Centennial Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Monday February 27th, 2023 @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 present member On Time At Adjournment
Joseph Handy not present member
Christopher Burke present member On Time At Adjournment
Maurice Baker present member On Time At Adjournment
Virginia Sheppard present member On Time At Adjournment
Chaundra Gipson present member On Time At Adjournment
Allison Toller present member On Time At Adjournment
Rewa Berry present member On Time At Adjournment
Lizanne DeStefano present member On Time At Adjournment
Aquaria Smith present secretary On Time At Adjournment

Welcome Call to Order

Chair Perry called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m.

Approval of Agenda & Minutes

The meeting agenda and January minutes were approved without changes.

To approve the meeting agenda and January minutes as presented.

By: Rewa Berry Seconded by: Demetrius Patterson

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Chair's Remarks

Chair Perry announced the Board would convene an Executive Session to discuss Centennial's facility plans and potential impact to the charter renewal process.

Public Comment

There were no public comments.

Governance Committee Report

Committee Chair Berry reported that the Governance Committee wishes to nominate Derrick Gervin's candidacy to fill the seat recently vacated by Joseph Handy. Mr. Gervin spoke on how his professional and civic responsibilities would contribute. Committee Chair Berry reminded the Board that Mr. Handy would continue as a Finance and Facilities Committee member. She highlighted the recent launch of the Governance Committee's newsletter, which will serve as a dashboard for members to track annual training, contributions, and school engagement. She encouraged members to complete their yearly training by May 30, 2023. Maurice Baker briefly discussed the upcoming Atlanta Science festival and how Georgia Power will partner with Centennial's students. 


Nominate Derrick Gervin to fill the vacant Board seat.

By: Howard Grant

The motion passed unanimously

Academic Accountability Committee Report

Committee Chair Patterson reported on the school's performance metrics against the 2022-23 strategic goal targets, including student and staff attendance, standardized test scores, and other benchmarks. Zeke Alejandro provided further insights across the data metrics so members could best understand the trends and their impact on the school, including the recent implementation of school strategies to improve students' attendance and the plan to fill the teaching gaps around ELA. Ms. Blackburn concluded the report by highlighting the students/ STEAM progress and showing their presentations.

Finance Committee Report

Committee Chair Glover highlighted the solid financial performance from January, which included a net gain of $334K after allocating monies to cash reserves. She highlighted the school's continual financial compliance with its charter requirements, along with mentioning that the committee will connect with the school's leadership team after performing a cost analysis to address the lack of playground space as the school work to provide a healthy alternative space that promotes healthy, emotional, and physical growth. 

Head of School Report

Ms. Jessica Olowoyo reported on implementing strategies and initiatives around school attendance with an initial focus on scholars from Centennial Place apartments, the status of the teacher hiring timeline, and how to engage the school's partners for 2023-24, such as Georgia Tech's CEISMC programs. She highlighted student accolades in receiving first place finish at the Atlanta Public School Tech and Innovation competition resulting in the advancement to compete at the state. Members of the track team will advance to the state on March 15, and the school choir competed for the first time at Bannekar High school. Members can access additional details to the Head of School report can be accessed via the link provided here: HOS Report_February


Executive Session Call To Order

The Board can call this session to order to discuss records (or portions thereof) exempt from public inspection or disclosure pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 18 of Title 50, (OCGA 50-18-72).  If called, this will be a closed session.

Motion to convene Executive Session to discuss real estate matters.

By: Rewa Berry Seconded by: Allison Toller

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Motion to reconvene to Governance meeting with no action taken.

By: Renee Glover Seconded by: Howard Grant

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at 7:33 pm

Motion to adjourn

There was no notable discussion on the motion.