DeKalb Preparatory Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Tuesday December 8th, 2020 @6:30 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Janelle Wilhite present member On Time At Adjournment
Chris Estes not present ex-officio
Wanda McKay present member On Time At Adjournment
Suzette Arnold present chair On Time At Adjournment
Tamara Gammon not present Treasurer
Roberta Walker present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Karen Shabazz present member On Time At Adjournment
Marcus Vassell present member On Time At Adjournment
Tamseel Syed present member On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting will be called to the order.

Approval of Agenda

The committee approves the agenda items.

Approval of the Minutes...

Last meeting minutes pending.

Report from Development

The Development met on Friday November 20th, 2020 @10:00 AM for what was scheduled to be a 1 hours and 0 minutes long meeting. Present: Tanya Watkins, Wanda McKay, Marcus Vassell, Tamseel Syed Not Present: none The members considered the following items: 1. Resource Development Director Report - Agenda 2. Welcome And Call To Order The committee considered 0 motions, of which 0 passed, and 0 failed: The meeting adjourned at 11:07AM


Ms. Watkins updated the Board on the Development Committee.


Key Points:

Several grant proposals have been or are being written.


CSP Grant- a proposal has been submitted. Results are expected to be received in January or February of 2021. The funds will be used for technology including laptops for students and teachers.


Facilities Grant: DPA has been awarded $39,000


Georgia School Nutrition Grant- currently being prepared. It is due 12.18.20


Walmart Grant: a proposal is request funds to provide a shed for the DPA garden. If awarded the grant will cover the cost of a shed, not to exceed $5,000.


A Move was made, by Ms. Walker, to accept the Development Committee report as presented.

Head of School Report

Ms. Pettis delivered the Head of School report.


Key Points:

Enrollment as of 11.26.20 is 571 students

Training for parents on Google Classroom

DPA is conducting a campaign to encourage parents to enroll in the Campus Parent Portal

All TKES for this period have been completed

The charter contract is being reviewed with school leadership. It will next be reviewed with the teaching staff.

As of 11.26.20, there are 305 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per every 100,000 residents of Dekalb Co.

Ms. Pettis will have a Re-opening School report to share at next month's board meeting


The Board has asked to see the next survey that goes out to parents.


There was a Move, made by Ms. Shabazz, to accept the HOS report as presented.


Report from Finance Committee

The Finance Committee met on Thursday October 22nd, 2020 @6:00 PM for what was scheduled to be a 0 hours and 43 minutes long meeting. Present: Janelle Wilhite, Suzette Arnold, Susan Wright, Chris Estes Not Present: Tamara Gammon The members considered the following items: 1. Welcome and Call to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approve Minutes 4. Review September Financial Statements 5. Other Business 6. Adjournment The committee considered 6 motions, of which 5 passed, and 0 failed: 1. Motion to call the meeting to order. (passed) 2. Approve the agenda as submitted (proposed) 3. Motion to approve the agenda. (passed) 4. Motion to approve. (passed) 5. Accepted the report for September. (passed) 6. Motion to adjourn. (passed) The meeting adjourned at 7:31PM



Ms. Wright presented financial information for the month of October.


Key Points:

Vendor Service- food service (school meals) participation has declined.


Updates provided on vendor services for facilities and grounds considering the facility in not currently in normal use due to virtual instruction taking place during the pandemic.


Move made, by Ms. Walker, to accept the Finance Report as presented.

Report from Academic Committee

The Academic Committee met on Wednesday October 21st, 2020 @1:00 PM for what was scheduled to be a 1 hours and 3 minutes long meeting. Present: Chris Estes, Roberta Walker, Veronica Grant, Melba Smith, Carla Pettis, Lakeisha Strickland, Karen Shabazz, Atiya Hollis Not Present: none The members considered the following items: 1. Welcome and Call to Order 2. Daily Schedule 3. Data Dashboard 4. Professional Learning 5. Other Academic Concerns 6. Next Meeting Date and Time 7. Adjournment The committee considered 0 motions, of which 0 passed, and 0 failed: The meeting adjourned at 1:40PM


Academic Committee Key Points:

Ms. Strickland addressed questions concerning the latest student assessment data compiled and entered into the Dashboard.


Per questions raised by a board member, Ms. Strickland will re-visit the assessment data ranges that indicate student growth ( i.e. developing, proficient, etc.). These ranges aligned with the Georgia Milestones however, they are wide. This makes it a bit challenging for the Board to get an exact understanding of the level of academic success of each student.

Ms. Strickland will work with her team to keep the existing range but also include more narrow targets to better identify the progress or lack thereof of students based on their unit assessments.


The academic committee chair, Ms. Walker, suggested the Board have a work session to identify information it would like to have presented in the Dashboard. The suggestion was made to also utilize a Board Calendar that identifies key information the Board would like to receive from school leadership. This will enable school leadership to set dates for itself to prepare and be ready to present Dashboard data to the Board.


A Move was made, by Ms. Shabazz, to accept the Academic Report as presented.

Report from Governance Committee

The Governance Committee met on Wednesday November 11th, 2020 @6:00 PM for what was scheduled to be a 0 hours and 17 minutes long meeting. Present: Janelle Wilhite, Suzette Arnold, Karen Shabazz, Roberta Walker Not Present: Wanda McKay The members considered the following items: 1. Welcome and Call to Order 2. In Attendance 3. Action Steps The committee considered 0 motions, of which 0 passed, and 0 failed: The meeting adjourned at 8:36PM


Governance Committee:

The report for this committee was tabled per a quorum from the Board members.

Public Comment

Our Public Comment period is for members of the public to address the board. Each member of the public may sign up to comment at the meeting, and will be allotted two minutes. The board will listen, but may not directly respond to any comments. Our meetings are open to the public and public record. As such, if your comment is about a private matter, please contact the board via email, or speak to the board chair privately.


The floor was opened for public comment. Attendees were asked to record their name in the Chat box if they wanted to speak.


No Person in Attendance offered Public Comments

Adjournment

motion to adjourn at 8:49pm

By: Roberta Walker

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Other Business

DPA will utilize the services of a consultant to support the school in the process to prepare and submit its charter renewal.


A Motion was made, by Ms. Shabazz, and second, to approve the proposal from the Georgia Charter School Association consultant to prepare the charter renewal for no more than $15,500.


Executive Session

A Motion was made, by Mr. Vassell, to move to executive session at 7:33pm . Vendor contracts and IT infrastructure and needs were discussed as well as roles of members of school leadership.


Motion made by Mr. Vassell, second by Mr. Syed to move back to regular session at 8:45pm


Motion, by Mr. Vassell, to approve the proposal from SLA to suspend their contract due to COVID-19 until such time that it is more optimal for service delivery. Motion second by Ms.Walker.


Motion to adjourn by Ms.Walker at 8:49pm

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:14 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Roberta Walker

There was no notable discussion on the motion.