Motion to adjourn
By: Renee Glover Seconded by: Rewa Berry
There was no notable discussion on the motion.
Centennial Academy
Governing Board
Regular Meeting - Monday April 24th, 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 | not present member | ||
| 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 | not present member | ||
| Aquaria Smith | present secretary | On Time | At Adjournment |
| Derrick Gervin | not present member |
Welcome Call to Order
Meeting called to order at 5:32 p.m.
Approval of Agenda & Minutes
Approval of agenda and March 27, 2023, minutes approved as presented.
Chair's Remarks
Chair Perry highlighted the recent meeting between Centennial Place Academy and Atlanta Public Schools (APS) and correspondence outlining concerns to APS. Ms. Olowoyo agreed to forward a copy to Centennial's Board, Matthew Underwood, APS Executive Director of Innovation, Dr. Lisa Herring, APS Superintendent. and Larry Hoskins, APS Director Superintendent of Operations. He mentioned concerns about Centennial's academic achievement remaining unchanged from last year and the school's team, which Ms. Olowoyo will discuss in the Head of School report as the Board prepares for its charter renewal.
Public Comment
No Public Comment
Governance Committee Report
Committee Chair Berry reported on the Board's engagement status related to training hours, donor contributions, and the strategic plan. She remarked the GCSA in-person Board training will take place at the June retreat but encouraged members to complete their trainings by May 31, and agreed to update members on their YTD contributions.
Academic Accountability Committee Report
Committee Chair Patterson reported on the school performance metrics against strategic goals targets: attendance, standardized test scores, and other benchmarks. To better understand spikes in the disciplinary referrals compared to the increased percentages of scholars' attaining leadership opportunities, the Board requested, and Centennial's leadership agreed to modify its reporting of disciplinary referrals to reflect repeat offenders against new ones for more accurate measurement of the issues and to determine the best problem-solving methods to implement.
Finance Committee Report
Committee Chair Glover reported on the Finance and Facilities meeting. Mr. Steve Pressas highlighted the monthly financial statements and YTD actuals to the budget, demonstrating Centennial's strong financial position for the year. Ms. Glover related the desire to spend significantly on programs that produce desired academic outcomes in light of modest academic gains for the year. She commented that given the Board's governance approach coupled with Atlanta Public Schools' partnership as outlined in the correspondence, the Board could carry out its strategies and best practices, allowing for better outcomes with the scholars and their families.
Head of School Report
Ms. Olowoyo reported on the strategic goals and targets for academic excellence, school culture, professional capacity, and operations/financial sustainability. The professional capacity and operations/financial sustainability remain on track, academic excellence and school culture show in progress, and the school culture goal of 83% of scholars to attend 90% of enrolled days continue to track below target metrics.
She highlighted:
- Seventeen scholars received the Legends Book Award scholarship totaling $17K. The recipients will be honored on April 29 from 10:00 to 11:00 am.
- The Besharat Arts Foundation has donated 15 portraits from its Faces of Innocence project to Centennial.
- The launch of TNTP Insight survey on April 19 to gauge the school's health, gather teachers' feedback on critical instructional practices, and give the administration actionable information needed to increase retention and improve student learning. The results will serve as a baseline for the school.
- The Saturday Academy and Cristo Rey partnership focus on helping scholars with extra tutorials and preparing for GMAS testing.
The Meeting was Adjourned
The meeting adjourned at 6:37 pm