The Main Street Academy

Governing Board

Regular Meeting - Tuesday August 28th, 2018 @7:00 PM

Meeting Minutes

Attendance Summary

Name Status Arrival Time Departure Time
Erin Rodgers present On Time At Adjournment
Dr. Kelly Johnson present On Time At Adjournment
Dr. Laurie Jackson-Lee not present
Cheryl Parker present On Time At Adjournment
Virginia Smith not present
Dr. Olamide Moore present On Time At Adjournment
Farrah Brown present On Time At Adjournment
Jennifer Fine present On Time At Adjournment
Dr. DeAndre S. Pickett present 10 Minutes Late At Adjournment
Tha Vin present On Time At Adjournment
Bridgett Bell present On Time At Adjournment
Britton Bateman present On Time At Adjournment
Chandra Graves present On Time At Adjournment
Heather Wells present On Time At Adjournment
Rebecca Dearolph not present

Public Comment

Phyllis Jackson - on behalf of parents who are concerned their childrens' pictures have been shared on the PTO page. The concern is that pictures are being taken and posted on the PTO Facebook page and they can be used anywhere. Ms. Fine said the page was monitored by the PTO; she did not know if the PTO had a release or policy.

Principal Report

Ms. Parker discussed her report, previously submitted via Charter Docs.


Ms. Fine and Mr. Vin inquired regarding the student teacher program; Ms. Parker provided additional details.


Ms. Rodgers inquired further regarding the master schedule; Ms. Parker discussed the methodology around lunch, brain breaks and specials. Her goal is to minimize transitions of large groups of students throughout the day.


  • School calendar update - At its meeting in August, the Fulton County School Board made a change to its school calendar, regarding Voting Day on Tuesday, 11/6. Tuesday 11/6 has become a student holiday/teacher workday. Friday 3/8 has become a regular school day. Since the TMSA calendar mirrors the FCS calendar from November-May, I recommend making the same schedule change.

Approve a change to the TMSA 2018-2019 school calendar creating a student holiday/teacher workday on November 6, 2018 (election day) and creating a regular school day on March 8, 2019.

By: Tha Vin Seconded by: Dr. Kelly Johnson

Mr. Vin, Ms. Wells, Ms. Brown, Ms. Fine, Mr. Bateman, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Pickett and Ms. Bell voted in favor; Ms. Rodgers voted against.

Faculty Report

Ms. Monti highlighted some upcoming athletic events; she also discussed a grant the physical education department received from the Atlanta Falcons.


Faculty wondered about lighting in the gym and any holiday celebration planning for the faculty/staff. Ms. Fine said she would follow up with Ms. Smith regarding the lighting situation.


Dr. Pickett discussed how last year's faculty holiday party was planned; Ms. Monti volunteered to lead the planning this year.

PTO Report

Ms. Graves said PTO is off to a great start with its initial membership drive. It has been extended to September 7th; a classroom competition is underway, with the winning classroom getting a popsicle party.


The next meeting is September 11th; the first meeting was well attended and the cafeteria was full. There are giveaways at each meeting. The PTO board is working to strengthen itself to bolster the PTO as a whole.

Academic & School Performance Committee Report

No report.

Finance Committee Report

Ms. Fine gave the report in Ms. Smith's absence.


1) Financial Review

a. FY18 YTD Financials – July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018

b. FY19 Financials – July 1, 2018 – July 31, 2018

Ms. Fine related the financials are strong in preparation for next year's charter renewal.

c. Teacher Retirement System Update

Dr. Pickett reported every individual affected has received their letter of notification; all of the amounts have been paid to TRS save penalties; TMSA is awaiting notification of same. Some teachers have already completed repayment. Efforts have been made to reach out to those who have moved on from TMSA employment as well. Updates have been made in the TRS system as well.

2) Fundraiser, Sponsorship, & Grant Updates

Ms. Rodgers registered the school to apply for the Lowe's grant; there is a requirement to meet with local store management. She suggested a shovel-ready project given the short timeline.

Ms. Fine said we are awaiting word on the facilities grant.

3) Facility Improvements

a. HVAC – Updates

Mr. Haver with Comfort Systems USA is slowly working through changing HVAC units; they are working on the second floor first and moving to the first floor next. They have to work in off hours so as not to interrupt student learning.

b. Capital Improvement Project – Updates

Electric hand dryers will be installed in the restrooms; there is electrical work to be done in order to make this happen. There is no definitive timeline. Ms. Brown was encouraged to see some of the upgrades after returning from summer break.

Approval of Agenda

Approve the amended agenda

By: Farrah Brown Seconded by: Erin Rodgers

 The motion passed unanimously.

Approval of July 24th 2018 Minutes

By: Tha Vin Seconded by: Heather Wells


President’s Report

Ms. Fine reported a fruitful GCSA board training.

  1. Re-chartering preparation. Current school charter term is July 1, 2015- June 30, 2020
  • Reintroduction meeting with consultant who assisted with first re-charter
  • Gearing up for new Performance Framework review area for re-chartering. Internal review of governance documentation and process (Board and committees) - meeting announcements, agenda setting, posting of action items decisions, posting of minutes, etc.
  • Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) Leadership Coaching Program
  • GCSA Policy Manual - tool for establishment of required and best practice policy development and implementation at TMSA
  1. Establishment of short, weekly Risk Management calls with President , Vice President, Principal and Director of Business Operations
  2. Committees to establish no more than 5 measurable goals to present and ratify at the October Board meeting
  3. Recruitment for Board and Committee positions

Approve $2500 expense for Georgia Charter Schools Association (GCSA) to perform a detailed review of TMSA's Re-charter application.

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Approve a $3000 expense to purchase GCSA's Policy Manual to provide templates for required and recommended TMSA Governing Board policy documents.

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Future Business

Dr. Pickett proposed two items:

  1. Approve letter of assurances at September meeting
  2. Mascot discussion/rebranding

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:13 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Bridgett Bell Seconded by: Tha Vin

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Governance Committee Report

Ms. Brown reported in Ms. Dearolph's absence.

  1. FY19 Governing Board Committee appointments
  2. Ms. Wells, Ms. Brown and Ms. Dearolph have been added to the committee
  3. Full board training occurred Saturday, August 25, 2018. 9 voting Board members were in attendance.
  4. During board training, charter renewal was discussed.
  5. Financial Training for new board members Heather Wells, Bridgett Bell, and Dr. Kelly Johnson will be held on September 26, 2018.
  6. The next Governance Committee meeting will be September 13, 2018 at 7pm at Manchester Arms.
  7. Please submit your Background Check and Code of Ethics and Conflict of Interest forms to Rebecca Dearolph by September 1.

Approve the selection of ASPC appointments.

By: Tha Vin Seconded by: Erin Rodgers

ASPC: Dr. Jackson-Lee, Ms. Parker, Dr. Ellison, Dr. Tempro, Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Fine (ex-officio), Mr. Bateman, Ms. Brown, Mr. Adebisi, Helene Brown


The motion passed unanimously.




Approve the selection of Governance Committee appointments

By: Tha Vin Seconded by: Erin Rodgers

Ms. Dearolph, Ms. Wells, Ms. Brown, Ms. Fine (ex-officio)


The motion passed unanimously.

Approve Finance Committee appointments

By: Tha Vin Seconded by: Erin Rodgers

Dr. Pickett, Ms. Rodgers, Ms. Parker, Ms. Fine, Ms. Smith, Ms. Graves, Kimnese Abdul-Salaam, Ms. Bell


The motion passed unanimously.

Approve Communications Committee appointments

By: Farrah Brown Seconded by: Heather Wells

Mr. Vin, Noel Mayeske, Stacy Kerber, Alicia Jones Hicks, Ms. Middlebrooks, Anne Goehring, Sabrina Champion Wilson, Jamila Jackson, Jeremiah Graham, Kenya Morris, Chandra Graves, Laura Calloway, Jamil Johnson-Pearson, Tequila Douglas


The motion passed unanimously.

Amend Finance Committee appointments

By: Heather Wells Seconded by: Farrah Brown

To add Dr. Johnson to the committee.


The motion passed unanimously.

Communications Report

Mr. Vin reported on volunteer hours for the month of August. He encouraged other to log their hours.


Mr. Vin also discussed updates in communications strategy, edlio, internal collateral and communication processes as discussed in his report uploaded to Charter Docs.


Mr. Vin, Ms. Fine and Ms. Brown discussed the charge of the communications committee in relation to daily updates and messaging and the role of the school in same. Other board members added input, along with Dr. Ellison.


Mr. Vin also discussed several surveys sent to stakeholders and the data collected from same. He also discussed the activity of the subcommittees and updated the board regarding their progress.


Communications Committee members were ratified during the Governance Committee reporting section.


The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 4:47 pm

Motion to adjourn

By: Bridgett Bell Seconded by: Farrah Brown

There was no notable discussion on the motion.

Welcome and Call to Order

Ms. Fine called the meeting to order at 7:06 pm.


( for the record, Principal Cheryl Parker was in attendance)