DeKalb Preparatory Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Thursday August 29th, 2024 @6:30 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Ms. Suzette Arnold present vice-chair On Time At Adjournment
Mrs. Roberta Walker present member On Time At Adjournment
Mrs. Janelle Wilhite present Treasurer On Time At Adjournment
Ms. Bridget Robinson present secretary On Time At Adjournment
Mrs. Wanda McKay present member On Time At Adjournment
Ms. KathyAnn Young present chair On Time At Adjournment
Dr. Lenise Bostic present ex-officio On Time At Adjournment

Welcome and Call to Order

Welcome and Call to Order @ 6:37pm.

Ascertain a Quorum

Arnold, Walker, Wilhite, Young, Robinson, McKay, and Dr. Bostic were all present for the meeting.

Approval of Agenda

Motion to amend the agenda to move the finance report to the beginning of the agenda.

By: Mrs. Janelle Wilhite

Unanimous Vote

Approval of Minutes from Jul 31, 2024

The committee approves the agenda items.

Approve the minutes as submitted

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approval of Minutes from July 31, 2024.

By: Mrs. Janelle Wilhite Seconded by: Ms. Suzette Arnold

Unanimous Vote 

DPA Board Elections

Roberta Walker explained the role of each board position.

Board Chair- Kathy Ann Young

Vice Chair- Suzette Arnold

Second in Command- Roberta Walker

Treasure- Janelle Wilhite

Secretary of Board- an unannounced DPA employee.

Secretary Representative- Bridgett Robinson

Suzette Arnold congratulated all members and asked that Roberta Walker be named second in command in which there was a unanimous agreement amongst the board members. 

Finance Committee Report

Dr. Bostic explained the status of the audit. She stated that the auditor is in the next phase which is writing the report. The auditor is waiting for the FY24 closeout. We are on track with the audit. They have everything but the FY24 closeout. The appraiser has completed their 2 day they are in the writing phase. We have an audit update for our next finance committee meeting.

(ESSR)Ms. Lee said that all the ESSR reimbursements have been submitted. They are in the process of being reviewed. Ms. Lee has submitted reimbursements totaling 1.5 million.

Janelle Wilhite asked if Dekalb County indicated how long it will take to notify DPA? Ms. Lee explained that they did not.

July Financials

Traquita Lee gave an in-depth overview of the July financials.

Suzette Arnold asked for all surplus to be green on the financial spread sheet and all deficits be red. She stated that we have spent 7% of our annual budget. She stated that she would like to see a budget amendment once all the federal grants are in.

Suzette Arnold questioned the amount of money spent in the first month of the school year in which Ms. Lee confirmed it was an error that she will correct.

Mr. Dennis presented the company that he has selected to fix the broken water tower. He stated that if approved the company can begin tomorrow with an approximate labor time of 2 to 3 weeks. Currently we only have one pump working which is affecting the flow of water in the school.

Motion to approve HVH Mechanical Partners in the amount of $97, 400 to replace the condenser water pump.

By: Ms. Suzette Arnold

Unanimous Vote

Move to approve the repair for the air conditioner in the amount of 13,879.50 with R PRO Remodeling.

By: Mrs. Janelle Wilhite Seconded by: Ms. Bridget Robinson

Unanimous Vote

Academic Committee Report

Roberta Walker reported that the academic committee met on August 14, 2024. During the meeting, they discussed student enrollment, the hiring of a middle school teacher, and the need for potential tutors.

 

Dr. Bostic provided an overview of the MAP assessment and explained that both teachers and principals have been trained on how to interpret the MAP data. She also mentioned that there will be a MAP training session during curriculum night to help parents understand their children’s scores.

 

Suzette Arnold inquired about strategies to ensure parents attend curriculum night. Dr. Bostic responded by sharing that Ms. Baker is organizing more activities to encourage greater parent participation.

 

Arnold also expressed interest in knowing the ratio of new teachers to experienced ones and how this correlates with MAP scores, as well as identifying returning students and their MAP score connections. Dr. Bostic said she would gather this information and include it in the board report.

 

Additionally, Dr. Bostic discussed the PEC (special education) department, confirming that all annual IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) are up to date. Bridget Robinson asked about the number of PEC students in co-taught vs. pull-out settings and whether the progress or regression of students in the Tier process is being tracked. Dr. Bostic explained that Ms. West has this data, which will also be included in the report.

Dr. Bostic reviewed DPA’S progress in the corrective action plan.

Move to hire Dajah Burkett as a middle school teacher salaries and benefits totaling 64,210.65.

By: Mrs. Roberta Walker Seconded by: Ms. Bridget Robinson

Unanimous Vote

Development Committee

Kathy Ann Young reported that Development Committee met in August and discussed the Fall festival. The proceeds will go to the possible renovations of the gym. Kathy Ann Young mentioned that fundraisers are on hold until further notice until the payment system is finalized. The committee is still working on partnerships. 

Governance Committee Report

Bridgett Robinson reported that the governance committee met on August 21, 2024, discussed the current board calendar. Discussed the board retreat. They also looked into board training.

Bridgett Robinson expressed that the organizational structure and staff contracts should be discussed in the executive session.

Public Comment

Staci Dent asked if it is possible for the board members to have name tags to identify the board members. 

Motion to move to executive session to discuss personnel matters.

By: Ms. Bridget Robinson Seconded by: Mrs. Roberta Walker

Unanimous Vote

Executive Session

Personnel Matters

Motion to resume the regular meeting @ 9:32 pm.

By: Ms. Bridget Robinson Seconded by: Ms. KathyAnn Young

Unanimous Vote

Motion to approve the retention and new hire bonus in the amount $349,887.50.

By: Ms. KathyAnn Young Seconded by: Ms. Bridget Robinson

Unanimous Vote 

Adjournment

Motion to adjourn the meeting @ 9:34

Motion to adjourn the meeting @ 9:34

By: Ms. Bridget Robinson Seconded by: Mrs. Wanda McKay

Unanimous Vote

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:34 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Ms. Bridget Robinson Seconded by: Mrs. Wanda McKay

There was no notable discussion on the motion.