The Anchor School
Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday October 22, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Location
In-person for board members
The Anchor School
2460 Wesley Chapel Road
Decatur, GA 30035
Directors Present
A. Pressey, C. Humphrey, E. Desprez Isbell, J. Burton, J. Jordan, J. Whittington (remote), K. James, K. Sargeant, N. LeBlanc, S. Kollu, T. Winston, V. Thompson
Directors Absent
S. Birch, S. Stewart
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
A. Pressey, J. Jordan
Ex Officio Members Present
J. Pinto Taylor
Non Voting Members Present
J. Pinto Taylor
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
II. Public Comment
A.
3 members of the public attended. Teacher/Parent of a 6th grader introduced herself. No public comments to add otherwise.
III. Executive Director Report
A.
Executive Director Report
IV. Academic Achievement
A.
Academic Dashboard Review
- 23 new applications have been received since enrollment applications opened October 1
- Enrollment is high enough now to support reports of overall school demographic and profile of the school community
- 6th grade - 73 students, 7th grade - 111 students, 8th grade - 91 students
- Reviewed MAP data from the fall administration
B.
Item for Action: Academic Assessment Calendar Update
C.
Item for Action: Academic Policy Review & Vote (Staff Handbook)
D.
Item for Action: Academic Policy Review & Vote (Family Handbook)
E.
Item for Information: Diploma Offering and Minimum Credit Requirement
- Diploma Requirements & Endorsements – The Anchor School: Pursuant to GaDOE Code IHF(6) 160-4-2-.48, The Anchor School will meet all graduation requirements in the state of Georgia – including diploma standards, graduation requirements, units of credit, areas of study, and LEA responsibilities. This exhibit is intended to outline the additional credits TAS expects students to earn prior to graduating with their degree.
- Item for Information in tonight's meeting
- Item for Action (to vote on) in November
Action Item for all board members: Review TAS Diploma Requirements & Endorsements and send any questions to Emily (Academic Committee Chair) by Friday, Nov 7. We will review and discuss at the Nov 12 Academic Committee Meeting.
Action Item for Dr.PT/Dr. Wingfield: Add credit requirements for Alternate Diploma
V. Community Engagement & Advancement (Ad-hoc)
A.
Committee Updates
Highlights as of Oct 21:
- Facilities (Sahi): Researching school funding and expansion programs, connecting with Debra Ward (DSW Legacy Enterprises LLC), and identifying 2–3 brokerages and lending programs to strengthen readiness for Facilities 2.0.
- Corporate Partnerships (Carl): Prioritizing Coca-Cola and Chick-fil-A foundations, exploring Google, Microsoft, and Atlanta Tech Village partnerships in STEM and digital media, and aligning TAS programming to corporate giving priorities.
- Enrollment (Jarrod): Exploring digital outreach tools like mass texting and partnerships with Georgia CAN, developing a church-based engagement strategy with Dr. Wingfield’s team, and researching low-cost communication systems to support these efforts.
- Fundraising & Partnerships (Josh): Building a high-net-worth donor cultivation strategy and collaborating with Ms. Young on a prospect list. Partnering with the Donovan Group to develop investor decks and marketing materials.
- PTO (Jaz and Josh):
Jaz and Dr. PT are exploring the structure and purpose of a TAS Foundation (as a separate 501c3) and how it could nest with the PTO to create a unified pathway for fundraising and governance. This approach would allow the PTO’s work to directly feed into the foundation, supporting long-term sustainability. They will meet 1:1 to align on next steps and fall co-design opportunities. - Next Steps:
The next Task Force meeting is set for Monday, November 18 from 5:30–6:30 PM with the Donovan Group joining to discuss marketing and investor materials in support of TAS fundraising goals.
Trainings:
New Board Member Training is scheduled for Wednesday, October 30 from 6:00–8:00 PM on Zoom.
Morgan and Josh will co-facilitate a comprehensive session covering charter school governance basics, training requirements, meeting attendance expectations, financial contribution guidelines, and the role of board unity. Josh will also ground new members in the TAS mission, academic model, and high school expansion process so everyone is aligned on our strategic direction
. The session will include time for reflection and community building, and materials will be recorded and shared for reference.
Upcoming Board Dates:
- Winter 2026 Board Retreat: Timing TBD (syncing with Morgan on this and then will share out with the board)
- December Board Social: “Tacky Sweaters” celebration (details and survey to come)
- EOY Showcases and Celebrations of Knowledge: Stay tuned for more from Josh on school-based events for board members to attend and celebrate student learning. Wednesday, Dec 17
Action Item: Public Comment/suggestion for Jarrod to look into/learn more: Stonecrest Business Alliance - Breakfast on Nov 19
VI. Finance
A.
September 2025 Financial Summary
2025-26 Forecast Update
- FY26 Approved Budget vs. Current Forecast – Overview
- FY26 Previous Forecast vs. Current Forecast – Waterfall Chart
- FY26 Previous Forecast vs. Current Forecast – Variance Table
- FY26 Approved Budget vs. Current Forecast – EBITDA
- FY26 Monthly Cash Balances
Dashboards
- State and Federal Grants Summary
- FY26 Key Metrics Dashboard
- FY26 SCSC Dashboard
B.
Facility Team Updates
- Architects sent first draft of high school wing expansion
- Contract with the architects is moving along, negotiated the cost down by 33%, and happy with their willingness to work with us within our budget
- Oct 31 is the RFP for the general contractors for cost estimates of first phase.
C.
Item for Action: Federal Drawdown Form + Purchase Reqs
D.
Finance Policy Review & Vote
including three comments regarding policies that will be reviewed in monitoring this month and redlined recommended revised language next to the comments.
VII. Governance
A.
Item for Action: Adopt Updated Bylaws
- Removed language around Executive Committee since it no longer exists and include the current committee structure
- Updates around term lengths and renewal for board members
Action Items:
- Jaz to sign updated bylaws
- Jaz to upload signed bylaws to correct Board on Track folder (public)
B.
Item for Information: Policies
In the coming months, we will be discussing and voting on these three policies, based on state updates and requirements.
- Acceptable Use Policy & Guidelines
- Social Media Policy
- Policy for Prohibiting Bullying, Harassment & Intimidation
Operational Highlights: This month, our team has focused on SCSC monitoring and data collection across financial, academic, and operational domains. Additionally, our administrative team has completed several key compliance and performance monitoring reports to ensure we remain on track with state and organizational benchmarks. Notably, our website monitoring review came back clean and in good standing and our CSP monitoring corrective action plan was shared with the SCSC.
Academic Updates: Classroom walkthroughs and instructional observations have been conducted to gather insights on teaching practices and student engagement. Our instructional priority at this time is academic rigor. We are preparing for micro-village meetings taking place later this week. These conferences provide a valuable opportunity for students to reflect on their progress, set goals, and strengthen the partnership between home, school, and community. Advisors have been working closely with students to guide them in sharing their learning growth and next steps. Next month, we will present this aspect of our model at the Cognia conference in Buckhead.
Finance Update: I am pleased to reiterate that our annual financial audit has been completed and submitted with a clean opinion. This outcome reflects the strong fiscal management practices of our finance team and reinforces our ongoing commitment to transparency and accountability. Great work last year, team!