Welcome and Call to Order

The meeting was called to order and a quorum ascertained at 6:08 p.m.

Approval of Agenda

Discussion regarding correcting the time on the agenda from 6:30 p.m. to the correct time of 6:00 p.m.

Plan of Correction Update

The committee discussed the status of the Corrective Action Plan, which is currently in a waiting period for presentation to the Dekalb Board of Education. Dr. Bostic requested a previously approved employee handbook. The committee clarified that the discussed plan was the plan for the school from the board and not the Plan of Correction for DCSD.

Academic Calendar

The committee discussed a proposal to change the school calendar from 192 instructional days to 180 days. Dr. Merritt and his team are compiling data to support this change, including warm body counts, pay scales of other charter schools, and academic calendars. They argued that the current 192-day calendar causes issues with attendance, training schedules, and teacher compensation. The committee members suggested gathering more data on rationales from other schools, pre- and post-COVID academic performance, and compensation comparisons to strengthen the proposal for the board meeting. Both calendars have built-in makeup days in case of unforeseen events. 

Other Business

The committee discussed the need to update the QuickBooks administrator credentials to include the current head of schools, board treasurer, and board chair. They agreed to make this change and ensure that the finance team approves it before the board meeting. Dr. Bostic to update the quickbooks administrator form to include the board chair and treasurer before the next board meeting. 

The committee also discussed the number of open positions for the next school year, with 11 positions currently available and 3 resignations.

• Dr. Bostic to compile data on staff who have left this year and present it at the next Governance Committee meeting. 

• Dr. Bostic to research the possibility of creating a DPA-specific staff survey to be administered at the end of the school year. 

• Dr. Bostic to follow up on the specific date when the Georgia Climate Survey data will be available. The goal is to discuss the data at the April Governing Board meeting.

Additional discussion centered around a request to transfer $11,927 from contingency funds to issue prorated new hire bonuses for 8 employees hired as of November 2024 and later. The finance team needs to approve this request before the board meeting. Dr. Bostic to present the new hire bonus transfer request to the Finance Committee for approval. 

The committee discussed the vacancy for an AVC teacher position, which has been difficult to fill due to a lack of qualified candidates with both teaching experience and AVC knowledge. Ms. Rodgers will repost the position to attract more applicants. The group also discussed the impact of moving the elementary AVC teacher to middle school, which has positively transformed the middle school program but left the elementary level without an AVC teacher since September.

The committee discussed the upcoming climate survey deadline and agreed to present the findings at the next meeting. They also considered implementing additional surveys specific to the school to gather more timely feedback from staff and teachers. 

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:08 pm