There were no public comments. 

See PTCA report in board packet. Brittney Gove gave an update on recent PTCA activities. 
- Run With the Wolves will be postponed until August 29 and may take place again in May 2021, depending on how the race goes in August. 
-Will be producing yearbooks this year
-No end of year picnic
-4/21 dine-out tonight; Your Pie is currently overwhelmed with the number of orders, despite warnings. 
-Normally vote on budget and slate of new officers in May; planning to set up a way to vote online, anonymously. 

Elementary Campus Principal Lara Zelski gave an update on how Phase 4 is going for Elementary students, teachers, and families. HOWL team created a great rollout plan. Attendance has been good for live sessions. Technology is hard for the younger grades. Making plans to celebrate 5th grade at end of year. 

Middle Campus Principal Cathey Goodgame credited the HOWL team for how well things are going at the Middle Campus. Easier transition for Middle Campus students because they were already working in Google Classroom and other online platforms but still a learning curve. Kids seem to be doing ok. Some aspects of Middle Campus learning are more complicated to do online for example, curriculum choices for next year. Working to celebrate 8th graders, trying to stay connected. 

Chuck Meadows presented his Executive Director report, which can be found in the board packet. 

Deadline to accept or decline admission offer for 2020-2021 year was April 17. Chuck presented the results. Only slots in Kindergarten and 6th grade have been offered so far. Of the 64 kindergarten students admitted, 25 were siblings of current ANCS students. There were 6 new 6th grade students admitted.

Disappointing news on the socio-economic front. Extended offers to only 4 socio-economically disadvantaged students, of which 2 accepted. 176 waitlisted, most outside of our tier one attendance zone. 

Campus principals reported that while spots are typically held for retention, these spots will open up as retention is not likely this year; no equitable way to do it given the current situation. Also seeing lower attrition (to private schools), possibly due to economic instability. 

Chuck reported we are on track to meet our July 1 deadline to submit our Charter Renewal application. There has been talk of that deadline getting extended, but regardless we will still plan to meet our original deadline. Next meeting with GCSA is on April 24. There will be a detailed presentation at the next Educational Excellence Committee meeting. 

Chuck updated the Board on HOWL (Home/Offsite Wolves Learning), the HOWL Team, and highlights from the HOWL platform. Phase 4 went into place on Monday. All 4 phases were developed upfront. Remote learning will continue through May 15, after which we'll focus on wrap up and closure of the school year. 

During phase 3, the school received some feedback from parents about the 8 AM start time, but due to the level of complexity of the schedule, including grade level collaboration, lesson planning, etc., the schedule will not be shifted. 

ANCS's kitchen staff has been working very hard, receiving close to 200 orders per day for meals most recently. Meals are free to all students and siblings under 18 and are reimbursed by the department of education. Each order could be for several members in a household. Approximately 2200 reimbursable meals have been served. Staff wears PPE during food prep and distribution. Meals are available to Parkside families as well. PTCA has offered to help if volunteers are needed as orders increase.

Media Centers are open by appointment only for families to check out books. Books are sanitized before and after checking out. Mike Boardman has been distributing devices to families and pickup for repairs. Distributed over 500 devices; about 50 additional to K-2 students and students with multiples. School has taken steps to ensure everyone who needs a device and/or WIFI has received resources/assistance. 

Chuck reported that a special appeal for Gather & Grow Fund donations resulted in $7,000 in additional funding to allow the school to support families with technology, groceries, and meals. So far $3,000 has been distributed in the form of Kroger gift cards through the school's counselors. Meals have been delivered to those with transportation challenges. Support has also gone to families of teachers whose income has reduced because of no aftercare and Saturday School. The special fundraising effort allows us to respond without doing a new and different ask each time a need arises. We will continue this through the end of the school year. 

No plans yet for summer. 
 

See Governance report in packet. Kristen Frenzel reported that policies continue to be reviewed and we will be voting on those policies we can move forward quickly. Others will need more time. Revised onboarding process for incoming board members. Scheduled first meeting for the task force on committee composition (Sabrina Sexton, Kristen Frenzel, and Laura Melton). 

See Business & Operations report in packet. Laura Melton reported that we have a healthy cash balance. Paycheck Protection Program (CARES Act) funds were approved and received by the school on Thursday and will be reflected in the April financials. Committee had a great conversation around the process for these funds: decided to segregate funds until we have 100% forgiveness for them or use funds to pay off loan; strong audit trails will be created; monthly reporting to the committee.

Chuck presented the 2020-2021 budget included in Board packet. He proposed a conservative budget of $11.6 million, which is essentially the same budget as this year with a few minor adjustments. CARES Act revenue is not included in the budget. We expect some grown in allocation from APS, not reflected.

Jordache provided a facilities update.

-Roof project is on schedule and may even be early due to the building being closed.
-Encore System was selected as the vendor for the new intercom/communications system at both campuses and payment of $95,000 was sent. $60K of this is covered by a grant. Business & Operations Committee chose vendor and approved funding as per the authority given at the March board meeting. No need to take an additional vote. Board members can review vendor bids and project info in the shared drive. 
-Middle Campus buildings and grounds project is moving along. 

See Fund Development report in packet. Meeghan Fortson reported that Gather & Grow Fund is on track to meet our goal; however, given the coronavirus crisis, the strategy and messaging this spring will be different. Special effort to raise support for families of students and teachers will continue through the end of the year. $7,000 raised for this effort in March. Auction was a great night for the school and raised $115K (gross) for school operations. Fund Development Newsletter will go out at the end of the month to a broader community of donors (alumni parents, grandparents, community members). 

See Educational Excellence report in Board packet. Hanah Goldberg reported that we will be voting at a future meeting on making changes to our Charter that will allow us to be as proactive as possible to become a more diverse student body. 

Howard Franklin reported on City of Atlanta's announcement, Governor Kemp's order to loosen restrictions in Georgia, selection of APS superintendent Lisa Herring, and potential timeline for the legislative session. 

Board moved into executive session at 8:06 pm. Board members called in on a private teleconferencing number. 

Board came out of Executive Session at 8:53 pm and called back into the regular meeting teleconference number.