Centennial Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Monday May 20th, 2024 @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
Christopher Burke present member On Time At Adjournment
Maurice Baker present member On Time At Adjournment
Virginia Sheppard not present member
Chaundra Gipson not present member
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
Derrick Gervin present member On Time At Adjournment

Welcome Call to Order

Chair Perry called the Governing Board meeting to order at 5:40 p.m.

Approval of Agenda & Previous Meeting Minutes

The meeting agenda and minutes were adopted as presented.

Approval of previous meeting minutes.

By: Lizanne DeStefano Seconded by: Demetrius Patterson

All in favor.

Approval of meeting agenda.

By: Lizanne DeStefano Seconded by: Demetrius Patterson

All in favor.

Chair's Remarks

Chair Perry yielded his time for the Committee reports.

Public Comment

There were no Public Comments.

Governance Committee Report

Committee Chair Berry reported all board training hours are completed a month prior to the deadline.


  • Request for the executed document of Governing Board bylaws.

Academic Accountability Committee Report

Chairperson Patterson presented academic performance metrics for the school, and the school leadership discussed the progress and challenges for students in grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. Ms. Olowoyo talked about the strategies and investments made, provided an update on the progress of student groups ESOL, Accelerated, Gifted, Transitional, and DSE, and discussed the STEAM certification with the Georgia Department of Education and Centennial's community partnerships. Dr. Alejandro reviewed attendance, benchmark strategic target goals, and potential factors affecting these goals. Board member Ms. Destafano requested that the Centennial leadership include data for all students in their reports

Finance Committee Report

Committee Chair Glover gave a report on the 2023-2024 budget. Ms. Olowoyo mentioned that repairs and other facilities maintenance needs will take place during the summer months. She announced that Friday, May 24, was the anticipated timeline for the fully execution of the new lease agreement. Mr. Pressas presented the financial reports, which included the monthly year-to-date actuals compared to the budget. Ms. Olowoyo also discussed the proposed budget recommendations for the 2024-25 school year, to include salary increases, program funding, and contingencies, which the Board will vote on at the June meeting. 

Moved to increase the budget by $36K.

By: Renee Glover Seconded by: Rewa Berry

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Head of School Report

Executive Director Ms. Olowoyo presented the Head of School Report_May in parallel to the proposed budget report.

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.

Moved to discuss personnel and real estate matters.

By: Renee Glover

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Moved to rejoin to General meeting.

By: Renee Glover Seconded by: Rewa Berry

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 7:24 pm

Motion to adjourn

There was no notable discussion on the motion.