Atlanta SMART Academy
Minutes
ASA Board Meeting
Date and Time
Monday September 21, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Location
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87648689251?pwd=fIqDlNx25s76t5vZbVDOj0QYRbShFa.1
Meeting ID: 876 4868 9251
Passcode: 933469
Directors Present
A. Bruce (remote), B. Williams (remote), E. Ross (remote), I. Lee (remote), L. Cofield (remote), V. Williams (remote), W. Brasher (remote), W. Newman-Johnson (remote)
Directors Absent
A. Kennedy
Directors who arrived after the meeting opened
B. Williams
Guests Present
Deanna Kimball - Vertex (remote), Lisa McDonald (remote), Michael Juel Larsen - Vertex (remote), P. Meadows (remote)
I. Opening Items
A.
Record Attendance
B.
Call the Meeting to Order
C.
Approve Minutes
II. Academic Oversight and Governance Committee
A.
Approve ASA Bylaws Updates
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| V. Williams |
Aye
|
| A. Bruce |
Aye
|
| E. Ross |
Aye
|
| A. Kennedy |
Absent
|
| I. Lee |
Aye
|
| W. Newman-Johnson |
Aye
|
| L. Cofield |
Aye
|
| W. Brasher |
Aye
|
| B. Williams |
Absent
|
B.
Approve Strategic Plan Formatting Updates
Wanda discusses overall changes.
Added letter by ED.
Format updates.
Updates focused on alignment.
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| A. Kennedy |
Absent
|
| E. Ross |
Aye
|
| V. Williams |
Aye
|
| W. Newman-Johnson |
Aye
|
| B. Williams |
Absent
|
| I. Lee |
Aye
|
| A. Bruce |
Aye
|
| W. Brasher |
Aye
|
| L. Cofield |
Aye
|
C.
Approve Board Calendar Revisions
Made changes to accommodate Vertex 10 day closing -- made revisions to Board Calendar
Reviewed by board
Effective next month October, Friday @ 1PM
Some occurrences will change board meetings to 7pm
Vertex confirms calendar works with their schedule
| Roll Call | |
|---|---|
| W. Brasher |
Aye
|
| W. Newman-Johnson |
Aye
|
| E. Ross |
Aye
|
| V. Williams |
Aye
|
| L. Cofield |
Aye
|
| B. Williams |
Absent
|
| A. Bruce |
Aye
|
| A. Kennedy |
Absent
|
| I. Lee |
Aye
|
D.
SCSC Monitoring Updates - Submission Group 3
Review submission group 3
All board responsible items completed
Patrice on track for school based requirements
Should hear sometime in October from SCSC regarding website monitoring
E.
Governance Training
Feb 9th + 10th SCSC Training for Board Members
10th is for all members
Apr. 13th - 14th in Macon SCSC Training for Board Members
Awaiting update from SCSC re: board member attendance . Wanda working with SCSC on compliance req.
Discussion on feedback to SCSC re: training dates. Thee are other options for training but they do cost. All members do not have to attend the same, you can do an alternate training, but individuals are responsible for cost. Wanda will share approved vendors.
III. Finance, Facility, Development, and Strategic Partnership Committee
A.
Finance Update
Ivan leads discussion on Finance updates.
Shares new cadence.
Michael from Vertex overviews August financials 7/31 - 8/31 2026
-465K+ forecast for year current - enrollment drop
Adjusted to show new contracted janitorial services
QBE revenue shift based on enrollment numbers was biggest change
Reviews estimate enrollment numbers. Variance of ~30
Reran QBE programmatic funding #s
Monthly forecast will change based on previous month forecasted budget. Will always show budget vs. forecast.
QBE contra is where SCSC would take money back based on enrollment
Discussion of how to get back to net positive - maintain SCSC recommended days cash on hand
Balance sheet review
SCSC Fiscal Dashboard review
IV. Executive Director Updates
A.
Executive Director Presentation
Patrice reviewed monthly updates
Highlight
Academics
Operations
Finance
High dosage tutoring grant submitted
Expansion grant - in progress
Accepted to expansion cohort -- working with bellweather currently
Shared current updates regarding cohort and next steps
V. Closing Items
A.
Adjourn Meeting
- ASA Bylaws (New) .docx
- DRAFT ASA_Strategic_Plan_FY26-31.docx
- ASA_Board_Calendar_2026_2027_Meeting Schedule_Revised_091726.docx
committee reformatted document with easier navigation
updated majority language vote for consistency throughout document
updates to Article 3, 4, and 5
Article II Section 3, 6 , 10, 11
Update to board term to max of 6 consecutive years
Clarity in nominations to officer positions
Added in section for materials to be shared with secretary 3 days prior to board meeting
Provided clarity around board member attendance + termination
Article IV Section 1, 2, 4
Updated secretary term to preserve institutional knowledge
Updated nominations for secretary + treasure -- elections every 2 years
Chair section updated to align language with GADOE re: ED review
Article V Section I
Updated oversight + governance language
Updated language around board member onboarding, retreats, training
Ivan poses question re: parent liaison update. Board needs to work with Patrice to get an update on elected member following PTO meeting at ASA this week.
Move to vote