Atlanta Smart Academy
Minutes
Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday May 18, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Location
Meeting Password: HJ9SS0
Directors Present
A. Bruce (remote), A. Kennedy, B. Williams (remote), E. Ross (remote), I. Lee (remote), S. Scott (remote), V. Williams (remote), W. Brasher (remote), W. Newman-Johnson (remote)
Directors Absent
L. Cofield
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
V. Williams called a meeting of the board of directors of Atlanta Smart Academy to order on Monday May 18, 2026 at 5:34 PM.
C.
Approve Minutes
S. Scott made a motion to approve the minutes from Board Meeting on 04-20-26.
W. Brasher seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
II. Academic Oversight and Governance Committee
A.
Updates
B.
Board Member Nominations
- I. Lee, Treasurer, was nominated for Vice Chair. E. Ross, Board Member, was nominated for Secretary. A. Kennedy, Secretary, was nominated for Treasurer. A. Kennedy declined the nomination, leaving the role open for FY26 - FY27.
- Board discussed an interim treasurer and workaround solution. Final decision is pending.
C.
Board Member Officer Confirmation
S. Scott made a motion to Approve the Vice Chair and Secretary positions.
A. Bruce seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
D.
Board Retreat
- InspirEDU has been slated as the venue for the annual retreat, taking place June 25 1:00 pm -5:00 pm and June 26 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
- The theme is “Governance, Strategy, and Sustainable Growth”. Board Members are asked to review the bylaws as pre-work before the meetings.
E.
ASA Policy Manual
- A checklist for school policy legal compliance has been created due to the latest legislation cycle. Board members are asked to take ownership of high priority items and have them completed before their June 1st or respective deadline.
- A special called meeting may need to be scheduled to have the policies reviewed and approved before the June Board meeting.
III. Finance, Facility, Development, and Strategic Partnership Committee
A.
Updates
B.
CFO Discussion
- Board discussed the pro’s, cons, cost, and level of support offered by 3 vendors.
C.
CFO Selection
A. Kennedy made a motion to Approve Vertex as the new accounting/cfo vendor.
I. Lee seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
I. Lee made a motion to Approve 2 year contract with new CFO vendor.
W. Newman-Johnson seconded the motion.
- Members discussed the pro’s, cons, and cost of a 2-year term vs 3-year contract
D.
Amended Budget FY25-26
W. Newman-Johnson made a motion to Amend the FY25-26 budget.
W. Brasher seconded the motion.
The board VOTED to approve the motion.
E.
Proposed Budget FY26-27
F.
Public Comment
- No public comments about budget amendments or CFO selection were submitted for consideration.
G.
5 Year Projections
- Since expansion planning is paused, the 5 year projections are no longer a high priority.
IV. Other Business
A.
Review Professional Employer Organization
A. Kennedy made a motion to Approve Paychex as the new payroll vendor.
W. Brasher seconded the motion.
- Members discussed the pro’s, cons, and cost of payroll vendors. Executive Director reviewed 5 proposals and submitted 2 for Board consideration.
- Paychex offers expanded HR services in addition to payroll functionality at a cost that aligns with the budget.
B.
Centigix Proposal
W. Newman-Johnson made a motion to Approve Centegix as the security solution vendor.
W. Brasher seconded the motion.
- Centegix services the majority of Atlanta Public Schools for school security solution.
- The vendor offers an always on crisis alert badge system that allows wearers to notify of medical emergencies, student altercation, disruptive visitor, etc. Wearers can prompt a campus wide alert for immediate lockdown.
- Includes digital mapping that provides first responders and administrators the precise location of the alert in real time. The map also pinpoints critical safety assets such as defibrillators, fire extinguishers, and cameras.
C.
Executive Session - School Leader Bonus Discussion
- Members used the bonus compensation matrix created by A. Kennedy to evaluate the Executive Director‘s performance to the outlined metrics and their weighted score.
- Members reviewed the Executive Director’s supporting documentation to show where targets were met and clarify additional performance.
- Members discussed at length the school’s financial standing and the appropriate fiscal year and month to remit payment. This will require a vote at the next meeting.
V. 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 8:52 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
V. Williams