Welcome and Call to Order

Roberta Walker at 6:20 p.m

Ascertain a Quorum

Roberta Walker – present                                                                     Felecia Shanklin-not present

Maxine Wright – present                                                                     Suzette Arnold – not present

Martina Stanley – present-virtually                                                       Wanda McKay- LOA-not present

Janelle Wilhite – present

Tamara Cooper – present

Approval of Agenda

Motion made by:                                Maxine Wright            

Motion seconded by:                           Janelle Wilhite

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

Approval of Minutes from Previous Governing Board Meeting

The Governing Board met on Tuesday March 28th, 2023 @6:30 PM for what was scheduled to be a 2 hours and 8 minutes long meeting. Present: Roberta Walker, Tamseel Syed, Janelle Wilhite, Maxine Williams, Martina Stanley Not Present: Suzette Arnold, Wanda McKay, Felicia Shanklin The members considered the following items: 1. Welcome and Call to Order 2. Ascertain a Quorum 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Principal's report 5. Committee Reports 6. Minutes from Governing Board 7. Executive Session 8. Public Comment 9. Any Other Business 10. Adjournment The committee considered 2 motions, of which 2 passed, and 0 failed: 1. Approve the agenda as submitted (passed) 2. Motion to adjourn (passed) The meeting adjourned at 3:05PM

Head of School Report

Ms. Cooper provided an overview of the draft Root Cause Analysis (RCA) that will be provided to DeKalb County School District to address several of the Authorizer’s concerns.

Attrition data for the past 4 years will be updated by the close of business on Friday, May 5, 2023. This attrition data will include non-certified vs certified staff, Executive Director and Leadership, and Chief Financial Officer’s retained and that have left.

The areas of concern addressed in the Root Cause Analysis include:

Governance – Georgia Open Records Act – website compliance

Academics – Data, PEC Compliance, 504 Coordinator, MTSS Coordinator, PEC Professional Development

Operations- Cleanliness of the building; painting; floor maintenance (stripping and waxing); fencing, ADA ramps, roofing, sewer line, gas odor in the main hallways, ceiling lights replacement, restroom cleanliness and disrepair, kitchen cleanliness and leaks.

Human Resources- Working on the big picture regarding staffing and policies and protocols.

Finance- Two areas of concern are in progress. One of the issues we are researching relates to the pension systems (which we are doing correctly) but it places us out of ratio.

General recommendations – hiring and training of new staff, current staff, and board members. Appoint board secretary. Assess organizational structures and oversight systems. Review, rewrite, update policies. Develop a continuous professional development process. Develop a retention program with a focus on trauma. Restructure organization. Train a data team for continuous improvement and monitoring. Write and implement strategic plan. Develop long-term fiscal, operational, academic strategies. Develop long term partnerships with outside stakeholders. Develop clear SMART goals for each department.

HOS Plan Overview-develop Root-Cause-Analysis; develop a 90-day Plan of Action; develop 3-year Strategic Plan, implement Strategic Plan and review GMAS data and pivot as necessary.

Additional comments: The final draft of the RCA will be provided to the Governing Board as quickly as possible. Ms. Cooper mentioned that the leadership team is in the process of developing a recruitment plan for hiring to address the 14-15 open positions. There will also be a recruitment plan for enrollment to ensure that we will make our fiscal goals. Ms. Cooper acknowledged the work of her “awesome team.”

Committee Reports

Finance Committee – Janelle Wilhite

Mr. Kayemba gave an overview of the March financials. Budgeted income for March was under by $129,891.24 due to drawdowns that did not materialize from ESSER II funds and Nutrition. Claims were submitted but there were internal process issues that resulted in untimely drawdowns. March expenses showed an overage of $67,706.79. This is driven by supplies and materials. It appears that DPA did not budget effectively last year on supplies and materials. The deficit is (197,598.03).

There is 205 days of cash-on-hand which exceeds the compliance ratio of 45 days of cash-on-hand.

Mr. Kayemba reviewed the expense ratios for Instruction, Academics, and Plant Services Maintenance and Operations. Some efforts must take place to address non-compliant ratios. Extensive discussion regarding the debt-to-asset ratio. Preliminary research indicates that the way that our pension plan dollars are captured seems to skew our compliance data.  This issue is still being researched to determine definitive reasons and corrective actions. Our auditor does not recognize this ratio and Mr. Kayemba is attempting to reconcile this data point.

There was in-depth discussion regarding the 2022-23 budgeted projections and actual expenses. There is a projected surplus of $129, 971.00 net ordinary income to end FY22-23. Mr. Kayemba will revisit reporting formats to make it easier for the board members and stakeholders to understand.

Brief discussion regarding a potential Auditor. There is a board action form being brought forth but currently there are not three (3) quotes.

Ms. Wilhite liked the 2023-24 Budget format and made recommendations regarding how to present expenditures vs. budget. 

Grants-Ms. Cooper informed the board that there is currently a staff member that was hired with the title of Grants/Data Specialist. There will be an assessment of all positions and responsibilities.

Opportunities-Mr. Kayemba gave an overview of opportunities to increase fiscal viability. Those opportunities will maximize funding through efficient data reporting, robust cost control management, needs analysis, set goals for fund balance

Risks-Mr. Kayemba reviewed some of the facts or events that make DPA not perform well financially. Those items include: legal risks from HR issues, high turnover rate, and complacency because of the cushion built in the budget. Mr. Kayemba reminded the board that the cushion provided by ESSER funds will not always be there.

Challenges of this budget-Mr. Kayemba discussed some of the limitations to this budget: inability to ensure sizeable grown in compensation for the personnel (salary, performance bonuses, etc.) and lack of sustainable funding to provide competitive

Mr. Wilhite inquired about whether the 480 FTE scenario would result in job eliminations. Ms. Cooper informed the board that neither of the three FTE scenarios will result in job eliminations. Mr. Kayemba reviewed the 560 FTE scenario with the board as well.

Ms. Walker shared that while attending the GCSA conference, information was provided that the Facilities Grant would be increased. This was confirmed by Mr. Kayemba.

37-4-25-2023  Cancellation of Avolon CFO Services –

Robust discussion regarding the termination clause in the Avolon contract. Ms. Wilhite is amenable to entering into a contract for May and June 2023 only for extended accounting services. Discussion regarding Professional Development for the Head of School from Georgia Charter School Association and possibly the Carl Vinson Institute. Clarification needed about the dates of service and other details. 

30-4-25-2023  Avolon HR Consulting Services

Robust discussion regarding the immediate need for Human Resources Consulting Services. The board action form and contract are currently written to include this fiscal year and next fiscal year. The board is amendable to approve these services for  FY2022-23, and will revisit this contract along with all new contracts for FY2023-24.

Discussion regarding the process for securing an auditor. This action was deferred back to the Finance Committee for further discussion.

Governance Committee

A Special Called Governance Committee meeting was held on April 24, 2023. The following items were discussed: MTSS Coordinator for 20223-23; new teacher positions for 2023-24; 504 staff stipend; PEC Professional Development consultant; Academic School Year Calendar update; Reauthorization update; DCSD Letters of Concern and updates; Governing Board elections, professional development, and new member candidates.

23-4-25-2023 MTSS/RTI appointee for the 2022-23 academic school year.

This board action is being considered to address compliance issues identified by the Authorizer. Although the board does not normally consider actions that have not been recommended by a committee, this action is being requested as an urgent need.

24-4-25-2023  504 Coordinator (contractor) appointee for the 2022-23 school year. This board action is being considered to address compliance issues identified by the Authorizer. Although the board does not normally consider actions that have not been recommended by a committee, this action is being requested as an urgent need of the school. of the school.

Academic Committee – Roberta Walker

Ms. Walker gave a brief overview of items discussed in the April Academic Committee meeting. Those items included Summer Bridge/Kinder Camp, new 2022-23 MTSS/RTI Coordinator position, PEC Saturday stipend, MTSS Appointee, 504 support stipend, PEC Professional Development Consultant, field trips for 6^th and 8^th grades and instructional materials and subscriptions.

Due to the loss of quorum, the Governing Board is unable to vote on any additional items

Development Committee

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.

There were no public comments

Any Other Business

No other business brought forward to discuss

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn at 8:57 p.m.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:57 pm