Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting will called to order by Kathy Young at 1:07 pm.

Approval of Agenda

So that there is agreement between board members on the agenda, and the amount of time spent on the meeting, the board shall vote to approve an agenda for the meeting. To the best of its ability, it will follow that agenda, and allow for the chair to move the board through the agenda as specified.

Member Introductions

The Development Committee has been restructured. Since this was the inaugural meeting of the newly structured committee, the new Development Committee chair requested that all members introduce themselves.

• Kathy Young is a DPA Governing Board member, parent and Development Committee Chair. Her degree is in Organizational Leadership. She has been a coordinator for a child development center in Decatur.

• Wanda McKay is a board member and parent.

• Tabitha Barnette is a community representative, Peace Baptist Church Administrator and Program Director for the SYNC Afterschool Tutorial Program. DPA has been a partner with SYNC for at least 8 years.

• Malcolm Brown is the new Middle School Principal.

• Evelyn Guyton is an Academic Math Coach.

• Dr. Brian Merritt is DPAs new Academic Specialist.

• Angela Rodgers is the Special Assistant for Special Projects. 

Development Action Items

1. Set strategic goals for the current and upcoming school year, 2023-24, 2024-2. Ms. Young has requested the miscellaneous budget line-item information from Dr. Bostic. Upon receipt, the committee will be able to begin setting strategic goals.
2. 4H Partnership – Ms. Young stated that the school previously received information about 4-H but the MOU was never formalized. Ms. Young has contacted the UGA office and will meet with them on Monday to begin formalizing a partnership.
3. Teacher Appreciation 2024- Ms. Young recommended that the Development Committee spearhead Teacher Appreciation this year. She reviewed a proposal for Teacher Appreciation meals. As a board committee member, Ms. Young cannot receive payment as a vendor. She offered to prepare the menu for the cost of food only without a cost for labor. Gift ideas were presented that included gift cards, self-care items, refreshments, stress relief activities, etc. Ms. Young would like to provide a monetary gift to teachers next year. Ms. Rodgers stated that the Funnel Cake truck was requested by the teachers for this year. Mr. Brown liked the menu and stated that food is always a hit with teachers. He also mentioned a mobile virtual reality option. Ms. Guyton will forward the mobile VR information to Ms. Young. Dr. Merritt will forward the funnel cake information to Ms. Young. 

Fundraising – Ms. Young stated that she would like the committee to set a fundraising goal. Ms. Young is awaiting financial information from Dr. Bostic regarding the line item for miscellaneous funds. Ms. Young introduced the idea of renovating the gym so that it could be rented out for activities as a means of raising funds by hosting games, etc. The lower field could also be rented for football games. Ms. Young will continue to research the leagues and potential income. Mr. Brown commented that he supports this initiative and was previously an Athletic Director. Ms. Rodgers commented that since this initiative would be a capital project and DPA leases the building, permission would have to be granted by DeKalb County School District prior to moving forward. Discussion regarding first Fridays Bake Sale. Ms. Young offered to prepare the baked goods for the cost of ingredients only and assist with sales and distribution. Discussion regarding classroom fundraisers (cupcake wars, etc.) Ms. Rodgers raised a concern about the students bringing in food and potential liability issues. Dr. Merritt stated that a waiver could be developed to minimize risk.

Ms. Young shared ideas that she developed previously as initiatives for a PTSA. Robust discussion regarding student accountability and a process to ensure student and parent buy-in and accountability. Mr. Brown agreed with the necessity of accountability. Dr. Merritt shared information about SWIS, a program that ties into Infinite Campus that provides trends of what type of behaviors, where and when the behaviors take place. Some referrals are not student issues but adult issues that need to be addressed. We could use the data from SWIS to support a PBIS program. Although DPA has a PBIS program, DPA needs to revamp the program to be more comprehensive and robust. Ms. Rodgers stated that the Academic Committee should be advised that this is an initiative that the Development Committee would like to research and develop. Ms. Young will conduct further research on SWIS and communicate with the Academic Committee Chair.

Uniforms - Discussion regarding uniforms and the lack of compliance with the uniform policy. Ideas were discussed regarding the receipt of donated uniforms from students that are transitioning from 8^th grade to high school.

Parent Engagement – Discussion regarding increased parent engagement activities at the school. Currently, the parent liaison posts information about DCSD Parent Engagement Activities. However, the activities are oftentimes far away from the school and parent participation is minimal. If DPA hosted more parent engagement activities at the school, students could participate in activities while parents are in trainings and informational sessions. Ms. Young mentioned access to Infinite Campus and DOJO being problematic. One Parent Engagement Activity could focus on access to Infinite Campus and how to navigate to see student grades, attendance, etc.

Carpool Volunteers – Discussion regarding community volunteers to assist with afternoon carpool duty.

Community Partnerships - Discussion regarding which partnerships DPA has fully executed MOUs and potential partnerships. Ms. Rodgers will forward historical 4-H information to Ms. Young. Ms. Young stated that some of the offerings are STEM activities, agriculture activities, mobile fruit and vegetable truck offerings, one week of camp in Tybee Island in June, one week of camp at Jekyll Island in July.

Other Business

Dr. Merritt shared that the DPA State of the School Address will take place on April 9, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. This could be used as an opportunity to get parents and students signed up for Infinite Campus and Class DOJO. Ms. Barnette raised a concern regarding student access to Infinite Campus.

Ms. Barnette recommended that the Development Committee goals be made very clear to the members. She stated that she was unaware until joining the Development Committee previously that there are some expenses that are not covered by the annual budget like traditional public schools. This is the reason that there was a push to plan events that could result in High Dollar funds being raised. Examples are Golf Tournaments and Casino Nights. Discussion regarding financial goals and the use of funds. Ms. Young stated that the goal for next school year is $200,000.00. However, she needs the line items for the miscellaneous funds to see where we are, etc. Ms. Young has a contact that has planned the East Lake Golf Tournament and will reach out to them for advisement.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 1:57 pm