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.

There was no public comment.

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.

Approve Previous Meeting Minutes

Approve previous meeting minutes from recent Special Called meetings and one regular meeting.

Report from School Principal

Report from Principal Mike Stewart on various pivots to remote learning/school participation including academics; student engagement; and end of year trips and traditional events. Mr. Stewart stated that weekly staff meetings occur. He commended staff on their commitment and efforts.

Report from Executive Director

Dr. Katherine Kelbaugh's update included word that the Charter School Commission has decided to extend charter contracts for one year, given the school closures due to Covid-19, and the Georgia Department of Education is considering following this decision. Dr. Kelbaugh will, however, move forward in creating a Charter Renewal Committee and potential subcommittee(s). She also noted that information is still being obtained from DeKalb County School District regarding the next year's funding formula which will have impacts to TMS. Dr. Kelbaugh provided an overview of TMS Foundation recent conversations and officer decisions; continuation of the Core Packs program (extra nutrition for families in need); and plans for a virtual State of the School event in May.

Finance Committee Update

Report from Board Treasurer Tamara Richards included notification of a successful application to the Paycheck Protection Program. She then reviewed the monthly financials for March, which reflected half a month approximately of typical school activities and the remainder of the month with the school closed due to Covid-19 related school closure orders from the Governor. This situated resulted in loss of revenue in some areas such as school lunch purchases but also reductions in expenditures such as for expeditions and testing that was no longer required for this school year. Ms. Richards noted that the Finance Committee had recently received a draft tax return and would be reviewing it. The new tax return deadline for the school is July 15, as with altered household tax filing deadlines.

Attachments

• MonthlyFinancials_March2020.pdf.pdf

Facilities Committee Update

Facilities Chair Alan Locke reiterated the status on the Facilities and Security Grants.

Governance Committee Update

Governance Committee Chair Jesse Lincoln reminded the Board that required training completion dates had been pushed back to September and that all committees needed to be recording committee meeting agendas and minutes.

Board Chair Update

Board Chair Clay Jones reflected on the tremendous effort of TMS staff and leadership during current challenging times.

The Meeting was Adjourned

The meeting adjourned at approximately 10:18 pm