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Parents and teachers press Wiseburn board over Da Vinci Rise, Futures Plus and trustee affiliations
Summary
Several parents and teachers urged the Wiseburn board to explain why Da Vinci Rise and the Futures Plus program were not reauthorized and raised concerns about possible conflicts involving trustees and Element Consulting; Board President Roger Benos responded that his company does not contract with the district and defended prior negotiations with Da Vinci.
Multiple public commenters used the June 9 board meeting’s public-comment period to press the board on decisions affecting vulnerable students and to raise transparency questions about trustee affiliations.
Teacher and parent Kelly Shoemaker described Da Vinci and its Rise program as ‘‘a lifeline for foster youth, at-risk students, and young people facing homelessness’’ and said she was ‘‘deeply disappointed’’ the board voted not to reauthorize RISE as part of the Da Vinci charter. She asked the district to value programs that serve students who need additional supports.
Grace Bader, a parent, asked why the board declined to reauthorize Da Vinci Rise and said the stated fiduciary concerns did not appear to match facts she had seen; she asked whether equity and inclusion apply to all students.
Jeannie Agar, a Wiseburn resident and parent, pressed the board on disclosure of trustees’ outside employment. Agar alleged that "President Roger Benos and Trustee Nelson Martinez are top executives at the same company, Element Consulting, a firm that manages school construction programs," and said that those relationships are not shown on the district website. She asked the district and the trustees to correct website content and fully disclose affiliations.
President Roger Benos spoke during public comment to respond. He acknowledged he is "the president of Element Consulting," said the company does not do work for Wiseburn and denied any undisclosed financial benefit. Benos also described his and others’ historical involvement in negotiating with Da Vinci and city partners, and said legal counsel advised that the RISE reauthorization was not approvable as submitted.
Board members and district leadership later reiterated that legal and fiduciary reviews informed action on RISE and that staff will continue dialogue with Da Vinci. Several speakers asked for clearer public explanations of the board’s decisions and of conflict-of-interest disclosures on public-facing materials.
