Centennial Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Monday September 26th, 2022 @5:30 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Egbert Perry present chair On Time At Adjournment
Renee Glover present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Demetrius Patterson present member On Time At Adjournment
Walt Higgins present member On Time At Adjournment
Howard Grant not present member
Joseph Handy not present member
Christopher Burke present member On Time At Adjournment
Maurice Baker not present member
Virginia Sheppard present member On Time At Adjournment
Chaundra Gipson present member On Time At Adjournment
Allison Toller present member On Time At Adjournment
Aquaria Smith present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Rewa Berry present member On Time At Adjournment
Lizanne DeStefano present member On Time At Adjournment
Jessica Olowoyo present member On Time At Adjournment
Jasmine Spencer present member On Time At Adjournment
Zeke Alejandro present Non-voting Administration On Time At Adjournment
Julien Siah not present ex-officio

Welcome Call to Order

Chair Perry called the Governing Board Meeting to Order at 5:34 p.m.

Approval of Agenda & Minutes

Quorum required to proceed with motion.

Approve the August 22nd Governing Board minutes and September 26th meeting agenda

By: Rewa Berry Seconded by: Renee Glover

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Chair's Remarks

Chair Perry tabled his remarks for the Finance Committee report.

Public Comment

No Public Comments.

Governance Committee Report

Committee Chair Berry reported on the status of the Board Trainings with GCSA, announced the annual giving kick-off, and commended board members for their support to the school's culture and community engagement.

Amend the Centennial Academy's Governing Bylaws to remain in compliance of the Open Meetings Act, OCGA 50-14-1(g) which states:

  1. “circumstances necessitated by emergency conditions involving public safety or the preservation of property or public services, agencies or committees thereof not otherwise permitted by subsection (f) of this Code section to conduct meetings by teleconference may meet by means of teleconference so long as the notice required by this chapter is provided and means are afforded for the public to have simultaneous access to the teleconference meeting.”

By: Rewa Berry Seconded by: Renee Glover

The statute was amended in 2021 to provide that “emergency conditions” include “declarations of federal, state, or local states of emergency.” (passed) 

Academic Accountability Committee Report

Committee Chair Patterson reported on the school performance metrics against targets: attendance, standardized test scores, and other benchmarks. Staff highlighted the strategies improvements to meet the annual 2022-2023 Strategic Goals.

Finance Committee Report

Committee Chair Glover announced Warren Averett's audit presentation will take place at the October Governing Board meeting and upon acceptance of the audit by the full Board, CA would submit CA's audited FY 2022 financial statements to Atlanta Public Schools and the Department of Education of the State of Georgia on or before November 1, 2022. 

Mr. Pressas highlighted the financial reports to include the monthly YTD actuals to budget and partner sponsor grants received. He related the facilities meeting with APS that resulted in APS's agreement to split costs at 80/20 on roof replacement and enhancement.


Motion to authorize Centennial Academy to allocate up to $100K from general reserves fund for a 20/80 split with Atlanta Public Schools to cover the costs to replace and enhance the roof.

By: Renee Glover Seconded by: Lizanne DeStefano

Given the severity of the roof leaks and other capital improvement discussions with APS, the School District agreed to cover 80-percent costs needed to replace and enhance the roof, along with managing the procurement, contracting, and providing program management to the project. 

Head of School Report

Ms. Olowoyo reported on the progress of Centennial Academy's 2022-2023 targets goals on academics school culture, professional capacity, community partnerships, financial stability, and highlighted student enrollment.

Head of School September Report

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 7:03 p.m.