The Anchor School
Minutes
Board of Directors Meeting
Date and Time
Wednesday March 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Location
In-person for board members
The Anchor School
2460 Wesley Chapel Road
Decatur, GA 30035
Directors Present
A. Pressey, E. Desprez Isbell, J. Jordan (remote), K. Sargeant, N. LeBlanc, S. Kollu (remote), S. Stewart, T. Winston
Directors Absent
C. Humphrey, J. Burton, J. Whittington, K. James, V. Thompson
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
E. Desprez Isbell called a meeting of the board of directors of The Anchor School to order on Wednesday Mar 25, 2026 at 7:12 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
E. Desprez Isbell made a motion to approve the minutes from Board of Directors Meeting on 02-25-26.
A. Pressey seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
II. Executive Director Report
A.
Executive Director Report
III. Academic Achievement
A.
Academic Dashboard Review
J. Pinto Taylor walked through the Academic Dashboard
- There's healthy demand for 9th grade enrollment and Dr. PT has established a cap for quality control
- Pending updated math scores as official math test takes place in April.
- J. Pinto Taylor is currently strategizing for stronger school enrollment, re-enrollment, and promotions
B.
Item for Action: Abbreviating Showcase Days for Scholars
E. Desprez Isbell made a motion to change the academic calendar to allow students, parents faculty, a wider transition from the school day to the showcase.
A. Pressey seconded the motion.
- J. Pinto Taylor explained that the limited time between the end of the school day and the start of the showcase creates transition challenges for scholars, faculty, and parents. The proposal would allow showcase grade-level early dismissal at 2:00 p.m. to support participation without shortening the school day, while also leveraging Friday half-days schedules.
- Impacts: Doesn't change the number of academic calendar days. Additional programming and busing for unaffected students/faculty.
Action Items:
- Update academic calendar to reflect showcase schedule change for each grade
C.
Item for Action: Assessment Calendar for SY 26-27
E. Desprez Isbell made a motion to approve the assessment calendar for school year 26-27.
N. LeBlanc seconded the motion.
The board VOTED unanimously to approve the motion.
D.
Item for Action: Grade Acceleration Policy
E. Desprez Isbell made a motion to approve Grade Acceleration Policy, a procedure/policy for when someone from the TAS community (family, teacher, or student) requests a scholar grade acceleration.
K. Sargeant seconded the motion.
(Previously reviewed in the Academic Committee twice, and with the General Board once) This only applies to the middle school because high school has credit requirements.
E.
Item for Action: Grade Conversion Policy
E. Desprez Isbell made a motion to approve Grade Conversion Policy updates.
K. Sargeant seconded the motion.
- For students transferring to another school that utilizes a traditional A-F grading scale.
- Grades will be provided weighted (high school credits for middle schoolers and college credit/AP courses for high schoolers) and unweighted grades.
IV. Community Engagement & Advancement (Ad-hoc)
A.
Community Updates
S. Kollu provided update:
- Group created a marketing plan with drafted timeline for APR - JUL
- Working with The Donovan Group and preparing to talk with community investors
B.
Confirm New Member Training Date
New Board Member Training officially scheduled for Wednesday, April 8 at 4:30-8:30
Action Item:
- N. LeBlanc to confirm the date with Morgan
V. Finance
A.
February 2026 Financial Summary
- T. Winston shared financial update
- LOC has had strong positive impact on the Days Cash On Hand metric.
- Team will discuss how to leverage LOC in June
- Finance Team to provide item for discussion in APR general board meeting: Educator Supplement to pay out one-time educator supplement distribution amount from State of Georgia
B.
FY27 Budget Draft
J. Pinto Taylor shared update on budget draft:
- Budget to be approved by JUN, interim hearing in APR and MAY
- Committees dedicate 10 minutes in breakout meetings to discuss budget drafts in detail:
- Member should prepare questions, recommendations, and reactions to what the budget says about our values.
Action Item
- V. Thompson to send T. Winston FY26 budget.
C.
Facility Team Updates
- J. Pinto-Taylor provided the following updates:
- Anticipating price from contractor within the next 2 weeks and working on approval
- Promising leads on acquiring new property and partnership with established facilities
- Meeting with current landlord after acquiring their direct contact info to discuss full-fledged renovations
VI. Governance
A.
Item for Information: TAS Advisory Council
N. LeBlanc explained that the TAS Advisory Council:
- will be established to support J. Pinto Taylor with strategic growth initiatives in areas such as finance, real estate, and expansion planning, beginning in the 2026–27 school year
- will consist of nonprofit leaders who will serve in an advisory capacity only
- will not function as a governing board and will have no voting or fiduciary responsibilities
- will be to provide guidance, ask thoughtful questions, strengthen policies through informed perspective, and offer connections that may support TAS’s growth and expansion
- will meet twice per year
VII. Public Comment
A.
C. Quetel provided PTO update
Action Item
- E. Desprez Isbell to add "PTO update" to the ongoing General Board Meeting agenda
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
There being no further business to be transacted, and upon motion duly made, seconded and approved, the meeting was adjourned at 8:47 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
E. Desprez Isbell
J. Pinto Taylor provided the following updates: