Welcome and Call to Order

The Meeting will be called to order by the Chair.

Mission: The mission of The Museum School of Avondale Estates is to inspire students, teachers and the community to collaborate to develop strong critical thinking, interpersonal and academic skills in our students, which will prepare them for real-world success.

 

Core Values: Responsibility, Respect, Cooperation, Sustainability, Creativity, Kindness

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 three minutes. The board will listen, but may not directly respond to any comments. Please do not use specific student, teacher or administrator names in your comments as 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 members of the public asked to speak.

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.

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

Review of the December 17, 2019 regular meeting minutes

Principal's Report

Principal Mike Stewart reviewed the regular Principal's report: noting upcoming events such as Charter School Expo attendance by some TMS staff, Teachers of Color job fair attendance, and Kindness Week, among others.

Open enrollment ongoing with February 14 being the last day for submittal and February 24 scheduled for the lottery.

Finalized MAP data reviewed. A variety of tools and resources being discussed for students, teachers and parents in a few areas to advance outside-of-school support offerings.

Executive Director's Report

Executive Director Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh reviewed her project dashboard and recent activities. The DeKalb County School District (DCSD) has notified charter schools as to a funding formula change. Dr. Kelbaugh attended a December 19, 2019 meeting with DCSD during which TMS was notified of a potential $1.5M cut related to a DCSD budget shortfall. Dr. Kelbaugh, TMS leadership and the Finance Committee are undertaking internal research and continuing to be involved with DCSD regarding this proposed change.

DeKalb School Board members invited to a breakfast at TMS; Governing Board welcomed and encouraged to attend (February 28).

A variety of other initiatives were reviewed including coordination with TMS Foundation, upcoming dates/events of note, and efforts of the Expansion Task Force. State of the School is scheduled for April 6, same day but later in the evening as Pizza with the Principal (childcare provided).

Communications Committee

Communications Committee Chair Andrea Jones discussed opportunities for utilizing Facebook Live for upcoming events such as math support nights and State of the School.

Facilities Committee Update

Update from Facilities Chair, Alan Locke. A volunteer day is being planned for February to spread pine bark mulch; a communication soliciting volunteers will be forthcoming.

The window replacement has been slowed by new information related to building details. Instead, other smaller projects that are eligible for the Facilities Grant will be addressed. The window replacement can potentially be a project for next year.

Governance Committee Update

Governance Committee Chair Jesse Lincoln shared updates on TMS Foundation's bylaws revision. Spring retreat is being planned. Three hours are required for longer-serving members and newer members will need an additional three hours. It is anticipated that some time in a future Board meeting will be programmed to address some of these hours with a separate evening meeting covering the remainder of the required hours.

Diversity Committee

Diversity Committee Chair Christina Cassidy stated that the new diversity page on TMS's website should be ready for launch during State of the School and reviewed likely content of that page.

The data mapping effort continues with more specific updates likely at the next Board meeting.

Board Chair Update and Remarks

Board Chair Clay Jones reminded the Board that there are two meetings in February: the Special Called meeting on the 18th and the regular monthly meeting on the 25th.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:09 pm

Finance Committee Update

Board of Directors Treasurer Tamara Richards reviewed revenue and expenditures, noting some variances from typical months related to school closure for the holidays.

Detailed Profit and Loss reviewed, again some variances from typical months discussed.

An amendment to the school budget is being created to adjust for final QBE figures and the line item adjustments previously discussed and agreed to by the Board of Directors. It is anticipated that the amended budget will be presented to the Board during the February meeting, following final discussion during Finance Committee and after two public meetings.

Attachments

• Summary-2020-01.pdf