The Anchor School
Minutes
TAS General Board Meeting
Date and Time
Saturday May 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Location
The Anchor School
2460 Wesley Chapel Road
Decatur, Georgia 30035
Directors Present
D. Gregory, J. Anfield-El, J. Burton, J. Whittington, M. Sutton, T. Ramsey
Directors Absent
E. Desprez Isbell
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 5/20/23 Meeting Agenda
Dr. Gregory recommended that the meeting agenda be revised to discuss status of school opening, voting matters, and budget. Committee reports will occur at next meeting.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| J. Burton |
Aye
|
| J. Whittington |
Aye
|
| T. Ramsey |
Aye
|
| E. Desprez Isbell |
Absent
|
| J. Anfield-El |
Aye
|
| M. Sutton |
Aye
|
| D. Gregory |
Aye
|
D.
Approve Minutes
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| E. Desprez Isbell |
Absent
|
II. School Pre-Opening Updates
A.
Progress towards enrollment target (120)
III. Governance
A.
Updated Bylaws Vote
This matter will be discussed at the next Board meeting.
B.
Updated Fiscal Policy Vote
Jaamal Whittington recommended changes to the current Fiscal Policy:
- Amend budget approval date to no later than June 1 to meet SCSC deadlines
- Note that 2 public hearings on proposed budget will take place prior to Board voting
- Posting of Financial Statements on TAS website for transparency
C.
Board Retreat
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
D.
Compliance & Training Requirements
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
E.
Vendor Renewals
F.
New Vendor Contracts
1. Contract with the following vendors:
The School Gourmet (food services), Jantize (janitorial services), French Toast (uniforms).
2. Contract with First Student (transportation) if budget funding assumptions occur.
3. Authorize small working group (Dr. Josh Pinto Taylor, Dawn Gregory and Jamal Whittington) to select and contract Benefits provider upon review of additional forthcoming data.
IV. Facility
A.
Lease Termination Clause - Vote
If by the date on which TAS has the option to terminate the Lease (currently June 1, 2023):
1) the SCSC agrees to submit TAS to the State (supporting authorization to open in Fall '23), the option to terminate the lease will not be exercised
2) the SCSC declines to submit TAS to the State (with TAS effectively unable to open in Fall '23), the option to terminate the lease will be exercised
3) if the SCSC's authorization position on TAS opening in Fall '23 is unclear, the Governance Committee may determine appropriate course of action regarding the exercise of the lease termination option.
Board Member Joseph Anfield-El is authorized - as necessary - to engage in discussions with the lessor for the limited purposes of securing an extension to the date by which to exercise the lease termination option.
B.
Facility Renovation
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
V. Finance
A.
Head of School Contract & Compensation Vote
Approve Head of School Contract and compensation design, with tiering/conditional ranges to be finalized by Chair and Treasurer consistent with approved budget and the amendment of the bonus language to reflect an October 2023 evaluation as to feasibility.
B.
Public Comment on Final Budget
No public members were in attendance to provide comment.
C.
Final Budget Vote
D.
Grant Updates
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
VI. Academic Committee
A.
Academic Committee Updates
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
VII. Community Engagement Committee
A.
Marketing Updates/Strategy
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
B.
Volunteer Clean-up Day
This will be discussed at next Board meeting.
VIII. Closing Items
A.
Public Comment
B.
Summary of Actions
* Board Members will contact student family to determine enrollment decision.
* Fiscal Policy will be amended accordingly.
* Approved vendors will be engaged.
* Ongoing discussions with vendors will occur in smaller work teams.
* Budget will be recited to final in accordance with Board approved changes.
* Head of School contract will be revised in accordance with Board approved direction.
* Exercise of Lease Termination option to be determined in accordance with Board approved direction.
* Committee reports to occur at next Board Meeting.
C.
Adjourn Meeting
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| M. Sutton |
Aye
|
| J. Burton |
Absent
|
| D. Gregory |
Aye
|
| T. Ramsey |
Aye
|
| J. Whittington |
Aye
|
| J. Anfield-El |
Aye
|
| E. Desprez Isbell |
Absent
|
Dr. Josh Pinto-Taylor reported status of enrollment to date which has been submitted to the SCSC. Updates to enrollment (currently 80 students) can be submitted no later than Monday 5/22/23. The Board agreed to reach out to students who have been accepted but not yet enrolled.