lead, how I build relationships, and how I approach the important work that we have ahead of us. Over the years, I've watched our schools grow, our district grow, evolve. Through these changes, one thing has always remained con consistent, and it's that sincere commitment to our students, and to education as a whole. The commitment is why I've stayed with this organization for as long as I have. Uh, and it's why I continue to feel proud to
019be a part of this organization. I mean, it's been so great to watch students come, grow, work for us, send their kids to our schools. It's just been amazing. And I want to acknowledge that the leadership that supports our schools is a huge part of why we are the way we are, why we are successful. Since Jason has come into his uh position as superintendent, I felt an even greater pride in uh working with the GCC and for the GCC, his leadership, his thoughtful student centered and authentic perspective has really inspired me and it's inspired my staff. I hear all the time staff talk about how much they appreciate his approachability, his professionalism, his genuine care for people. I was just talking to somebody about when you visited our school on your birthday and how
020fun that was. And so I just want to end this. I mean, I could go on, but um just saying that I'm I'm feeling amazing. I'm feeling positive. I'm feeling thankful for another great school year. I'm looking forward to what's ahead and I really cannot thank you enough for all the opportunities, all of the supports, the trust, the relationships and the belief that you've shown in me and my career. So, thank you. Thank you very much. Is that's it? Nope. Nope. All right, you ready? >> All right. Dr. Paulina Morazova, >> he's my friend. >> Good evening, GCC board members, superintendent sample, staff, families, and community members. My name is Dr. Paulina Morose Diab, and I've had the privilege of working for GCC since 2019. I started as a parent leaison at Seaway Middle School
021and in that role I quickly learned something fundamental about GCC. We do not just educate students. We support entire families. Every day I worked with parents navigating challenges that reached far beyond the classroom. Sometimes it was helping them access resources. Sometimes it was overcoming language barriers. Sometimes it was helping them find a path forward during a difficult time. As Superintendent Samples often says, GCC schools were created in the community for the community. That vision is reflected in the way GCC surrounds students and families with support. Parent liaison, student support advisors, community engagement staff, and many others help build trust, remove barriers, and connect families to opportunities. That same vision is what led the superintendent to bring the community schools initiative to GCC. At its core, community schools recognizes a simple truth. When families are supported,
022students are better able to succeed. I've seen that impact firsthand. I often think about the graduate who recently shared that she supported the support she received through her school and our community engagement team helped her leave an abusive relationship and build a new life for herself and her child. That story has stayed with me because it reminds us to that education is about more than academics. It is about creating pathways to opportunity and hope. I've also experienced GCC's commitment personally. Since joining the organization, I've had opportunities to go into district level roles. Today, I serve as a community engagement coordinator, supporting our team across all GCC schools and helping advance the community schools initiative throughout the organization. That growth reflects something GCC does exceptionally well, investing in people. GCC invests in students, families, and staff,
023creating opportunities for all of us to learn, contribute, and succeed. The work we see today is the result of intentional leadership from Superintendent Sample, support from this board, and dedicated dedication of staff across our schools. As someone who has witnessed this work from both the school and district levels, I am proud to be part of an organization that continues to strengthen communities, expand opportunities, and make a meaningful difference in people's lives. Thank you. >> Thank you very very much. Thank you. >> No more. >> Yes, >> Darren Patel. Good afternoon. My name is Darra Patel and I have had the privilege of serving Gateway International School for the past 12 years. First as a teacher, then as an instructional coach, and now as a vice principal. Throughout these roles, I have had the opportunity to
024witness our school's growth and impact from multiple perspectives. At the heart of Gateway Community Charters is a commitment to students. Every decision we make, every program we develop, and every challenge we work through is ultimately about providing the best possible opportunities for our kids. That student centered mission is what has kept me committed to this organization for more than a decade. During my time at GIS, I have witnessed significant growth and positive change. Under Mr. Through sample's leadership, our school has been able to serve an increasing number of students while continuing to strengthen the programs and supports we provide. I have seen investments in both academic excellence and student support, including the continued growth of our international balora program and the expansion of our intervention team, allowing us to better meet the needs of diverse
025learners. These are tangible examples of the positive impact of Mr. Sample's leadership and the the commitment of the board members as well as his commitment to a student- centered vision helping to make GIS a place where students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. I am grateful to work in an organization that remains focused on students and their success. And I would like to thank thank Mr. Sample as well as the board and cabinet for their continued commitment to the children and families we serve. Thank you. >> THANK YOU. ONE MORE. >> ONE MORE. >> Angie Praxia Brianna's. >> Hi. Good evening, Lord. Can you hear me? Good. All right. Uh, my name is Angie Park and I'm the current principal at CCCS main campus and Sacramento Youth Center. Um, proud to say that I am
026finishing up my 15th year at CCCS and GCC in general. Um, started off as a baby teacher in high school. That's what I always like to joke around. Um, Mr. Thor, uh, Jeff Thorp from Cage. But I'm really proud because I just wanted to share with who I am as why this organization is so important to me as a professional. I I'm a former independent study graduate. I e-learner, high school dropout, the works, like everything. Oh my gosh, what the heck? I'm getting intro. Um, everything that you can imagine on the walls is what who I was as a student. And never did I ever dream that I could lead a school or help students who I once was to create an environment where they can belong but also thrive. Oh my gosh, I did
027not know this going to be emotional. I'm going script now. Um, so I just wanted to share that I I I recognize that leadership is not always about celebrating like easy victories or being able to do all the things we dream of or want to do. But that does not stop us because sometimes leadership is what is required to make the difficult choices that we need to make in order for our students, the people that we serve thrive. And so those decisions will always be uncomfortable, but they also come with significant responsibilities. And in order for that to happen, we have to remain focused on the long-term goals. And at our school, SECCS, we are the phoenix's. And the phoenix is not just a symbol of who we are or that it's easy, but it's
028a symbol that emerges from the challenges that we have to face, the resiliency that is forged when there's adversity, but also with new with difficulty comes new beginnings. Um, I just want to say that I want to thank the board, Mr. Sample. I remember you told me one day when you noticed I was not myself and you said I need you to lead your way because CCCS students need you and from that day on I led with fire and with heart. I have so many support from GCC leadership like Mr. Campbell, Mr. Coy, Dr. Gold who never gave up when I wanted to quit as a leader and they believed in me. And so I just came here to really just tell you that on behalf of our students, our staff, our family, we thank
029you for your service and we thank you for always believing us as a GCC staff to do what's right for the students because without your belief, it's hard for us to wake up every day to do what we want to do, which is to serve our students. So, thank you for your partnership and I'm very proud to be able to be a principal in our organization. THANK YOU. OKAY. IS IS is that it? >> That's it. I'm going to let somebody else talk right now. Mark, you want to wrap this? Well, thank you all for the the wonderful comments. Um, we really greatly appreciate it. I've been on this board for 18 years. myself and the reason I've been on this board for 18 years is because of all of you and what you have
030stood for what our students I mean I do promotions and graduations every year I never get tired of going it's a fantastic reaffirmation about what this organization is about and I appreciate all of you and the comments that you have made today it's very reassuring thank too. >> Any fruits? >> I'd like to put up a big mirror right here so that all of those nice compliments and things are pushed right back out to you folks because uh we do nothing that that you don't support and that you you create the environment. You create what GCC has become. and I've been on the board even longer than 20 18 years and I'm really proud to see the growth and the advancement that this organization has put together and it's because all of your work and
031we really do appreciate your comments and you're being here this evening. Thank you. >> You got something? Uh, all I can say is thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Because you've done so much and this is what we're about. We're about the kids. We're about them getting an education and learning and how to go out in the world because this is what we're facing today. We need to be out there showing who we are and what we are. And we going there with not the problem but the solution. And that's what they're working on. Well, thank you very much. >> And I think you know how I feel. I express it through my emotions. Thank you. That's all I got to say right now. Thank you. Okay. Any comments? >> Okay. All right. We're moving
032on with our agenda. Put on my Okay. I'm going to get there. We are excited for our study session. You ready? Higher learning academy HLA by annual school report. So >> we thank you madam president. Tonight I'd like to introduce Dr. G uh >> who this is uh completing your first year >> uh full year at higher learning academy. So uh again really uh proud of this entire team and the work that they have ahead of them. So with that being said, Dr. G. Thank you. Good evening board members, superintendent, assistant superintendent, staff members, community. I stand here today Dr. Carla Galborth, principal with vice principles uh VP Gapri Core and VP Brandon Bghazi and also counselor Gloria Hernandez. Oh Lord. Next slide, please. We're going to take you through our year in review um
033with our agenda starting with Oh, I'm sorry. Do I click that? >> Yeah. >> Thank you. Uh good things, learning and leadership, equity and well-being, opportunities, engagement, and what's next. This picture is our first picture. I had been employed a week and a half. It's back to school night. I'm a picture taker and I was building community and we used our parents as the background. Everyone was smiling and I think they were smiling at the end of the year I think. But we had a great time. I did everything I said I was going to do. Talk real fast, have some excitement and hopefully change some students lives. Okay. So for good things, we increased a lot of our parent participation and engagement. Uh we had consistent teachers and fully staffed in my NYP. I
034won't read them all. Uh we did very well with our extracurricular activities. We completed our IBNYP authorization application. We were very well with our cultural events because our school speaks so many different languages. We wanted to enhance that. We had our first ever PYP exhibition and IB night. All of our teachers are letters trained. Uh we participated for the first time in the math bowl and there they are in those yellow shirts and we had a phenomenal WASK midyear cycle. The picture in the top center is our first school site council and DAC meeting. It was a full house and other students there. I want to say next slide. I'm the next slide. Okay. We are not in denial of the improvements we need to make in our academics, but we are excited about our
035gains. Our preliminary results show growth in ELA and mathematics. Our scores for Sback testing. Our attendance rates increased. By the fall, the midyear point, we were really on fire. It dropped a little but as a whole we showed increases in attendance and we remain focused on improvement. According to I Ready we have shown growth as we know reading data we want our numbers to increase on the left and decrease on the right and they did just that. So from 4% to 14% reading growth. uh in and I don't know what that says the first part of the green let's just say the dark green the next green from 10% to 20% in the yellow we start to see decreases because the decreases show gains in the green from 36% to 28 from 21% to 14
036and from 29% to 24 that's what we want to see decreases in the red and increases in the green likewise in math math from 2% to 10% on the far right from 2% I you know I'm getting older I don't know what that said from 3% to 11% in the yellow you know what let me stop in the yellow from 38% we stayed the same and then we start showing gains from 25% to 18% drops in the red 22% to 23% drops in the red for math. Oh, next slide. Part of our learning is the support of our superintendent and our assistant superintendent. We worked with Swan Math looking at math pedigogy. It did not give our teachers something else to do, but the Swan folks team taught with our teachers came in and that's
037the support they wanted. Again, all of our teachers are letters trained. We worked with our essential standards with GCC uh the professional learning team learning rounds. Thank you Miss Core for your work on that and thank you Mr. Beghazi. Before coming a vice principal you were our instructional coach. So you have a part of that as well. We are a part of differentiated assistance with Skoey for support. uh we made increases working with the attend software to call our parents and make sure those kids get to school and best practices. So on the far right is letters curriculum and in the middle was a picture from our first ever IB exhibition night. We're going to build capacity. We're continuing to do so starting with our students. The IB uh exhibition night was a chance for
038students to hone in on their leadership capacity with their exhibitions. And there's a little flyer for them. On the far right, we had our GCC empowering leaders group. And there's a picture of our counselor's ponytail and some of our teachers there. Wherever HLA is, we'll represent in some kind of way. Thank you, Gloria. uh plenty of professional development with IB workshops again swung letters we have something I call the operational leadership team that meets at least once a week can't run a school by ourselves we're big on shared leadership so every leader on campus let's talk about it so we can plan our week and also our ped pedagogical leadership team PLT meets as well it's a we at our school not a me so everyone has a Guys, uh, Carla, while you're pointing out
039your counselor's ponytail, I think that's the back of my dome. UH, IS THAT YOU? WE just love our superintendent's dome. We appreciate that shine. It just exudes excellence. Thank you for sitting with us. But we do have buddy leaders and GCC does a good job of looking at talent and equipping everyone for talent. And for that, I'm appreciative. Equity. Oh, wait a minute. Well-being. I'm sorry. Did I do that right? >> Just a moment. Thank you, Mr. Beazi. Equity. As I said before, our school is very diverse, but our lower performing subgroups continue to be African-American and Hispanic. So, we were very intentional in highlighting ways to celebrate African-American culture and our Hispanic culture. In addition, our other lower performing subgroups continue to be our special education population and our English learners. So, as you
040can see, we made gains in the green and reductions in the red from 4% to 14% for our students uh with special needs all the way to the red section from 29% dropping to 24. And we hope to continue that momentum. Also with our English learners, we saw uh from 1% to 8% gains all the way to the right from you. Somebody help me 41% to 32%. I'm so sorry. So we are hoping that our CASP state data will match eventually match the increasing IRE data. That is our hope the state will be able to see what 900 Grey Street sees. Wellbeing our social emotional learning is integrated in our IB units. We are a capturing kids hearts national showcase school. We have a great afterchool program where we don't have the space to offer
041many electives. They can get it in the afterchool program with Miss Gloria's counseling program. We have the starting point program, self-discovery counseling. With our school psychologist, we have the DESA program, which is social emotional resilience. Again, we have attendance recovery through tutoring. And that picture is a picture of our unity lesson with our TKs and our kindergarteners. Even the little ones are learning how to show respect for each other and PBIS opportunities. We are an international balorate school. We're building uh character and soft skills not just academics and that is through our monthly learner learner profile attributes. We do offer world languages. We're offering Spanish at our school. We have increased our field trips. I made it clear to staff we need to leave campus and we did. We started off with the university. We
042did not take one grade level. We took them all to SAK State and SAK State is still standing. We we did it. Uh we went to farms. We went to museums. We had inschool science activities. We had plenty of ex assemblies and rallies. There is a picture of one of our glow-in-the-dark rallies. So, we had two. and extracurricular sports which I will highlight more on the next slide. Our school site council and DAC was a wonderful place to learn more information about us and we want to increase that parent participation. Our uh boys and girls teams were the champions of middle school basketball. There's one picture of them and there's a picture of our science team. They had a great year, made it to the champions and nearly won it. We do have student government
043at the promotion we gave them cords like they will get in high school. Uh we have our soar awards eagle sore. So at our IB learner profile monthly assemblies we not only celebrated attendance but we celebrate those students and adults that are doing great things. And of course a way of engagement is t coffee coffee and tea with the principal which I share with futures high school. We're really trying to build a TK through 12 model at the ranch, as I call it, Rancho Del Paso. What's next? Buckle your seat belts. You're going to see our names and lights. We have our um ID middle school. As I stated, we did submit our authorization and we have a visit in the fall. As you are aware, our PYP is the only PYP in North Sacramento.
044So, we want our middle school to match that. We are working with Swan Math to pilot the Paradigm Math curriculum. And so, we'll be continuing on with those math gains. We're going to continue our tier one instructional focus. And we have some dreams. We want to focus on CTE by allowing our students to become Google and Microsoft certified. They already know how to use Microsoft Word and Google Docs, Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides, Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets. So why not earn a certificate that says so to start them on their path. So we're working on that. Also we have a program called Write Brain where our students can become published authors. I'm hoping to invite you to our publishing party and the book can be anywhere from five pages to 10 pages. But why
045can't they be published authors as well? This is a picture of us, our SAK State trip. As you can see, the letters are still standing. We made it. And that is the conclusion of my year in review. >> Okay. Board members comments before I do. Any board members? All right. Yes, Mark. Many many accomplishments. >> You got you put your mic on. I keep forgetting this. >> Congratulations. Thank you. Many many accomplishments just and you've done a fantastic job, Carla, of your leadership, Brandon's all of your leadership has been phenomenal and the attendance going up is fantastic. Um, how just a question for you. So, how did you get a handle on the attendance? What what was kind of your approach to improving that? >> I think my approach was empowering the teachers. I just
046wanted to love on staff. They're the foot soldiers, if you will. So, if I can pass out candy and sodas and encourage them, I think that trickled down to their families. Also, we tried to make our school more um attractive. If we're not going on field trips, let's advertise. We're going this place, we're going that place. Uh we're going to be putting in a proposal to go to the Disney uh network. It's not just Disneyland. They have a full STEM component. >> So when that comes through, please approve it. I just thought I'd throw that out there. When you get it, please approve it. Pay for with my LCAP. But anyway, with uh fun things, I think that's attractive. Parents want to see that our school is doing something. So we came out of the
047gate swinging. First thing we did in September is rounded them up and went to the university. So I think that our teachers and making the school an exciting place helped. >> Absolutely. >> Very good. >> Well, very impressive. Very impressive. Thank you. >> I want to talk to your co-harts there. How are you guys feeling? How are you feeling? >> I feel great. >> Feeling great. >> I feel really great. Yeah. >> You feel like you're making progress? >> Absolutely. >> Okay. you ready to start the next year >> with? >> More than ready. >> What about you guys? But >> I'm tired. >> Yeah, I think it's really great. I think we're we're a really good collaborative team, the leadership at HLA. We we talk a lot. We communicate a lot and having a
048shared vision of of what we want going forward. You know, we worked on this presentation together and all of us were really talking about >> this is good. How can we make it great? So, all of the things that we're doing are pats on the back, but definitely stepping stones of how to move forward and and improve each year. >> That's what I wanted to hear. Thank you. We're very proud of what's happening. Your report really shows that you've been working collaboratively together so that you can make things happen and make things different. Mark took my statement that I wanted to talk about your increase in um in attendance. So what did you do? Did you call parents? Did you go to home visits? I didn't mention that. Yes, we tried to make the school
049more attractive and we empowered our teachers, but we also worked aggress aggressively with the attend program, making those calls home, holding parents accountable. Some of those calls were rough, but they still got to call. bring your kids to school. >> Yeah, >> I can I can tell you one of my experience when I was making those phone calls to parents like some of them were like wow like I've never heard like an admin calling asking inquiring about my child like why they're late and they they were making commitments to me on the phone saying I will do my very best to bring my child to school. So you know so they saw commitment from us and then they were willing to give their commitment back to us. Yeah. And we're so proud of what you've
050done academically, the growth that you made and the growth that you continue to make and plan to make. So, thank you for the hard hard work that you're doing at HLA. We really really do appreciate it. I've made a couple of events there and uh can see the difference. So, thank you. Thank you. >> Oh, Mr. B. >> Yeah. I I want to say one of the things that I see you doing every morning is that you're out there waiting accepting the kids coming to school. >> Yeah. >> They got staff out there and they talk to them in the morning. So, you know, this was great cuz I dropped my granddaughter off, you know, >> I get over. So, it's great and it's good to see that because therefore the first thing they see
051in the morning is people's out there welcoming them in. So, this is great. Thank you. Can I make one more comment? >> Yes. >> Uh I was I was fortunate to be at your promotion. >> And I was amazed. It was just wonderful to hear the students speak. Your president of your student council is outstanding. >> Uh what a leader, you know, and that's the when you get to see that the evolution of the kids >> and how they grow, it's amazing to me. So, uh, hats off to to you for promoting that and working on their leadership skills, all of those different things. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. >> I also liked your comment about working with futures. uh you really have an opportunity there I think to uh with that facility
052and with those two programs being one program essentially I think really would be beneficial to students and everybody else. So I appreciate that effort as well. >> Thank you. Many of our students stated that they're staying and they're going to go to futures. >> So that's a great thing. >> We do you have anything? >> No. I mean, I think the only thing again I want to affirm this team, great job. Uh, definitely a lot of work has gone in to take the school to the next level. So, really appreciate that. And to, uh, just reme remind everyone, it's go to HLA, go to Futures, go to college. Uh, it's that throughine that I think the two schools are doing a good job. So, thank you. Great job. and we're just anxiously looking at next
053year and seeing the continuous progress that you're making. So, we thank you. We thank you for the hard work that you're doing. Thank you for the report, too. >> Thank you. >> All right. Okay. >> All right. Review information is our next item, I believe. Yes. >> Item number one, info GCC IRS90 review. Yes. So, Madame President, members of the board, uh annually um we bring the uh IRS90 uh review, which is our tax uh statement, our tax uh report, tax form, excuse me, uh for the annual. This is just anformational item uh and Ommyra and her team will handle ensure that that gets submitted with our auditors and uh but this is for your information. >> Okay. It's just information only. No vote or anything. >> Any comments from voting news? We got the
054report in our binders. So anything >> hearing none see none. Okay. Moving on. Okay. And the next review information is written improvement plan to support the renewal of higher learning academy. So madame president, members of the board, uh while this is not a requirement by any statute or law, we again living kind of our best practices. Uh we bring this back to the board annually to share the improvement plan uh that uh higher learning is utilizing as they continue. I believe tonight you saw with the presentation uh the outcome of some of that hard work that the staff is doing and they'll continue to do. But again, no action is necessary on this. This is just best practice of bringing this to the board uh annually for you to have and we will also share
055that with our authorizers through oversight. >> Thank you. And it is a great report. Yes. All right. The next item on the agenda is written improvement plans to support the renewal. No, that we just did that. Um, we are now moving into public hearing. >> Yes. >> I beg your present. >> Yeah. All right. >> The presenter reads the presenter and uh items and answer questions from the board. Who is >> All right. So, thank you. Uh, Madame President, members of the court, uh, this is the time of year in which we do, uh, review our local control accountability plans. Uh, tonight I'm, uh, proud to introduce our director of business services, Valerie Rogers, who did a phenomenal job and has been, uh, leading this work, uh, this year. So, uh, our director will will
056do the presentation tonight. So, with that being said, Valerie, >> thank you very much. Before I start the LCAP, I also would like to affirm Dr. Dobworth. Um, when we started the year and she was new, she called me and asked for reimbursement of glow-in-the-dark glow sticks, and I knew we had a new amazing leader, and I I want to say that I I truly feel like her energy and enthusiasm was a big part for the all the positive things you saw at HLA. So, I love working with you. >> Thank you. Uh my name is Valerie Rogers and I'm the director of business services here at Gateway and this September will be my fifth year with the organization. So I just want to say good afternoon to board president Campbell, Superintendent Sample, board members
057and members of the public. Um I'll be presenting the local control accountability plan. We call that LCAP. We have an acronym for everything as you know. Uh the LCAP serves as a strategic planning document that outlines our goals, actions, services, and expenditures designed to improve student outcomes and support the diverse needs of our students. Today, I'll do a brief overview of our LCAP or educational partner engagement process, the students we serve, and the major investments plan for the for the next school year. Uh let me give this a try here. Oh, look, I did it right. Okay. Uh to set the stage for the presentation, I'd like to briefly explain how we got here. The LCAP was established in 2013 by then Jerry Governor Jerry Brown as part of the California's local control funding formula
058commonly referred to as LCFF. Prior to the LCFF, California schools operated under a complex system of more than 50 categorical pro programs that prescribed exactly how schools could spend state funds. The shift to the LCFF gave schools and governing boards greater flexibility to determine how resources should be invested based on the unique needs of their students and communities. And the LCAP is the accountability component of that system. It's our road map on how resources will be invested to improve student outcomes. At its core, the LCAP is a establishes a vision for student success. While the plan support all students, it also requires us to identify how we'll use the supplemental funding to improve outcomes for high need student groups. Those group include students from low-income families, English learners, foster youth. One of the most important
059things that we all understand about Gateway is the incredible population of the students we serve. Over 82% of our students are highne students. This shows us why the investments outlined in LCAP are so important. The majority of our students benefit from those ac additional academic, social, emotional, and family support services to remove barriers and increase opportunities. The critical component of the LCAP development process is our ed educational partner engagement. Throughout the year, you'll see some photos there. School activity has sought input from students, families, staff, community partners, school site councils, our superintendent, student advisory council, and DAC committees. Feedback was gathered through surveys, family engagement events, community meetings, and ongoing collaboration with these partners. And this feedback helped us identify areas of needs, opportunities for growth, and priorities for future investment. So the plans presented
060today really reflect the voice of those uh communities we serve. Before I move on to the three goals, I wanted to just share a personal perspective. One thing I've learned when working with business services is the LCAP is not something we review once a year and put on a shelf. I have one piece of paper that I keep on my desk all year long and it's the LCAP cheat sheet with my goals and actions. And whether I'm referring to purchase requisition, professional development, evaluating staffing needs, reviewing budgets, I always look at it through the lens of the LCAP. And the LCAP guides us and shows us how to prioritize and ensures our financial decisions remained aligned with the needs of the students. The LCAP is the road map and oh wait a minute I'm sorry
061I think I missed a slide. I apologize. Hold on. >> Okay. >> YAP is the road map and the portrait of a GCC graduate is the destination. So our first goal is to develop college and career ready students and these includes developing academic knowledge, technical skills, real world real world experiences necessary for students to pursue college careers, military service or postsecary opportunities. And underneath that first goal are actions we have listed here. We have six of them that you have had an opportunity to review. And part of a big part of our goal one is that we employ certificated and classified staff to support that goal. And examples of those positions include our counselors, career technical education leaders, project lead the way instructors, international balora programs, art and music programs and technology focused learning. Funding
062also supports professional development, classroom materials, and activities that expand access to learning. Our second goal is to increase academic growth, achievement, and enrichment opportunities for all students. Underneath that goal, we have six, sorry, we have five actions. And those key investments in goal two include academic intervention, student support specialist, and additional teaching staff to help maintain our lower classroom sizes. And funding also supports our English learners, summer learning opportunity, intervention, and supplemental instructional resources. Goal three is we pos f foster a positive culture and climate through providing a safe and healthy and engaging learning environment and resistant uh research consistently shows that students are more successful academically when they feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging to school. And under our third goal, we have our actions listed here. And those actions support
063investments in our counselors, social workers, nurses, student support specialists, community engagement staff, and other personnel dedicated to student wellness and engagement. And f this funding in this goal also supports uh field trips, student recognition programs before and after school and supports for our foster youth and students experiencing homeless homelessness. In addition to these three goals, we also have the equity multiplier and this is for one of our charters, Epic Charter, that receive these one-time funds in 2425. And our plan is to fully expend the remaining funds in the coming year. Um, and those funds are targeted services to address student needs with English learner intervention and attendance improvement efforts. One other program, a line of funding that's now part of our LCAP is our learning recovery emergency block grant. And uh these funds across our
064school, we are using those to support our summer learning programs. So, we're excited about that. And as you've heard today, the LCAP represents far more than a state requirement. It reflects the priorities of our students, our family, our staff, and our communities. Um, and the plans focus on preparing our students for college and career, accelerating academic achievement, and ensuring every student has access to a safe, healthy, and engaging learning environment. I just want to thank all those who had input in our LCAP development process. I also want to affirm our school leaders and GCC departments who've worked throughout the year to ensure our actions and services and expenditures re remain aligned to these goals. And thank you to the board for your comp continued support and I'd be happy to answer any questions that you
065might have. >> Board members, do you have any questions right now? Anything? We will now go through and open each one of these for public hearing. Um, we'll now open the public hearing on the local control accountability plan for community collaborative charter school. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> Okay. I will close the public hearing for Community Collaborative Charter Schools. I will now open the public hearing on the community outreach academy. Are there any members of the public who would like to commit comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on the community outreach academy. The board will now open the public hearing on the local control accountability plan for
066empowering possibilities international charter. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on empowering epic. I will now open the public hearing on local control accountability plan for futures high school. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on Futures High School. The board will now open the public hearing on the local control accountability plan for Gateway International School. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on Gateway International School. The board will now open the public
067hearing on the local control accountability plan for higher learning academy. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on high academy. The board will now open the public hearing on the local control accountability plan for Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on the Sacramento Academy and Vocational Academy. The board will now open the public hearing on the local control accountability plan for Sacramento Academic and Vocational Academy, SCUSD. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >>
068I will close the public hearing on SCUSD Sacramento academic. I will now open the public hearing on the local control accountability plan for Sacramento Academic and Location Academy, EGUSD, Elg Grove Unified School District. Are there any members of the public who would like to comment on this item? >> We have no public comments. >> I will close the public hearing on uh NGUSD. And so that concludes our public hearing on the nine schools. All right. It is not an action item. We have closed the hearing. Okay. We are down to board comments. Um board members. >> Yes. Mr. Vanick. >> Thank you, Madam Chairman. Um, I am reporting back to the board. Uh, as the board and the public are aware, uh, we've recently received some concerns, some serious concerns, uh, about some practices within
069GCC. Uh, you asked me to work with, um, various outside resources that we would work with to take a look at those concerns. Um and I'm reporting back uh at this time to uh let you know what we have uh accomplished to date. Obviously it's very early in this so there are no findings at all. Uh but we have retained outside counsel. Uh we have met with uh all of our authorizers to get their uh input on um what information they would want to see, what investigations they would want to see and uh give us recommendations on who they would like to see performing those reviews. And so we have gotten that information. our outside council uh is working to uh develop plans with with each of our outside resources. Uh these are all professionals
070that uh have not worked with GCC in any major capacity in the pa in the in the past but are people that our authorizers believe will will do a fair uh review of uh the various different agencies. Uh we've also worked with our current auditors because as you know they perform a an extensive audit every year and they had no findings uh uh that were of concern. But we've asked them to as they perform their next audit to make sure they really take a look at the same areas of concern to make sure they didn't miss anything that um they had looked at in the in the past year. So the the general areas uh that will be having outside resources are in the areas of fiscal uh HR practices and educational practices regarding uh
071several programs. So, as those um letters of engagement are developed, we'll bring those back to the board. And as um those investigations go on, we will make sure that all our providers and the public and the board are well informed as to uh what's occurring. So, preliminary stage, I'll keep you informed as as we go along. >> Thank you, Bruce. Board members, do you have any questions or anything from Bruce at this point? You understand what has happened and transfer transpired so far? Okay, great. Thank you. Uh I do want to make a couple of comments um of what has happened in the past week. We attended many promotions and graduations and I know some of you on the stage did also but I I I want to talk about one the virtual academy. Is
072anyone here? Yeah. I see. Yes. Mr. Campbell and Miss Okay. It was a day that I won't forget in a long time. It was a day that was planned spur of the moment, but it went so very very very well. It was done with class. I had parents who were so excited to be there with their students individually to take pictures with their students and with staff. It was just very well done. But I guess that's about the only thing I can say. The planning was done very nicely. Thanks to those of you who did the planning, Miss Melissa and all of you, Mr. John, Mr. Campbell, I always say John, but everything went just so smoothly. I'm sure it didn't start off as smooth as it ended up, but it was very, very, very
073well done. And I'm going to go and look at to thank all of you who worked so hard to make that happen. And it seems if the graduates were very pleased with coming in their cap and gowns, we turned their tassels. We treated them with respect and dignity. And I think the parents were and the students were very pleased. Mr. Mark, you were there and it just went well. As a matter of fact, uh, all of the promotions and the graduations, we just finished the last one, the Saturday. Yeah. At SAK State. So, it was the last one. So, it was a busy time, but it was a great time. Everything went very, very well. And I just again publicly want to thank all of you who worked so hard and did so much to
074make it happen. So, thank you. Yes, Mark. Well, I also had the pleasure of and the honor to to participate in many of the promotions and graduations this year. And I affirm what Mr. Lily has has said as well is that it took a lot of work on the administrative staff of the teachers. Um it was just amazing. Um I have just a couple of small comments. First of all, the speakers, the student speakers that we had were incredible, very mature, very thoughtprovoking. Um it makes you feel warm, committed. I could use a lot of different adjectives. Um but I just proud of the students that we have in our schools. Um you know some of the comments that they made were direct directly to their teachers. the the positive experiences, the the coaching that
075they received, the support that they received, you know, and I don't get an opportunity to go into the classroom very often. Uh, but they spoke very highly of that. And again, I thank all the teachers for all their hard work, for their commitments, you know, to our students, um, and our leadership at our schools as well. So, as I said, I've been a board member a long time, and the reason I continue to be a board member and want to be involved is because of the proof points are the students that come out of our organizations. And we've had many success stories. And thank you all, as Nolly said, for your commitment, the the front office, the schools, everybody does their part to make this work. And I'm very proud of all of you. Thank
076you so much for all the hard work. Anything else for board members? Again, I I let me say I just say I love you. I love you. I love you. But I tell you, we could not do what we do for students if it were not for all of the people working together in this organization. And I'm very proud to be a part of this organization. And I plan to continue as long as I'm needed. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. You Yeah. Uh again, just uh board uh members of the audience uh uh you can't help but see why uh this place is special uh with uh everyone from our promotions even to some of our comments tonight. And I think every day what we work hard to do is we try to build schools
077that are good for kids for all kids. And that's the work that I think is happening. Uh, and I can say that as a proud parent. Uh, my daughter just promoted from CLA Elementary School. My boys will be going to HLA uh, next year. My oldest son goes to Futures. And they all started at GIS. Again, we build schools that are good for all kids. So, thank you for your work. Thank you for your work. Uh, and let's keep doing the good things. >> Okay. Well, okay. Don't forget anything, though. Our next board meeting, >> our next board meeting is going to be next Tuesday, June 16th, at 3:30 p.m. That's right. We have one back to back this time next week. All right. Any other board comments? Any other closing comments? Anything? Thank all
078of you who stayed. Thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. We'll see you next week. Okay, I will entertain a motion for adjournment. So moved. >> Second. And also note that we're ending this meeting when we would normally be starting. >> Oh my gosh. >> You're right. I didn't realize that. Yeah. With everything we had today, we still did okay. All right. All in favor of adjournment voting sign of I. >> Meetings adjourned. Thank you.