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ZEST Preparatory Academy Charter School

Minutes

Finance Committee Meeting

Date and Time

Monday September 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM

Location

3130 Golf Ridge Blvd. Douglasville, GA 30135

Committee Members Present

B. Jones, H. Ridley, R. Palmer

Committee Members Absent

E. Jackson

Guests Present

Candy Yu (remote), L. McDonald, M. Carruthers, R. Davis

I. Opening Items

A.

Record Attendance

B.

Call the Meeting to Order

H. Ridley called a meeting of the Finance Committee of ZEST Preparatory Academy Charter School to order on Monday Sep 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM.
H. Ridley made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss facilities.
R. Palmer seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

C.

Approve Minutes

H. Ridley made a motion to approve the minutes from Finance Committee Meeting on 08-18-25.
R. Palmer seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

II. Finance

A.

FYI: FY24 Audit

The FY24 Audit, together with the Corrective Action Plan, has been submitted to the SCSC for review.

B.

FYI: FY25 Audit

The FY25 Audit is underway, with the school-based team submitting the requested documents to the CFO and the auditor team. 

  • The audit is on track for an on-time submission. 
  • Discussed the procurement approval process, development of independent systems and procedures.
  • The finance team is recommending a special board meeting to prepare for SCSC monitoring and audit. 

C.

Financials for FY26 August and September forecast

FYI and Discussion regarding the budget snapshot and CPF metric.

  • The Debit-to-Asset Ratio is favorable. 
  • The CFO will conduct a TRS Reconciliation to be completed by early October.  

D.

FY26 Enrollment Update

ZEST is currently 92% enrolled towards the enrollment projection. 

Discussion Topics:

  • Enrollment Waitlist 
  • Student retention
  • Enhancing programming and facilities to support enrollment growth.
  • The student and family experience
  • After school and extracurricular activities
  • FTE, CPI as we approach the October Data Collections
  • Launching Club/ASP stipends to focus on retention

E.

FY26 Staffing Update

Staff updates:

  • Potential Staffing Change
  • Additional academic support 
  • Gifted staffing 
  • EIP staffing 
  • Academic support
  • Operational support
  • Custodial Support 

F.

Update on DE046

DE046 is a work in progress and will be submitted as a one-time report.

G.

Food and Nutrition Planning

ZEST is planning to begin charging for meals in early to mid-October. The school is ensuring all required policies are in place and is working closely with the vendor to launch this process. 

  • Parent Communication
  • Logistics 
  • Pricing Structure 

III. Facilities

A.

Short-Term Facility Planning - FY26

Discussion topics:

  • Suite 120 
  • Classroom 3
  • Preparing for the October health and safety visit 

B.

Long-Term Facility Planning - FY27 & Beyond

Discussion regarding the long-term options of the school to support enrollment. 

H. Ridley made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
B. Jones seconded the motion.
The committee VOTED to approve the motion.

IV. 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 7:10 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,
R. Davis

ZEST Preparatory Academy Charter School is a K-5 elementary school community that provides an academically rigorous, supportive, and joyful learning environment to develop the leader inside every student for lifelong educational achievement and impactful community service.