Welcome and Call to Order

Suzette Arnold at 6:40 p.m.

Ascertain a Quorum

Suzette Arnold - present

Roberta Walker -present                                                          

Janelle Wilhite - present

Wanda McKay - present

Kathy Ann Young - present

Dr. Lenise Bostic, Ex-officio-present 

Approval of Agenda

Addition to the agenda and immediate vote for new board member, Kathy Ann Young

Motion made by:                                  Roberta Walker

Motion seconded by:                            Janelle Wilhite

Motion Carries:                                   Unanimous vote

Minutes from Last Meeting

The Governing Board met on Tuesday, July 25th, 2023 @6:30 PM for what was scheduled to be a 2 hours and 13 minutes long meeting. Present: Suzette Arnold, Roberta Walker, Janelle Wilhite, Tamara Cooper Also Present: Bridget Robinson The members considered the following items: 1. Welcome and Call to Order 2. Ascertain a Quorum 3. Amendment to the Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes from the Last Meetings 5. Head of School Report 6. Academic Committee Report 7. Finance Committee Report 8. Public Comment 9. Executive Session 10. Actions Taken After Executive Session 11. Other Business 12. Adjournment The committee considered 28 motions, of which 26 passed, and 0 failed: The meeting adjourned at 10:06PM

Approval of Items By Consent

Item listed below have been approved via committee and cleared for approval by board consent

New Board Member - Kathy Ann Young

Name Position Cost Melliah Lander Substitute Teacher 6000

Ms. Guyton Math Coach 0

Dr. Woods Reading Coach 0

Alonzo Robinson 8^th Grade Math Teacher 81,026.29

Renee Soloman MTSS part time (Middle School) 27000.00

Mikka Soloman MTSS part-time (Elementary) 27000.00

Dr. Brian Merritt Academic Specialist/

Middle School Principal 155859.00

Jeffrey Thomas Network Manager 86072.46

Dr. Valencia Koffie Special Education Teacher 63245.50

Zalia Salters Substitute Teacher 20,000

Louise Crowder Resource Officer 55,000

Total 521203.25

Head of School Report

This is Dr. Bostic’s first meeting as Head of Schools. Dr. Bostic expressed her excitement about serving at DeKalb Preparatory Academy. Dr. Bostic gave an overview of her background, goals and objectives. Focus areas are Families and Community/Family Engagement, Teachers and Staff, Partners and PTA, Businesses, Media and DeKalb County/City Government. Dr. Bostic reviewed upcoming goals which include the continuance of the academic rigor that is provided every day, drawing in families and communities to increase student involvement, and project based learning. Dr. teachers and paraprofessionals for the classrooms. Compensation and benefits offerings will be assessed and enhanced where possible. The board members welcomed Dr. Bostic.

Ms. Roberta Walker stated that she is in agreement with accepting the Head of Schools report as presented. Bostic discussed her priorities which include attracting and retaining quality 

Committee Reports

Finance Committee (25 mins)

Academic Committee (15 mins)

Governance Committee (15 mins)

Finance Committee Report – Janelle Wilhite

The Finance Committee met on August 15, 2023. New contracts for the 2023-24 school year were discussed. The estimated September invoices over $5,000 were approved. The RFP for the janitorial contract was tabled. The cooling tower repairs have been tabled-an additional estimate was secured. Assessment Administration software (an achievement dashboard) was approved. State Health Benefit Plan – comparative analysis was requested. Discussed the audit process and the progress being made. Bank reconciliations were discussed. A deeper dive will be taken into the salary scale and comparative analysis. The finance report was not reviewed during Finance Committee..

34-8-22-2023– Recommendation to approve the salary range increase for highly qualified Elementary and Middle School Principals to $90,000 to $125,000 for each principal.

Motion made by:                                  Janelle Wilhite

Motion seconded by:                            Roberta Walker

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

31-8-22-2023 Presentation of July 2023 Paid Invoices – Information only

32-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to approve September invoices over $5,000 at $124,431.65 not to exceed $145,000

Motion made by:                                  Janelle Wilhite

Motion seconded by:                           Roberta Walker

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

36-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to switch from the current benefit insurance company to the State Health Benefit Plan. There is no cost associated with making the change.

Discussion: Additional information was requested from the Finance Committee. Dr. Bostic provided the requested comparative analysis. Since this item was not voted on in the Finance Committee and the deadline to switch is September 30, 2023, a decision was made for the board to vote for approval. Dr. Bostic publicly thanked Mr. Kayemba and Ms. Simpson for the hard work that is being put into the research and proposal.

Motion made by:                                Janelle Wilhite            

Motion seconded by:                           Roberta Walker

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

37-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to increase the salary range for the School Operation Manager position to $75,000 to $85,000 from the current salary.

Motion made by:                                Janelle Wilhite

Motion seconded by:                           Roberta Walker

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

Amend the agenda to include 480 FTE 2023-24 Contingency Budget Scenario to the board for approval –

Consensus given by the board

Mr. Kayemba reviewed the 480 FTE Contingency Budget Scenario with the full board. There is a need to approve this budget as a contingency budget. This budget was discussed, reviewed and vetted in the finance committee and during the budget process but, due to changes needed, the document was not officially approved. Ms. Arnold asked when the ESSER III funds would expire. Mr. Kayemba stated that the ESSER II expires September 30, 2023, and ESSER III funds will expire June 2024.

Recommendation to approve the 480 FTE 2023-24 Contingency Budget in the amount of $7,950,188.00

Motion made by:                                Janelle Wilhite

Motion seconded by:                          Roberta Walker

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

Academic Committee Report – Roberta Walker

The Academic Committee met on Thursday, August 10, 2023. The personnel items and revisions to the academic calendar were discussed. Dr. Bostic introduced a new program called goal book to assist with the MTSS/RTI process. The committee will continue to discuss the program. MAP testing was also discussed. In addition to the board action items that were approved as consent agenda items, additional board items will be presented for board consideration:

1-4-25-2023– Recommendation to amend the previously approved 2023-24 Academic Calendar to add 5 Professional Development days and 4 Independent Learner Days.

Scholars do not report to school on Independent Learning Days.  Scholars will be assigned Asynchronous, independent lessons and assignments for a grade for their scholars. 

Motion made by:                                Roberta Walker

Motion seconded by:                           Wanda McKay

Motion Carries:                                  3-Yes; 1-Nay (Kathy Ann Young)

1-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to approve a $5,000 stipend for IT support during the summer by J. Boveland and J. Young. Each person will receive $2,500.

Motion made by:                                Roberta Walker

Motion seconded by:                           Janelle Wilhite

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

2-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to approve Evelyn Guyton as the Math Coach at no change in salary

Motion made by:                                Roberta Walker

Motion seconded by:                           Janelle Wilhite

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

5-8-22-2023 Recommendation to approve Dr. Ketchia Woods as Interim Reading Coach at no change in salary

Motion made by:                                Roberta Walker

Motion seconded by:                           Janelle Wilhite

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

7-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to approve a $2,500 July Additional Duties Stipend for Evelyn Guyton

Motion made by:                                Roberta Walker

Motion seconded by:                           Wanda McKay

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

38-8-22-2023 – Recommendation to approve the Assessments Administration in the amount of $7,234.50. These in-kind services will be provided by DeKalb County School District.

Motion made by:                                Janelle Wilhite

Motion seconded by:                           Wanda McKay

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

Governance Committee did not meet and therefore there is no report.

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.

No comments from stakeholders. Ms. Arnold informed all participants that the board can be reached at board1@dekalbprepacademy.org

Other Business

Ms. Arnold thanked Dr. Bostic for expediting the meeting so that staff could go home at a reasonable time. Ms. Arnold thanked the staff for their attendance and Kathy Ann Young for serving on the board. Dr. Bostic thanked the Central Office School Support team for providing the necessary support to get the meeting expedited. Ms. Arnold echoed Dr. Bostic’s comments and Ms. McKay reiterated that there are 5 central staff members assisting.

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn at 7:54 p.m.

Motion made by:                                Wanda McKay

Motion seconded by:                           Roberta Walker

Motion Carries:                                  Unanimous vote

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:15 pm