Board Chair, BJ, reviewed the Tuesday, June 3, 2025, board meeting. 

Board Chair, BJ,  read ZEST Preparatory Academy mission and vision. 

The Executive Director, MC, shared that we did not have public comment. 

Ed, MC enrollment update: 

Fully registered based on grade level:

K-62

1-65

2-59 

3-36

4-34

5-20

Total: 276 students 

Ed, MC LUA update:

The ZEST Leadership team is working to close out the following LUA tasks:

June Responsibilities:

• Student Record; Human Resources, Special Education

Financial Records:

• Close-out and transfer of financial back office providers at the close of the fiscal year. 

FY26 CLIP-Due June 30, 2025 (GaDOE submission)

• Academic Plan 
• Family Engagement Plan and Stakeholder Feedback 
• Special Education and Federal Programs
• Homeless Support, Migrant Education Support

Ed, MC Academic Planning update:

ZEST SY25-26 grade-level structure:

• 3 classrooms (Kindergarten)
• 3 classrooms (first grade)
• 3 classrooms/departmentalized (second grade)
• 2 classrooms/departmentalized (Third grade)
• 3 classrooms/departmentalized (Fourth/Grade)

Preparing for a partnership with Hands on Atlanta to support small group instruction across Kindergarten and Fourth/Fifth. 

ZEST Prep is moving towards an inclusion model for students with Specialized Services. ZEST is seeking dually certified teachers to support this model. ZEST is anticipating about 14% with IEP's for SY25-26. 

Board Member Question: How will ZEST support long-term vacancies?

• ZEST Prep plans to hire an in-house sub. 

Board Member Question: Will fourth & fifth grades be in separate classrooms?

• Yes, each class will have a homeroom and rotate between teachers.

ZEST will shift to using DRC Beacon for interim, formative, and summative assessments.

ZEST will shift to using iReady in lieu of IXL, as iReady closely aligns with DRC Beacon. 

ZEST has a third grade teacher who was selected to participate in the GADOE- GMAS summer professional development state cohort. 

There will be a slight restructuring of the Leadership Team-Associate Director Academics will now serve as a first POC for families and teachers. 

Board Member Rankin joined virtually at 7:43 pm. 

Board Member, EJ, shared two additional members to add to the ZEST Prep board, specifically, in finance. 

Board Chair, BJ, discussed with the board the adoption of the FY26 Board and Committee calendar. The goal is to adopt a calendar that aligns committee meetings to funnel information.

Update:

• General board meeting on the 4th Tuesday of each month (monthly)
• The Finance committee meets on the third Monday (monthly).
• The Academic Committee meets every other month.
• The Governance Committee meeting will be held quarterly. 

The Board Chair has entertained a discussion as it relates to the proposed schedules:

• Consider the federal holidays for finance committee meetings. 
• The board does agree to adjust the calendar to ensure
• Potential change of time for general board meetings to 6:30 pm instead of 7:00 pm. 
  • The board members have agreed to the 6:30 pm change for the FY26 calendar. 

The Finance Committee Chair shared that May's finances were not available from our back office due to the meeting schedule on June 3rd due to the books closing on June 9th. 

ED, MC facility update:

Short Term: Adjusting classroom placements to accommodate the FY26 school year.

ZEST will be at capacity after this school year, which will impact the school's enrollment.

Certificate of Occupancy- 496 total people. 

Long-term: Meeting with financial partners and facility support. During the June 2025 retreat, time will be spent discussing long-term solutions. 

Board Member, HR shared:

The audit is in. However, it is in draft form. There is a meeting scheduled for Friday to discuss the audit findings and report.

ED, MC shared:

Total Revenue for FY26: 3.8 million dollars 

Total Expenses FY26: 3.6 million dollars 

ZEST will operate on a conservatively lean budget. However, ZEST will need to implement a robust fundraising plan to support the additional needs of the school. 

Revenue Assumptions:

275 students, broken into the GaDOE program codes. 

Notable Funding Sources:

QBE Earnings - $3.6 million 

Donation/Fundraising - $50k

Grants (CSGF) - $150k 

FY26 Projected Cash Balance:

Low cash balance first half of year, projected to end FY26 with $295k or 31 days of COH

Board Chair, BJ, opened the meeting to public comment for feedback at 8:08 pm as it related to the budget. 

• There was no public comment.